Well it's been 5 yeas since we last saw Firewind on these shores as Gus G was telling us from the stage last night. To be honest I thought he'd sort of given up on Firewind what with being Ozzy's guitarist and doing two solo albums and actually losing Apollo. It looked grim for Firewind fans to say the least but Gus and co are back and then some.
This Euro tour featured Swedes Manimal and fellow Greeks Scar of the Sun. I hadn't really heard of the opening band but they were quite good. A little different than the other two bands in style but that's ok as it serves as a good contrast. They had big heavy brooding sections with groove and melody and then regular thrashing parts. Not bad at all.
Manimal were up next and I was looking forward to their set immensely and they didn't disappoint. Their latest album is a killer slab of melodic heavy metal with piercing true metal vocals ala Halford. The singer even adopts the same look as in the lead video with the cats eye blue contacts in his eyes giving him a deranged psycho look. Rather cool and funny whilst prowling the stage and acting very metal! Their songs are very cool too with mid paced head banging parts and then blistering sections where the guitarist blazes the riffs out like a maniac.
The band was having a lot of fun on stage and was going down very well with the reasonably healthy Sunday night crowd of 250. They played songs from both their albums but the latest is where most of the action is based around. The band was very tight and the sound was great too. Pounding fun heavy metal from Manimal! Huge "Manimal! Manimal!" chants by the crowd at the end as well. I think the band was surprised how well they went down considering this is their debut in the UK.
At 9.20 sharp the Firewind boys took their spots as the intro to Ode To Leonidas was played and soon Gus launches into that mammoth opening riff and we're under way for a night of shredding power metal at it's best. I'd been looking forward to see how Henning Basse would fit in with the band as a live performer and he fitted like a glove. His voice is a little rougher than Apollo's live but he sings with a lot of power and is great at getting the crowd pumped up.
Gus spoke a fair bit in between the songs and thanked the crowd for not forgetting about his band and how glad they were that Henning accepted the call to be the new singer and what a fantastic job he's been doing. I think he was better suited to the newer material than the older classics but the fans were lapping it up anyway as if he's always been the singer. They played a lot of songs from the new album including the very catchy Back on the Throne with it's tasty riffs and solos.
A totally shredding World On Fire segued into the instrumental The Fire and The Fury with Gus showing off his shredding skills to the max. The sound mix was a little loud on the guitars which sometimes drowned out Henning's vocals and he strained to be heard above it all but he manfully soldiered on. Special mention for Bob Katsionis, the guys plays a mean guitar and handles keyboards too and does a great job playing second fiddle to Gussy's shredding overload.
It's good to have Firewind back. Immortals is a great album and they still have what it takes to be one of Europe's premier power metal outfits though they've probably lost a little of the ground that they made pre Gus joining Ozzy and losing Apollo. But with Basse proving his worth the band is still a force to be reckoned with in power metal circles.
Ode to Leonidas
We Defy
Head Up High
Few Against Many
Between Heaven and Hell
Back on the Throne
Hands of Time
Wars of Ages
Lady of 1000 Sorrows
(With extended keyboard and guitar intro solos)
World on Fire
The Fire and the Fury
Mercenary Man
Tyranny
Encore:
Live and Die by the Sword
Falling to Pieces
Showing posts with label Underworld. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Underworld. Show all posts
Monday, 20 February 2017
Sunday, 18 September 2016
Power Quest Live at the Underworld
The return of the mighty Power Quest to the live arena was an event I was never gonna miss that's for bloody certain folks! When I heard that Steve Williams was resurrecting PQ after becoming disillusioned with the scene and the lack of support, I felt pretty happy since I have always enjoyed PQ albums a lot. Steve has a sense for melody that few song writers in power metal possess and I was glad he had gained enough momentum and will in the three years since the demise of the band to resurrect and rise like phoenix from the flames.
When I heard that the new singer would be Ashley Edison from Dendera I was even more happy to be honest. I have been following Dendera for quite a few years now and they kick unholy ass both in their recorded output and live too, so I had no doubts Steve had made the right call in hiring Ashley to sing. PQ has always had a number of singers in the past but I feel Ashley could be the best of the lot and so it proved with his superb performance of the songs, but more on that in a moment.
First support band were Reading trad metallers and of course my big faves, Primitai. The last two albums have seen them knock it out of the park twice in a row. They are fast becoming a live band to be reckoned with and in Guy Miller, they have a front man with the moves and powerful voice to keep up with the best in trad metal circles across Europe. The fact that the band is not bigger across Europe is criminal really. I don't know if that's by choice for the band, or that they just don't get the breaks, but there's bands who are much bigger but have half the talent and song writing ability. They played a short set mainly comprised of those muscular new tunes and a couple of older classics finished off with their set closing anthem Scream When You See Us. As usual they deliver live and then some and a great way to start the night off.
Next up were Norwich thrashers Shrapnel. I've actually been hoping to catch these guys live before but never made it for one reason or another. They have a strong technical bent in their songs and the rage is strong but the overly aggressive screaming vocals tend to draw back from the songs. They also had quite an average sound mix and every song pretty much sounded the same. I am looking forward to hearing their new record, but in the live setting it was a bit disappointing or at least ill-fitting compared to PQ and Primitai even if the singer did have a Rhapsody of Fire shirt on! A better middle support slot would have been the amazing Monument from London or even Savage Messiah but they were in America doing the ProgPower festival.
Finally after quite a long intro it was time for the all new Power Quest to take to the stage for a home coming show having thrown off the cobwebs the previous night in Derby. The Underworld was surprisingly well attended with a crowd of I would guess around 300 although it was a Saturday night. The sound was immediately much better and it turns out that Steve had flown in their own sound man for the gig. Steve's keys were particularly loud as you would expect, but all instruments were mixed pretty cleanly. The band launched into the one-two attack of Find My Heaven and Temple of Fire, two of their most well known and melodic songs which allowed the quite excited crowd to fist pump and sing along to the choruses.
In Ashley Edison, Williams has basically found the perfect vocalist for the latest PQ line up. The guy has a very clear pronunciation of lyrics and sings the songs with his own slant on things giving the songs a fresher flavour. In fact the band sounds better than ever and this was only their second comeback show and they have basically taken off from where they left off. One thing clearly noticeable was the camaraderie in the band with all members, the twins on guitars, feeding off one another making for a great live spectacle.
The awesome new track Face The Raven was of course played and sounded majestic live and bodes so well for when they finish the new album. They continued with further songs from their back catalogue which were all played with aplomb and perfectly executed. Steve Williams took the mic at one point and spoke at length about the comeback and how pleased he was with the return and honoured that the fans had turned out in good numbers to welcome them back. People from around the world had turned up it seems and even from Japan. Imagine coming all that way for a tiny band from England!
The band finally ended proceedings and were cheered to the rafters. I should point out that the Italian ex members in the band were out in full force and joined the band on stage for various duets and and solos including Alessio the original singer and Andrea the guitarist. Even Ashley's brother and band mate in Dendera, joined him on stage for a song and he actually has a really cool voice oddly enough.
All in all, a great night was had by all and it was a great welcome back for Power Quest. Now get on with the album guys we're waiting impatiently!
When I heard that the new singer would be Ashley Edison from Dendera I was even more happy to be honest. I have been following Dendera for quite a few years now and they kick unholy ass both in their recorded output and live too, so I had no doubts Steve had made the right call in hiring Ashley to sing. PQ has always had a number of singers in the past but I feel Ashley could be the best of the lot and so it proved with his superb performance of the songs, but more on that in a moment.
First support band were Reading trad metallers and of course my big faves, Primitai. The last two albums have seen them knock it out of the park twice in a row. They are fast becoming a live band to be reckoned with and in Guy Miller, they have a front man with the moves and powerful voice to keep up with the best in trad metal circles across Europe. The fact that the band is not bigger across Europe is criminal really. I don't know if that's by choice for the band, or that they just don't get the breaks, but there's bands who are much bigger but have half the talent and song writing ability. They played a short set mainly comprised of those muscular new tunes and a couple of older classics finished off with their set closing anthem Scream When You See Us. As usual they deliver live and then some and a great way to start the night off.
Next up were Norwich thrashers Shrapnel. I've actually been hoping to catch these guys live before but never made it for one reason or another. They have a strong technical bent in their songs and the rage is strong but the overly aggressive screaming vocals tend to draw back from the songs. They also had quite an average sound mix and every song pretty much sounded the same. I am looking forward to hearing their new record, but in the live setting it was a bit disappointing or at least ill-fitting compared to PQ and Primitai even if the singer did have a Rhapsody of Fire shirt on! A better middle support slot would have been the amazing Monument from London or even Savage Messiah but they were in America doing the ProgPower festival.
Finally after quite a long intro it was time for the all new Power Quest to take to the stage for a home coming show having thrown off the cobwebs the previous night in Derby. The Underworld was surprisingly well attended with a crowd of I would guess around 300 although it was a Saturday night. The sound was immediately much better and it turns out that Steve had flown in their own sound man for the gig. Steve's keys were particularly loud as you would expect, but all instruments were mixed pretty cleanly. The band launched into the one-two attack of Find My Heaven and Temple of Fire, two of their most well known and melodic songs which allowed the quite excited crowd to fist pump and sing along to the choruses.
In Ashley Edison, Williams has basically found the perfect vocalist for the latest PQ line up. The guy has a very clear pronunciation of lyrics and sings the songs with his own slant on things giving the songs a fresher flavour. In fact the band sounds better than ever and this was only their second comeback show and they have basically taken off from where they left off. One thing clearly noticeable was the camaraderie in the band with all members, the twins on guitars, feeding off one another making for a great live spectacle.
The awesome new track Face The Raven was of course played and sounded majestic live and bodes so well for when they finish the new album. They continued with further songs from their back catalogue which were all played with aplomb and perfectly executed. Steve Williams took the mic at one point and spoke at length about the comeback and how pleased he was with the return and honoured that the fans had turned out in good numbers to welcome them back. People from around the world had turned up it seems and even from Japan. Imagine coming all that way for a tiny band from England!
The band finally ended proceedings and were cheered to the rafters. I should point out that the Italian ex members in the band were out in full force and joined the band on stage for various duets and and solos including Alessio the original singer and Andrea the guitarist. Even Ashley's brother and band mate in Dendera, joined him on stage for a song and he actually has a really cool voice oddly enough.
All in all, a great night was had by all and it was a great welcome back for Power Quest. Now get on with the album guys we're waiting impatiently!
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Vektor - Live at the Underworld
Underground thrash metal is not exactly a great draw for London's metal loving elite, but this gig was surprisingly well attended indeed with the final crowd approaching 300 or so. It was of course my first time seeing tech thrashers Vektor and Dutch band Distillator though I have seen Angelus Apatrida on this very stage some years ago. This gig was supposed to have taken place at Our Black Heart which is basically a room above a pub. That place would've collapsed if all 300 people went up there so it's a good job the venue was upgraded to the Underworld round the corner. It allowed for a more comfortable night for every one including the numerous moshers that started pits to have their fun without bashing into the regular headbangers.
First up were Dutch thrashers Distillator, whose album Revolutionary Cells is definitely one of the year's best in that genre no doubt. I didn't know they were actually a three-piece band before as on record they pack such a punch, but there they were just the three of them ready to kick ass. And kick ass they surely did indeed! These guys were super tight with the guitarist playing neck breaking riffs throughout their allotted thirty minutes. I really enjoyed their set with the title track being completely awesome. They finished with a cover of Slayer's Black Magic which went down a storm with the moshers at the front. A great start indeed for all the thrash nuts on a dreary Sunday night.
Next up were Spaniards Angelus Apatrida. Their album this year also makes my thrash with ease. They sounded much heavier than Distillator thanks to being a two guitar attack. The singer's vocals were a bit drowned out at times from my vantage point at the side of the stage but it's a small quibble. Thrash singing ain't exactly something to worry about! It's all about the riffage melting your face and boy do the Apatrida have some face melting riffs! A few crazy pits soon started up when they hot those wicked staccato grooves and the kids go crazy. They played a touch longer than Distillator and every one loved them. A crazy whirlwind of a performance and played at unrelenting warp speed to keep the punters necks wrecked. Great stuff and the main band was still to come.
Vektor were treated like royalty as they got the stage ready and huge cheers erupted as they got ready to play. Vektor is a band that I like but don't love. I should love them but there are a couple of factors which slightly detract. First of all those OTT screaming vocals can really annoy and secondly I find the songs a bit too long at times and lacking in focus. The things I love however are some of the totally awesome technical riffs they display and their general coolness in the music.
Oddly enough the singer's vocals don't annoy as much live as they do on record. Live he sounds pretty much like any other thrash screamer but perhaps a little bit more grim than the usual screecher. I must admit though I was amazed by their technical skills and their ability to breath more life into the songs in a live setting. The songs are of course very long but still pretty catchy when they dazzle you with their fingers dancing across their fret boards. The lead guitarist on the right of the stage is especially a wiz. Some of his leads and riffs leave you pretty amazed. The singer/guitarist is a relaxed looking dude playing awesome rhythm and he makes it all looks so effortless.
They played a number of new songs which went down very well with the moshers although they seemed a bit long to me. I like my thrash a bit more concise but I guess Vektor are not that kind of band. Their sc-fi themes fit very well though with their technical playing which was pretty much flawless as a live spectacle. The song Black Future was perhaps the most enjoyable of the night and got the best response. The band played almost 90 minutes including a 2 song encore before they left to huge cheers and a tired but very satisfied crowd. This was the last night of this European tour and the bands bade each other farewell and you could tell that they genuinely enjoyed themselves on this very cool threesome of thrash with all three having slightly different styles making for a very cool night indeed.
Cosmic Cortex
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Ultimate Artificer
Tetrastructural Minds
The Cygnus Terminal
Black Future
Psychotropia
Accelerating Universe
Asteroid
First up were Dutch thrashers Distillator, whose album Revolutionary Cells is definitely one of the year's best in that genre no doubt. I didn't know they were actually a three-piece band before as on record they pack such a punch, but there they were just the three of them ready to kick ass. And kick ass they surely did indeed! These guys were super tight with the guitarist playing neck breaking riffs throughout their allotted thirty minutes. I really enjoyed their set with the title track being completely awesome. They finished with a cover of Slayer's Black Magic which went down a storm with the moshers at the front. A great start indeed for all the thrash nuts on a dreary Sunday night.
Next up were Spaniards Angelus Apatrida. Their album this year also makes my thrash with ease. They sounded much heavier than Distillator thanks to being a two guitar attack. The singer's vocals were a bit drowned out at times from my vantage point at the side of the stage but it's a small quibble. Thrash singing ain't exactly something to worry about! It's all about the riffage melting your face and boy do the Apatrida have some face melting riffs! A few crazy pits soon started up when they hot those wicked staccato grooves and the kids go crazy. They played a touch longer than Distillator and every one loved them. A crazy whirlwind of a performance and played at unrelenting warp speed to keep the punters necks wrecked. Great stuff and the main band was still to come.
Vektor were treated like royalty as they got the stage ready and huge cheers erupted as they got ready to play. Vektor is a band that I like but don't love. I should love them but there are a couple of factors which slightly detract. First of all those OTT screaming vocals can really annoy and secondly I find the songs a bit too long at times and lacking in focus. The things I love however are some of the totally awesome technical riffs they display and their general coolness in the music.
Oddly enough the singer's vocals don't annoy as much live as they do on record. Live he sounds pretty much like any other thrash screamer but perhaps a little bit more grim than the usual screecher. I must admit though I was amazed by their technical skills and their ability to breath more life into the songs in a live setting. The songs are of course very long but still pretty catchy when they dazzle you with their fingers dancing across their fret boards. The lead guitarist on the right of the stage is especially a wiz. Some of his leads and riffs leave you pretty amazed. The singer/guitarist is a relaxed looking dude playing awesome rhythm and he makes it all looks so effortless.
They played a number of new songs which went down very well with the moshers although they seemed a bit long to me. I like my thrash a bit more concise but I guess Vektor are not that kind of band. Their sc-fi themes fit very well though with their technical playing which was pretty much flawless as a live spectacle. The song Black Future was perhaps the most enjoyable of the night and got the best response. The band played almost 90 minutes including a 2 song encore before they left to huge cheers and a tired but very satisfied crowd. This was the last night of this European tour and the bands bade each other farewell and you could tell that they genuinely enjoyed themselves on this very cool threesome of thrash with all three having slightly different styles making for a very cool night indeed.
Cosmic Cortex
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Ultimate Artificer
Tetrastructural Minds
The Cygnus Terminal
Black Future
Psychotropia
Accelerating Universe
Asteroid
Sunday, 25 October 2015
The Poodles Live at the Underworld
It's always good to see a band you've liked for a good while for the first time, so I was looking forward to my meeting with The Poodles on Friday night. These guys are quite big in their native Sweden and regular chart botherers of course but their UK profile is really quite minuscule it must be said. This is not the first time they've played the UK as I found out. They played the much bigger Electric Ballroom 100 meters down the road. Not sure if they headlined but to book that place again would have been a folly as this gig was very poorly attended indeed with the crowd barely reaching 100 people or so by the end of the night. This was in the main due to either rank bad scheduling or just bad luck as Gotthard were playing in Islington and they would've taken a fair chunk of The Poodles audience no doubt. In fact I would've gone to Gotthard myself had The Poodles not been playing but I'm a much bigger fan of the Swedish troop especially since Gotthard got their new singer whom I'm not really a fan of.
Their were two support bands for The Poodles, namely Maverik and COP UK or Crimes of Passion as I know them as or as they used to be before the abbreviated name change. Unfortunately both bands played to roughly 20 people on the floor max with a few dotted around the small balcony.
Maverik is a band I've heard before on youtube and I didn't really think too much of them. They were actually sounding better live than in the studio. The band is from Northern Ireland and have their hearts in the right place alright, playing a classic form of melodic rock. It's just the song writing is not quite good enough yet to win them more fans. They have good instrumentalists though so credit due for that and for playing in front of a paltry crowd. Mind you I've seen a band play to even less on the famous Underworld floor before.
After Maverik came the newly name changed COP UK which confused me a little as I know them quite well as Crimes of Passion but didn't realise COP UK was their new moniker. I've seen them live before and their brand of melodic definitely has it's moments for sure. There is a decent sense of melody here and there by the long haired front man but the songs just don't have the wow factor. Once again good musicianship all round but not a stunning set of tunes.
at 8.15 sharp the stage was finally ready for the Swedes to take to the stage. I was pretty much right at the front and ready to see them strutting their stuff right in my face. The sound was a little too loud at stage front unfortunately and frontman Jake's vocals got drowned out quite often. The new album Devil in in the Details has some great tunes on it and the band made sure they played the biggest hits including their new anthem The Greatest with it's strong modern day Coldplay flavour. The slightly fuller floor was in strong voice despite lacking in number and Jake Samuels got a strong response from the crowd. He really is a very cool front man as well with a lot of acrobatic dancing in time with the music. He's only a small guy actually when you see him up close so is energy is totally understandable.
The band played a long set with many of their classics rightfully played with my faves being Metal Will Stand Tall, Night of Passion and that new gem The Greatest. The acoustic medley they played was superbly sung by Jake and since the guitars were acoustic, you could really see what a strong and melodic voice he has when not having to fight to be heard over the guitars.
The band played until it was nearly 10, so pretty close to the Friday night curfew and came out backstage afterwards to meet the few fans who had bothered to turn out. Overall they are a really fun band to watch live and in Jake they have a real live wire front man with a great voice too. It's a shame the gig clashed with Gotthard as I'm sure many of those fans would've been here instead. Maybe they might be disheartened by the poor attendance and not come back again though who knows, but at least I've seen this fun band once at least.
Set list
1. Before I Die
2. Caroline
3. House of Cards
4. Shut Up
5. I Rule The Night
6. Flesh and Blood
7. Cuts Like a Knife
8. Line of Fire
9. Everything
10. Acoustic Medley
11. The Greatest
12. Instrumental
13. Thunderball
14. Crack in the Wall
15. Metal Will Stand Tall
16. Like No Tomorrow
17. Night of Passion
Encore:
18. Echoes from the Past
19. Seven Seas
Their were two support bands for The Poodles, namely Maverik and COP UK or Crimes of Passion as I know them as or as they used to be before the abbreviated name change. Unfortunately both bands played to roughly 20 people on the floor max with a few dotted around the small balcony.
Maverik is a band I've heard before on youtube and I didn't really think too much of them. They were actually sounding better live than in the studio. The band is from Northern Ireland and have their hearts in the right place alright, playing a classic form of melodic rock. It's just the song writing is not quite good enough yet to win them more fans. They have good instrumentalists though so credit due for that and for playing in front of a paltry crowd. Mind you I've seen a band play to even less on the famous Underworld floor before.
After Maverik came the newly name changed COP UK which confused me a little as I know them quite well as Crimes of Passion but didn't realise COP UK was their new moniker. I've seen them live before and their brand of melodic definitely has it's moments for sure. There is a decent sense of melody here and there by the long haired front man but the songs just don't have the wow factor. Once again good musicianship all round but not a stunning set of tunes.
at 8.15 sharp the stage was finally ready for the Swedes to take to the stage. I was pretty much right at the front and ready to see them strutting their stuff right in my face. The sound was a little too loud at stage front unfortunately and frontman Jake's vocals got drowned out quite often. The new album Devil in in the Details has some great tunes on it and the band made sure they played the biggest hits including their new anthem The Greatest with it's strong modern day Coldplay flavour. The slightly fuller floor was in strong voice despite lacking in number and Jake Samuels got a strong response from the crowd. He really is a very cool front man as well with a lot of acrobatic dancing in time with the music. He's only a small guy actually when you see him up close so is energy is totally understandable.
The band played a long set with many of their classics rightfully played with my faves being Metal Will Stand Tall, Night of Passion and that new gem The Greatest. The acoustic medley they played was superbly sung by Jake and since the guitars were acoustic, you could really see what a strong and melodic voice he has when not having to fight to be heard over the guitars.
The band played until it was nearly 10, so pretty close to the Friday night curfew and came out backstage afterwards to meet the few fans who had bothered to turn out. Overall they are a really fun band to watch live and in Jake they have a real live wire front man with a great voice too. It's a shame the gig clashed with Gotthard as I'm sure many of those fans would've been here instead. Maybe they might be disheartened by the poor attendance and not come back again though who knows, but at least I've seen this fun band once at least.
Set list
1. Before I Die
2. Caroline
3. House of Cards
4. Shut Up
5. I Rule The Night
6. Flesh and Blood
7. Cuts Like a Knife
8. Line of Fire
9. Everything
10. Acoustic Medley
11. The Greatest
12. Instrumental
13. Thunderball
14. Crack in the Wall
15. Metal Will Stand Tall
16. Like No Tomorrow
17. Night of Passion
Encore:
18. Echoes from the Past
19. Seven Seas
Saturday, 17 October 2015
Wolf/Enforcer Live at the Underworld
but not amazing by any stretch. I have seen Wolf already this year at the Underworld and I was a little surprised to see them back so quickly but they are very good live and the chance to see Enforcer again was enticing as well.
First up were ACDC clones Dynamite. The bits I've heard of them on youtube made them out to be an ACDC clone of the Bon Scott era. It's a bit more raw and earthy than the better produced current era. I must admit ACDC clones ain't usually my cuppa but Dynamite sounded really good live. A nice and crisp and thankfully not overly loud mix helped matters no end. Their song writing is of course samey as you would expect but they are fun to watch and the rock and roll grooves are easily passable and warm up the crowd quite well. Not a bad 30 minutes or so indeed. I don't think I'll like'm on record but live, and with a beer in my hand, my horns were raised.
Next up were speed metal warriors Enforcer. I saw them at this very same venue a year or so back on the previous album tour when I first got into them. They have this dark and mysterious air about their stage set with lots of dry ice being pumped up to create a ghoulish atmosphere before the breaks into their breakneck speed metal. On their new CD they've become a bit more refined as well and not so hell for leather all the time and a touch more melodic, but in the live setting all subtleties are cast aside for speed and more speed. The tall blond front man and is an imposing guy and sings at the top of his lungs throughout the set. This was more or less a joint headline with Wolf so they got roughly an hour each which was fine and dandy. My favourite song was the title track from the new album From Beyond. It's an awesome live sing along. Enforcer got a great response and the biggest crowd of the night as well.
After they left the stage hands got the stage ready for Wolf but unfortunately for some reason the crowd had rather thinned out completely never to return so Wolf maybe played to about a 100 people max which is a shame as it was less than last time. This did not stop the boys from turning in their usual tight performance though. That little guy Niklas was his usual tightly muscled self at the front whilst his band mates flitted around stage swapping positions regularly. The sound was much louder for Wolf than the other bands and it was quite hard to hear Niklas's vocals but he was much louder than last time at least. Shark Attack is such a brilliant opener it never fails to impress. My Demon is a killer sing along. Speed On is an anthem which will be an impressive end for any set of true heavy metal. In between we got some rockier tracks like Hail Caesar and some speed metal ones like Steelwinged Savage Reaper which went down well with the front rows. Wolf played for just about the hour same as Enforcer and a night of true Swemetal was finally at an end. Not a huge attendance but for those that didn't make it well, it's their loss as the ticket price was pretty cheap.
Hopefully a new album will appear by Wolf next year and I advise any one with a chance to see Wolf to take it as you'll see a very energetic and fun live set and the same goes for Enforcer as well of course. Both bands bleed heavy metal from every pore and then some.
First up were ACDC clones Dynamite. The bits I've heard of them on youtube made them out to be an ACDC clone of the Bon Scott era. It's a bit more raw and earthy than the better produced current era. I must admit ACDC clones ain't usually my cuppa but Dynamite sounded really good live. A nice and crisp and thankfully not overly loud mix helped matters no end. Their song writing is of course samey as you would expect but they are fun to watch and the rock and roll grooves are easily passable and warm up the crowd quite well. Not a bad 30 minutes or so indeed. I don't think I'll like'm on record but live, and with a beer in my hand, my horns were raised.
Next up were speed metal warriors Enforcer. I saw them at this very same venue a year or so back on the previous album tour when I first got into them. They have this dark and mysterious air about their stage set with lots of dry ice being pumped up to create a ghoulish atmosphere before the breaks into their breakneck speed metal. On their new CD they've become a bit more refined as well and not so hell for leather all the time and a touch more melodic, but in the live setting all subtleties are cast aside for speed and more speed. The tall blond front man and is an imposing guy and sings at the top of his lungs throughout the set. This was more or less a joint headline with Wolf so they got roughly an hour each which was fine and dandy. My favourite song was the title track from the new album From Beyond. It's an awesome live sing along. Enforcer got a great response and the biggest crowd of the night as well.
After they left the stage hands got the stage ready for Wolf but unfortunately for some reason the crowd had rather thinned out completely never to return so Wolf maybe played to about a 100 people max which is a shame as it was less than last time. This did not stop the boys from turning in their usual tight performance though. That little guy Niklas was his usual tightly muscled self at the front whilst his band mates flitted around stage swapping positions regularly. The sound was much louder for Wolf than the other bands and it was quite hard to hear Niklas's vocals but he was much louder than last time at least. Shark Attack is such a brilliant opener it never fails to impress. My Demon is a killer sing along. Speed On is an anthem which will be an impressive end for any set of true heavy metal. In between we got some rockier tracks like Hail Caesar and some speed metal ones like Steelwinged Savage Reaper which went down well with the front rows. Wolf played for just about the hour same as Enforcer and a night of true Swemetal was finally at an end. Not a huge attendance but for those that didn't make it well, it's their loss as the ticket price was pretty cheap.
Hopefully a new album will appear by Wolf next year and I advise any one with a chance to see Wolf to take it as you'll see a very energetic and fun live set and the same goes for Enforcer as well of course. Both bands bleed heavy metal from every pore and then some.
Friday, 3 April 2015
Majesty Live at the Underworld
A night of true power metal in the good old Underworld is hard to beat and so it proved but this gig nearly didn't happen. As I arrived at the Underworld for the 7pm door time there was a notice saying due to technical difficulties the door time was increased to 7.30pm. OK then I thought. Then I was chatting to a guy I know outside the Underworld and then slowly 7.30 came and went still no sign of us being let in until finally it turns out that the bands missed their ferry over from Belgium and were on a later one and had not even made it to the venue in time to set up the gear and sound check. So it was gone 8.15pm before they let us in which set times would unfortunately have to be cut short as there was an 11 o'clock curfew.
As I walked in Evil Invaders were already playing the first song. I must admit I enjoyed their new album quite a bit. Not anything super amazing of course but if you're after an Iron Maiden on acid trip then Evil Invaders is your first port of call. In the live setting the energy of the band was unquestionable as they roared through their speed fixated, heleter skelter, Maiden metal. The front man's high screams were the same as on the album and the band were really pretty cool. Keep an eye on these guys. The crowd was at it's highest at this point I must say and would have numbered somewhere below a 100 which would slowly thin further by the time Majesty came on. In fact the attendance for this gig was piss poor which is a damn shame. Power metal gigs are not badly attended when Hammerfall or Helloween or other quite big bands come to town. Sabaton draws a 1000 and more and yet these well established true metal warriors can't draw even a 100 on a pleasant and not too cold midweek evening.
Anyhow on to Bloodbound who I had been dying to see for a good while now. They came on with no keyboardist which was a shame so that part of their sound was piped in. They also had two members of Twilight Force standing in for those absent so to call the band Bloodbound without 3 members of the band there was rather weird but I'll forgive'm this time. I was just happy to hear and see them for the first time and I was hoping for some great songs and of course hoping and praying for Nosferatu their best song. The guys played with smiles on their faces but I could tell from singer Patrik's face that he was slightly disappointed to be playing to about 50-60 people although we were very enthusiastic and made up enough noise for double that amount. The band played a mix of tunes from their albums but unfortunately their set was cut to just 40 minutes from the original hour long set billed. The band sounded good and singer Patrik is an engaging front man for sure although his vocals were a little quiet in the mix and he kept pleading with the sound man to turn up his volume more than once which he did do eventually after being told a few times. I definitely wanted to see Bloodbound more than Majesty in this 3 band bill and to get only 40 minutes was a shame but what they played was great and had the diehards at the front fist pumping and headbanging like there's no tomorrow. To my utter relief the last song of the night started and it was the familiar first bars of Nosferatu and I had a big smile on my face. OK so he's not as good as Urban Breed doing this song but Urban's not in the band and Patrik did an amazing job on the song. I sang that song as loud as I could whilst recording it for posterity. A great end to an understandably short set.
This was the quickest I've seen Underworld staff work in getting the stage ready for Majesty. It must have been around 10.15 or so before Majesty took to the stage, all dressed in warrior padded outfits which is a typical look for a true metal band. Unfortunately after Bloodbound the crowd had thinned further. I really don't know where every one went. Maybe they all had trains to catch but it wasn't that late. I mean the turn out was piss poor to begin with ok but when Majesty came on there were about 30 or 40 people at the front with about a further 20-30 standing on the raised section at the back. I think the disappointment on Tarek's face was there for all to see. As he explained in between the songs they had gone to hell trying to get to the gig and to top it all off he had a terrible throat infection which the doctors have warned him not to sing and his voice whilst ok didn't sound it's best admittedly.
However being true metal warriors he and the band didn't let a lack of attendance spoil their night and they turned in a great performance it must be said. Their true metal Manowar worship is more Manowar than Manowar even as song after song they played and sang their hearts to a very small but appreciative crowd. Their best songs were Into the Stadiums which is a huge true metal anthem although very ironic when you play it to 50 people in a club, new song Generation Steel, another massive anthem, Thunder Rider with it's epic sing along and plenty more. I saw the set list and about 6-7 songs were crossed out due to lack of time and they even played past the curfew for the encore. The constant loud chants of "Hail! Hail! To Majesty!" went up often and long and Tarek was geeing us up to shout even louder!
I'm not sure if they'll be back again though but Tarek said they would although he might have just been saying that flippantly who knows. He did say that he hoped next time there would 10 times as many people there but Tarek mate don't hold your breath. Our legions of true metal fans are very fickle and choosy. They just don't turn out to support small bands. It's always Sabaton, Helloween, Hammerfall and Blind Guardian. In fact BG plays in a few weeks and there will be close to a 1000 there. This night was rescued from being a damp squib in the end by the resilience of the true metal warriors on stage. They may be cheesy as hell but when your heart bleeds for metal you play as if it's your last and even when you're sick as a dog that's true fighting spirit. Hail! Hail! To Majesty!
As I walked in Evil Invaders were already playing the first song. I must admit I enjoyed their new album quite a bit. Not anything super amazing of course but if you're after an Iron Maiden on acid trip then Evil Invaders is your first port of call. In the live setting the energy of the band was unquestionable as they roared through their speed fixated, heleter skelter, Maiden metal. The front man's high screams were the same as on the album and the band were really pretty cool. Keep an eye on these guys. The crowd was at it's highest at this point I must say and would have numbered somewhere below a 100 which would slowly thin further by the time Majesty came on. In fact the attendance for this gig was piss poor which is a damn shame. Power metal gigs are not badly attended when Hammerfall or Helloween or other quite big bands come to town. Sabaton draws a 1000 and more and yet these well established true metal warriors can't draw even a 100 on a pleasant and not too cold midweek evening.
Anyhow on to Bloodbound who I had been dying to see for a good while now. They came on with no keyboardist which was a shame so that part of their sound was piped in. They also had two members of Twilight Force standing in for those absent so to call the band Bloodbound without 3 members of the band there was rather weird but I'll forgive'm this time. I was just happy to hear and see them for the first time and I was hoping for some great songs and of course hoping and praying for Nosferatu their best song. The guys played with smiles on their faces but I could tell from singer Patrik's face that he was slightly disappointed to be playing to about 50-60 people although we were very enthusiastic and made up enough noise for double that amount. The band played a mix of tunes from their albums but unfortunately their set was cut to just 40 minutes from the original hour long set billed. The band sounded good and singer Patrik is an engaging front man for sure although his vocals were a little quiet in the mix and he kept pleading with the sound man to turn up his volume more than once which he did do eventually after being told a few times. I definitely wanted to see Bloodbound more than Majesty in this 3 band bill and to get only 40 minutes was a shame but what they played was great and had the diehards at the front fist pumping and headbanging like there's no tomorrow. To my utter relief the last song of the night started and it was the familiar first bars of Nosferatu and I had a big smile on my face. OK so he's not as good as Urban Breed doing this song but Urban's not in the band and Patrik did an amazing job on the song. I sang that song as loud as I could whilst recording it for posterity. A great end to an understandably short set.
This was the quickest I've seen Underworld staff work in getting the stage ready for Majesty. It must have been around 10.15 or so before Majesty took to the stage, all dressed in warrior padded outfits which is a typical look for a true metal band. Unfortunately after Bloodbound the crowd had thinned further. I really don't know where every one went. Maybe they all had trains to catch but it wasn't that late. I mean the turn out was piss poor to begin with ok but when Majesty came on there were about 30 or 40 people at the front with about a further 20-30 standing on the raised section at the back. I think the disappointment on Tarek's face was there for all to see. As he explained in between the songs they had gone to hell trying to get to the gig and to top it all off he had a terrible throat infection which the doctors have warned him not to sing and his voice whilst ok didn't sound it's best admittedly.
However being true metal warriors he and the band didn't let a lack of attendance spoil their night and they turned in a great performance it must be said. Their true metal Manowar worship is more Manowar than Manowar even as song after song they played and sang their hearts to a very small but appreciative crowd. Their best songs were Into the Stadiums which is a huge true metal anthem although very ironic when you play it to 50 people in a club, new song Generation Steel, another massive anthem, Thunder Rider with it's epic sing along and plenty more. I saw the set list and about 6-7 songs were crossed out due to lack of time and they even played past the curfew for the encore. The constant loud chants of "Hail! Hail! To Majesty!" went up often and long and Tarek was geeing us up to shout even louder!
I'm not sure if they'll be back again though but Tarek said they would although he might have just been saying that flippantly who knows. He did say that he hoped next time there would 10 times as many people there but Tarek mate don't hold your breath. Our legions of true metal fans are very fickle and choosy. They just don't turn out to support small bands. It's always Sabaton, Helloween, Hammerfall and Blind Guardian. In fact BG plays in a few weeks and there will be close to a 1000 there. This night was rescued from being a damp squib in the end by the resilience of the true metal warriors on stage. They may be cheesy as hell but when your heart bleeds for metal you play as if it's your last and even when you're sick as a dog that's true fighting spirit. Hail! Hail! To Majesty!
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