Enforcer - Skull Fist - Vanderbuyst - Genghis Khan, Live @ The Underworld, London, UK, 03/02/14

Enforcer - Skull Fist - Vanderbuyst - Genghis Khan, Live @ The Underworld, London, UK, 03/02/14

Ah, another cold night in London; it had a breeze of fresh air though and really, you couldn’t get any fresher than ENFORCER, SKULL FIST, VANDERBUYST and GENGHIS KHAN. The first gig of the year would definitely be packed with hard and heavy energy and lots of booze.

Unfortunately the venue posted an incorrect time schedule so instead of 19:00, Genghis Khan started to play at 18:15. I arrived at the venue just in time for a beer some chatting with Olof from Enforcer and also managed to see three songs from Genghis Khan (woo-hoo). Although I wasn’t too impressed when I first heard them, I must say that they are way better on stage. Solid sound and very good communication with the crowd. The crowd was about 30-40 people at the time, which was sufficient, judging by the wrong time schedule and the fact that only 140 tickets were sold for London, unlike the previous sold out gigs of this tour (info from Olof). Too bad that London metalheads don’t support young bands.

Time for another beer and Vanderbuyst. Having seen them live in the past, I sort of knew what to expect from this power rocking trio, but I must say that their live appearance was way better thatn the one before. A nice blend of classic rock and heavy metal, reminding you bands like Thin Lizzy, Accept, Uriah Heep and Judas Priest. Once again the band was very energetic and communicating with the crowd all the way through. They’re definitely developing their own style and combined with a great sound, I must say that this was indeed a great overall performance.

I remember when I first heard about Skull Fist back in 2010. I spoke with their drummer at that time, who also promoted the band a lot and I loved them from the start. A few months later I also got the chance to see them live at the Up The Hammers festival. I loved their first two works, and now they have a new album named "Chasing the Dream". Skull Fist are a love-em-or-leave-em situation, their heavy-ish, nwobhm-ish, speedmetal-ish style is definitely not unique, but fresh and powerful. Their live performances are strong and loud. The band supports the classic Heavy Metal style all the way. Some people can handle it, some can’t. The fact is that the band always delivers and they are a must-see for every metalhead as far as I’m concerned. Speedy riffs, 80s metal clothing, high-energy on stage performance and screams out of Hell. 100% Heavier than Metal.

Time to witness the miracle named Enforcer. 3 great albums in a row, and hundreds of gigs around the globe in just a few years. Having seen Enforcer three times already (one with Adam Zaars on second guitar and Olof in vocals and acrobatics) I knew exactly what to expect. The weird thing is that the last time I saw them was in economic-crisis -stricken Greece in a packed place with almost 500-600 people and now only 100 people more or less were there. However, even if you’ve never seen them before, you can easily start to get in the mood. Enforcer quickly developed their own style and stage presence. Smoke, candles and banners surrounded the band and into battle we ride again… Their set and on stage presence is mostly composed of their last album as it should be, without missing the classics from the previous two. It didn’t take long before the crowd turned into a huge mass, mesmerised by fire and Enforcer. If I tried to be a little harsh, I’d say that I’ve seen them play better, but watching Enforcer live is always a great experience and one really feels rejuvenated afterwards, and so did I. Enforcer classics came and went along with a cover of Venom's "Bursting Out". Another great night has reached to an end, leaving us once more with lots of memories.

Also on Metal Kaoz: http://www.metalkaoz.com/live-reports/12350-enforcer--the-underworld-london-uk.html

Devon Graves, Live @ The Drugstore, Athens, Greece, 8/12/2012

Devon Graves, Live @ The Drugstore, Athens, Greece, 8/12/2012

The first time that I heard Devon Graves (AKA Buddy Lackey) in a record was a little more than 15 years ago. The record was “A Social Grace” by Psychotic Waltz, a real masterpiece of music. The band was not active at the moment so, it would be a wild dream to think that in 15 years from then I’d have seen Devon not one, but three times live, with Deadsoul Tribe, Psychotic Waltz and as a solo artist.

The 8^th of December is really a sad day for music. Two great musicians were shot to death on that day, John Lennon and Dimebag Darell. The whole day in Athens was cloudy and gloomy with lots of rain as well, which combined with the traffic made it from hard to impossible for many people to attend tonight’s gig.

I arrived at the bar were the gig was about to take place a little earlier, to grab a beer and chat with friends and Devon. The bar was really small but the 60-70 people who attended the gig were very comfortable inside. At about 1,5 hour after the doors opened Devon went “on stage”, which wasn’t actually a stage, more like a small opening near the bar, but spacious enough. I had already asked him if he was going to play songs from his great album with the band “The Shadow Theory” but I got a negative answer. I also got the same negative answer when I asked him if he was planning to come for a gig with them. Oh well, we can’t have everything.

The place was packed and Devon started with some classic Deadsoul Tribe tunes. The sound was really good (I think that Devon was working on the sound a little earlier). One or two covers came along, aw well as some songs from the album “The Strange Mind Of Buddy Lackey”. A small speech from Devon followed and the first break of the show. Devon is well informed about the way the music industry works nowadays as well as the fact that the companies do not support musicians the way they used to so, he is planning to start his personal website, from which he will be distributing his music in the form of free downloads. He is also planning to record a new album with Psychotic Waltz. And that’s more than enough for now; I wouldn’t want to get into any more details about what he shared with us for the future.

After the break he came back with a couple of more Deadsoul Tribe songs for us and… the first Psychotic Waltz tunes! Such hymns as “Drift” and “Hanging On A String” played with only an acoustic guitar and Devon’s voice are magic beyond words. I can’t really describe the sentiment, but I’m sure that everyone could feel it at that moment. A fantastic cover of Rainbow’s song with DIO came along, another real blast of the night. “Catch The Rainbow” might be a classic and catchy ballad, but Devon gave his best to play it like it should be played, by putting all your soul to it. Two more hymns from Psychotic Waltz, “I Remember” and “My Grave”, three more covers, and that was the end of a very special show, that only few people enjoyed. However, some things are better to be left for the “few” and not the “many”. I couldn’t leave unmentioned though, the “hot sweet stuff”as Devon called it, known to us as “rakomelo” a combination of raki and honey, which Devon seemed to enjoy, a lot!

After the end of the show, we started yelling one of the most known to the fans of Devon Graves motto, which combined our desire for one more songs, as well as the old name of Devon Graves, Buddy Lackey. Devon just smiled and played a couple of more songs for us. One of them was a cover to “Tribute”, with lyrics inspired from Psychotic Waltz.

Devon Graves setlist:

Toy Rockets

Time

Windsong

Some Sane Advice

Space Oddity (David Bowie cover)

Lady Of Rain

Goodbye City Life

Regret

Some Day

-Break-

Into The Spiral Cathedral

Just Like A Timepiece

Cry For Tomorrow/Spiders And Flies

Black Smoke And Mirrors

UTWOMS

Empty

Drift

Hanging On A String

-Break-

Fear

Catch The Rainbow (Rainbow cover)

I Remember

My Grave

Imagine (John Lennon cover)

Hotel California (Eagles cover)

Tribute (AKA “The Greatest Song In The World”, Tenacious D cover)

Also on Burst.gr - http://www.burst.gr/live/reports/item/2381-devon-graves-live-the-drugstore-athens-greece-8-12-2012

High Voltage Festival 2012 Day II Live @ Kyttaro, Athens, Greece, 24-11-2012

High Voltage Festival 2012 Day II Live @ Kyttaro, Athens, Greece, 24-11-2012

Getting ready for the second day of the High Voltage festival, that mostly included bands with a hard rock vibe. Well guess what? I was once more the first fan to show up, despite that fact that I only arrived at the gig nearly half an hour before the doors open. I guess that something went terribly wrong here. Either the gig wasn’t promoted enough, or the fans simply don’t care. Or maybe both. Still, it was a sad image.

The doors opened on time and the first band, Heart Attack, came on stage. They took the place of Junkyard 69 who probably cancelled. They were all dressed in a similar ‘hospital’ manner, which shows that they’re following a certain direction in their dress code for concerts, which is good. The band played songs from their first EP along with some covers. They also filmed one of their songs for an upcoming video so; some more female dancers came on stage dressed as nurses. I especially noticed the excellent playing of their keyboardist Lila Moka as well as their guitar player Teo Ross, who also has a solo record.

The next band was Wild Machine, a veteran band of the Greek scene and one of the first ever Greek bands that I saw live. They are a total glam-dynamite on stage, combining all the good elements of hard rock with a totally 80s sleaze outfit and resulting in a rock overload. Despite some lineup changes and a big delay before the release of their new record, which is finally out now, the band seemed to have more energy than ever. They’re a definite ‘must’ for everyone who enjoys a good gig.

The next band was Nostos, a southern rock band, who also took the place of another band called Soundtruck who had probably cancelled. They resembled a classic  Southern American band and guess what? Most of their setlist was Lynyrd Skynyrd covers, although I believe that they also played a couple of their own songs. Their overall performance was very good although I believe that they played ‘Freebird’ slightly different.

Soon after Nostos, it was time for Danger Angel to take the stage. The band needs no introduction among the fans of the Greek scene, they’re one of those bands who quickly made a name for themselves and for a good reason. They were definitely one of the best bands of the whole High Voltage festival and that’s because they’ve been working on every last detail, from recordings to on stage performance which is obvious. Like I’ve said before, Kyttaro has a very good sound in most occasions, but I believe that it could be a little bit better during Danger Angel. Sadly I missed some of their set as well as the performance of George Gakis who played after them because something urgent came up.

The only bad thing that I have to say for those days is the the fans didn’t support it. Going to a gig and seeing bands attending concerts of other bands alongside their families and some friends, is a sad sight. Also, it’s one of the reasons that many bands form their own ‘cliques’ and support only their friends, etc. And that goes for every band and every fan. If we don’t rise up from this situation, the Greek scene will always be the outcast of the global scene.

First Day: http://dawnofbattle.blogspot.gr/2012/11/high-voltage-festival-2012-day-i-live.html

Also on Burst.gr - http://burst.gr/live/reports/item/2307-high-voltage-festival-2012-day-ii-live--kyttaro-athens-greece-24-11-2012

Links: https://www.facebook.com/wildmachinegr/posts/396602193748690

High Voltage Festival 2012 Day I Live @ Kyttaro, Athens, Greece, 23-11-2012

High Voltage Festival 2012 Day I Live @ Kyttaro, Athens, Greece, 23-11-2012

Another busy week was coming to an end and this time, with a High Voltage blast! I’m talking about the High Voltage festival of course. 11 bands in 2 days with 10 euros per day! Every one who claims to support the Greek metal scene should have been there. Sadly, not may people thought likewise…

I arrived at the gig nearly half an hour before the doors open only to discover that I was the first fan to show up. Talk about starting on the wrong foot. There was another gig in town of course by WASP, which is always a soldout gig, but I expected a few more people to show up for this one. The doors opened and the first band called Strangeyes was on stage. The first thing I noticed was that the sound had some problems which is weird, because the sound in Kyttaro rarely has any problems whatsoever. The band was overally good, especially their frontman. They played some of their own stuff alond some covers (Opeth and Annihilator of I remember correctly).

The second band was Never-Trust. I can’t say that metalcore is really my style but the band had tons of energy. Of course some problems started to emerge once again. The pedal of the drummer started to fall apart so they had to play their songs in a less blasty manner. They delivered their groove very good though. The next band called Ivory Tower was probably the first band to play without any serious problems. They were also very good and thankfully, some more people started gathering up.

The next band was Sorrowful Angels, a well known band to the Greek scene. They definitely showed that they ‘owned’ the stage from the first moment, despite that they had a new member, guitar player Stelios. Their style is mostly goth metal, with a lot of melancholic melodies blended inside. I could say that they’re our very own “Paradise Lost”.

The next two bands were a surprise (good for some, bad for some others). The first band was Trendy Hooliguns, a band well known for their sarcasm on stage, both lyrically as well as when interacting with the crowd. They were very good but unfortunately, not many people stayed around to see them. It’s one of the bad things that always happens when Greek bands play, many friends and family of each band comes around to see one band, without caring for others. The last band was The Fallen Within, a band which uses a ton of elements. I could describe their style as modern metalcore, but it has a lot of electronic and prog stuff also. They’re definitely not my style but they were very good on stage and it seems that they’ve been working on their songs, as well as their on stage performance a lot.

That ends the first day of the High Voltage festival. Be sure to check the report for the second day as well.

Second Day: http://dawnofbattle.blogspot.gr/2012/11/highvoltage-festival-2012-day-ii-live.html

Also on Burst.gr - http://burst.gr/live/reports/item/2306-high-voltage-festival-2012-day-1-live--kyttaro-athens-greece-23-11-2012

Links: https://www.facebook.com/Sorrowful.Angels.page/posts/440961985962874

Inkubus Sukkubus, Come With Reverse, Dr D and the Voodoo Shreeks Live @ Second Skin Club, Athens, Greece, 02-11-2012

Inkubus Sukkubus, Come With Reverse, Dr D and the Voodoo Shreeks Live @ Second Skin Club, Athens, Greece, 02-11-2012

It was a very big surprise for me when I heard that Inkubus Sukkubus were going to play a concert here in Greece. They are one of those bands that I used to listen to when I was younger, then stopped listening for a couple of years, only to “rediscover” them recently. The magic was still there.

I had arrived a little late due to heavy traffic and saw only a few people standing outside Second Skin club, so I entered almost immediately. The gig was about to begin. The club is somehow small, but also very cosy. The only bad thing is… what else? The poor airconditioning, which quickly turned the place into a factory chimney. The first band to come on stage was Dr D and the Voodoo Shreeks. They play a mixture of electro/ambient music with slices of darkness. They managed to create a very nice atmosphere although they could use a little more practice together for live appearances. The keyboards and other stuff on stage didn’t help much also because the stage was somehow small, which made movement difficult. They overally had a nice vibe and good communication with the crowd.

Dr D and the Voodoo Shreeks setlist:

1) Invisible Strength

2) I Will Kill For You

3) The Riddle Of The Sun & The Moon

4) Love & Rape

5) I Am Deamon

Next band on the bill was Come with Reverse from Thessaloniki. The crowd had almost doubled at that time which made the band feel even more welcome. Their doomy/goth sound along with a great performance from the bands frontman, instantly made the crowd participate in the whole experience. The sound started having some problems though which somehow spoiled some songs. They band seems very tight though which can only be a good thing for the future.

Come with Reverse setlist:

1) Vanity
2) Inner Demise
3) Mandolism
4) Evolution Of Broken Minds
5) Sullen Look
6) Come With Reverse
7) Retour An Dich
8) Lust Pace

I was finally time for Inkubus Sukkubus and with breathless anticipation the crowd was waiting the unveiling of the band. The drum set was removed off the stage, because the band used pre-recorded drums in their concert and the three members of the band came on stage! Their faces were painted like corpses, due to the celebration of the “Dia De Los Muertos”, the Mexican celebration for the rememberance of the dead. The band started playing and unfortunately at the same time, the sound started having major problems again. Of course the band and crowd didn’t seem to mind a lot, so they kept on playing even more passionately. Especially Candia’s performance was something you rarely see. I’ve seen my share of female fronted bands and I’ve seen frontwomen only have the looks, or the voice, or both, but rarely have the passion to support them. I’m sorry to say that without passion, you get nowhere. The band also had a very nice video-show playing in the background which fitted perfectly to every song, but one or two lights in the club were very bright which made it difficult to create an even nicer atmosphere or see the videos from certain angles. What made me very happy was that with every small problem, the band kept on playing even better. Most bands lose the ground beneath their feet with small things like a broken string or something. Despite all the small problems and the somehow small duration of the show (a little over one hour) they definitely were a pleasure to watch on stage. Let’s just hope that we won’t have to wait so many years before they visit us again.

The Inkies stayed around after their show, for a meet and greet and dance and party with their fans. I usually have an epilogue for such occasions, but for now I’ll only say this. Magical night.

Inkubus Sukkubus setlist:

1) Messalina

2) Vampyre erotica

3) Lose Yourself At The Nympahaeum

4) Paint it Black

5) Night Angel

6) Away With The Faeries

7) Love Eternal

8) City Of The Dead

9) Heart Of Lilith

10) The Goat

11) Belladona & Aconite

12) Samhain

13) Wytches

14) I Am The One

Special thanks to Candia for the extremely heartfelt show.

Also on Burst.gr - http://burst.gr/live/reports/item/2162-inkubus-sukkubus-come-with-reverse-dr-d-and-the-voodoo-shreeks-live-second-skin-club-02-11-2012-athens-greece

More links: https://www.facebook.com/InkubusSukkubus/posts/260713860717964

Accept, Marauder Live @ Fuzz Club, Athens, Greece, 18-10-12

Accept, Marauder Live @ Fuzz Club, Athens, Greece, 18-10-12

If you’re into pure classic Heavy Metal, there was no other place for you to be tonight, than Fuzz Club. The almighty Accept were once again visiting Greece to deliver the goods, this time supported by one of the best Heavy Metal bands that Greece has to offer, Marauder.

I didn’t have the chance to see them the last time they visited Greece with their new singer Mark Tornillo, so I was really looking forward to see him on stage. The night didn’t start very well though, due to the fact that the doors were about to open at 19.30 which didn’t happen until one hour later. Oh well, a few more beers for us “thirsty” ones! The line of people started filling up the club until it was half-full and Marauder came on stage. Sadly most of the crowd didn’t seem very familiar with the Marauder stuff, although a lot of people in the front rows were singing along. The band played 8 songs, some old and some from their new great record –check it out- with a mediocre sound, but an excellent performance.  It was a very special case because despite the fact that the founder/guitarist of the band George had his birthday that night and that they were supporting Accept, the legendary singer Tony Martin was there to watch both bands play. During the last few songs, the crowd looked a lot more active and warmed up. The band finished their set and a big applause followed.

Marauder setlist:

Elegy of Blood

The Great War

Warriors

Free Like An Eagle

Face the Mirror

Classics Never Die

The Return of the Warrior

God’s Will

The Greek Revolution Begins

A small break, lights down, crowd cheering. Accept was about to hit the stage, hard.  They started out playing a couple of songs from their new “child” Stalingrad. You could tell right from the beginning that the sound wasn’t in any case their ally. The vocals were way too low, although Mark was giving his best self, and the guitar and bass were very high. I’ve said it before, but sadly in half the gigs that take place in Fuzz Club, the sound isn’t exactly crystal clear, but more like a mess of electricity and buzz in places. Anyway, the band continued with some of their classics and the crowd –which has doubled until then- didn’t seem to mind so much about the sound quality. I haven’t checked live setlists from the band, I’m a fan so I didn’t have to learn the songs or something, but Monsterman did come as a nice surprise. I think that people didn’t like Accept records like Russian Roulette but mostly their 80s classic stuff. The song that followed was Shadow Soldiers and at that point you could see that the band was tighter than ever. I’ve seen them with UDO as well, and I’m a big fan of UDO in both his Accept and solo career, but I didn’t enjoy their performance with UDO as much as I enjoyed this one with Mark. He’s definitely way more than just “a good replacement”! 

This is was the part where the Accept classics started to tear us up, with the highlight of all of them being the song Aiming High. A few more sons from Blood of the Nations, and the band left the stage for a few minutes. The encore was more than great. Metal Heart, the bands anthem and generally, a Heavy Metal anthem as far as I’m concerned, Teutonic Terror, their smash hit single from Blood of the Nations and Balls To The Wall ended the bands show. I don’t think that there was anyone who left with bad memories from that gig, a real Heavy Metal concert, a true and full Accept show in every sense of the word. Mark is more than great, Stefan and Herman are metal machines and Peter and Wolf are like one on stage. I believe that today’s classic Heavy Metal scene, really fails to offer the kind of on and off stage quality that bands like Accept have set the standards for.

Accept setlist:

Hung, Drawn and Quartered

Hellfire

Restless and Wild

Losers and Winners

Stalingrad

Breaker

Bucket Full of Hate

Monsterman

Shadow Soldiers

Neon Nights

Bulletproof

Aiming High

Princess of the Dawn

Up to the Limit

No Shelter

Pandemic

Fast as a Shark

Encore:

Metal Heart

Teutonic Terror

Balls to the Wall

Cheers to Alice from Ruthless Steel for the company and photos, Alexis from Hurlement -come back soon brother- , Andreas Andreou for the beer and the hookup with T.M., Tony Martin -for just being there-, Dimitris Tsouanas for the photos with Accept, the guys from Battleroar, Greg from Eat Metal, Nikos Mac, Antonis Souvatzis, and last but not least, the 2 dudes I always like to tease, Mitsos “Swordmaster” and Leonidas “Spartan” -they know why-.

Also on Burst.gr - http://burst.gr/live/reports/item/2099-accept-marauder-live--fuzz-club-athens-greece-18-10-12

Moonspell, Sorrowful Angels, SadDolls, Fallen Arise, Live @ Gagarin 205, Athens, Greece, 29-09-2012

Moonspell, Sorrowful Angels, SadDolls, Fallen Arise, Live @ Gagarin 205, Athens, Greece, 29-09-2012

Going to a gig is always a top priority on my list, even on a Saturday night. The all time classic Gagarin 205 Club was ready and willing for another season full of concerts and events and despite the whole Greek economy crisis, I hoped that people would be there to support 3 Greek bands and Moonspell, who always honour us in almost every single one of their tours.

The whole day didn’t start all that good. I had to work overtime and I wasn’t sure if I could make it in time to see all the bands. Thankfully, despite all the delay from buses etc, I made it in time to see more than half the set of Fallen Arise, the first band on the bill. Fallen Arise are a somehow fresh band, with operatic/symphonic metal sound. Their on stage presence was excellent, along with their communication with the crowd. Too bad that there weren’t many people around to see them play. They’ve been working a lot on their music and that was more than obvious on stage also. Their new singer Spyla has a very good and sensational voice and she adds a lot to the whole presence. The band had both male and female vocals. I believe that they are far better now than the last time I saw them supporting InnerWish, another great Greek band. The band is currently working on their first full-length.

Fallen Arise setlist:

Burned Ivy

Eternity

Eternal Sins

Never Forget Me

Furor

Nightouched

The second band on the bill was SadDoLLs, a band I’ve never had the chance to see before. Their style is semi-goth, semi-electro with very few industrial elements. It’s really not my style although I did enjoy their more goth/romance stuff. The fact is that they reminded me HIM a little, but I don’t think that the more industrial stuff suits the bands style, maybe they should stick to just goth. They do have a good stage presence though, and good sound. Among their stuff they also played two covers, Erased from Paradise Lost and Pussy from Rammstein.

SadDoLLs setlist:

Bloodred

Criminal Of Love

Erased (Paradise Lost cover)

Psychedelic Love

Pussy (Rammstein cover)

Life=0

Watch Me Crawl Behind

Misery

Finally it was about time for Sorrowful Angels. They are one of my favourite Greek bands and I’ve seen them live many times. Every time is different of course. The band hit the stage furiously and you could tell from the beginning that they were very excited to be here. Moonspell are one of their fav bands and I guess they were over enjoying supporting them tonight. They had a very good sound and combined with their energy, they showed some explosive results. Their singer Dion kept at all times very good contact with the crowd while their bass player Ilias was blending his playing and on stage figures perfectly. The drumming was also very good as well as the second guitar. Definitely one of the best Greek bands.

Sorrowful Angels setlist:

Mistress Of Desire

Unspeakable Cult

Shores Of Capture

Nous Undue

Right Of Way

Suicidal Manners

Love Means Death

Omens

Mourn

Denial

Time for the almighty Moonspell. I don’t like getting political, but I do feel a little like brothers with the Portugese people, after all the stuff that they’re going through. We should all stick together in times like these. Ribeiro was in an excellent mood along with the rest of the band. He appeared on stage with a weird helmet, which looked like the one they have on their record cover. The sound was perfect which is very rare for both the club and Moonspell. I’ve seen them many times, well, mostly in open areas, but it was a pleasure to listen to such a perfect sound. I can’t even begin to describe the whole atmosphere… after all those times (Ribeiro was saying 8 times over and over again) Moonspell feel like home here. He couldn’t stop talking about Greece and Athens (Athina! Athina!) and all the Greek bands that he admires so much like Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh. The best moments of their show was the performance of Scorpion Flower and Alma Matter and a moment when Ribeiro remembered another great frontman, the late Peter Steele from Type O Negative. A little less than two hours, and it was time to say goodnight and farewell to Moonspell once more.

Moonspell setlist:

Axis Mundi

Alpha Noir

Love Is Blasphemy

Finisterra

Night Eternal

Opium

Awake!

Mephisto

Lyckanthrope

Nocturna

Scorpion Flower

Abysmo

New Tears Eve

Em Nome Do Medo

Vampiria

Alma Matter

Encore:

Wolfshade

Grandstand

Fullmoon Madness

Best moment of the show was definitely mr Ribeiro. Worst moment was that when Fallen Arise was playing, the club had much less than 200 people inside.

P.S. - Cheers to Dorina, Anastasia for the company, Fragiskos Samoilis for the… compliments, Vaggelis Sadus and last but not least “The Boozerman”. 

Also on Burst.gr - http://burst.gr/live/reports/item/1950-moonspell-sorrowful-angels-sad-dolls-fallen-arise-live-gagarin-205-athens-greece-29-09-2012

Grand Magus, Battleroar, Live @ Kyttaro Club 22-09-2012, Athens, Greece

Grand Magus, Battleroar, Live @ Kyttaro Club 22-09-2012, Athens, Greece

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. One of the good things that makes going to a concert such a big deal for me, is catching up with friends. The ones you see mostly at concerts. And every time a local band like Battleroar plays, it’s really just a big gathering of friends. Tonight’s gig was Grand Magus – Battleroar, two great bands, each one in it’s own field, armed and ready to unleash a good dose of metal upon us.

Battleroar had been through a lot of lineup changes lately. I’ve followed them through all those changes and saw them live a couple of times during the last two years. I can say that I didn’t enjoy those shows as much as I enjoyed the bands shows in the past. That was mostly due to sound problems and the fact that the band was between member changes. For this show they’ve recruited the veteran Gerrit P. Mutz, known from his excellent work with Sacred Steel and Dawn of Winter. The band came on stage and started it’s furious metallic assault. They really were full of energy that night and you could just feel it… the atmosphere was extraordinary! Gerrit, despite having only 2,5 rehearsals with the band, he gave his best self and even a little more. It was like he was the singer of Battleroar for 20 years or something. The guy is a total machine. A great addition to the whole atmosphere was the violin sound from Alex Papadiamantis, the bands violinist, who indeed put his heart and soul into his music that night. As we slowly get closer to the end of the show, one hymn after another keep us in a constant headbanging delirium. There couldn’t be a better epilogue of course, than one of the best Heavy Metal hymns ever written, Wargods Of Metal, a superb cover to Gerrit’s band, Sacred Steel.

Battleroar setlist:

Hyrkanian Blades

Siegecraft

The Wrathforge

Dragonhelm

The Poisoned Well

Victorious Path

Finis Mundi

Battleroar

Wargods Of Metal (Sacred Steel cover)

After a short break Grand Magus started to gather up, under the epic intro of the first Conan movie! What better way to start your gig. Most of the crowd was still in shock after the devastating performance of Battleroar, but still had a lot to give. After all, Grand Magus are one of the greatest bands in their genre and we all had great expectations from them. Sadly, despite the high standards, we were about to be proved wrong. The band, despite our first impression that they were full of energy, was already starting to get ready to finish the set. And so it happened, after 10-11 songs, they went off stage, came back for two more songs and said goodnight. I’m not sure if they had a particular small set ready for festivals, or if they were just tired that night, but this isn’t at all professional when you’re playing as a headliner. After a few minutes the band came down to meet the fans but most of them had already left the venue with a bittersweet smile carved. I can say for sure, that many of them will never come again to a Grand Magus gig and the main reason for that of course, is none other than the small duration of the set. I surely hope that this gets better in the future. Despite their obvious energy, Grand Magus still have a lot of things to work on before they become a major headline act.

Grand Magus setlist:

Anvil of Crom (Intro)

Storm King

Kingslayer

Like The Oar Strikes The Water

Ravens Guide Our Way

Sword of the Ocean

Nine

I, The Jury

The Shadow Knows

Silver Into Steel

The Hunt

Hammer Of The North

Encore:

Valhalla Rising

Iron Will

Also on Burst.gr - http://www.burst.gr/live/reports/item/1908-grand-magus-battleroar-live--kyttaro-club-22-09-2012-athens-greece

Y&T, Spitfire, Live @ Kyttaro Club 15-09-2012, Athens, Greece

Y&T, Spitfire, Live @ Kyttaro Club 15-09-2012, Athens, Greece

Finally! I don’t wanna know how or why it happened, but the announcement of the mighty Y & T in Greece was more than enough for me to look forward to a concert of epic proportions! Dave Meniketti and the rest of the gang were Armed and Dangerous and ready for one helluva night. The historical Greek Heavy Metal band Spitfire were also on the bill, with a brand new lineup and a tons of energy!

I arrived a little later than usual due to heavy traffic (Saturday night), but just in time to see more than half of the Spitfire set. The new lineup was very tight and all the songs were played perfectly. The new keyboard player also boosts certain songs a lot and their new singer seemed very relaxed with the Spitfire stuff and on stage. I believe that he is a very good replacement for Alex Balakakis, their previous singer, and his on stage performance left no doubt about it. The set was getting better and better and the band ended the show with probably the best version of “Explosion” that I’ve ever seen. The bad thing with Spitfire is that I’ve seen them sometimes with very bad sound and I didn’t enjoy the gig very much. But this one was definitely among the best, perfect sound and a band full of energy. What more can you ask?

Spitfire setlist:

Streetfighter

Gates Of Fire

King Of The Mountain

Taste the Fire

Evil Thoughts Around

Die Fighting

Ready to Attack

Lead Me On

Guilty Dreams

Explosion

Almost 20 minutes after 22:00 and after a few beers and chatting with the gig-buddies (buddies you only see at gigs) it was time for a journey from Yesterday until Today. Dave and the gang were on stage and most of the crowd could hardly believe it. I can say a lot about Dave Meniketti and his story, but I’ll stick to this. The guy is like good old wine, he only gets better. Sometimes you do have a certain amount of caution when you see a classic rock band on stage, but this was not the case here.
During their performance you could only see people hugging each other, bowing, screaming, even crying… I really can’t explain it with words; it’s one of those magic things that you have to see it to believe it. Dave Meniketti is living rock n’ roll history and the rest of the band played like wild maniacs as well. I’m still somewhere between the crazy poses of the drummer and the bass player, completing each other, in a tribal dance which took the whole show into a new level. This definitely was an once in a lifetime experience and I’m very glad that I had the chance to witness such great performance. Y & T played stuff from most their discography plus Summertime Girls, a song which wasn’t normally on the setlist. The highlight of the gig was without a doubt, the epic performance of Midnight In Tokyo, one of the most classic songs of the band, which instantly turned most grown men into babies. Dave also mentioned his long-time friend and music companion, the late Phil Kennemore, and dedicated I Believe In You, to his memory. The show ended with a superb version of Forever and Rescue Me.
The band was more than willing to talk to the fans, sign stuff and take photos. Still carrying the magic in our eyes and in our smiles, we slowly started to leave the club, leaving part of that magic in the atmosphere… if I wanted to describe the Y & T performance with a single word I’d say: Monumental.

Y & T setlist:

Black Tiger

Hard Times

Dirty Girl

Rock & Roll's Gonna Save the World

Mean Streak

Rhythm or Not

Midnight in Tokyo

Shine On

Blind Patriot

Winds of Change

Don't Bring Me Down

I'm Coming Home

Summertime Girls

I'll Cry for You

25 Hours a Day

Hurricane

Drum Solo

Eyes of a Stranger

I Believe in You

Squeeze

Encore:
Forever

Rescue Me

Also on Burst.gr - http://www.burst.gr/live/reports/item/1851-yt-spitfire-live-kyttaro-club-15-09-2012-athens-greece

Marduk, Immolation, Noctem, Forsaken World, Heaving Earth, Live @ Kyttaro Club 08-09-2012, Athens, Greece

Marduk, Immolation, Noctem, Forsaken World, Heaving Earth, Live @ Kyttaro Club 08-09-2012, Athens, Greece

It’s been a long time since I last saw a decent extreme metal live and I really couldn’t wait for that one. Another reason was of course that one of my favourite death metal bands, Immolation was on the bill. It was gonna be a hell of a night!

I arrived just in time to see the second band on the bill, Heaving Earth from the Czech Republic, but I missed almost the whole set of Forsaken World from France. From the few minutes that I heard from Forsaken World, I could tell that they weren’t my style at all. A weird blend of every extreme style you could imagine made it very hard for me to enjoy their show. The crowd was between 200-300 people and the atmosphere was excellent. One of the first things I noticed was that the club had a second sound engineer close to the stage. The results were more than obvious; Heaving Earth had a crystal clear sound throughout the whole gig like the rest of the bands. It was the first time that I saw them play but you could tell that the band has been working a lot on their on stage appearance. An appearance which, combined with tons of killer rifing, made us warm-up our necks really good. They’re a very fresh band but I believe we’ll be hearing a lot from them in the future. The only thing I didn’t like much about them was probably the vocals, which weren’t bad, but weren’t very special either. The next band on the bill was Noctem from Valencia, a band that left me with mixed emotions after their show. Although they do have a very good on-stage presence I believe that they’re a little “too much” on certain aspects, whatever that means. However, their music is very good and that’s what matters here. Probably a little “cheesier” than I’ve used to, but their style is also a blend of extreme metal styles, so I believe that a little extra cheese always comes along. This isn’t always bad of course.

It was time for the war machine name Immolation to take the stage by storm. And so they did, in every way possible. I really don’t remember much from the beginning of their show until the end of it, because I wasn’t even there mentally. They unleashed their music upon us and it really blew our minds of. Ross Dolan seemed extremelly happy with the constant positive response that he got from the crowd –which by the way has doubled until then- every time he yelled “Atheeeeeeeeeensss”, pushing the bands show into new limits. Robert Vigna is a league of his own, an everflowing death metal machine full of energy. You could easily say that he alone can erase from the map many new wannabe-deathmetallers who only know how to pose and look evil and stuff. I really could believe that I was witnessing such hatred unleashed upon us (yeah, I said hatred, sorry but Immolation are not hippie music!). Actually Robert and Ross seem like they haven't aged a day during the last 20 years. They still got they same fire and passion, and that goes for the rest of the band of course. Words are poor to describe their hellish performance of that night, a performance that is now carved in everyone’s mind forever. I definitely didn’t want this superb show to end, but Marduk had to hit the stage soon enough. After their show which lasted a little more than an hour was finished, I was really considering of going home (sorry Marduk!) because I wanted to keep the memory of their performance. Immolation are probably the best death metal band I’ve ever seen on stage, along with Cannibal Corpse. U.S.A for the win!

Immolation Setlist:

Close To a World Below

Swarm of Terror

Passion Kill

What they bring

Majesty and Decay

Under the Supreme

Father You're not a Father

I Feel Nothing

Den of Thieves

Into Everlasting Fire

No Jesus No Beast

Dawn of Possession

After a long break Marduk were finally on the stage. Most of the crowd was still in shock after the Immolation gig, but we had to pull ourselves together once more. Sadly, Marduk was the only band which didn’t have such a good sound like all the other bands and that was a big minus in their performance. The other minus was that due to the time of their appearance, a lot of people started leaving to catch the last train or bus, something that you constantly see in a lot of gigs here. Too bad for them. Marduk started filling the atmosphere with their dark souls from the moment they came on stage until the time they left, which was a little more that an hour. They played some stuff from their new very good album “Serpent Sermon”, their 12^th album, along with many their old classics. They played stuff from most of their discography, along with songs that they rarely play live. Their on stage presence is perfect, as it should be for a band who is on the top of the global black metal scene for 2 decades now. However, I wanted them to play a little longer… at least Mortuus made up for it, he is definitely one of the best black metal frontmen out there.

I don't have a particular epilogue to say for that day, except the fact that we went back home torn to pieces. It surely was an one-of-a-kind show that blew our brains out like never before and no one can disagree.

Marduk Setlist:

Serpent Sermon

Nowhere, No-One, Nothing

The Levelling Dust

The Black Tormentor of Satan

On Darkened Wings

Slay the Nazarene

Temple of Decay

Throne of Rats

Deme Quaden Thyrane

Within the Abyss

Baptism by Fire

Panzer Division Marduk

Souls for Belial

Encore:

With Satan and Victorious Weapons

Wolves

Also on Burst.gr - http://www.burst.gr/live/reports/item/1822-marduk-immolation-sinate-heaving-earth-forsaken-world-live-in-athens-kyttaro-club-september-8th-2012

Municipal Waste, Released Anger, Faithreat Live @ Kyttaro Club 07-07-2012, Athens, Greece

Municipal Waste, Released Anger, Faithreat Live @ Kyttaro Club 07-07-2012, Athens, Greece

Thrash, beers and party! That’s the story behind Municipal Waste. One of the best thrash/crossover bands whose live performances are already considered “extrahazardous” were back in Greece to inject some more moshing to the thrashing crew here. The support bands were Released Anger and Faithreat, both very good bands at what they do, they managed to do their part of warming up some necks.

The place was crowded but not packed, a usual sight in concerts nowadays, but the feeling was all there. The club also had a protective bar placed in the front row to prevent people from jumping into the stage. That was a first. Faithreat hit the stage and despite the fact that I’ve never seen them or heard about them, they were kicking asses and taking names with a certain ease. They are very tight as a band and they managed to pass their energy on to the crowd from the first moment. I can’t define them under a certain music style –which isn’t necessary a bad thing- their influences are mainly punk/crossover/thrash/metalcore/speed metal. Definitely a very good band to see on stage and I can’t wait to see them again.

Faithreat setlist:

Setlist :

Intro (Be Αll, End All - Anthrax)

No Future For Mankind

Ballad Of The Mitchell Buchannon

Retaliation

Despiertate

Cyco Vision (Suicidal Tendencies cover)

Unstoppable Force

Code: Brain Wash

Sophisticated Lies

Thrash For Yourself

Zombie Mosh

Iron Bin

City Life

Ζωή Χωρίς Αναπνοή (Greek lyrics and title)

Back To The Pit

The next band to hit the stage was a well known name in the Greek underground scene, Released Anger. What can I say about this band besides that, every time that I see them play it seems better than the previous one. They’ve definitely had their own big share of playing live and know well how to take the stage by storm. The bands sound is 100% old school thrash stuff, it is like witnessing a revival of the glory days of the good old German thrash scene! John and Dimitris the bands guitar players, leave you no choice of resting your head for a while and combined with the extreme drumming of Jan, it’s like having a bulldozer running through your house during the middle of the night. Devastating! Dinos their vocalist was also in great shape like always and that completed the package perfectly. The only bad point was a serious injury that Dinos had after the concert and had to be rushed at the hospital urgently. Get well soon dude!

Released Anger setlist:

Faces Of Fate

War (mew song)

Monarch In Life

Voice Of Conscience

Mentally Disordered

War (Thanatos cover)

Fake Existence

Murder

Selfish Bastard

Time for the party-thrash band from the U.S. to put their money where their mouth is. Having missed their previous gig here I highly anticipated this one. They are certainly a band that has made a good name for herself in a very short time and I wanted to see if they could actually deliver all that on stage. Sadly there wasn’t too much of a crowd but all of them were there with a purpose. MOSH! Despite the obvious lack of crowd there were actually people there from other parts of Greece as well. Now that’s dedication people! For a little more than an hour Municipal Waste actually OWNED the club and the crowd. The situation there was beyond words. An seemingly endless mosh pit from the beginning to the end is the only thing I can say about the crowd.

The boys from Virginia gave their best self even if it was for only an hour. Tony Foresta possesses so much theatricality and energy that he is a league of his own. Ryan Waste is a real crowd pleaser also. Never stopping joking about stuff and keeping the party mood high, ranks this concert among the best that took place in Greece during this year. It’s a year that we need a good dose of laughter and party with all the stuff that’s taking place here. We all left the club with our heads buzzing, our jaws dropped and under the sounds of Phil Collins (!) playing. Excellent night!

Municipal Waste setlist:

The Garbage Stomp / Unleash The Bastards

Mind Eraser

You're Cut Off

Wolves Of Chernobyl

The Thrashin' Of The Christ

Beer Pressure

Black President

Terror Shark

Wrong Answer

Intro/The Fatal Feast

Toxic Revolution

Bangover

Sweet Attack

Headbanger Face Rip

Covered In Sick / The Barfer

Sadistic Magician

Boner City

Born To Party

Pre-Game / The Art Of Partying

Also on Burst.gr - http://www.burst.gr/live/reports/item/1442-live-report-municipal-waste-released-anger-faithreat-live--kyttaro-club-07-07-2012-athens-greece

Megadeth, Kvelertak Live @ Entertainment Stage, 20-06-2012, Athens, Greece.

Megadeth, Kvelertak Live @ Entertainment Stage, 20-06-2012, Athens, Greece. 

After a very hot and long day, the only thing on my mind was tonight’s concert. I had my doubts about the venue, because I haven’t been there for a gig before, but I knew that it was a little bigger from the previous venue so, it would definitely be a little more comfortable.

 Arriving at the venue was indeed very easy. It’s in the center of Athens with lots of places to park. Although there was another event nearby that day and I had to search around for a spot a little longer. Many friends and familiar faces were outside the gig, but I couldn’t wait to get inside and find a good spot. Kvelertak were already on stage and the place was packed. Those Norwegians have the reputation of a really good live band and the crowd seemed to enjoy their show a lot. I can’t say that they’re my style, but they sure have some energy and a party mood that doesn’t leave you uninterested. The sound in the back of the venue was muffled though so I moved to the upper part. Most of the venue is well air-conditioned and very well designed for anyone who wants to move around. The sound had it’s ups and downs though making it difficult to tell one song from another at times but the band didn’t care and went even wilder. The people were in a constant “headbang and crowd-surf”mood. The band gave it’s very best self for a little less than an hour and the crowd couldn’t wait for MegaDave to take the stage.

Everybody knows the history of Megadeth more or less. Everybody has compared them to Metallica at least once. But Megadeth are a league of their own, Dave Mustaine is one of the greatest composers in technical thrash metal and that’s all there is to it. Love him or hate him, the guy has released some of the most monumental records in thrash metal and he still is one of the most productive musicians. The band came on stage under the sounds of “Never Dead” and the crowd got wild. “Headcrusher” followed and “Hangar 18” right after that to transform the crowd into a moving mass. The sound was very bad at some points, the bass was way too loud and the drums seemed to be either loud or muffled. Dave switched into something a little slower, a medley of “Trust” and “In My Darkest Hour” which definitely turned out to be one of the best parts of the night. Dave was obviously very tired due to the problems with his health but the crowd didn’t seem to bother. The sound got a little better and “She-Wolf” made her appearance, followed by “Dawn Patrol” probably Dave (Mustaine’s) tribute to Dave (Ellefson), as well with some other gems of the past like “Poison Was The Cure”, “Sweating Bullets” and “A Tout Le Monde”.

 Chris Broderick is a phenomenal guitarist, he did a great job throughout the whole gig and that really sets new standards for the band. Two more MegaClassics followed, “Angry Again” which was written for the soundtrack to a Schwarzenegger film “Last Action Hero” and the killer “High Speed Dirt”. Then it was time to ease our tension for a while with three new songs from the 13 album, “Guns, Drugs & Money”, “Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)” and the records single “Public Enemy No. 1”. The songs aren’t bad, but they’re definitely a little weaker compared to earlier Megadeth stuff. “Symphony Of Destruction” (with the classic ME-GA-DETH O-O-O ME-GA-DETH, cheering from the crowd) and “Peace Sells” (with a special appearance from Vic Rattlehead) ended the show.

The encore was nothing less than the bands hymn, “Holy Wars... The Punishment Due” and a perfect fit to end the night. I wanted them to play a little longer but I can understand that this should have been very difficult. Well, despite the fact that Mustaine wasn’t very good in his health, despite the fact that the vocals at some point weren’t even there, despite the fact that I wanted to hear a few more song, I must say that for me that was the best Megadeth show that I’ve ever seen. Dave Mustaine is definitely have a better contact with the crowd now than in the past and the bands current lineup is great. The crowd seemed to enjoy the show 100% and I believe that MegaDave was really touched at a point from the crowds response. And I also noticed the lack of many idiots screaming “Metallicaaa” or “Four Horsemeeen” in the crowd, like we had in some previous Megadeth gigs.

P.S. – Dave Mustaine posted the following message on his twitter account after the gig. “The Greek fans were amazing. Too bad the leaders here harmed these wonderful people by failing to protect who they serve.” All I can say is. #respect

Megadeth setlist:

1. Never Dead
2. Head Crusher
3. Hangar 18
4. Trust
5. In My Darkest Hour
6. She-Wolf
7. Dawn Patrol
8. Poison Was the Cure
9. Sweating Bullets
10. A Tout Le Monde
11. Angry Again
12. High Speed Dirt
13. Guns, Drugs & Money
14. Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
15. Public Enemy No. 1
16. Symphony of Destruction
17. Peace Sells
Encore:
18. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
19. Silent Scorn

Also on Burst.gr - http://burst.gr/live/reports/item/1298-live-report-megadeth-kvelertak-live--entertainment-stage-20-06-2012-athens-greece


Chris Broderick:
https://www.facebook.com/chris.broderick.777/posts/274327329340825
https://twitter.com/Chris_Broderick/status/218210285478100992

Exodus, Obituary, Heathen, Morgoth Live @ Fuzz Club, 09/06/2012, Athens, Greece

Exodus, Obituary, Heathen, Morgoth Live @ Fuzz Club, 09/06/2012, Athens, Greece



I wanted to go to a 100% extreme metal gig for a long time. And that time was finally here. 4 great bands from thrash to death metal, were more than enough to satisfy my hunger for tonight. Among the bands was also Heathen, another great band from the legendary Bay Area that I’ve been longing to see live for many years.

The first band on the bill was the recently reunited Morgoth, a band that has a lot of die-hard fans who went in the gig only for them. These Germans are definitely not your everyday death metal, their music has way too many elements to be categorized. Despite the fact that their guitarist was not present due to a sudden illness, the band played their songs perfectly and maybe a little more “groovy” than usual. The overall sound had it’s ups and downs but from the middle of the venue it was great. The band seemed very relaxed and professional and they were never losing contact with the crowd as well, especially their bass player who is Greek, and their singer. Their performance was great and I believe they gained many new fans that night.

Morgoth setlist:

Body Count
Exit To Temptation
Unreal Imagination
Opportunity Is Gone
Resistance
Suffer Life
Lies Of Distrust
Under The Surface
Sold Baptism
White Gallery
Burnt Identity
Pits Of Utumno
Isolated

Time for the mighty Heathen! The band has risen to fame among the thrash crowd, despite the fact that they only have 3 albums, and it was time to enjoy that fame. This was their first visit to Greece and they’ve announced that they were going to play a full set as well as record a live album!  I had the bad idea of heading in the front of the venue where the sound was a little muffled at times. Despite that, the band was very tight and with a lot of energy which they were passing on to the crowd. Lee Altus was nailing every song leaving everyone speechless; he’s a total master of the guitar. He was after all considered to be the best guitar player at the 80s Bay Area among all band members, fans and critics. The crowd wasn’t responding too much though, who knows why, maybe we had more deathsters that night or maybe many people haven’t heard of the band. Heathen have added too many melodic and prog elements to their music, a fact which is not accepted by many fans of the “old school thrash” I guess. The band was very tight and their performance was satisfying although I believe that it could have been a little better.


Heathen setlist:

Intro / Dying Season
Control By Chaos
Goblin's Blade
Open The Grave
Fade Away
Heathen’s Song
Arrows Of Agony
Hypnotized
Opiate Of The Masses
No Stone Unturned
Silent Nothingness
Mercy Is No Virtue
Death By Hanging

After a big break Obituary came on stage and there we had another absence. Their guitar player Ralph Santolla was not there, something that made their songs sound way more groovy and maybe a little hardcore at some parts. I’ve never seen them play live before but you could easily see that they were the main reason that many people got their asses to the gig at the first place. Numerous Obituary t-shirts and an instant response from the whole crowd when they started playing left no doubts about that. Despite their extreme style, the sound was very good and clean which is always a plus. The absence of guitar solos was more than obvious though. At least the Tardy bros, Trevor Peres and Terry Butler, all legendary death metal figures, left no one unsatisfied. Their massive sound, the hellish screams from John Tardy, the bass-attack from Terry Butler and their very excellent choice of songs made Obituary hands down the best band of the night.

Obituary setlist:

Redneck Stomp
On The Floor
Internal Bleeding
List Of Dead
Blood To Give
Chopped In Half
Turned Inside Out
Dying
Threatening Skies
By The Light
Find The Arise
Dethroned Emperor (Celtic Frost cover)
The End Complete
Slow Death
'Til Death
Evil Ways
Slowly We Rot

After having seen Exodus once in the past and not having the best of memories from that show, I expected something way better. Sadly it seemed like I was about to witness a repetition. After a totally exhausting day -and night since it was after midnight when they came out- the last thing I wanted to see was more of that bad sound. Well… guess what? It was like we had only drums and vocals at certain points and I won’t go into any further details. Most of the crowd could hardly hear the guitars and the only thing that made this a thrash show was the endless moshpit which seemed like it was never stopping. Gary Holt’s absence was more than obvious but at least Lee Altus was giving his best once more.  Most of the crowd seemed to enjoy the Exodus performance as time went by though. The sound on the other hand never got any better. Their choice of songs wasn’t the greatest but it still had a lot of classics for fans of their older stuff to enjoy. Near the end of the gig the whole venue was a total mess.  After a massive wall of death –probably the biggest ever in a Greek venue- we had a moshpit which spanned nearly to ? of the venue! That’s the true meaning of thrash metal.

Exodus setlist:

The Last Act Of Defiance
Iconoclasm
Piranha
Shroud Of Urine
Brain Dead
Metal Command
And Then There Were None
Pleasures Of The Flesh
A Lesson In Violence
Scar Spangled Banner
Blacklist
Impaler
Bonded By Blood
War Is My Shepherd
The Toxic Waltz
Strike Of The Beast

I won’t guarantee that everyone left with the best memories but it was definitely a very good show that we don’t get the chance to see very often. Sadly it ended very late and many people missed Exodus because they had to catch the last bus. Despite the lack of guitarists though the greatest “enemy” was the bad sound once more, which is sad because it’s somehow growing into a tradition in the certain venue. Overally it was a very good show and I’m more than glad I attended it.

Also on Burst.gr - http://burst.gr/live/reports/item/1231-live-report-exodus-obituary-heathen-morgoth-live-fuzz-club-09/06/2012-athens-greece