‘DOEDSKVAD‘ EUROPEAN TOUR 2025

Marking the 20th anniversary of the album Doedskvad, Taake’s 2025 tour unleashes a feral blizzard of Norwegian black metal across the globe, with support from the unholy legions of the Netherland’s Asagraum and Bergen, Norway’s Heimland, promising nights of cold, merciless worship at the altar of darkness.

HEIMLAND

Like the howling breath of a vengeful, frost-clad god, scouring the earth in endless white death, Norway’s Heimland encased the warmth of this spring evening in Leipzig, Germany in a frostbitten tomb of razorwire riffs, feral shrieks, and bleak, windswept melodies that bled ice into the souls of all who witnessed their incredible set. Taake’s Hoest couldn’t have picked a better band to open each night of this tour; they are a young band full of unbridled energy and ready to spit piss and black metal venom at a moment’s notice. The bottom-end concussive boom of bassist Morgoth and drummer Lord Thamuz literally shook the foundation of the legendary venue, Hellraiser. In direct contrast with the thunderous boom of the rhythm section, guitarist Alfhar and vocalist Fanden spewed forth a polar vortex of dissonant sounds that mimicked the tempestuous winds and vast desolation of the northern wilderness of their homeland. If tonight’s performance was any indication, Heimland is truly a band to keep an ear on. Stay tuned for their second album, which is set to drop sometime later this year.

Setlist
‘Skugger fra ei Svunnen Tid’, ‘Tronearvingens Doed’, ‘Ved Doedens Vugge’, ‘Iskald Raatten Jord’, ‘Ættestupet’, ‘Lagt i Ruiner’, ‘Forfedrenes Taarer’

ASAGRAUM

Originally an international project based in both the Netherlands and Norway, Asagraum became a Netherlands-based band after drummer T. Kolsvart left the band in 2017. From my understanding, the band is typically a two-piece featuring bassist Obscura and drummer A. Morthaemer. Tonight in Leipzig, they rounded off the lineup with two additional musicians who added depth and brutality to the occult/satanic black metal on display. Having never heard this band previously, I wasn’t sure what to expect. To my surprise, Asagraum spewed forth second-wave inspired black metal, which consisted of tracks that were mainly of a mid-paced variety, with some forays into blistering speed. The most impressive thing for me was the vocal performance by Obscura, who sounded as though she was ripping through the room like a rusted blade on frozen flesh, shrieking with raw, unhinged fury straight from the infernal abyss.

Setlist
‘They Crawl From The Broken Circle’, ‘Veil Of Death, Ruptured’, ‘Daar waar ik sterf’, ‘Black Sun Prayer’, ‘Impure Fire’, ‘De waanzin roept mijn naam’, ‘Dawn Of Infinite Fire’, ‘Black Triangle Temple’, ‘Waar ik ben komt de dood’

TAAKE

It’s mind-boggling to think that two decades have passed since Taake released the much-celebrated Hordaland Doedskvad album. Even to this day, it stands tall — a grim monolith in the frozen landscape of Norwegian black metal. The album carved itself deep into the frostbitten tradition of the second wave, blending shrill, razor-edged guitars, icy atmospheres, and Hoest’s venomous shrieks that remain as vital and visceral today as it did the day it was released. Tonight, on this 20th anniversary, Taake fans from across Germany – and beyond – congregated to raise their horns in honour of Doedskvad, and Hoest and his crew of Nordic miscreants did not disappoint. From start to finish, the guys delivered a furious, frostbitten run through of each and every song found on Doedskvad. To break things up a bit, they dropped a fantastic cover of Darkthrone‘s ‘Over fjell og gjennom torner’ (from their classic Transilvanian Hunger album), and three additional Taake tracks (‘Denne forblaaste ruin av en bro’, ‘Et uhyre av en kniv’, and ‘Nordbundet’). Tonight, we witnessed the unyielding spirit of true black metal from one of its best. Skål!

Setlist
‘Hordalands doedskvad VI’, ‘Hordalands doedskvad VII’, ‘Hordalands doedskvad IV’, ‘Hordalands doedskvad V’, ‘Hordalands doedskvad I’, ‘Hordalands doedskvad III’, ‘Denne forblaaste ruin av en bro’, ‘Over fjell og gjennom torner (Darkthrone cover)’, ‘Et uhyre av en kniv’, ‘Nordbundet’, ‘Hordalands doedskvad II’