Concert review: Bloodred Hourglass & Luna Kills, FZW Dortmund, 22 October 2025

Back in the days before Spotify was turned into a shitty AI-run platform with pretty weak algorithms, I used to find some really good music through mixtapes. One of the bands I’ve discovered this way is Bloodred Hourglass. After seeing them live as opener for The Halo Effect in January I was more than excited when they announced a headline tour. I went to see them at FZW Dortmund (which is a pretty amazing venue!) and here’s how it was.

Luna Kills

Before that show, Luna Kills was a name that rang a bell somewhere in the far back of my head, mostly because a) they had played several shows in Finland with bands that I like (like Lost Society) and b) their former drummer Dennis Hallbäck later became drummer of One Morning Left. Nevertheless, I had never checked them out before, so I decided to stick to that and let them surprise me live.

And damn, was I blown away. Luna Kills play Modern Metal that is generally super catchy. Some of their songs, like Slay ur Enemies, Fever Dream and Burn the World with Me, were stuck in my head for quite a while after the show. Their performance was AMAZING! Their singer Lotta Ruutiainen is, as far as I read, a trained jazz singer and both the sound of her voice as well as her vocal performance were incredible. I came with basically no expectations and left as a big fan. They mostly played songs from their latest album Deathmatch, which came out earlier this year. Their light show was also incredible. Especially striking was the performance of Fever Dream, when their singer was, I believe, alone on stage, in the spotlight, slaying like a queen. It was hauntingly beautiful.

Definitely one of my favourite discoveries this year. If you ever have the chance to catch them live, go check them out. You’ll get an energetic performance with a great atmosphere. And judged by the moshpit and the general response of the audience, I’m not the only one who felt like that.

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Bloodred Hourglass

While waiting for the main act to start, I caught a few conversations in the audience and quite a lot of people seem to have discovered Bloodred Hourglass through their tour with The Halo Effect. For me, it’s a little fascinating how quickly this band has more or less blown up. At the beginning of the year, they pretty much felt like one of those secret highlights, and later that year, BRHG-shirts popped up more and more in the audiences at concerts and festivals.

And I get it, Because this band is incredible. They opened the set with The Crown is Permanent from their latest album We Should Be Buried Like This, followed by In Lieu Of Flowers, which was already a start with a bang. When I was at the front to take photos during the first three songs, I was also quickly showered in beer when someone threw their cup into the air to enter the moshpit. It was tight and intense from the very start.

They played a set of about 1 h 20, with a strong focus on songs from their latest album We Should Be Buried Like This, which also came out this year, but also including older stuff, with the oldest song being Where the Sinners Crawl from their 2019 album Where the Oceans Burn. The setlist in general was a very good mix altogether, with a bit slower songs at the right time to give the audience a moment to rest and breathe.

The show was long, but damn, it was good. The sound was crisp and clear and the light show was just as great as that of Luna Kills. The overall atmosphere in the club room was so good. I saw a lot of excited, smiling faces and everyone looked like they were having a good time. Bloodred Hourglass are indeed a very great live band and their newest album – which is a bit less Melodic Death and more … I don’t really know what it is, but it’s fast, melodic and intense – is made to be played live.

At some point during the show I tried to sneak into the moshpit to take a few more photos, but then decided that it was a little too intense for me to get in with my camera gear. And it was damn hot. There was so much going on. I’ve had so much fun and left the show with such a good feeling that on the way home, I genuinely regretted that I hadn’t been to their Cologne show earlier as well.

Also, after the show you could meet the band (or at least most band members) around the merch table and besides the „Nordic reserve“, they were super kind, sympathetic and humble. They seemed very thankful for everyone who had attended the show and it was super nice to have a quick chat with them and have them sign some stuff.

If you don’t know Bloodred Hourglass yet, go check them out immediately. I promise they’re worth it.

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