Volbeat rocks the Wiener Stadthalle: A Metal Folk Festival for Everyone

What seems to be mutually exclusive, such as Country and Thrash, Volbeat have combined into their characteristic sound: The result is Metal for the masses. Accordingly, there was a festive atmosphere on Tuesday at the first of two sold-out performances in the Stadthalle. There was nothing for the fans to complain about, only a goat in the intro did so. The opening acts with Bush and Witch Fever were excitingly arranged.

Diverse Program in the Vienna Stadthalle

Volbeat have named the concert tour "Greatest Of All Tours Worldwide" in celebration of the release of their ninth album "God Of Angels Trust." As grandiose as that sounds, the program was at least quite diverse. To start, Witch Fever from Manchester introduced themselves, who will release their debut "Fevereaten" on October 31. What began comfortably with the clear vocals of frontwoman Amy Walpole quickly developed into a noise attack of the finest (or coarsest, depending on taste).

Witch Fever: Contrasting and Properly Loud

Loud, with many tempo changes, somewhere between Industrial, Punk, and Metal, where Ministry influences and a Black Sabbath groove occasionally find space, the formation presented itself. Walpole repeatedly screamed against a brutal guitar wall, which sometimes roared like a starting jumbo jet. More relaxed passages with soft vocals provided contrasts in the exciting set by Witch Fever.

Bush: No Sign of Aging

Bush then elegantly served their alternative rock with a post-grunge touch as always. Where Walpole whirled, mastermind Gavin Rossdale, the last member of the original lineup and master of rock gestures, danced. Right with "Everything Zen" as the opener, the Brits made it clear that their sound has aged well over the years. Driven by perhaps the best drummer of the evening, they offered both old and new material (from the current album "I Beat Loneliness") with a lot of energy. How well Rossdale's voice is was highlighted by the hits "Swallowed" and "Glycerine," performed by him alone. The stamina is also fitting: Without security escort, the soon-to-be 60-year-old sang, overcoming barriers and striding through the audience.

Volbeat: Between Après Ski and Satanic Goats

Volbeat and Austria - a sure thing: Singer Michael Poulsen can rely on fans who know the lyrics and join in every song, whether they are anthemic ("Fallen") or bolted ("Demonic Depression"). The newer material from the current studio work, which is harder again, does the overall picture good: The track "In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan's Spawn in a Dying World of Doom" is as unusual as the title, as it comes without a distinctive chorus. "By A Monster's Hand," on the other hand, crawled heavily, sluggishly, to transition into speed metal (Metallica says hello).

But Volbeat has another side. "Ring Of Fire" was played, to which 15,000 visitors roared and clapped as if at the Kaiser Wiesn a few subway stations away. Catchy tunes like the earworm "For Evigt" (actually heard in ski huts between Helene Fischer and DJ Ötzi) sounded. Twice, the hard-working Poulsen intoned a birthday serenade for Max Verstappen with the entire hall. "How should one describe Volbeat's style?" a fan asks on the way home. "Hm, party metal? Or radio metal?" his companion murmurs, not so wrongly.

The encore will be at Nova Rock 2026. Volbeat will be performing on June 11 as part of the festival in Burgenland.

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(APA/Red)

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