Finishing the year with a bang – report of In Extremo’s final show in Cologne for their Wolkenschieber Tour 2024

All I wanted for Christmas was to see some concerts before the year ended. And boy, did Santa made my wish come true. From Munich to Cologne, I was so fortunate to witness the last leg of the Wolkenschieber Tour, with In Extremo, Korpiklaani and Rauhbein. I think it’s only fair now that I will tell you a bit of what happened on the closing night at the Palladium yesterday.

Rauhbein

I really like when the show and the bands are punctual, so I’m happy to report that for all the dates I went to, there were no disruptions or delays in the schedule. That is something that doesn’t happen everywhere so I’m particularly appreciative of this. At 18:45, Rauhbein is the first band to take the stage; after 4 times that I’ve seen them, I can say that I’m now fond of them and their style. Everyone has a very good stage presence and they move around the stage a lot, with the exception of lead singer Henry. I really enjoyed the fact that they all sang backing vocals, including drummer Louis Schaden! My favorite track off of their set has to be the title track of their newly released record “Adrenalin”, but the best moment is when lead singer makes a beer bottle sing. The audience also responded to that very enthusiastically. Being German, they are playing right in their home country so it’s obvious that the support for them is big. I’m pretty curious to see what the future will bring them! 

Photo: Benedetta Baldin.

Korpiklaani

Then, at 19:50, it’s time for the second band in the bill to thrill the audience of Cologne. Korpiklaani from Finland, as they introduce themselves, are simply born to be on stage and entertain people. They do more than just music: they put on a full show, with moments where you will dance even if you don’t want to, to other times where you will slow down and enjoy the folk melodies they provide so elegantly. The talent and skill of the whole group know no boundaries, but I must mention drummer Samuli Mikkonen for being such a fantastic act, doing silly faces and drumming so tirelessly. He’s a machine! Even though their setlist focused more on their latest release “Rankarumpu”, of which they played all the singles, they did not forget to bring us a few classics like “Ievan Polkka” or a cover of “Gotta Go Home” by Boney M. Let me tell you, during “Leväluhta” or “Oraakkelit”, it was simply impossible to stand still. Physically impossible! They end their set with their hit “Vodka”, making everyone go crazy in the audience. I cannot recommend them enough: Korpiklaani put on a massive gig, so please be sure to catch one of their shows next year, should they come close to your town!

Photo: Benedetta Baldin.

In Extremo

If you know me, you should know that I am a person that scares very easily. And since In Extremo start literally their show with a bang of a firecracker, well, you would have heard me screaming every single night. Nevertheless, then the band comes on stage after their intro and begin their set. Something that never fails to amaze me about In Extremo is that their fan base is so solid and they know all the lyrics of the songs by heart. I am always impressed! During these shows I also managed to learn some, so next time I’ll definitely participate more actively to the show. They don’t even have to struggle to put on a good show, because after almost 30 years, they know what they’re doing. My favorite moment of the show was during “Vollmond”, where Dr. Pymonte takes center stage with his harp, starts playing and then an explosion of paper red hearts arrives and you are just mesmerized by it. The song itself is so magical and it creates an atmosphere that is completely unique. If you don’t like folk metal and you want to approach this incredible subgenre, perhaps starting with In Extremo could bring you the broadest listening experience possible, so you can enjoy metal mixed with medieval and traditional instruments. All in all, it was a triumphant end to an amazing tour, that brought more than half of the dates sold out in incredibly big venues. In Extremo is now ready to push the clouds and make their way into the Olympus! (The pun is intended: Wolkenschieber means literally cloud pusher!)

Photo: Benedetta Baldin.