From the devil's hand

PATRIARKH - THE PROPHET'S SOURCE 2026 TOUR
February 03, 2026

To my great heartbreak, I only managed to attend one date of the entire The Prophet’s Source tour — the Barcelona show. That hurt even more considering that three of my all-time favorite bands were performing on the same night. Still, at least this much worked out. I’m not particularly fond of Mediterranean cities, but I chose Barcelona because it meant I could escape minus 10 degrees and suddenly find myself in plus 10.

Five bands performed that evening. The only one unfamiliar to me was Sanity; I believe I’ve already seen Halls of Oblivion, probably in Budapest. Sanity caught my attention during soundcheck — they were good. As a symphonic metal band, they stood out from the rest of the lineup in my opinion. It’s not really my genre, but despite that, they weren’t bad at all.

Doors opened at 17:30 and Sanity started at 17:50. Unfortunately, very few people arrived that early. That didn’t bother them in the slightest — the drummer sat down and cheerfully greeted everyone. He did it with such warmth, as if there were at least 700 people standing there. Their energy and enthusiasm never dropped. The atmosphere felt very intimate and family-like. I can’t say there was anything revolutionary within the symphonic/power metal framework, but the sound was excellent. The vocalists had beautiful voices. For me, this genre dies the moment the singer lacks either character or vocal ability — thankfully, these guys had both. It was clear throughout their set that they were genuinely happy to be there, and the small audience tried to return that energy. The handful of Catalans who arrived early were enthusiastic.

Honestly, I don’t go to concerts for spectacle or perfection. Those things matter, of course, but they mean nothing if I feel the musicians just want to get it over with. I’m there for the musicians as people.