A few weeks back, I crossed the sky to a snow-stricken Hamburg, honouring one of my favourite bands, The Ruins of Beverast, as they launched new album Tempelschlaf. Although the rigmarole of the journey is another story altogether, there remains much to be said about the gig itself.

No stranger to shows in and around the city, it was a delight to discover Bahnhof Pauli – a reasonably new venue in the middle of the Reeperbahn. Themed as a U-Bahn station, the intimate size offered a cosy platform for the evening’s entertainment.

German three-piece Ultima Necat delivered the first kill of the night, countering the shy sobriety of the crowd with swathes of incense and an unrelenting Black Metal assault. Their short opening set drew from debut cassette “Fragments of Pain” with primal urgency, shaking off any shivers and leaving folk eager for more.

The stage soon swelled with five-piece Rană, unleashing an uncompromising wall of sound to fill the venue. Evoking the blackened crust of fellow countrymen Downfall of Gaia, I soon found myself swept away. Captivating, compelling, and utterly crushing.

Moving up to centre-stage for the visceral intensity of Imha Tarikat, things got bloody. With frontman Ruhsuz enduring cut fingers from previous nights of the tour, he lasted as long as he could before setting guitar aside to belt out the rest of the set by lungs alone. Absolute dedication to the art, compelling fury from the front row. My apologies to bassist Ricardo (doing double duty from The Night Eternal) for pulling out his cables as things got a little rambunctious on my stumble to the floor.

Finally, the headliners. For all the times I’ve seen The Ruins of Beverast, I cannot honestly say I recall the intricate details of their performance. Not that they don’t have my full and absolute attention when they play, but rather aural architect Alex von Meilenwald‘s compositions have an uncanny capacity to transcend the immediate. Demanding to be absorbed on an emotional, ephemeral level where mere foot-tapping and note-taking could not suffice.

With this set mostly culled from the new album, which I had barely familiarised myself with on the flight over, I had no choice, along with friends around me, but to dissolve into the moment. Giving my all in appreciation, intensity surging at every beat, and losing all earthly bonds in the experience.

A phenomenal introduction to Tempelschlaf, an album that reveals deeper dimensions in every play.

With Bölzer sadly cancelling their imminent Europe-wide Rex Revenant tour for medical reasons, TRoB’s release celebrations are curtailed until festival dates later in the year. I wish the very best of health to all affected, and remain grateful for braving the elements to open the Temple in person.