That’s how it was at WISBORG

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

August 23, 2024, Hamburg, headCRASH
Support: The Fright

Very dark, intense and electrifying would probably be the right description of the band Wisborg, who have earned themselves a firm place in the dark hearts of the dark music scene since their formation in 2017. The band, led by mastermind Konstantin Michaely, has managed to incorporate the spirit and tradition of eighties gothic rock into their own songs with a modern, fresh approach. The atmosphere is always dark and melancholic. Their songs tell stories full of longing, transience and passion with dramatic theatricality – or rather: about the dark side of life. Their gloomy guitar riffs, the driving bass lines and Konstantin Michaely’s distinctive vocals, carried by melancholy and emotional intensity, provide the perfect soundtrack for a fascinating dance between darkness and vulnerable passion.

After the success of their self-titled album released at the beginning of the year (we reported in the March/April issue), it was time for their first headlining tour, which took them through German clubs in late summer/autumn. They were supported by The Fridge. We were there at headCRASH on Hamburg’s Kiez and recently had the opportunity to interview Konstantin Michaely about the release of their new album “Wisborg Remixed”.

In the very well-attended headCRASH – a club with cult character, which unfortunately closes for good at the end of the year – The Fight started to heat up the audience with their mixture of melodic dark and pithy hard rock. The audience – on this day the air conditioning in headCRASH failed – was already at the right operating temperature. With their powerful guitar playing, they unfolded a dark, but at the same time very energetic world of sound that perfectly suited the evening.

After a short break to catch their breath or simply to cool off outside the door, Wisborg took to the stage. And they immediately showed why they are considered one of the most exciting new bands in the gothic scene. Konstantin Michaely electrified his audience almost like a dark master of ceremonies with his distinctive voice, every movement and every word.

The setlist featured old hits, but also a lot of new material from the current album, i.e. many German-language songs. Accordingly, the set started with the opener “Im freien Fall”, a duet with Chris Harms from Lord of the Lost on the album. The German lyrics now create a new emotional depth and thus a new closeness that can be felt by the audience. The new German-language songs were seamlessly combined with popular classics such as “Perfume & Cigarettes”, “Bekoming Caligari” and “I Belive in Nothing” from the previous albums over the course of the evening. One of the highlights of the evening was definitely “Exitus”. A duet on their latest album with Lon Fright from the band The Fright, who “happened” to be present at the time. So that fitted. And because it was so cool, Florian Grey also entered the stage during “Kalt wie Eis” and sang a song in German for the first time in a duet with Konstantin Michaely. The ice between Wisborg and the audience had already been broken from the start, but now the atmosphere reached its peak and the headCRASH turned into a seething sea of enthusiasm. It was a damn sweaty evening according to the motto “Darkness meets elegance”.

Setlist:
“Im freien Fall” – “An Erotic Funeral” – “Nichts” – “Words Like Violence” – “Berlin” – “Apocalypse” – “Unter Menschen” – “Becoming Caligari” – “Exitus” – “Perfume & Cigarettes” – “Cold as Ice” – “I Belive in Nothing” – “Vampyre” – “Spirits That I Called”

To mark the release of the new album “Wisborg Remixed”, we spoke to singer/songwriter Konstantin Michaely.

Orkus: Your album “Wisborg” was released at the beginning of the year, and now there’s a remix album to go with it, “Wisborg Remixed”. How did this come about?
Konstantin Michaely: It’s always exciting to have your own songs remixed by others. We had already released a remix album once, but a lot has happened since then and we got to know a lot of new artists. In the end, we were able to get 15 great artists on board for the project. Among them are many big names, including Blutengel, Solar Fake and Gothminister.

O: What criteria did you use to select the remixers?
KM: We’ve had contact with many of the musicians in the recent past – at joint shows, through shared contacts and projects, at festivals, etc. We also asked some of them proactively. We also simply asked some of them proactively. We were particularly keen to cover a broad stylistic spectrum. The result speaks for itself – in our opinion, there isn’t a single remix that wasn’t a success.

O: Do you have any personal favorites? Which remixes stand out for you?
KM: It changes constantly and depends on the mood. The Scarlet Dorn remix of “Mit dir allein” is special in that the band has made a duet out of it. This gives the lyrics a new dimension. However, each of the 15 remixes has its own unique qualities – Versus Goliath, Frozen Plasma, Blutengel, Ductape, Scarlet Dorn, Bianca Stücker, Gothminister, Beyond Border, Meersein, Alienare, Tommy Countach, Oberer Totpunkt, Unitcode:Machine, Solar Fake and Haven – each song is perfect in a different way.

O: You were on tour with Schattenmann at the beginning of the year and played your own headlining tour in the summer. How was that for you?
KM: Both were great! The tour with Schattenmann was parallel to the album release and therefore also the baptism of fire for the new songs. The audience gave us an excellent reception and we also got on really well with Schattenmann. But the headlining tour was even more emotional. Knowing that all these people are there because of you and seeing how they sing along to your songs and lose themselves in your music – indescribable!

O: After the tour is before the tour, after the album is before the album. What’s next for you?
KM: The rest of the year is a bit quieter. We want to use the fall to write new music. Apart from that, we’re playing again this year with Blitz Union in Prague (November 22) and with Manntra in Frankfurt (December 1). Then in January/February 2025 we’ll go on tour with our friends from Hell Boulevard – and that will be a party!

Text & Photos: Thomas Friedel Fuhrmann