MystericA invites Hammer King and Burning Witches

Eventhall Obertraubling, 10th January 2026

As some of you may have noticed, I finished the 2025 concert year with the Swiss band Fire Rose‘s Finale Furioso at KIK in Sissach. I told you about traditions, so here we go again: we will begin the 2026 concert year with a Swiss headliner at MystericA’s New Year’s Bash Vol. 3 at Eventhall Airport Obertraubling. It’s a bit of a family reunion because members of the Rock & Metal Day’z festival crew will either be performing on stage or watching the three bands from the front. All of them have already played on this cosy festival and one will perform as this year’s Friday night headliner…

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Make metal royal again!

The opening act tonight will bring some royal power metal to the audience: Hammer King from Kaiserslautern/Palatinate. I last saw them at Rock Harz in 2024; meanwhile, the vocalist has put down his guitar to focus on his vocals and theatrical roleplay. Therefore, another guitarist has joined the band. What can I say? It really works very well.

He is sometimes assisted by the band’s merch queen, Tia Wicked. Masses of coins are thrown for the audience, red balloons are kicked around, and of course, Titan Fox waves the flag. There’s a lot of talk about royalty, as well as a wild ride through the highlights of Hammer King’s seven studio releases in a still too short time of about 50 minutes. Although I am far from being a royalist, I must confess that I really liked Hammer King’s show and attitude. I can only recommend getting to see them on tour this year — for example, as support for tonight’s headliner.

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Germany’s finest Metallica cover band

The second band performing tonight is the host of the evening, MystericA. As you might have guessed, MystericA is one of Germany’s leading Metallica cover bands. Two of its members are part of the Rock & Metal Day’z crew: Asso on guitar and Flo on vocals. They are joined by drummer, bassist and a second guitarist, making them one member stronger than the original band. The technical brilliance of these five musicians far surpasses that of other, more professional bands.

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The new second guitarist, Christopher “Flex” Knauer, fits in very well. As a surprise guest, Courtney Cox of Burning Witches joins them on stage to sing along for the refrain of one song! After a set filled with well-known hits and rare gems, MystericA finish after one hour with the inevitable “Seek and Destroy”, the song that made Metallica legendary.

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Witches and Kings

Let’s take a brief look at the headline act. We spoke about royalty; now, we’re talking about witchcraft. Enter the Swiss band I mentioned in my introduction: Burning Witches. They started their long Witches and Kings Tour in Milan the night before, and now they are joining us for the New Year’s Bash. We know Burning Witches very well; they headlined at Rock & Metal Day’z in 2024 and will be back this year. So, if you’re looking for a cosy festival that’s not too big, check it out — it’s well worth the journey!

It was lovely meeting Courtney in the MystericA audience, as well as talking to young mother Romana and Jay at the merchandise stand before the show. All five of the band members are lovely, open-minded ladies. On the subject of merchandise, while Hammer King have their merch queen, Burning Witches have their merch witch, Ilaria, on board. She is Italian, born and raised in Verona near Lake Garda, and now lives in Berlin. She is also the tour manager of Kadavar from Berlin. Meet her and Tia at their merchandise stalls for a chat and leave them a tip — they both deserve it for their smiles!

As the Burning Witches tour has just started, I won’t discuss the setlist, but I can guarantee that they’ll play most of your favourite songs, as well as the “old” gems alongside songs from Inquisition, their latest release. Even though this album sounds darker, the new songs fit in well, and the live versions have an added roughness, if you know what I mean. It’s great to hear how Laura‘s vocal range has increased over the years — she’s not holding back at all.

What more can I say?

There are a few things to be said. The Eventhall Airport crewmembers are very nice, polite and attentive without being overbearing. The weather conditions were not kind on this frosty Saturday. The New Year’s Bash Vol. 3 was well attended, but could have had a few more people. I would guess that the snow and temperatures far below 0°C stopped a lot of people from coming, and some even left before the last band had finished due to concerns about the weather and road conditions. The three bands can’t be blamed, as they played their sets with all their heart and passion. If you’re a metalhead who lives nearby, you have no excuse for not coming along — becoming a couch potato is not an acceptable alternative. Be part of these lovely people instead: