This is a special night with two special bands, both near and dear to the MS Stubnitz. First off we shall welcome back our good friends in ULTHA for the third time after two sold out shows in 2024. And this time they bring a band we can't wait to finally host on our boat: YELLOW EYES from New York.
What can be said about Ultha that has not been said before. They are THE standardbarer for a very specific stream of consciousness in contemporary black metal, not only in Germany. They are unlike any other band in band in the big spectrum of Black Metal, yet being very rooted in the spirit of what this music was supposed to be: a vehicle of freedom and non-conformism. Their unrelenting mixture of atmospheric Black Metal, Post Punk, film music grandieur and Funeral Doom heaviness. The reputation of being among the best live bands in metal right now has been proven twice already in the belly of our boat, and you have to see it to believe it.
And this time they bring their brothers from other mothers, US innovators in extreme metal: Yellow Eyes. They have been active since 2010, continously pushing what Black Metal can be. They will play a career spanning set including songs from their brand new album "Confusion Gate". FFO: Blut Aus Nord, Krallice, Liturgy, Ash Borer.
ULTHA
Lyrically the band doesn't follow any classical metal clichés, instead ruminating about the inner darkness and sadness of our human struggle to find happiness and getting lost in its failures. The bands' songs are mostly between 10-20 minutes long and range from fast blast beats to slower and sludgier eruptions. With their hypnotic and melodic songs, as well as their captivating live shows, they were able to acquire a huge following in a short amount of time. By now Ultha has played more than 100 shows with bigger European and international acts in smaller clubs, on tours with bands such as Sun Worship (DE), Woe (US), Yellow Eyes (US), Unru (DE), as well as many appearances on selected festivals including Roadburn (NL), Brutal Assault (CZ), Party.San (DE), Dudefest (DE), Soulcrusher (DE), Saint Helena (DE), Doom Over Leipzig (DE), In Flammen (DE) and more. They established their own festival entitled Unholy Passion Fest in Cologne, which takes place annually in December.
Ultha are one of the most prolific bands in the German music underground with more than a dozen releases to their name in the ten years they’ve been together. Their critically acclaimed second record “Converging Sins” found immensely positive feedback from fans and critics alike, establishing them as a unique band with a very distinct style. This granted them a worldwide deal with CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS. Said label released the band's third album “The Inextricable Wandering” in fall of 2018 which furthered the level of quality brought to the table. In 2022 Ultha returned to their house label of Vendetta Records to finish the trilogy of interconnected records with “All That Has Never Been True”, which ranked in the top slots of a lot of significant music media outlets and lists of fans alike.
Yellow Eyes
With six full-length records and a seventh to be released at the end of 2025, the band continue to refine and expand their distinctive sound, incorporating synth and medieval instrumentation alongside a renewed focus on folkloric simplicity and violent power. In the cryptic, labyrinthine tradition of Ved Buens Ende, Virus, and early Blut Bus Nord, Yellow Eyes play black metal, uncompromising and unbound.
