Event:	Die Apokalyptischen Reiter: Britainmania UK Tour
Written by:	Baz Anderson
Published:	23.02.2010
Galleries:	Die Apokalyptischen Reiter - Nottingham, England, 21st February 2010 by Baz Anderson (28)

Until last year, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter were only known in the UK by the most exotic metalheads who had travelled to various German festivals and discovered them there. The band made their way over to England last summer for a successful showing at the Bloodstock Open Air, and were back again for the Hard Rock Hell festival in Wales. Now it is Britainmania, as the horsemen undertake their first ever UK tour.

Attica Rage

Only the two bands tonight, and after a delay opening the doors the Scots of Attica Rage opened the proceedings to the sparse audience. Just a few people were close to the stage, and the rest of the room was hardly populated either. This did not dampen the spirits of the band though, as they put on a set of heavy metal, verging on the edge of a Black Sabbath-like sound. The band played well, although the drums were a little chaotic, and put on an enjoyable set. Attica Rage however didn't bring anything to set them apart from the million other bands out there, but nevertheless the band seemed very gracious and friendly.



Die Apokalyptischen Reiter

This Nottingham date was the smallest on the tour, and numbers weren't exactly high, but it was clear that the people here present were enthusiastic about the band having discovered them at Bloodstock last year. Somewhat limited by space, the band managed to find room for all the essentials and brought to the stage a brilliant and enthusiastic show. Those unfamiliar with the band will have had a surprise when Dr Pest walked on stage, but the band soon got things underway with their headlining set. The band constantly appear to be having a great time, and it is frontman Fuchs that goes above and beyond the word "charismatic" to engage the audience however large or small. Not only that, but this guy has some lungs on him and knows how to use them. His powerhouse, soaring vocals during "Adrenalin" are certainly impressive, but not so much as his almost-death-metal-like growls he uses for the band's early works, easily blowing the majority of extreme metal growlers out of the water.



The set mostly revolved around new material, either from the band's latest output "Licht", or the wonderful "Riders On The Storm" before it. It somewhat came as a surprise however when the band visited the "All You Need Is Love" album a few times, and even the first album for a version of "Heavy Metal Will Never Die". Of course songs like the outlandish "Seemann" and singalong of "We Will Never Die" always go down well too, but "Unter Der Asche" to close was a real highlight. This was a great, well-rounded set that showed off the band's heavier and more extreme side compared to the somewhat cleaner, newer albums.



No Die Apokalyptischen Reiter show would be complete without at least some of the usual messing about. Fuchs had his eye on the girls and brought a couple of them onto the stage, one of which had the red lines to show after getting seriously whipped by Dr Pest and then tied to his swing. The other was sent out into the audience on a large inflatable boat, but with almost the entire audience under it, they just took it for a little walk around the room. Wherever Die Apokalyptischen Reiter are, there is always a party. No matter what the audience size, these guys put on a fantastic show with big smiles over their faces entertaining the British people. It has to be said that these guys have done brilliantly bringing their almost theatrical monkey business to an extreme metal show, and making it enjoyable for everyone. An extremely enjoyable and entertaining show all round.



Setlist:



The interview that was conducted before the show can be seen at this location.

Thanks to Lucy and Adam for the accreditation and interview.
Written by Barry Anderson.
Photos by Barry Anderson.