Powerwolf/Seven Kingdoms – February 23, 2023 – Palladium Times Square, New York, NY
Saturday, 4th March 2023
Powerwolf in Times Square, courtesy of Powerwolf’s Facebook page.
The long awaited holy heavy metal mass has finally arrived in the US! While Hell & Heaven Metal Fest 2020 was technically the first North American show for the wolves, this would mark their first North American tour and first shows in the US and Canada.
Before the concert doors even opened, it was obvious fans had been more than ready for this. Jumping all the way back to October 4th, 2022, when the New York and Montreal dates were announced with an on sale date just 3 short days away, the high level of anticipation had already set in. Clearly the rest of the US felt similar, as New York sold out by October 12th, 2022 (Montreal sold out 2 days later). Fast forward to the day of the show and people are lining up as early as 7:30am! Myself and the gang did not line up until 3pm and the line was already around the corner and rapidly growing.
Getting into the Palladium, it was a rush to get up front, but thankfully I found myself with just 1 person between me and the railing. The rest of my group went to the higher level to avoid the inevitable squish, especially since my friends brought their 10-year-old son (how awesome to get Powerwolf as your first concert). Having now over an hour to kill, I was able to get to know the folks around me a bit. Fans came from all over for this; Washington, Alabama, Connecticut, Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, Colorado, and Pennsylvania were just some of the locations, along with myself (and husband) hailing from Florida. Folks not only traveled from all over though, they dressed up! There were Jesus’, wolves and many in Powerwolf-esque face paint.
Seven Kingdoms
Before our resurrection we got to enjoy a fun time with Seven Kingdoms. This is a band I have seen many times (they also are from central Florida), but they are always solid and bring a great energy to the crowd. I mean, who couldn’t love Sabrina Valentine and her hamburger slippers reminding us always to not take ourselves too seriously. We’re about to watch a band themed to Catholic or Satanic werewolves, so I think we are definitely ready to be in that frame of mind.
Powerwolf
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At just after 9pm, it was finally time for the metal mass! The “Powerwolf” chants start almost immediately and soon turn into screams of pure joy as drummer Roel van Helden takes the stage. The screams continue as keyboardist Falk Maria Schlegel quickly follows and persists as the Greywolf guitarists make their way up. Attila Dorn is not far behind and gestures to the crowd before belting out “Faster than the Flame” while the crowd sings right along! This crowd is pumped, and the band is clearly bewildered at the crowd. Attila keeps putting his hand on his chest, finally exclaiming “my friends, that feels like home.” Having seen them once before in 2015 at Summer Breeze, I think this crowd might have been even more wild; given that many have waited well over a decade to see them, it’s not surprising.
Before the next song kicks off, Attila is handed a chain censer and announces he will be blessing the venue with heavy metal. The crowd quickly catches on that it’s time for “Incense and Iron” and as the music starts, Attila and the crowd jump as one. This continues throughout the night with the crowd constantly chanting “Powerwolf” between songs and screaming in euphoria. There are many call and response times such as during “Amen & Attack” (which Attila stated he was speechless over the response). There was even a moment when the crowd got a bit too enthusiastic; continuing the “oh” chants for “Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend” when Attila was trying to have us just repeat after him to break it down into 4 parts. Oops! For the encore, the crowd ended up chanting “we drink, we drink, we drink your blood” until they came back out to play us 4 more songs, of which “We Drink Your Blood” was of course included. Normally one would call out the highlights, but with this being such a momentous event, everything was a highlight.
This was absolutely one of the best shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending. Not only because I was seeing my favorite band live again after almost 8 years, but feeling the energy of this crowd, who was just as passionate about this amazing band. Many in the US and Canada have long suspected that Powerwolf does not realize just how much people were desperate to see them. Glenn Harveston, promoter of ProgPowerUSA said back in 2013 “Fourth straight year of offering….fourth straight year of declining to hear an offer. Their focus remains overseas only. One of the most requested bands remains a booking enigma.” Thankfully 10 years later, they decided to give us a chance, and they seemed truly stunned by the reception they got. Here’s to hoping this isn’t the last time North America gets to be blessed by the holy heavy metal mass!
If you were not able to attend these first 3 shows, as of the time of this review there are still tickets available for Dallas, TX on 03/20/2023, Denver, CO on 03/22/2023, San Francisco, CA on 03/24/2023, Los Angeles, CA on 03/25/2023. You do not want to miss this first US tour!
