Cardinals Folly
TOUR REPORT:
23.5 - Zukunft am Ostkreuz, Berlin, DE
24.5 - Z-Bau / Kunstverein, Nürnberg, DE
25.5 - Club P8, Karlsruhe, DE
26.5
We took off from Helsinki airport again, 9:15 AM on tuesday the 23rd to Stockholm where we would transit for Berlin. Things seemed to run smooth - the only issue was the asshole bartender at the pub in Arlanda of which name nobody anymore wants to remember. Upon our arrival to Berlin airport, it was clear that some Döner would already be needed. So we took the S-bahn from the airport to Ostkreuz, where the gig would happen anyway. We knew from our previous show there 3 years earlier The Gates of Slumber headlining) that the neighborhood is full of good Döner joints. And so it was. Döner no. 1 I would rate 4.0/5.0. The chili sauce was of course a joke for someone used to eat proper Mexican, but it did have a nice taste. Perfect combo with a cold Budejovicky Budvar.
After entering the venue we met our old friend Tom and the
Black Revelation crew. Their merchseller Hanga is definitely one of the best at her profession I've seen so far. Things run smooth. We played at the small basement of
Zukunft am Ostkreuz this time, and the atmosphere was tight already with maybe 50 people attending. Definitely a nice tour opener, Joni's drum solo was appreciated, so we decided to keep it in the set for the whole tour. It was an old anecdote from the Doom In Bloom fest back in 2018. The Germans demanded a drum solo back then, and it appears they don't know what they started...
After sleeping at Tom's flat, I realized something before heading out to the Nürnberg train: our former label Rafchild Records claimed they had shipped 2 boxes of vinyl for this tour to Tom in Berlin, to be picked for the tour. Tom hadn't got any notification, but Raph sent the tracking codes and we discovered the package was lying at a post office in Karlshorst, 500 meters away! So off we go, and carry 20kg of vinyl with us to the train and onwards to Nürnberg. What a gypsy caravan... and Raph saved the day miraculously at the last minute! We had already sold all vinyls we took from home in Berlin. These close calls seems to be our thing, but so far Lucifer is on our side... people call me a lucky bastard, but Obi-Wan once said that in his experience there's no such thing as luck. I'm entitled to make this reference here, because at this point I feel too many people already know that I'm a Star Wars freak. Anyway, before leaving we took the Döner no. 2 and this one lacked the chili sauce, so I rate it 3.0/5.0. Still typical high Berlin standard.
The train trip... well, let's just say that Deutsche Bahn is not what it once was. Fucking expensive tickets, yet no seat numbers. So you spend the trip at the restaurant and just hope it to be over soon. We took a cab at the Nürnberg station and arrived at the venue, which seemed like an ultra-cool punk cave. Wednesday night, and the crowd was big and wild! I already left the stage, but couldn't say no to that bunch of people and returned, so we smashed "Ultra-Violence" as an exclusive extra encore for this tour.
Z-Bau at Nürnberg is something we must experience on a WEEKEND in the future!!! Amazing...
After having Döner no. 3, (2.5/5.0, not Berlin's class), leaving to Karlsruhe from Nürnberg by train was even worse. This reminded of the chaos of our first German trip. The train broke down JUST before Stuttgart, where we had the transit to Karlsruhe. So some local bus travelling to Stuttgart then, thanks to a friendly and helpful local who showed us where to drive for another train to Stuttgart. And from Stuttgart, a mega crowded regional train to Karlsruhe. No restaurants, no heavy metal, no seats. But life brightened when Simon the promoter came to pick us up, and the venue P8 itself was amazing, with good food, accommodations upstairs for bands and some cute dogs.
The turnout for the gig was the lowest of the tour, but we still had good fun in Karlsruhe. Black Revelation was once again great, and them playing "Cromwell" as cover reminded me so heavily of our early days, when we played it twice, the second time with Sami Hynninen on vocals. Nostalgy at it's best.
Before we left Karlsruhe, we knew that the Döner chances were running low, since the next show in Germany would be the last one. So, Döner no. 4 in Karlsruhe, and... it was good, no ratings anymore, but I recommend you to have your Döners in Berlin, not to become obsessed by them, and have something else when you go down to Bayern, Swabia or so. From Karlsruhe onwards we got a car ride from one of the friendliest souls on this earth, Sebastian R! He's an old friend of Martin from Black Revelation, and promised to drive us all the way to Bergamo. He ruled. And still does. The drive was smooth and he immediately recommended us to buy a full 24-pack (I love this guy!) but we sort of chickened out, because we're starting to become extremely responsible adults - sometime in the distant future...
Upon our arrival to Lindau, there was just one mission: FOOD for Joni! If Joni doesn't get food, things will suck on the stage. Feed the machine! This actually reminds me of what Andreas gave as a feedback after the show in Nürnberg: "Wow! Thank you for that awesome show tonight. Didn't manage to talk to you. You were always busy with other people. But this was what I call fucking Heavy Metal in perfection! And greets to Joni. What a fantastic drummer. He's like a machine!"
Sorry, Mr. Stappert, I would've loved to meet you - you're one of our best long-term customers! People seem to in general lack a bit taste nowadays, but you sure don't! Anyway, where was I... yes, the show in Lindau! It kinda reminded me of the show we had at Spiritus Mortis' home hoods in Seinäjoki 6 years ago, because the venue was BIG, the stage was HIGH and the backstage was there above the stage. A real big world feeling. Good turnout of people as well, the venue didn't look ridiculously big when the crowd arrived.
Spiritual Void was good and organised us a nice place to stay, thanks! The only error of the entire day was to buy Big Mac from McDonald's drive-thru as a night snack for the room. Tie me on a pole and whip me! That was bad. One fart and I was hungry again.
The next morning Sebastian came to pick us up 10.30am and we went for a breakfast at the BEAUTIFUL lake shores of Lindau. Very pretty place, worth a deeper visit, but I was totally beaten by the tour already. Our drive to Switzerland turned out to become quite a crusade: traffic jams and route choices... all in all, after some fantastic mountain views and scenic sideroads, we arrived to Bergamo, Italy 7 hours later. The downside of our trip was that we heard Black Revelation would not be making it because of the traffic jams they faced due to some accident. I understood we covered the same area earlier, so we just "escaped" it before the huge jam started. Again, lucky bastards, but we really would've wished that BR had made it. We must tour with them again. They were great people!
Of course, the VERY first thing you see arriving nearby the venue in Italy is Maurizio Formentin on a parking lot with his wife! Who else would it be? The biggest doom maniac in the country must always come first! About as logical as first spotting Vitus Frank in Tilburg! The next situation didn't surprise me either: I barely got myself out of the car at the venue, when the organiser
Alessandro Bertuletti with his partner Lidia came to give me a big hug already! I know these people for I met them in Bergamo a year earlier, and this greeting pretty much sums up their personality.
We were pretty beaten the last night, and just wanted the gig to be over. It was great to see people arriving to the fest around Europe, and the organisers had everything well planned. Even stage technicians coming to rush you when the previous band was still playing. We felt well taken care of. The show went by fast, but the crowd was amazing. Afterwards, I can't remember signing so many autographs ever so far in just few minutes. People bought everything and really loved all the bands: The Temple, us, Epitaph and Lord Vicar.
The Temple also invited us to Greece to play with them, which is an opportunity I would love to grab in the nearby future.
After hanging out at the terrace of the venue, we got a ride to the airport, via Kimi-Vicar's hotel, where we picked him up and continued to our flight to Helsinki together. No more travel drama, the return always seems to be easier... just slept all flight, said bye to Juho and then home for more ZZZzzzZZZ and some Mexican snack by the best chef in the world, my lovely wife. This tour was great. Thanks to all who helped us. Goodbye for now.
May 2023,
Mikko