Stone, Light, and Decibels: Scenes from Inside the Cave at Germany’s Prophecy Festival

Prophecy Festival 2016 / All photos by Dajana Winkel

Earlier this month, I journeyed (and I do mean journeyed; the itsy-bitsy, picturesque German town of Balve is not what you’d call “easily accessible” by any stretch of the imagination) to this year’s edition of Prophecy Festival. The festival itself is still pretty young (I believe this was only the second edition booked under that name) but boy, is it ambitious. It takes serious cojones (and superior organizational skills) to not only bring together a bevy of bands from all around the world—from Australia to Iceland—but to host them in an exquisitely lit Stone Age cavern, and make it sound good? That’s above, beyond, and floating out in the stratosphere, but then again, that level of passion and drive been Prophecy Productions’ MO since their very beginning over twenty years ago.

The label’s long-stated penchant for “eerie emotional music” brought together the likes of Australian atmospheric black metal Germ with British neofolk legends Sol Invictus, Canadian folk doom trio Volur, Norwegian black metal sorcerors Vemod, and many more. Our photographer Dajana Winkel was present all weekend to capture the magic; check out her snaps below, and keep your eyes peeled for a more in-depth review tomorrow!

GERM

LES DISCRETS

SECRETS OF THE MOON

ALCEST

SOL INVICTUS

VEMOD

VOLUR

BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE

HELRUNAR

HEKATE

IRON MOUNTAIN

ANTIMATTER

GERLAKUR