When I heard a few months ago that Arcturus would visit Athens, I couldn’t hold my enthusiasm. From the beginning of their formation, they have been one of the most distinctive Norwegian black metal bands, incorporating to their music avant-garde elements and making their concerts an amazing theatrical show. I never had the chance to see them live, then to my misfortune they split up for five years, so Saturday was the time for me.
I arrived at the venue at 20:00 and the people gathered at that time were so very few. That had me a bit worried, because there wouldn’t be an opening act, but my worries were unnecessary. By 21:30 Gagarin was almost full, and fifteen minutes later the lights went out. The crowd cheered and Arcturus came on stage, all dressed up in their costumes, starting their set with “Evacuation Code Deciphered”. The band gave the best impression right from the start. All of them were very energetic, roaming on the stage, but ICS Vortex was the one who drew everybody’s attention. He proved to be a amazing frontman, talking to the fans, doing weird dances, and of course his voice was in great shape, reaching unbelievable heights. Behind the drum kit, Hellhammer was giving his own performance, and his solid drumming was keeping the rhythm. The sound wasn’t good enough and clear enough at first, but the problem was solved quickly. The lights were very impressive, and, as for the video-wall on the back of the stage, I believe that very few noticed it. “Ad Absurdum” came next, along with the first headbanging of the fans, which continued with “Nightmare Heaven” and “Deception Genesis”. Between each song, Vortex did a small prologue and Sverd accompanied him with a mellow keyboard melody, and it seemed as if we were listening to a fairytale. And a fairytale it was, because then Arcturus granted us with two songs from the exceptional “La Masquerade Infernale”. “Alone” and “The Chaos Path” drove the fans literally crazy. Arcturus didn’t allow us to take a breath and they continued with “Deamonpainter”, “Painting My Horror” and “Hufsa”. After that the band left the stage, and I thought it was a bit early after only 45 minutes, but yes, it was time for the encore. The encore was more than satisfactory. Arcturus played for another 45 minutes, starting with the majestic “Master Of Disguise”. After “Shipwrecked Frontier Pioneer”, Vortex threw away his mask and took us back in time, to “Aspera Hiems Symfonia”. The avant-garde elements gave space to the black. With “To Thou Who Dwellest In The Night” and “Raudt Og Svart” our necks protested strongly but there wouldn’t be much more. The live was drawing to a close, and that came with “Radical Cut”. All that I can say is that I was left wanting much more. Arcturus offered us a great show, quite different from what you usually see at a metal concert. Their music can create beautiful, bizarre and mystical images in the mind, and my guess is that if they did their usual theatrics on stage, this concert would be unparalleled. I can only hope for the next time.

Report: Stella Papaspyropoulou.
Photos: Spanos Manos.

At the same time, it was the best way to experience good musicians, cause it was so unpretentious. Steve and his band, consisting of three experienced musicians (Pete Thorn – guitar, Neil Jason – bass and Anton Fig – drums – I suggest you Google them to see what I mean by “experienced”. One of them even played with John Lennon back in the day) walked out on stage and opened the evening with a Freeway jam.

Seconds after that, the guest-singer of the evening was introduced: Sebastian Bach. He entered the stage with a big smile and it was obvious that he loved being a part of this. His rendition of Robin Trower’s “Day Of The Eagle” was certainly very “Bach-ish”, as he got into the song with his well-known energetic headbanging and strong voice. You would think that as it was Steve Stevens’ gig, there would be a whole bunch of Billy Idol songs on the setlist, but there was only one, “Rebel Yell”. Sebastian willingly admitted that the song was hard for him to sing as he didn’t normally use his lower vocal range. Steve convinced him that he could handle the song just fine, and as the song followed, I agree. I would actually love to hear Sebastian sing more in the lower ranges. It suits him, shows a totally different side of him as a vocalist.

The songs that we were served along with our cheesecakes at the Iridium, were covers, but very unusual and unpredictable ones. These guys had the luxury of choosing songs they like, regardless what their crowd might like – so they were bold enough to pick songs you wouldn’t normally expect. If a band covers AC/DC, you’d expect to hear “TNT” or “Back In Black”. These guys picked “Beating Around The Bush”. And if you wanted to hear “something by Led Zeppelin” you’d probably think that the band would play “Whole Lotta Love” or the dreaded Stairway…. Instead, they pulled “Dazed and Confused” out of their sleeve! I can’t help but being impressed. They didn’t play it safe, and it kind of shows their status when they don’t have to.

Steve’s acoustic solo was nothing but brilliant. There’s nothing I love more than listening to a talented musician playing not only technically flawless, but also with his whole heart and soul. He’s one of the few guitarists today who’s as skilled at playing the acoustic guitar, as he is playing an electric guitar. That makes Steve unique.

The two last songs were the only ones where Sebastian didn’t need a guy from the audience to hold the lyrics for him, because the tape kept falling off when he tried to stick it to the monitor. The classic Skid Row-hit “I Remember You” shows a different Sebastian than the one I remember from the early Skid Row days. He would often sing this out of key back in the day, but this shows a mature Bach with a complete control of his voice. Fantastic.

Last song blew the roof off the jazz-club – “Youth Gone Wild”, Bach was jumping up on the tables, having people sing along (among those, yours truly…). They left the small but amazed audience wanting more and that’s just the way true professionals do it.

The evening still lingers, it was worth the trip across the Atlantic, no doubt about it!

Report: Daniela
Photos: Beatrice Bring Photography

Fourth Saturday night in the row for this month to go to Eightball Club to see a gig. This January was rather hot as far as gigs are concerned, so after Entombed, Samsara Blues Experiment and Maiden United, it was time to see another great German band from Dusseldorf, the rising force called Long Distance Calling, brought by the same promoters that offered us the show of Samsara Blues Experiment. They seem to have caught the vibe of the youngsters craving for new sounds, and they do their best to add some more enjoyable nights to our calendar, in the best possible way. This night, we also enjoyed two more great Greek bands, We Own The Sky from the city of Athens and Sleepstream from Thessaloniki, which both of them showed a great potential for the future and they warmed the crowd up for good.

We Own The Sky played for about half an hour and I was lucky to arrive at Eightball just when they started their show (perfect timing,huh?) and they proved why they had a place in this gig’s line up. An instrumental act of post rocking ambiance where needed, without hesitating to show some progressive elements on their sound, with songs varying from four to six minutes mainly. They thanked the crowd for being there and supporting them, as well as the promoters. The fact that they seem to take their music seriously and they play it with intensity, without hesitating to bang their heads between the songs, managed to win the impressions for them and at the end of their short but pointful performance, we all praised them with a warm applause that they surely deserved. Future’s bright for them in a sound that’s rising on and on.

Sleepstream have recently released their first full length entitled ”A Waltz With The Seventh Crane” and it was a chance for them to present it in its entirety. Seeing the development of their new born baby live (the album hasn’t even completed a month and a half since its release) is something we will definitely remember when they will become a large band, as it seems pretty certain. The guys had an incredible sound by their side and the fact that their songs are filled with a cello and a violin, gives them extra credits and broadens the width of their expression, something which the fans were discussing during and after their fifty minute performance. They told us that the response they have got for their album so far is tremendous and they will do anything to give back what they have got so far. Well, they certainly did it in this first time I saw them, on the first occasion I shall purchase their cd also. They are playing with Crippled Black Phoenix on March and it’s a great reason to attend this show. Count the days, we’re in it!

Long Distance Calling eliminated our ears for about eighty minutes and they showed why with each album they become even larger in status and artists like Jonas Renkse from Katatonia, Peter Dolving from The Haunted and John Bush from Armored Saint, take part on their albums, acknowledging them as something special that they want to participate. Their recent self-titled third album may be the one that will open wide the doors for them to pass through untrained ears. The point is that the German quartet gave an astonishing show, presenting material from all three albums (”Satellite Bay”, ”Avoid The Light” and ”Long Distance Calling”) and their sound is twice addictive in a face to face condition, especially bringing out their heaviness combined with the great touch of sensational feeling they offer to their fans. The atmosphere would either vary to closing your eyes to feel the magic, to simply bang your head to their most heavy outbursts, pretty much a gig that can cover everyone’s tastes in the end.

Among other details to be mentioned, is the joy on their faces, where you could see the band really having fun and looking amazed from the response they had from about 300 fans inside Eightball. The smiles on their faces betrayed them and even while playing stuff as ”I Know You, Stanley Milgram”, ”Sundown Highway”, ”Black Paper Planes”, ”Aurora” and other memorable compositions, they were overtaken by the fact they were treated as a really great band by the fans. Maybe that’s why they gave a great encore and promised us to come back as soon as possible. Who would dare saying that we’d have the chance to see such bands in the year of 2012… The fact that such gatherings seem more than a warm atmosphere makes things even better, as everyone you see has an urge to have fun and not just show off to the others, looking more evil or informed, as it tends to happen in metal shows. The crowd attending these new bands seems to have a more relaxed aspect on music, that in the end the only thing you see, is people hanging out together and discussing how much fun they had. The way it should always be. The promoters know what to do and we certainly will see more stuff by them. Until then, be prepared!

Report: Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras.
Photos: Andrew Koran.

There are a few bands in metal that can guarantee you that you will have a great time at their concerts, if you like their music that is. Whether their albums are masterpieces or something less it is irrelevant. I believe that Arch Enemy is one of these bands. Whenever they announce a live, it ’s a sure thing that they will be great performance-wise and that the fans will have fun. Their last release, “Khaos Legions”, may have received mixed reviews, but the fact that the band will take a long break after their tour is finished, made many metalheads run to Gagarin last Friday.

The time was about 20:15 when Insidead came on stage. Having only one full-length album on their back-catalog, but having performed live many times, Insidead appeared to be very comfortable on stage, full of energy and in good communication with the audience, which wasn’t very big at the time. Their setlist was based on their album, “Chaos Elecdead”, but we also heard two songs that will probably be in their next album, coming out some time around April, and of course the traditional covers. Around the middle of the set, it was time for Metallica’s “Blackened” and for the first mosh pits of the night. I have to say that I was quite surprised by the response of the fans. The majority was headbanging right from the start, some even knew the lyrics of Insidead’s songs, and when the band played “In My World”, they formed a wall of death. After 45 minutes, Insidead closed their set with another cover, “Blood And Thunder” by Mastodon, and a small part of Pantera’s “Domination” as the cherry on top. So, Insidead did their job really well. Not only they warmed us up, they almost burned us. And we would have enjoyed the songs even more if the sound wasn’t that average.

Gagarin was now almost full, and everybody was waiting for tonight’s headliners. At 21:30, “Khaos Overture” started playing and we knew it was time. Arch Enemy hit the stage and the first thing I heard was some guys shouting “Marry me, Angela!”, or “Strip!” (or something less polite) and the answer they got was “I hear you guys shouting and I don’t understand what you’re saying, but if you’re asking me to strip, you’re a bit unlucky tonight”!! So, after that the set started powerfully with “Yesterday Is Dead And Gone” and “Revolution Begins”. It was clear that we would listen to many songs from the last release, but we also heard many songs from “Wages Of Sin”. After the third song, the sound was top notch, and I was amazed by how good Angela’s growling was live (maybe Michaels Amott’s guitar should be heard a bit more clearly). The band was in a very good mood, and Angela didn’t stop headbanging and running up and down the stage, not for a minute. And she spent quite some time talking to the fans about the crisis and other stuff, prologuing this way every song. “Ravenous”, “Enemy Within” and “My Apocalypse” were next and the crowd responded with crazy headbanging and mosh pits. When the band left the stage, it was time for Daniel Erlandsson to demonstrate his skills in a crazy drum solo, a nice break for everybody’s necks. The headbanging started again with “Under Black Flags We March”, and there was Angela waving a big black flag, and continued with “Dead Eyes See No Future”. This time, the band left the stage once again and the two remaining were the Amott brothers on guitars. Christopher Amott’s guitar solo turned into “Intermezzo Libertè” by Michael Amott. It was a truly beautiful moment. “Burning Angel”, “No Gods, No Masters” and “We Will Rise” followed. The third time the band left the stage was for the encore. Yes, the crowd wanted more, and Arch Enemy granted them with “Snow Bound”. During “Nemesis” the fans went totally wild, and the set closed with “Fields Of Desolation”.

All in all, Friday night was great. I had fun and so did the majority of the people that was there. Some might have wanted to hear something from the Liiva era, but that didn’t happen. Arch Enemy gave us exactly what we expected. There were no surprises, but the good performance along with energy between the band and the fans made sure that no one would regret his being there.

Report: Stella Papaspyropoulou.
Photos: Stella Papaspyropoulou.

I don’t know how many of you had the chance to say such a thing in your life, but I am pretty sure that whenever I am able to attend a fully acoustic show, I will have such fun that it might surpass even an occasion with plugs in and generally a more heavy atmosphere. In this case, the coming of the super tribute band Maiden United was something I wouldn’t miss, even with Arch Enemy having a show the same day in the city of Thessaloniki. The reasons were simple, much cheaper ticket, a kind of certainty that the gig would be great (as it really was in the end) and with the proof of the band’s first release ”Mind The Acoustic Pieces” where they play the whole classic ”Piece Of Mind” album by Iron Maiden in unplugged versions, made things much easier in deciding to go to Eightball club once again. They were not on their own though, as there were also two other bands opening for them that Saturday night.

Until Rain is a band I have seen many times on stage. Experienced and with a certain aspect in their music, I must insist though that whenever I see them playing an acoustic show, they really sound like another band. The lyricism and melody included on their music seems to work better on such cases, as the result was pretty much the same as the last time I saw them in an acoustic set, supporting Jeff Martin (ex The Tea Party). For about half an hour, the guys (minus their drummer this time) managed to give a great performance, and they showed once again that whenever they choose to have some covers on their set, the result is ALWAYS better. This time they included ”Walk In The Shadows” by Queensryche (thumbs up for the choice, rather difficult one) and they closed the set with ”Edge Of Thorns”, which also happens to be my favourite Savatage track of all times. Once again the singer gave singing lessons and with joy I declare they were much better than the last time I saw them. May they ever play in such a shape. Well done.

Meden Agan was the second band to play and it was their first show in Thessaloniki ever. Their female fronted style has a lot to give, as it doesn’t have many differences compared to their original tunes. The band showed determined to win the impressions from the beginning and the smiles of the lady on the vocals made things even better, with her thanking the crowd for the response during and after each song. They also played two covers in the end, with the help of another lady from Thessaloniki, with ”Stand My Ground” by Within Temptation and ”Sleeping Sun” by Nightwish (the good old ones…) being performed in great interpretations. The band was also great as Until Rain and we couldn’t wish for more to get warmed up. They play again as a support band for Tarja Turunen in a few days, so go and enjoy them once more.

Maiden United is not only a great tribute Iron Maiden band, but also a band to play tracks you may never listen again in a concert by one of the two greatest metal bands in heavy metal. Starting with ”Revelations” and continuing with tracks from their latest album, like ”Where Eagles Dare” and ”Quest For Fire”, one thing is certain from the very beginning. Damian Wilson OWNS Bruce Dickinson for good and it is really incomprehensible how he didn’t finally sing for the band back in ‘94-’95…The band told us they are about to release a new album around September and tracks like ”2 Minutes To Midnight” or ”22 Acacia Avenue”, ”Prowler”, ”Only The Good Die Young”, ”Flash Of The Blade”, ”Children Of The Damned” and ”The Evil That Men Do” made us already eager for this new release. Of course they played tracks such as ”Die With Your Boots On”, ”Sun And Steel”, ”The Trooper” and ”To Tame A Land” and they closed the set with ”Wasted Years”, after an hour and a half where they presented us fourteen glorious tracks of the past.

It is no secret that Wilson is the wild card of the band, not hesitating to sing around the attenders, coming down on the main hall and even climbing on the bars of the club to greet the fans that were sitting on the upper level. Such an energetic and well mooded person that you feel shame when it comes to terms to say you’re not in the mood of doing anything. The rest of the band supporting him and paying a real tribute to these compositions, done with love and respect, something which shows without anyone having to acknowledge it. They told us that they are really looking forward to coming to Greece again and believe me, not a single one that came to the show (even if it was less than a hundred people unfortunately) will not also see them the next time. What others do for money and publicity, Maiden United do for respect and love to something they believe. We hope the next time it would be possible to play ”Alexander The Great” which always remains the big request of the Greek fans. Until then, up the united!

Report: Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras.

It seems there is a turn of events regarding the quantity and variety of gigs in the city of Thessaloniki. The same exists for the booking companies as well, especially those trying to establish a good name and try to bring something different for the fans. Such is the case of Lovelight Productions which has already started its course by bringing Cathedral for the last time ever in Greece. This time they dared something else, by booking the psychedelic groovy stoner band Samsara Blues Experiment, the German quartet from Berlin which had a sold out show two days ago in Athens. So the only thing left was to see what kind of response they would have in Thessaloniki too, with the addition of three great support bands, that added their own colour in a night full of pictures and feelings.

Welcome Home was the first band to come on stage. At first, just by the name I thought they would be influenced by Metallica or such stuff. It proved out that I was completely wrong, as the trio is an epitome of ’70s rock’n'roll stuff, having taken their name from the undoubted master of the six string of all times, Jimi Hendrix. It didn’t need much effort to understand this, just by looking at the singer/guitarist, who had an image close to the sacred being that made the guitar scream in all possible ways four to five decades ago. They played about half an hour a mixture of Jimi Hendrix meets Rory Gallagher stuff and being rather moody, they set the spark for the next bands. Modest and decent presence on the scene, some really great guitar skills by the aforementioned guy and after six songs, they left the stage knowing that they were great on what they played. Well done, didn’t even know them, now it’s about time checking them out.

High Noon on the other hand, is a band I had the luck to see in late September, supporting Cathedral. Not much changed since then, despite three and a half months passed. Groovy riffs from the southern parts of the United States of America and again the singer going left and right, back and front, up and down, sideways and all possible directions, showing he was born to be a frontman for such a case. Those not knowing, the guy must have studied Phil Anselmo’s moves and singing, fully influenced by him. This gives him enough points to stay on your mind and by using low tuned frequencies on his voice before screaming his guts out, you have to give him the fact that he surely doesn’t sound boring. Their Down meets Saint Vitus style was greeted from the fans and I can tell they were even better than the previous time. Their sound on Cathedral’s gig was taking the riffs away, this time everything sounded in order. Selling their cd for 3 euros only proved to be a good hint, as they sold some copies later on. Well done!

Hogg were the next ones and it is clear from the very beginning they are the band sounding closer to the headliners of the night. Once again we have to deal with a concrete groovy force of riffs following one another. What is different is the influential sound they have, as they give me the feeling like I listen to Kyuss raping Black Sabbath, while Clutch are voyeurs in this atrocity. The result of course can’t be anything but fuckable and with the bassist having a great sound, filling the riffs of the guitarist perfectly, the singer has the ability to even dance sometimes during the songs and when he’s not tripping with his vocal melodies, he turns red from obsession and spits his bowels out. They played a little more compared to the previous two bands, about 45 minutes and they closed the show with a cover on Motorhead’s ”Bomber”, which they managed to adapt to their sound, making it sound in a more garage interpretation which certainly didn’t affect anybody inside Eightball. Amazing performance as well. Three out of three for the local bands.

Samsara Blues Experiment is a great band that has released two great albums, the more trippy/psychedelic ”Long Distance Trip” and the more groovy/straight forward ”Revelation And Mystery”. The Germans are what I can surely call the perfect case in the balance between vocals and instrumental parts in their music. They would be as great as they are without vocals, but adding them exactly where they must, makes them even better. What I liked most was the fact that they knew how to create a great atmosphere surrounded by heaviness and groove and the fact that I saw all of them banging like maniacs (with the bassist making windmills as if he was in a thrash metal band, state of the art headbanging) cast them enormous on stage. Hair inside the face, necks down, and the strings are on fire.
They started the show with ”Singata Mystic Queen” and ”For The Lost Souls” if I’m not mistaken and they easily took over the fans inside the club which would mainly watch at them fully astonished.

They focused on their second album mostly after the beginning and the performance on ”Flipside Apocalypse” especially was one of the strong parts of the set. And of course, how couldn’t I mention their large opus ”Double Freedom”, where they simply got out of control? After an hour and a half, including a fifteen minute encore, the four-piece left the stage, showing that good music doesn’t only lie on moshing parts and blastbeats, no matter how much we also love such stuff. In all simplicity, it’s great to see people feeling great with what they play, the rhythm section playing their asses out, the two meter rhythm guitarist filling the parts where the singer leads with his solos and the trippy vocals sending you to a journey to the other dimension. You may not want to return, as you have found your peace of mind through pictures and visions shown before you in all possible ways of expression. Good music is for everyone. Next stops for Lovelight Productions events is on Long Distance Calling gig, in two weeks. We’ll be there!

Report: Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras.

I have to say that 2012 entered the best possible way. On Friday, we enjoyed a really good performance by Entombed. And on Saturday, it was time for the highly anticipated live of Septicflesh. This band is one of the very few Greek metal bands that has managed to make itself known outside the borders of Greece. Not to mention that in 2011 they presented us with a magnificent album that received great reviews. These two things, plus the fact that they would be playing in their hometown, made me think that this concert would be, without a doubt, sold out. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, but the number of people gathered was pretty high nonetheless.

It was about 20:15 when the first band hit the stage. I must say that I hadn’t heard Heavier Than God before, and they were a pleasant surprise. They play a mix of heavy metal with some stoner and thrash elements and with vocals a little bit more extreme than what you would expect for their music. Their set was based on their own songs but we had the chance to listen to an interesting cover of Black Sabbath’s “Children Of The Grave”. One might say that this band wasn’t the right one to open this concert, but in the end they warmed up the audience pretty well for what would follow.

Next in line were the Swedish Dark Funeral. One by one, the members appeared on stage, and the traditional corpsepaint covered their faces to match their pure black metal music. The set started powerfully with “Stigmata”, “666 Voices Inside” and “Enriched By Evil” and there were two things to be noticed. First, the sound wasn’t the best, and second, the new singer, Nachtgarm, has really great pipes and proved to be a good replacement. The band appeared in good shape, though at times the drums weren’t heard clearly due to the average sound, but that got fixed later on. The guitarists and bassist were headbanging to their music, while the singer kept a different stance and didn’t address to the crowd much. “Goddess Of Sodomy”, “The Arrival Of Satan’s Empire” and “The Birth Of The Vampiir” were some of the songs that followed, and even though the communication between band and audience was minimum, the response of the fans wasn’t the same. Crazy headbanging and mosh pits accompanied a setlist that satisfied almost everyone, as no album was left outside, but it was during “Vobiscum Satanas” and “Shadows Over Transylvania” that Fuzz became hell on earth. “Heart Of Ice” was next and the band left the stage for the usual encore. A rather unfortunate moment followed, as some people in the audience started shouting “Septicflesh” instead of “Dark Funeral”, showing no respect for the band. When Dark Funeral returned, they didn’t seem bothered (I found out later that they certainly were bothered, a lot to say the truth), and closed their set with “The Secrets Of The Black Arts”, “Hail Murder” and “My Funeral”. A great performance by a great band!

It was time for the usual break, for the technicians to change the décor and the instruments, and it was certainly a relief for our necks. After a while, the artwork of “The Great Mass” covered the back and sides of the stage. When the lights went out, Fotis Benardo took his place behind the drum kit and the fans started yelling his name rhythmically. Christos Antoniou and Dinos (session guitarist) appeared next and last came Seth behind the microphone. When the first notes of “The Vampire From Nazareth” were played the crowd went crazy, headbanging and forming mosh pits right from the start. At some point, Sotiris Vayenas came out to sing the clean vocals, as he would do for all the songs that have clean vocals. Simple and grand, he performed his part and added a great deal to the mystery of the music. The setlist continued with “Communion” and I can’t describe the reaction of the fans. It was insane. From the second song the sound was really good and massive, and it allowed us to enjoy fully the orchestral parts. Great lighting, lots of smoke and videos on the side walls only added to the atmosphere created by the music. During “Chaostar” the fans relaxed a bit, as most of them seemed to be more familiar with the last three albums of SepticFlesh. “A Great Mass Of Death”, “Virtues Of The Beast” and “Unbeliever” were next. The guitarists, even though they were quite stationary, they were constantly headbanging, just like the crowd below them. More songs from the last three albums followed, “Pyramid God”, “Lovecraft’s Death”, “Oceans Of Grey”, “We, The Gods”, which Seth dedicated to the fans, and “Sumerian Daemons”. Of course “Persepolis” couldn’t be left out, along with a wall of death. After that Septicflesh had a surprise in store for us, as we traveled back in time with “DNA” and “Esoptron” and this time we enjoyed Sotiris Vayenas not only on clean vocals, but on the guitar too! I have to say that it was a truly beautiful moment to see the whole band on stage, as it’s supposed to be. It was time for the encore, and when the band came back up on stage, Seth got the audience to sing along the melody of “Anubis”, and then it was chaos! The live was coming to an end, and Septicflesh said goodbye with “Five-Pointed Star”.

This concert was undoubtedly a success, and the fans left satisfied. I think very few will say the opposite. Great setlist, great performance, great atmosphere. The only somewhat negative thing was that Seth was over-trying to communicate with the fans, and all the “let’s go Athens” and “are you ready?” got a bit tiring. But that was a small thing after all. All I have to say is that I would love to see them with a live orchestra and soon enough!

Report: Stella Papaspyropoulou.
Photos: Spanos Manos.

2012 seems it will be a happy new year to everybody connected to heavy metal music. The promising albums to be released by great bands this year gives a high potential on how the rest of the year will flow. On the term of gigs, nothing can be that certain, but starting a year by going to see Entombed, can’t be nothing but great. The most important and influential extreme band of the European continent came to Greece for the fourth time, having seen them first with Candlemass and Dark Tranquillity in 2002, in an all Swedish apocalyptic gig. Then it was 2004 when they made Sodom wishing not having entered the stage and on 2008 they played with the legendary thrash bands Exodus and Sabbat (I also bet Exodus are still in pain by Entombed’s performance that night). Last and fortunate time to see them was in Hellfest 2009 in France, where they proved me that on an open air gig, the only thing they do is gather corpses to be mutilated. Simply put, a band I can see every day of my life without even thinking of getting bored.

Unfortunately the promising gig didn’t start well, as Rotting Flesh which was the first band to play, where proved lesser than expected. And even worse is the fact that despite they are a very old and experienced band, they do not prove in practice what is said in theory, stating that the more experienced a band is, the better it plays under all circumstances. I have seen them enough times, and opening gigs of great bands in the past. The result is pretty much always the same. Compositions that in overall are pointless and the vocals lost somewhere inside the complexity of their tracks. What made matters even worse was the final outcome with the cover of Sepultura’s ”Troops Of Doom”, when their bassist handled over the vocals, but the song was cut in the middle because of a broken guitar string. Let’s say that this was not their fault but was the nail in the coffin of their effort. The attempt to save it by trying to play Slayer’s ”Raining Blood” was in vain, the result was the same, a cut off piece in its beginning. The crowd applauded but I don’t know how much of them trully meant it.

Freefall on the other hand were ready for this live, as if waiting for it for ages. Entering the stage like maniacs, their groovy up tempo core style gives them flexibility to express their full of nerve songs much easier. Great rhythm section that plays the basic stuff but produces a lot of groove, with the guitarist playing some rather minimal riffs with a very crust style in his playing but proving to be rather effective, fitting perfect with the attempt of the band to bring death metal and hardcore elements together. And of course, the vocalist whose throat spits venom and pain in every lyric, either if he’s moving back and forth the stage or simply bangs his head while not singing. For the end they left a speedy cover of ”Threatening Skies” by groove death metal masters Obituary. Few understood it the way it was played and that’s one more reason to give praises to them, as they brought the song closer to their sound, making it sound like another Freefall composition. The cheap prices on their merchandise made them win some more fans for sure. If they play with Benediction like this, it will be even better. Way to go!

Entombed were born to play live gigs and just by coincidence they have released nine great albums, six great EP’s and some even greater compilations. These guys not only are the epitome of the term LIVE music, but they also do it in such a convincing way, that make all bands sound like idiots. Yes, such is the difference of Entombed and the ones trying to oppose them, especially if we take death metal bands as a comparison. If anyone of you knows a band that plays 23 songs (!!!!!!!!!!) and plays two hours (!!!!!!!!!) without even thinking of coming down the stage, then I am open for further information. The joy and smiles on their faces and especially L.G. Petrov’s mood for joking, leaves no doubt if all that’s happening is true. At parts of the gig, I even see people slapping each other to believe what they see and listen comes from this world. Surely the beginning with ”Living Dead” isn’t. Surprise, yelling, headbanging, pushing, sweat, bad smell, beer dropped everywhere and a feeling of the ’90s returning again is what will follow throughout the whole gig. They play my favourite ”Sinners Bleed” straight after and it’s clear they have no mercy for noone inside Eightball, where almost 250 people don’t know how to react. ‘

”Serpent Saints” adds some groove at the start, there’s going to be plenty more later, but first some thrash hints with ”Eye For An Eye”, a lesson in Swedish death metal riffing with ”Crawl” and a mid tempo nightmare called ”When In Sodom”. As you see, the menu includes everything and everyone’s tastes are more than satisfied, another groovy one is ”In The Blood” and then starts the explosion with ”Chief Rebel Angel” preparing the ground for a continuous trio of songs coming from the milestone of Swedish metal entitled ”Wolverine Blues”. Entombed’s ”Black Album” is unleashed on us with ”Demon” at first (where I personally start losing contact with reality), the title track next and of course, ”Out Of Hand” with one of the best intros in life (”I Am Jesus Christ”…”No You’re Not,You’re Dead”). I could describe it as total chaos and a feeling of wanting to cry from joy, but then comes ”Supposed To Rot” to decapitate everything and everyone alive in the club. Played on tripple speed, these legendary songs show how much better they sound live after all these years.

From the speakers we listen a sample saying ”I Am The Way” and ”Eyemaster” sends us to hell and back. Unbelievable width of songs to play and ”Say It In Slugs” represents ”Uprising”, people go up and down, dancing, headbanging, embracing each other, it’s official we’re not in a gig but in a big party and the hosts are unstoppable, even when playing Roky Eriksson’s ”Night Of The Vampire”. It’s just distraction because then comes ”Left Hand Path”. I should stop writing but how else could I state that the outro played with a guitar instead of keyboards is ten times more fuckable? The birth of all European death metal lies on this track. Enough said. Time for a break and a blowing encore including seven (lucky seven I guess) more tracks (!!!!!!!!). ”Chaos Breed” reminds us why ”Clandestine” is an album that still creates shock and awe while listening to it, but nothing would have happened without ”Left Hand Path”, so let’s take one more hit under the belt with ”Drowned”. More than a party, the gig turns to a tribute to our childhood. And the godless five-piece simply can’t stop playing…

The catastrophic riff of ”Stranger Aeons” creates a maelstrom inside the club, and even ”Damn Deal Done” which eases (?) things a bit can prepare us for a ”Revel In Flesh” we have never listened to again. Full of certainty, Entombed close the gig with the first two songs on ”To Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth”, with the title track coming first and ”Like This With The Devil” being the final curtain call to this tornado that stormed Thessaloniki. Easily the best performance they’ve done in Greece. It is amazing how much better they are each time they come to play than the previous one. The entering of new bassist Victor Brandt has made the band invincible, as Nico Elgstrand makes a tremendous guitar duo with Alex Hellid. Entombed with two guitars is orgasm without touching. Olle Dahlstedt really smashed his drumkit and L.G. Petrov is simply the big brother we all would like to have. Furious, enraged, seeing red from obsession, but also smiling, joking, giving and taking beer and cigarettes. A big heart in general. I think that as soon as we get over it (if this ever happens) we’ll see them again, it won’t take less than a year or two to accept what happened. Other bands claim, lie and believe they do gigs. Entombed simply do it. Masters for life!

12►

Report: Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras.
Photos: Louis Konstantinou.

The Coroner gig in Thessaloniki was held on the beloved place of Eightball Club. When the band members saw the club during their soundcheck, their first reaction was very warm, as they liked the fact it was a small club and as we discussed with them, we all came to agree that it would be better, as it would create a warmer atmosphere between fans and band members. It proved one more time that the fans in the city of Thessaloniki can be really enthusiastic when they want to. There were no support acts in the show at Eightball and Coroner appeared on stage a little before eleven o’clock. Again things are clear from the beginning and the reactions were pretty the same with Athens. The only differences were that the fans in Thessaloniki would shout a little less, but they would also mosh, stage dive and headbang much more. Some fans came on stage to sing with Ron three or four times and twice his microphone almost left it’s initial position, but without further problems.

The reactions would vary from surprise to panic. Such a surprise was for the fans the beginning with ”Golden Cashmere Sleeper, Part 1”. Or on the part where the band played ”Gliding Above While Being Below” in the middle of the set, adding a mellow note to the prog/thrash holocaust that had just occured. ”Grin” was again the album that dominated the set, with five songs and ”Mental Vortex” adding three more. Two songs from the ”Coroner” compilation and ”No More Color”, and one from the first two albums, ”R.I.P.” and ”Punishment For Decadence”, plus a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s ”Purple Haze”, which closed the set on the encore, with ”Reborn Through Hate” played last of course and the place getting ready to explode by more than three hundred fans of good music full of quality.Coroner’s sound was once again clear, and this time I chose to stay as near as I could to watch how and what they were playing.

So, once again Marky showed people why he is a marquis, Tommy proved to be a certain guitar baron and Ron is a royce without breaks, running down a hill uncontrolled. The games of Tommy with his guitar on ”Metamorphosis” drive people nuts as well as in Athens and the fans receive multiple relentless beatings with the row of the songs. Especially slow songs like ”The Lethargic Age” are greeted with headbanging, while on the older ones from the first three albums there was a lot of moshing and some crowdsurfing attempts. I think that Coroner knew they were doing the best they could, and they seemed a little more cool and relieved compared to Athens, where in the first songs they were more focused on their playing. This didn’t prevent them from having the same fun and thanking the fans during and after the show. The fact that the t-shirts were over from the Athens show was the only negative point fans could find, because the band’s performance was more than flawless.

It seems than no matter how you miss from the stage, some things can’t just be forgotten. The ease which Coroner would play their demanding material was nominal. One of the biggest achievements for a bands is to be able to drive its fans (or non-fans that are about to become fans) crazy with slow or mid tempo material. The Swiss band is surely one of them, as it chose from the very beginning to be different. So, even with a thrash basis, they built their career focusing on simplicity and heaviness, rather than speed and complexity, especially in their ’90s era. If we think in cold blood, what Coroner achieved in eight years of releasing albums and a compilation, other bands would simply beg for. It is very important to know when to stop, while still being on the top, and not become just like the others who tend to lose inspiration. All of these were clearly understood by their performance and mentality throughout these two days in the two big cities of Greece.

We should mention that a lot of fans from Bulgaria and the towns near Thessaloniki’s region honoured the band with their presence. The band members greeted their fans and they all came after the show to talk with their fans, sharing opinions, thanking all people who attended the show, with the same smile on their faces. What is nicest than loving a band, is the fact that the members are people who respect both fans and the group’s history. To sum up, though it might sound odd to some, Coroner easily humiliated four decades of heavy music with their presence, proving that sometimes less is more and that when you know your sound, you simply don’t give a damn about trends, music industry and stuff like that. For as long as this reunion lasts, we hope we’ll see them at least once more, for the last time (though it will never be enough) and we leave all the others to them. They know better than us what to do and they need no instructions. Status: still grinning!

Report: Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras.
Photos: Louis Konstantinou.

It’s been fifteen years since the mighty Coroner from Switzerland decided to disband, considering themselves done with what they had to give. It’s also been nineteen long years since their first and only performance in Greece, when they came as a support band to Germany’s Rage. Thankfully things were turned that way, so they decided to be reformed and a series of gigs started this year, with a result to finally see them here too, in both the big cities of our country. Words are very poor to describe what our eyes saw and what our eyes heard, because mainly we lived these two gigs with all our senses and the final outcome were people unable to say anything to the one close to them, as the omnipotence of the Swiss force was undeniable and even the ones who weren’t familiar with their material and came to honour a great band of the past, managed to already become fans of them for the rest of their lives.

Rex Mundi opened the show in Gagarin a little after half past seven, and for the next 35 minutes they presented material complex in playing but flexable in listening, as long as one has open mind and trained ears. This time I saw them with their original singer Nikos which lives in the island of Crete and is not available for all gigs the band does. Heavy riffs, great rhythm section and progressive tuned vocal melodies, accompanied by great solos where needed, with the band giving all they had. The sound engineer truly fucked them up, as the guitar sound was very thick and their compositions couldn’t be forwarded to the crowd the way they should. Despite the fact that the fans didn’t understand the cover of ”Beyond Within” by Nevermore because of the aforementioned sound, the band showed that on stage, the songs sound much better, especially tracks like ”Demise Machine”. Hopefully the next time they will have a much better sound, but still they’ve done their piece and they can claim rightfully that they were a part of that big night.

Released Anger is what we simply call old school thrash metal. There can be no further explanation or definition about that, right? Starting enragingly, they left the stage almost 40 minutes after they entered it, around a quarter to eight. The recipe in the genre is as pointful as it can get: relentless riffs, insane solos, speedy bass lines and double-bass frenzy, with a singer so close to Mille Petrozza of Kreator sounding-wise, that it makes things even better. They were giving the idea that they could be playing for about two hours without getting tired and the fact that they caused people to mosh and move around throughout their performance, showed that the mission was accomplished. Highlight of their presence was surely the new track ”Selfish Bastard” where the place was set on fire and was the first time for me to see it live. Though they have played with many great bands, I think that was their peak and most important moment in their history. It’s different to play with Coroner after all. Until the next time, they should keep this gig as a guide for the future.

Acid Death was always a legendary and contradictory band for the Greek fans. Just like Coroner, they had always been different and challenging to their sound, and their three official releases, the EP ”Balance Of Power” (back in ‘92) and their two godly albums ”Random’s Manifest” and ”Pieces Of Mankind” in 1998 and 2000 are stuff that everyone loving the word progress, must own. Their sound was unbelievable, and the band couldn’t sound tighter than this. I have seen both Savvas on bass and vocals and Kostas on drums with their other band Kinetic, three times. But this time, they were so enraged that it was like seeing them perform for the first time. Among other stuff, they played ”Flattening Of Emotions” by Death as a homage to the great Chuck Schuldiner and the fans just couldn’t keep than headbanging. Their two new songs show that their upcoming album ”Eidolon” might easily be the best in their career. Savvas apologized for a wound in his back. If you play like that as a wounded man, what would you do in pure shape? I’m very happy I finally saw them and I really wish to see them again as soon as their new album is released. The ones getting their 2011 promo, free distributed, already smile eagerly.

Coroner are aliens. Period. I can’t explain what I saw otherwise. You are missing for a decade and a half. You come to a country that awaits you from when you were still active. And you start with an unreleased song from the ”Coroner” compilation back in ‘95, ”Golden Cashmere Sleeper, part 1”. We should have known… We should have been prepared properly for that. We shouldn’t take for granted that we would just see or hear you but FEEL you in the true sense of the word. From the first second the sound has filled the place. Tommy Vetterli’s guitar sounds like three guitarists play together, Marky Edelmann’s beatings could devastate the whole club and Ron Broder’s basslines fill perfectly the parts when he’s not singing (or should i say spitting better) some of the best lyrics written in life. Songs like ”Internal Conflicts” prove that in the best way and the once astonished fans -especially the ones unfamiliar with the first song- suddenly wake up and move around the place. But we never will touch you Coroner, because you are unreachable.

Trying to get our bearings seems useless when straightly and mercilessly, ”Serpent Moves” can show us how a great song in a cd turns into colossal in a gig. The best solo of all times belongs to mr. Vetterli and is included in this song, and I don’t know if I have to be happy or if I have to realize I’m barely awake, because everything seems like a dream. And it’s only the third song. They’re moving, they’re changing. And just on time, the diehards enjoy one of their trademark tracks, ”Masked Jackal” from ”Punishment For Decadence”, their first video clip ever. With a heavy sound on the guitar that leads to the ”Grin” era, even the old stuff sounds challenging and a large mosh pit is created. The band members already show happy and they thank the people for their support. The joy in their faces is clear and they have become one with the fans. So, what follows flows like clear water, with the accuracy of a Swiss clock. Which means that the band doesn’t lose a simple second and the fans don’t lose a single headbanging from that point and on.

A journey to ”No More Color”, the first Coroner album I once encountered, brings back great memories and ”D.O.A” shows how insane and progressive a thrash song can be. On the other hand, ”Status: Still Thinking” shows how simple and majestic a song can be, without need to be under categories and genres. Why do you hate us? Why are you so perfect that we can’t believe it? As soon as it’s about to end, the gigantic riff of ”Metamorphosis” turns the place into a room of epileptic headbanging and the highlight of Tommy’s skills is the games he does with his guitar on that track. We won’t be alive, that’s certain… Fortunately, ”The Lethargic Age” brings us back to reality as long as that’s possible. Because when ”Semtex Revolution” is presented, once again heads go along with the complex riff by Tommy and we’re back to the situation where we don’t know how to act. Coroner definitely serve the musical revolution in a different way, hopefully this time the people will get the message and not leave it pass by.

The great interlude ”Gliding Above While Being Below” (also on the self-titled compilation, officialy unreleased on a studio album) brings us back to Earth for a while and it’s great to see Coroner without words, they seem the same fantastic. But there is not much room for thought as ”Divine Step (Conspectu Mortis)” blows the place up for certain. Songs we grew up with and listening to them with ease, sound like we still didn’t get their status, so many years after their release. How can we explain that they sound new to us and that Coroner drive us back to ‘96 in their last tour like not even a day passed since then? What is sin? And who is God? Another trip to ”No More Color” with ”No Need To Be Human” where Coroner prove their alien origin as we said before. As for the fans… Identity’s lost, no need for expression. Just hollow gazes and jaws dropped as an hour has passed by.

Describing all these, it’s needless to even think of stating what happened when they played ”Grin (Nails Hurt)”. A red light covering the place, the band, the fans, and incomprehensive screams follow eight minutes of power exhibition by Coroner. Nails invade our brains, they make them unable to do anything. We don’t understand when Coroner leave the place and return back to play ”Purple Haze” by the greatest guitarist ever, Jimi Hendrix. He would surely be proud to see them playing like that. But they show us without hesitation that business is always business and ”Reborn Through Hate” is the last nail in the coffin of our sanity. Crowd surfings, mosh pits, embraces to close persons and even running with people on shoulders is what the menu includes on the last song of the night. Coroner dominated Athens and promised they would do anything to live this again. My neck is on fire and all I have to do is try and realize what happened because the next day I would see this in Thessaloniki too.

Report: Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras.
Photos: Manos Spanos.