Three Shades of Darkness
An evening at Batschkapp Frankfurt that went under the skin
There are concert nights that stay with you. Not because of spectacular pyrotechnics or oversized gestures, but because they leave you with something heavier: a feeling. On December 12, 2025, Batschkapp Frankfurt was exactly that kind of place—a gathering spot for everyone who likes their music dark, melancholic, and profoundly deep. With Katatonia at the helm and Evergrey and Klogr as support, this was an evening that didn’t want to shout, but to whisper—and all the more insistently.
Klogr – When the opener means business
Early on, it became clear that Klogr from Italy hadn’t come to politely warm up the stage. From the very first second, they grabbed hold. Their sound—modern, edgy, somewhere between alternative and progressive metal—was above all powerful. Riffs meshed like interlocking gears, grooves landed with surgical precision, and the band’s stage presence was focused to the core. No frills, no games. Just raw, controlled energy that filled the room and drew the early crowd closer to the stage. A start that made you sit up—and exactly what was needed to prepare us for what was still to come.
Evergrey – Big emotions, bigger choruses
Then came Evergrey, and with them a clear shift in atmosphere: more epic, more expansive, more emotional. The Swedes know their craft, and it showed quickly. Heavy, melodic songs that take their time—breathing, pulling you in, and refusing to let go. Frontman Tom S. Englund guided us confidently through a set that bridged longtime favorites with newer material. His voice—distinctive and expressive—carried each song as if it were a personal message.
And then there were those choruses. The big, hymn-like moments when Batschkapp seems to pause for a heartbeat before everyone joins in. Evergrey built a bridge between stage and audience that felt sturdier with every song. By the end of their set, the connection was there—palpable, genuine, charged.
Katatonia – When melancholy becomes art
And then: Katatonia. As they stepped onto the stage, everything changed. The lights dimmed further, the air grew heavier, the mood… different. Denser. More intense. Somehow quieter—and yet filled with tension.
What Katatonia presented that night wasn’t a show in the conventional sense. It was an invitation. Into their world, their soundscapes, those spaces between light and shadow where the most compelling stories unfold. The songs unfurled slowly, building pressure, leaving room to breathe—and to feel. Jonas Renkse’s voice floated above clear guitar lines and deep, layered arrangements like a melancholic thought you can’t quite shake.
Old classics met newer songs, and at some point it stopped mattering what came from when. Everything flowed together, becoming part of a larger whole. Katatonia didn’t play loud. They played felt. And that made all the difference.
When the final note faded and the lights slowly came back up, something lingered. Three bands, three different ways of turning darkness into music: Klogr with their raw, unpolished energy. Evergrey with emotional force and choruses that echo on. Katatonia with melancholic elegance and an atmospheric depth that stays with you for days.
This night at Batschkapp wasn’t a firework display. It was like the walk home through thick fog. An empty platform at midnight. A feeling that remains. Intense, dark—and unforgettable in its own quiet way.