Live report ELBRIOT 2023, Open Air am Grossmarkt, Hamburg – August 19th, 2023

The 2023 edition of the Elbriot festival takes place on August 19^th at the well-known location at Grossmarkt Hamburg. Considering the first Elbriot festival taking place in 2013 it is actually the 10^th anniversary of the metal event in central Hamburg. There isn’t much of a buzz about this special year neither there are extra activities planned. It is just a regular one-day festival with a line-up, that, let’s say, is extremely diverse. The octopus, being the mascot of the festival, has a lot of arms and each of those seem to reflect a special version of rock and mainly metal.

On a hot Saturday the doors open at noon sharp and with Das Pack it is the first act that kicks off the day at 12:50. Now, if you missed the guys, it’s not a big thing. Being from Hamburg, the band has a sort of home game, but one needs to have a special passion for absurd crossover to appreciate the wild blend of metal and Schlager melodies. It’s to bite through and there are better things to come.

One of those is Nasty, who enters the stage as the second act today. The Belgian hardcore formation delivers what is expected. Mighty riffs, a massive groove, and enormous power are what the band represents. With the new album in the back pocket (‘Heartbreak Criminal’ will be released on September 8th), it is the right time to bring the Nasty sound to the people. It isn’t overcrowded in front of the stage, but the ones being there do have a lot of fun with the high-octane hardcore sound. And the fact that the guitarist could win a podium place at a Kerry King look-alike contest is a given.

From hardcore to sludge- and death metal, that takes you not more than 25 minutes. This is the time for preparing the stage for Mantar. Erinc and Hanno are without a doubt a highlight in Germanys metal scene and their performance today is beating the one of the previous two acts easily. However, Mantar on a huge stage and with sunlight in the back, that is just half of the experience. Everybody who saw the band in smaller venues knows about the intensity of a Mantar show. Of course, the band can’t be blamed, and it was an enjoyable time that acts as an appetizer for some of the announced club shows.

Let’s move on, and now it’s diversity that rules. Die Kassierer are an extreme change in style. I always managed to avoid listening to the band, but today there was no escape. The best ager punks from Wattenscheid do have a solid fan base, and some of them came to Elbriot solely to see Die Kassierer. I guess they also have a lot of fun, but it’s also apparent that the lines and queues at the food and beer booths get longer. It looks like prole rock is not everyone’s first choice today.

Frog Leap though is a band I haven’t seen before; so, it’s a premiere today. Frog Leap is the brainchild of Leo Moracchioli, and he gained popularity as Frog Leap Studios. It’s a YouTube channel, and the multi-instrumentalist presents metallized pop songs. Compared to Das Pack, Frog Leap managed to create a great blend that also works at a festival. ‘Africa’, ‘Listen to Your Heart’, and Adele’s ‘Hello’ are just some of the songs the band leader presents together with his bandmates and singer Hannah, who joins for a few songs. While this show, Elbriot evolves into a metal dancing place or, in other words, the party started. With ‘Zombie’, Frog Leap presented their final song, a sing-along moment that shows the fun folks enjoyed during these 45 minutes.

The next band is supposed to be Carcass. The metal icons faced some travel issues with cancelled flights and don’t make it in time to Elbriot. Thankfully for everybody involved, Arch Enemy saved the day by changing slots. The good thing with the band is, that expectations are always met. It is the third time in 12 months that I witness a show of the Swedish/North American powerhouse and it was the best one. Touring is high on the agenda of the band, and I don’t know how many shows they played in 2022 and 2023. Still, the songs are good, the band works very professional, and they obviously enjoy todays show, which is the last one on the current festival cruise. ‘Deceiver, Deceiver’ is the start and what follows are 12 songs, representing the back catalogue of the band. Everybody has some favorite Arch Enemy songs and mine are ‘My Apocalypse’ and ‘Nemesis’. Since both are on the setlist today, nothing can go wrong and a big applause at the end is well-deserved.

In the meantime, Carcass made it to Hamburg and it just isn’t their day. Original flight cancelled, late arrival, broken backline and first rain drops falling out of the clouds; that is Carcass at Elbriot 2023. The professionalism of Jeff Walker and bandmates is respectable, since in a way they try to overcome the adversities, leading to a short and intense set, featuring five songs; some of them as trio due to the mentioned technical issues. Carcass tonight stand for a ‘never give up’ approach. The guys didn’t want to disappoint their fans and the Carcass community appreciates the effort. This is the true spirit of metal.

Last but not least, the headliner. Architects are the grade finale of Elbriot 2023 and there is a rainbow in the sky, just before the band enters the stage. Although a few fans left after the Arch Enemy show, there are still a lot of metalcore enthusiasts in front of the stage, celebrating their idols.

It is the second time, that the Brits perform at Elbriot and they are the expected headliner. Architects deliver a full blast that even blows any of the expected rain clouds away. Supported by a great stage set and a well-designed light show that band proves why they belong to the hot band since years and with all the success the guys have they also don’t forget their twin-brother and bandmate Tom Searle, who passed away in 2016.

Elbriot 2023 was bit of a wild ride. There were some highlights, but the line-up of the day also showed some weak spots. Also, the fact that Arch Enemy and Carcass toured through Europe at the of 2022 made it a bit weird to see them at the same festival today. However, while everybody was waiting for Architects, next year’s headliner was announced, and it is no less than metal Vikings of Amon Amarth who will set the sail and will drop the anchor in Hamburg on August 10^th, 2024. So better train your arm muscles since rowing is a mandatory.

Location: Elbriot 2023, Open Air am Grossmarkt, Hamburg, Germany

Date: August 19th, 2023