Kataklysm, Vader, Blood Red Throne in Bochum
March 23, 2026, Bochum, Zeche, Germany
Sunday evening, the first sunny weekend after winter. There are definitely better conditions for death metal. Unsurprisingly, the venerable Zeche venue is still rather loosely filled shortly before the show begins. Luckily, that’s about to change.
When Blood Red Throne kick off their half-hour set right on time at 7:15 pm, it quickly becomes clear that quite a few concertgoers must have been enjoying the last rays of sunshine in the venue’s beer garden. The auditorium fills up rapidly and soon reaches a solid crowd size. The Norwegians bring over 20 years of stage experience as you can tell from the very first second. There’s headbanging, posing, and constant movement across the stage. But the quintet’s greatest strength is their nonverbal communication with the audience.
Bassist Erlend plays one song down in the pit, getting up close with the front rows. No wonder Bochum is eating out of their hands. The first mosh pit of the evening already forms, and by the end of the set, hands are raised even beyond the mixing desk. At the end, singer Vald announces that the band will be hanging out at the merch stand for the rest of the night. A great performance and a big plus in terms of fan interaction!
A quick look at the shirts in the crowd makes it obvious that quite a few attendees came specifically for Vader (start photo). No surprise, considering the band has over 40 years of experience and has built a loyal fanbase through extensive touring.
Tonight’s performance turns into a kind of history lesson: 13 songs from 15 albums spanning 43 years of band history. At the beginning, Peter announces that they’ll be digging deep into the vaults tonight. And that’s exactly what they do. The focus of the set lies around the turn of the millennium, with Litany taking center stage through tracks like “Wings,” “The One Made of Dreams,” and “Cold Demons.” Newer neck-breakers like “Triumph of Death” and “Hellelujah“ (also already 20 years old. Unbelievable how fast time passes by…) are just played at the end of the show.”
All in all, a crushing performance, with frontman and founding member Peter repeatedly placing his hand on his chest in visible emotion when the crowd erupts into loud “Vader” chants. A highly entertaining history lesson!
Kataklysm combine classic death metal with the grooves and down-tuned guitars of metalcore, which helps them appeal to a younger audience than many other bands in this genre. Even though you can spot a few members of the 50+ generation in the crowd, people born around 1990 clearly dominate. And they bring plenty of power! From the opener “Push the Venom,” almost the entire show turns into one continuous mosh pit. First major peak: “Prevail” — unbelievable what’s going on here!
Before “Rabbit Hole,” Maurizio delivers the only longer speech of the evening. The gist: the world has become a worse place, and social media—with its algorithms—is dragging us down even further. But metal fans resist these trends and have a great time together, regardless of age, skin color, or ethnical background. Cool message, killer song! The next highlight follows quickly: “As I Slither” is declared a “security stress test,” and from that moment on, the entire venue is in motion. Impressive!
And so the Northern Hyperblast keeps tearing through Bochum with relentless intensity until the evening finally comes to an end after three bands and three and a half hours. Final verdict: awesome package, even better crowd—please come back again soon!
photos: Timo Pässler
