ARCTURUS LIVE @ Gagarin 205, Athens, Greece, 04-02-2012

ARCTURUS LIVE @ Gagarin 205, Athens, Greece, 04-02-2012

Another Saturday night and I started heading once more to one of the most classic places to see a gig in Athens, Gagarin 205. There are usually a million things to do and a million places to go on a Saturday night, but a metal concert is always the first priority in my book.

            Balancing between black metal, gothic, prog-rock and folk, Arcturus is definitely not your everyday kind of band. This was their first gig after their reunion which took place during 2011 and most people didn’t exactly know what to expect. There was a certain tension between the band members in the past but their shows were always something really unique, even for someone who has being to numerous concerts. Their whole folk-ish black attitude, combined with certain videos and theatricals that the band does, is way more than the average fan can expect.

            The show started on time and the band came on stage full of energy, while most of the crowd were already shouting the bands name out loud. The first song was “Evacuation Code Deciphered” and generally, there was a feeling of numbness from the crowd, which carried on for one more song. I can’t say that the crowd lost it’s energy because after the third song they were going wild again, most likely they were stunned from the bands performance. Arcturus knows their game very well and that is more than obvious when they are on stage. A fine blend of some of the best elements of black metal and art-rock, combined with the unique capabilities of the singing monster known as I.C.S. Vortex (God!) and presented through a whole theatrical scheme from the band, leads to extremely awesome results!

            After another 2 songs came the time for “Chaos Path”, another song which uses a lot of different musical elements as well. The crowd was participating during the whole song, as well as the next two, “Demon Painter” and “Painting My Horror”. The band uses a video projector which adds a lot to their show. Even when the song is slower, you can combine the music with the images and travel into your own dimension for a while (with a little help from mr Vortex of course…)

            Near the ending, where the band played some older, heavier stuff, the crowd was yelling more than ever and the band was really glad to receive that kind of appreciation, nearly after 5 years off stage. They already had a meet and greet before the show, but they also gave another meet and greet after the show as well. I had the chance to talk with them a little and they’re all very friendly and certainly not “divas” like a lot of people might think.

            Generally it was a very good show, maybe not their best ever, but the sound was very good as well as the bands performance and interaction with the crowd. Certainly the attendance could have been a little better, but it was sufficient for the band to feel warmly welcomed. They’re already planning to release another full-length album during the year and we can only hope for the best!

Current Lineup:

Steinar Sverd Johnsen – keyboards

Jan Axel “Hellhammer” Blomberg – drums

Knut Magne Valle – guitar

Hugh “Skoll” Mingay – bass

Tore Moren – guitar

ICS Vortex – vocals

Setlist :

1. Evacuation Code Deciphere

2. Ad Absurdum

3. Nightmare Heaven

4. Deception Genesis

5. Alone

6. Chaos Path

7. Demon Painter

8. Painting My Horror

9. Hufsa

Encore:

10. Master Of Disguise

11. Shipwrecked

12. To Thou Who Dwellest In The Night

13. Raudt Og Svart

14. Radical Cut


Also on Burst.gr - http://burst.gr/live/reports/item/919-live-report-arcturus-4/2/2012-gagarin-205