Lost In Devotion Metal Fest Vol 1

Presented by Südpol & Metal Storm Concerts

Südpol  Luzern, Kriens,  Switzerland – 30.05.2026

I was just once at the venue Südpol Luzern in the town of Kriens. It had been a great evening, and I wondered if there would be a second time. Recently, a flyer for the metal festival “Lost in Devotion Metal Fest Vol. 1” appeared on Facebook. The lineup included Dust Bolt from Germany and the two Swiss bands Thola and Lotrify. The lineup from the organizer, Metal Storm Concerts, and the flyer’s attractive design really got me excited. I drove to Kriens with my colleague Marco to attend the premiere of this metal festival. The doors opened at 7 p.m., and as we entered the venue Thola’s band logo appeared on the screen. Half an hour later, Thola, hailing from canton of Val-

ais, had the honor to kick off the festival. I’ve seen them live several times before, and they’re part of the Swiss “Champions League” of metal to me. Drummer Sven Imsand was the first to take the stage and took his place behind the drum kit. Then his bandmates took their positions one after another. After an intro, “Needles in the Dark” was played as the first song. Unfortunately, it was difficult to hear Thomas Rauch singing in his King Sable T-shirt at the beginning due to a microphone issue. Fortunately, the technical problem was quickly resolved, and there was nothing to stop the fun anymore He delivered a stellar vocal performance and put his heart and soul into it. Guitarist Patrick Ambord had guitar duels with bassist Thomas Ambühl from time to time. Both spread pure joy, and their bandmate Rodo Studer on rhythm guitar was completely immersed in the sound. The audience couldn’t help but clap along, and the outline of a wolf with glowing red eyes appeared on the screen during my favorite song “Killer of the Beast”. This animation perfectly matched the song’s ambiance. Throughout the performance, there were many animations on the screen, all perfectly synchronized with the respective song. A great moment for Patrick was when he got to show off his dexterity with a solo on “P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E” and received applause. It was also awesome that his mom was in front of the stage. Unfortunately, there was also a sad occasion with the passing of Andy, to whom “X-Treme” was dedicated. Although the stage was very small, Patrick and Thomas Rauch switched sides from occasionally. Thomas asked the fans “Are you ready for the perfect storm?”, and the response was hesitant at first. “I’m not satisfied yet. It doesn’t feel right. Are you really ready for the perfect storm?” Then a loud, determined “Yes” came from the audience, and the song “Storm” was played. “Bloody Grave” was played as the last track, and the death tolls from various wars—such as the Iran-Iraq War, the Greco-Turkish War, World War II, Genghis Khan, etc.—appeared on the screen. It was impressive to see the number of lives lost. The entire set was played, and Thomas Rauch, Patrick Ambiel, Thomas Ambühl, Rodo Studer, and Sven Imsand said goodbye. They received a lot of applause for their excellent performance. Setlist Thola Needles in the Dark Ashes and Ghost Killer of the Beast Heroes P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E X-Treme Storm Bloody Lotrify was invited to perform as second band. The members with white T-shirts stood on stage after an intro. „Left Behind“  gave the go-ahead. It quickly became clear this groove metal powerhouse was all about “full throttle is fun,” and made the audience sweat.  Lead singer Sacha alternated clear vocals and growls. Bass player Silvan with the „Cute Cats Club“ T-shirt brought the groove and supported him with vocals. Guitar player Yannick supported Sacha with vocals either. A first mini circle-pit formed in „Xenophobic“. The intensive vibe in “Close To Distant” made you feel attending at a Slayer concert for a moment. The strobe lights that kicked in made the action even more exciting. Sacha announced at “Glaubick“, We’re heading to a beautiful island now. Please sit down on the floor and form lines because we’re going to do some exercises. Please pay attention to the people behind you because we‘ve to row in time with the beat.” Everyone followed his instructions, much to the band’s delight. Sacha was wearing a cap during „Bleed Alone“; he came down from the stage and said, “We’re all going to squat down together now. 3, 2, 1, and jump up.” Then everyone jumped and Sacha in the audience looked like Fred Durst for a moment, and the party track with its Limp Bizkit vibe really got the crowd going. Guitarist Yannick got to show off a cool solo here. Guitarist Juan was completely absorbed in the sound. Drummer Sergey was really kicking the pedals, playing with a lot of passion. Sacha returned with a green crocodile air mattress before “Clashing Bones” was played and said, “This is our battered crocodile. So far, no one has hit the drummer with it. Do you think you gonna make it?” The thing flew into the crowd and got tossed around, and the party atmosphere was at its peak.  I managed to hit the drummer with the crocodile after two failures. Sacha and Yannick rewarded me with applause. “Hey, you know what we gonna do now? We gonna play two brand-new songs for you.” First they played “It’s Always There” and then “Made My Bets.” These two songs were just as awesome as the previous ones. They played a cover of Motörhead’s hit “Ace of Spades” to wrap things up.  After that, Sacha, Sergey, Juan, Yannick, and Silvan left the stage. They were rewarded with loud applause for their great performance. “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls played as an outro, but it was cut short. Setlist Lotrify Left Behind Xenophobic Close To Distant ….. Glaubick Ill-Minded Bleed Alone Clashing Bones It’s Always There Made My Bets Ace of Spades – Motörhead Dust Bolt took the stage as the headliners at 10 p.m. I was somewhat familiar with their sound from YouTube videos, but I hadn’t had the chance to see them live until then. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled for the show. Drummer Nico Remann came on stage shirtless and took his seat. Then his bandmates joined him as an intro announced the performance. They started right on time unlike the German railway. Singer/guitarist Lenny Breuss, with his white Jackson “Flying V” guitar, gave the impression of a younger Phil Anselmo because of his look and his plaid shirt. He kicked ass vocally and with his stage presence from the very first second  and interacted with the fans. Guitarist Florian Dehn occasionally backed Lenny up with vocal parts. The thrash metal came throught the speakers with power, and white plumes of fog shot out of the speakers while strobe lights flickered intermittently alongside shifting spotlights during the performance. It was a great eye-catcher and added drama to the extravaganza. Lenny asked “Hey Lucerne, are you doing okay?” and the crowd roared back “Yes!”, “You know what? We’ve got a brand-new song for you. We’ve only played it once before, but we wanna you go insane!” The song was called “Fire in Your Eyes, ” and this gesture was met with lots of positive feedback and applause.  There was no time to breathe because the band stepped the gas pedal all the way down and blew us away. Then Lenny left the stage and positioned himself with the mic in the middle of the crowd, urging them to form a circle pit. Fans ran around him while he sang and played guitar. It awesome! The sweat and heat in the club took their toll, but the energy never ran out. You were so immersed in the sound that any sense of time completely vanished. I and the other fans realized it when “I am the 1” was announced as the final song. Lenny, Florian, Nico, and Jannik left the stage. The loud“Encore!” shouts brought them back in an instant, and Lenny asked first the organizer, “Do we even have time left?” The four-piece from the Bavarian town of Landsberg am Lech was granted time. The first encore was “Supergau.” An awesome video for this song was shot in a gym. “This one’s for the dictators,” said Lenny, and they played a cover of Neil Young’s hit “Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World.” After 60 minutes of high- octane energy, the whole set was played, and the crowd  gave the band a huge round of applause as they left the stage. They had truly earned it. I hope they return to Switzerland for another concert. Setlist Dust Bolt Ghost Toxic Chaos Awake Fire Sound Disco Fucking Metal Rhythm I am the 1 Supergau Keep On Rocking In The Free World – Neil Young After that intense performance, it was time to get some fresh air and head outside. There, we had a chance to chat with members of Lotrify. We also made a quick trip to the bar—we had to quench our thirst. There was an after-party with DJ Schlitzi until 12:30 a.m. before we were released into the beautiful summer night. Conclusion: It was worth making the trip to Kriens, as all the bands made a great impression. Another positive was the active participation of the audience, which didn’t show typical Swiss reserve. Please keep it up. However, there were two points of criticism. The first criticism concerns the lighting. Taking pictures for photographers under these conditions is an absolute nightmare. The second point of criticism was the number of attendees, which should’ve been higher given the great atmosphere and the bands’ performances. Many thanks to the organizer Metal Storm Concerts for hosting the first edition of the “Lost In Devotion Metal Fest.” Hopefully, more editions will follow. Livereport by Dominic Latscha