SAMAEL, Keep Of Kalessin, Noctiferia
31.01.2009 Sofia,В "Blue Box" club

Words by: Ivaylo Alexandrov, photo: Victor Alexandrov

I went home after the concert tonight, I opened up a beer and I’ve listened to the music in my head. A minute later they switched off the electricity. I sworn silently, lit a candle and I continued listening to the fresh memories.

The electricity came in time for me to eat something and to play a CD. Here’s the song that sounds, it started:
„Come on and RISE! RISE! RISE!
Free your soul
Catch the dream
Where we all SHINE! SHINE! SHINE!
Stand as you are
And let it begin
The reign of light”

No, it took me quite a while to stop jumping, dragged by the unceasing euphoria and to sit in front the computer. Yes, I saw Samael live.

400 people. It is not much. But everybody knew why they were there. Some for the great Keep Of Kalessin. The others for SAMAEL. But there weren’t dissatisfied.

And the less popular here Slovenians Noctiferia opened the evening with punch, talent and blasting electronic metal.

It is not by accident that the guys are close with the headliners tonight. Discrete but dynamic samples, slashing riffs and rude, incited vocals – their songs are direct invitation for mad head-banging. 40-minutes set and they left really warmed-up audience in the hands of the Norwegians Keep Of Kalessin. Here the things are much more extreme!

Melodic black metal but without keyboards, amazing vocals by Thebon, a lot of speed, filing and head-banging from the guitarists and total support by the audience. Vorph shared that in the second leg of their winter tour they took bands that they really like. And this is understandable. Noctiferia are modern, metal electronic slap, the Norwegians are digging where the roots of Samael are and the combination of these three bands in a pack has the potential of explosives on the waist of a Pakistani kamikaze.

And when on the stage there emerged the four Swiss, well, then the Space opened for a spiritual flight.

 “Solar Soul” for the beginning, fists raised high and we plunged into almost 90-minutes intergalactic trip in the electro-metal with a favorite band that we have waited for so many years.

“Yes, it took us long time to come but at last we are here and you are amazing. I hope the next time to be sooner”, said Xy immediately after the concert. The pleased and raging people before the stage made impression also to the others of the band.
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While Mas and Makro leaped and went wild through the stage, the audience before them was adjusted on the same frequency, drowned in a wave of hands, hairs and screams. Never mind that it was loose. “Shining Kingdom”, “Infra Galaxia”, “Ceremony of Opposites” – the list of the songs in this tour covers all the albums of the band. Electronic passages, strong metal and unique, intelligent lyrics, preached by the leader Vorph, on the background of thematic projections on the screen behind the stage – all of this turns a Samael concert into explosion of a supernova of music, energy, charisma and attitude.

Because “Above” that is to be released on 6th of March looks back to the roots of the band, Samael turn special attention to the classic not only for them but also for the contemporary metal scene album “Passage” and they included whole five songs from it.

The hymns were pouring, the “Rain” washed the “Baphomet’s Throne”, we turned out sight to “the collective mind”, then turned back to the black metal with “Into the Pentagram” and at the end the four musicians gave us power with the message that we are our own saviors with “My Savior”.

Vorph was exactly as we know him from records and pictures – standing, statuesque, devoted. The other two at his sides are head-banging all the time and his brother Xy many times left a programmed beat on his synthesizer while jumping he beat the drums. Blast! So powerful that long after the show it holds you and somehow you cannot remember how the minutes in “Blue Box” passed by.
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And these titans of the stage are extremely cordial and patient; they did not refuse a picture and signature to anyone after the show. Regardless the fact they were sweating, tired and with luggage. They stood smiling and talked to everybody.

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We can hope that with the release of their new album Most Of Evil (or someone else) will give us the pleasure to watch again one of the strongest and most unique metal bands in the last 15 years.

See more picture in the Gallery

Tangra interview with SAMAEL's Vorph 2007