14.03.2026 Scalpture

Grafschafter Metalfest

Alte Weberei, Nordhorn (Germany)

(Canon EOS R6 Mark II with Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM and RF 70-200MM F2.8L IS USM Z)

A large crowd gathered in front of the stage for Scalpture, the biggest audience of the day so far, eager to witness the five musicians from Bielefeld. They didn’t waste any time and kicked things off at full speed with “The Fall…” from their current album "Landkrieg". Once again, death metal was on the menu — though in a noticeably different flavor than the genre’s earlier representatives that day. On top of that, their sheer, unrestrained energy made a huge impact as they constantly stormed across the stage.
Vocalist Thorsten Pieper growled his soul out, while bassist Niklas Neuwöhner struck poses all over the stage with his instrument. They were flanked by guitarists Felix Marbach and Tobias Aselmann, who were equally relentless. Completing the quintet was drummer Moritz Nixdorf, the first drummer of the day to really show himself, standing up between songs to fire up the crowd. Scalpture have been making music since 2009 with a slightly changing lineup and have already released their fourth album. That experience was unmistakable. This was the most professional performance of the day so far, not in a negative sense, but in the sense that the band truly knew how to work the audience. The atmosphere was absolutely boiling. That became especially clear when someone attempted the first and only stage dive of the festival (thankfully, a few strong guys caught him, because the crowd density alone wouldn’t have been enough).
After starting with tracks from the new album, the band moved through their older releases as well. Whether it was “Dam Busters” from the 2016 album "Panzerdoktrin", “Yperite” from 2020’s "Eisenzeit", or “Through Hell And On” from 2022’s "Feldwärts", one steamroller followed the next. Their musical style fit perfectly with their thematic focus on war, yet the mood never turned bleak. For me, they were, together with Rage, the absolute highlight of the day. So if these guys ever happen to play near you, don’t hesitate. Just go. It’s absolutely worth it.