Lamb of God & Kreator - Live in Hamburg

Three years. Seven reschedules. One global pandemic. After all that, the State of Unrest tour finally made it to Hamburg. Originally planned for March 2020, this thing has been circling the calendar like a bad omen ever since. We only picked up our tickets in late 2022 — but plenty of fans in that arena had been holding on since the beginning, and it showed. The atmosphere was loud, loyal, and long overdue.

Back at the edel-optics.de-Arena in Hamburg Wilhelmsburg—where we’d seen Blind Guardian a few months prior—but this time, it was noticeably busier. For Blind Guardian, just the floor had been open. For Kreator and Lamb of God? Full balcony access. No empty space, just people.

We arrived near the end of Municipal Waste’s set, delayed by a sluggish entry queue. Still caught a glimpse of their signature crossover thrash chaos, complete with a circle pit just as they left the stage. They're from Richmond, Virginia—loud, fast, fun—and clearly knew how to warm up a room full of restless metalheads.

I watched the first part of the evening from the second balcony, just to take in the crowd. That didn’t last long.

As soon as Randy Blythe launched into Memento Mori with that opening “Wake up!”, the room changed. The energy kicked up several notches, and staying on the balcony felt ridiculous. I moved down to the arena without thinking twice. Memento Mori was, for me, the standout track of the night—tight, powerful, and perfectly placed as an opener. Walk With Me In Hell and Resurrection Man followed close behind as personal highlights.

Randy brings an intense presence to the stage—always in motion, always commanding attention. There was plenty of crowd surfing, most of it seemingly done by the same enthusiastic guy doing repeat laps through the pit.

Sound-wise, it was a bit uneven. The instruments held up well, but Randy’s vocals often got lost in the mix, which was a shame. There’s a lot of weight in those lyrics, and it felt like some of that was missing.

Somehow, I ended up in the front row. Still not quite sure how that happened. Art Cruz came down into the pit at one point, shaking hands and taking photos with fans. It was a small moment, but one that genuinely made my night. I may have smiled more than I care to admit.

Kreator started just before 8 PM. I managed to shift closer to the centre of the floor, although a large impaled demon prop slightly blocked my view. A very metal inconvenience.

They opened strong with Hate Über Alles, and from the first notes, the energy was relentless. Kreator were the band that helped me warm up to thrash last year—Mille Petrozza, in particular, was the one who pulled me in. So hearing Hail to the Hordes and Satan Is Real live felt like things coming full circle.

I’d quietly hoped to hear Totalitarian Terror, but they played Midnight Sun instead—with guest vocals from Sofia Portanet. It didn’t quite land for me. A decent effort, but felt slightly out of step with the rest of the set.

The sound had improved by this point. Everyone came through clearly, and the balance finally matched the energy. Mille was in great form—engaging, fierce, clearly enjoying himself. Sami Yli-Sirniö played with quiet precision, Fred Leclercq was a constant blur of energy, and Jürgen Reil—well.

Jürgen “Ventor” Reil absolutely nailed it. Fast, focused, and seemingly tireless. Watching him tear through the set without pause was one of the most impressive parts of the evening. He’s easily one of my favourite drummers, and hearing him live only confirmed that.