A really cool triple bill of power metal on a Tuesday night to keep the diehard metalheads happy. First up Unleash The Archers from Canada. I forget the girl's name but her voice was superb. The songs were enjoyable too being speedy or fairly mid paced. I enjoyed the faster tunes more but it's all about the chick and her booming voice piercing the sky. Good start and perfect opener for this bill.
Next up were Rhapsody of Fire which is now solely Alex Staropoli's outfit these days with Fabio having jumped ship. People question the need for their existence but to be fair they were pretty amazing. Their set featured all great and classic Rhapsody tunes sung brilliantly by new singer Giacomo. I'll whisper this slowly so no one hears me...Giacomo > Fabio!
The guy is superb all night and sings the songs perfectly. Their set was nigh on perfect. Distant Sky was from the latest album but the rest of the songs were from the classic era. Dawn of Victory was completely awesome as was Holy Thunderforce and the rousing band anthem Emeral Sword was the pinnacle of the night with mass singalong by a very healthy crowd of 500. Yes, people loved Rhapsody of Fire!
Distant Sky
Dargor, Shadowlord of the Black Mountain
Flames of Revenge
Dawn of Victory
The Magic of the Wizard's Dream
Holy Thunderforce
The March of the Swordmaster
When Demons Awake
Emerald Sword
At 9.45pm the intro song Orden Ogan played over the PA as the Ogan lads took to the stage whilst main man Seeb was loitering backstage ready to launch into opener To New Shores of Sadness. The sound was crisp and loud but not annoyingly so as I've noticed in gigs lately. No point having it so loud but I guess I'm old! Anyway the band sounded great and looked the part all with the Gunman look. There's even a Gunman statue pointing a gun at the audience on the riser at the back. A nice stage set up indeed linking in with the western theme. Seeb's voice was in fine form as they launched into FEVER and every one's fist was pumping and voice was raised.
Gunman was the first new track we heard and a chance to raise our voices once again. What a great tune indeed. Sorrow is Your Tale, was a personal fave tune followed by my absolute fave from the new album Fields of Sorrow. A very emotional tune indeed and sung brilliantly by Seeb and the crowd too I should add. Come With Me To The Other Side was another magnificent track. Last two songs were brilliant once again. All their songs have this fantastic majestic quality that really sound great live. Though I will admit those massive choirs you hear on the records are somewhat lost in the live sound even though the rest of the band do a sterling job backing Seeb up, it's not quite as huge sounding obviously unless you had a 50 strong choir on stage!
A 4 song encore was a big bonus and they saved some of their epic tunes till the end with We Are Pirates particularly getting everyone dancing. The Things We Believe In brought things to an epic end and the band left to loud cheers from the crowd ringing in their ears. A great night for London's power metal fiends and a very decent turn out for a Tuesday night.
To New Shores of Sadness
F.E.V.E.R.
Here at the End of the World
Gunman
Deaf Among the Blind
Sorrow Is Your Tale
Fields of Sorrow
The Lords of the Flies
Come With Me To The Other Side
Forlorn and Forsaken
One Last Chance
Encore:
To the End
Angels War
We Are Pirates
The Things We Believe In
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
Sunday, 5 November 2017
Fozzy Live Report
I was supposed to see Fozzy once way back in the mid 2000s or something. I had a ticket booked etc but I fell very ill and couldn't go. Here were are a decade later and finally seeing Y2J and his chums Rich Ward etc. Three bands were listed as supported. In fact I should point out this was a dual headline gig with Hardcore Superstar both getting an hour on stage.
First band was called The Last Band but strangely they were on first! Let's get the crap jokes out of the way. They were fairly average for me and held no interest so I just milled around and got a beer and went up to the balcony to sit down and see them from above. They were a sort of heavy groovy nu metal/aggro metal band. Not my cuppa really but I guess they were ok for this kinds modern metal crowd.
After that were a band called Madame Mayhem fronted a by dark haired chick. There's a lot of bands around these days playing modern metal with a hot gothy chick fronting them. It can be ok but mostly it's not. MM were ok but not great, but the gal IS great. Great looker and a nice focal point for her band. They need to work on making the songs more catchy like say in Skarlett Riot. Not too bad though and like I said the gal is watchable haha!
Next up were joint headlines, Hardcore Superstar and their souped up glam metal. I am a big fan of one of their earlier albums although I find their most recent stuff a bit average sounding. I've seen them live before and they blew the roof off the stage. I don't think they quite managed it this time. The floor was still bloody packed for them though and I couldn't get anywhere near the stage so I could get a better feel for them. They sound good though but for some reason not as OTT animated as I remembered the last time I saw. I guess they were solid though and played all their best and most memorable tunes. THey are a good band as far as Swedish glam goes though and I far prefer them so say someone like Steel Panther.
I think this was a Fozzy crowd even though it was a dual headline show and that's one of the reasons HS didn't really ignite. However Fozzy did as the intro played and the band took their spots before the man himself, Mr Jericho burst on stage and they launched head on into opening cut Judas. The crowd sing along during the chorus was pretty impressive as the fans lurched forward to get a bit closer. Seems Mr Jericho creates some excitement with his fans. The chants of "Fozzy! Fozzy!" soon start up between every song as the man soaks up the adulation. Seems people really like Fozzy lol, never knew! The band continued with all the big hits from current album and a few classics and played 11 songs in total in their allotted one hour. Which to be fair made for a disappointingly short set. People could have easily had another 30 minutes of this but it was a dual headline so that's what we got. Enemy was my particular highlight. Always loved that tune and it had an extended Ward solo spot too. Jericho's live vocals are a little more gritty and dirty live than they are in the studio but I guess every tries to singer tougher live than in the studio. It's an understandable trait when you're competing with all these massively loud instruments. I should mention the ABBA cover SOS which was really quite fun. The night ended with Sandpaper that catchy tune from the previous album.
Chris seemed genuinely pleased and thanked the crowd for coming and the attendance was very good considering there was another rock gig down the road with MSG. Although I'm not too sure if MSG shares too many fans with Fozzy but to be fair there were a fair number of old school rockers at Fozzy but the crowd was mainly made up of youngsters below 30. Fozzy was fun live, Rich Ward's guitar sounds heavy as fuck and he's actually a really good singer too and provided nice back vocals to Y2J. They left with the crowd's cheers ringing in their ears. Till the next time dudes!
First band was called The Last Band but strangely they were on first! Let's get the crap jokes out of the way. They were fairly average for me and held no interest so I just milled around and got a beer and went up to the balcony to sit down and see them from above. They were a sort of heavy groovy nu metal/aggro metal band. Not my cuppa really but I guess they were ok for this kinds modern metal crowd.
After that were a band called Madame Mayhem fronted a by dark haired chick. There's a lot of bands around these days playing modern metal with a hot gothy chick fronting them. It can be ok but mostly it's not. MM were ok but not great, but the gal IS great. Great looker and a nice focal point for her band. They need to work on making the songs more catchy like say in Skarlett Riot. Not too bad though and like I said the gal is watchable haha!
Next up were joint headlines, Hardcore Superstar and their souped up glam metal. I am a big fan of one of their earlier albums although I find their most recent stuff a bit average sounding. I've seen them live before and they blew the roof off the stage. I don't think they quite managed it this time. The floor was still bloody packed for them though and I couldn't get anywhere near the stage so I could get a better feel for them. They sound good though but for some reason not as OTT animated as I remembered the last time I saw. I guess they were solid though and played all their best and most memorable tunes. THey are a good band as far as Swedish glam goes though and I far prefer them so say someone like Steel Panther.
I think this was a Fozzy crowd even though it was a dual headline show and that's one of the reasons HS didn't really ignite. However Fozzy did as the intro played and the band took their spots before the man himself, Mr Jericho burst on stage and they launched head on into opening cut Judas. The crowd sing along during the chorus was pretty impressive as the fans lurched forward to get a bit closer. Seems Mr Jericho creates some excitement with his fans. The chants of "Fozzy! Fozzy!" soon start up between every song as the man soaks up the adulation. Seems people really like Fozzy lol, never knew! The band continued with all the big hits from current album and a few classics and played 11 songs in total in their allotted one hour. Which to be fair made for a disappointingly short set. People could have easily had another 30 minutes of this but it was a dual headline so that's what we got. Enemy was my particular highlight. Always loved that tune and it had an extended Ward solo spot too. Jericho's live vocals are a little more gritty and dirty live than they are in the studio but I guess every tries to singer tougher live than in the studio. It's an understandable trait when you're competing with all these massively loud instruments. I should mention the ABBA cover SOS which was really quite fun. The night ended with Sandpaper that catchy tune from the previous album.
Chris seemed genuinely pleased and thanked the crowd for coming and the attendance was very good considering there was another rock gig down the road with MSG. Although I'm not too sure if MSG shares too many fans with Fozzy but to be fair there were a fair number of old school rockers at Fozzy but the crowd was mainly made up of youngsters below 30. Fozzy was fun live, Rich Ward's guitar sounds heavy as fuck and he's actually a really good singer too and provided nice back vocals to Y2J. They left with the crowd's cheers ringing in their ears. Till the next time dudes!
Power Quest Live
After their great support slot with Dragonforce, it's time for the Quest to have a chance to shine all for themselves. A Sunday night gig is always a bit of a drag but I didn't really wanna miss them as the new album is really so good after all. Two support bands were billed. Nightmare World led by ex Threshold guitarist Pete Morton and Death Valley Knights who I saw earlier in the year at the Stone Free Festival.
NW played their entire album in full in their allotted 40 minutes. It's a good album but not amazing for me. Pete Morton only sings in this band and leaves the instruments to the other chaps. They definitely have a nice line in heavy and melodic riffage. Not sure the songs really capture the moment well enough but they are all fairly decent. A nice start.
Next is was DVK and their testosterone fuelled old school heavy metal. Just a straight up bally metal band really with little subtlety. They turn it up to 11 and pound away on the riffs whilst the singer screams his nuts off. They play excruciatingly loud too and blasted the audience. I guess that's what metallers love! These guys are cool and have a mean attitude and tick all the true metal boxes. Their songs are mainly good but not amazing. Could do with the choruses being a bit catchier but if you wanna head bang and pump your fist then DVK will help your cause.
Finally the PQ guys took to the stage and played a 90 minute set of classic new and old Power Quest. The new tunes were great and well received by the crowd of around 150. Everyone seems to love the happy go lucky nature of the songs. New singer Ashley is a great fit for the band. The "Power Quest!" chants between songs are a regular feature throughout their set. All the songs are very catchy. The band plays with huge smiles and everyone enjoys themselves and hails the might Quest on their journey. The band ends with their super hit Temple of Fire with that unbelievably catchy chorus that everyone loves to sing a long to. Ashley said they'll be back in 2018 with Freedom Call. Obviously these 150 diehards will be there! Till then!
NW played their entire album in full in their allotted 40 minutes. It's a good album but not amazing for me. Pete Morton only sings in this band and leaves the instruments to the other chaps. They definitely have a nice line in heavy and melodic riffage. Not sure the songs really capture the moment well enough but they are all fairly decent. A nice start.
Next is was DVK and their testosterone fuelled old school heavy metal. Just a straight up bally metal band really with little subtlety. They turn it up to 11 and pound away on the riffs whilst the singer screams his nuts off. They play excruciatingly loud too and blasted the audience. I guess that's what metallers love! These guys are cool and have a mean attitude and tick all the true metal boxes. Their songs are mainly good but not amazing. Could do with the choruses being a bit catchier but if you wanna head bang and pump your fist then DVK will help your cause.
Finally the PQ guys took to the stage and played a 90 minute set of classic new and old Power Quest. The new tunes were great and well received by the crowd of around 150. Everyone seems to love the happy go lucky nature of the songs. New singer Ashley is a great fit for the band. The "Power Quest!" chants between songs are a regular feature throughout their set. All the songs are very catchy. The band plays with huge smiles and everyone enjoys themselves and hails the might Quest on their journey. The band ends with their super hit Temple of Fire with that unbelievably catchy chorus that everyone loves to sing a long to. Ashley said they'll be back in 2018 with Freedom Call. Obviously these 150 diehards will be there! Till then!
Sunday, 29 October 2017
WASP Live
My first and last time seeing them basically. I've never really been a fan bar a few tunes. Just needed to tick them off the bucket list so to speak.
They played the whole of Crimson Idol live. I've never heard the album in full as I recall. The band sounds good it must be said. Blackie's shrill voice is pretty much the same as the old days. He's not really singing lower or more controlled like some old dinosaurs. He's just moving slower I guess and he's not so animated and shocking like what I've seen in old videos.
There is a touch of going through the motions about the songs. That's the feeling I get though I could be wrong but I'm not familiar with the tunes. A video or film has been created to go with the songs which is quite cool as you get more involved in the story of the album about a hot shot guitarist's rise from poor beginnings to the trappings of success and his ultimate downfall and demise. I never actually had really any clue about the story of the album. The video backdrops put into context the story nicely for a total noob. WASP's music tends to be slightly grating on my ears but it does have something about it that separates it from the other bands of that shock rock era. It's sort of more substantive especially when they get to the moodier parts. Special mention for the drumming. Literally the best thing of the night to be honest. The drum parts on the album seem to be very complex and difficult and the drummer played them with ease.
I didn't know who he was last night but tonight I checked him out and it turns out o be Aquiles Priester the Brazillian dude from Angra. The guy was playing fast and very skilfully from my non-drummer amateur perspective with constant lightning fast fills. Dread to think how fast his feet were moving. He was basically the star of the night for me.
The main set of Crimson Idol came to a momentous and rousing end as our hero takes his own life. Blackie never talked between the songs as the album has a lot of narration explaining the story. He only talked after a short 5 minute break as the band regrouped for a little greatest hit set to end things off. He mentioned that in some previous show there was moshing in a slow number in one of the songs and that he didn't like that at all. he prefers you to absorb and watch during the emotional parts lol. He also thanked the crowd for coming and it was pretty packed indeed. Probably a couple of thousand easy seeing as it's a Friday night.
Wild Child is basically the only really great song I like from WASP and everyone but everyone belts that one out. I made a hasty exit half way through the final song to beat the crowds. Not a gig that will live long in my memory, but at least I can say I've seen the band once at least! :-)
The Titanic Overture
The Invisible Boy
Arena of Pleasure
Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)
The Gypsy Meets the Boy
Doctor Rockter
I Am One
The Idol
Hold on to My Heart
The Great Misconceptions of Me
Encore:
The Real Me
(The Who cover)
L.O.V.E. Machine
Wild Child
Golgotha
I Wanna Be Somebody
They played the whole of Crimson Idol live. I've never heard the album in full as I recall. The band sounds good it must be said. Blackie's shrill voice is pretty much the same as the old days. He's not really singing lower or more controlled like some old dinosaurs. He's just moving slower I guess and he's not so animated and shocking like what I've seen in old videos.
There is a touch of going through the motions about the songs. That's the feeling I get though I could be wrong but I'm not familiar with the tunes. A video or film has been created to go with the songs which is quite cool as you get more involved in the story of the album about a hot shot guitarist's rise from poor beginnings to the trappings of success and his ultimate downfall and demise. I never actually had really any clue about the story of the album. The video backdrops put into context the story nicely for a total noob. WASP's music tends to be slightly grating on my ears but it does have something about it that separates it from the other bands of that shock rock era. It's sort of more substantive especially when they get to the moodier parts. Special mention for the drumming. Literally the best thing of the night to be honest. The drum parts on the album seem to be very complex and difficult and the drummer played them with ease.
I didn't know who he was last night but tonight I checked him out and it turns out o be Aquiles Priester the Brazillian dude from Angra. The guy was playing fast and very skilfully from my non-drummer amateur perspective with constant lightning fast fills. Dread to think how fast his feet were moving. He was basically the star of the night for me.
The main set of Crimson Idol came to a momentous and rousing end as our hero takes his own life. Blackie never talked between the songs as the album has a lot of narration explaining the story. He only talked after a short 5 minute break as the band regrouped for a little greatest hit set to end things off. He mentioned that in some previous show there was moshing in a slow number in one of the songs and that he didn't like that at all. he prefers you to absorb and watch during the emotional parts lol. He also thanked the crowd for coming and it was pretty packed indeed. Probably a couple of thousand easy seeing as it's a Friday night.
Wild Child is basically the only really great song I like from WASP and everyone but everyone belts that one out. I made a hasty exit half way through the final song to beat the crowds. Not a gig that will live long in my memory, but at least I can say I've seen the band once at least! :-)
The Titanic Overture
The Invisible Boy
Arena of Pleasure
Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)
The Gypsy Meets the Boy
Doctor Rockter
I Am One
The Idol
Hold on to My Heart
The Great Misconceptions of Me
Encore:
The Real Me
(The Who cover)
L.O.V.E. Machine
Wild Child
Golgotha
I Wanna Be Somebody
Monday, 23 October 2017
3 gigs in 3 days
Phew that was a blast!
So much of a blast in fact that I had to take a day off work to recover from three nights of excess. Well not that I'm getting hammered at every gig I go to, but what with the odd beer or two, food, standing around for hours and lack of sleep in the night..well you get the picture when you're not far from 50!
Things started off on Friday at the Electric Ballroom with Inglorious and Wayward Sons. A night of great new British classic rock. I saw Inglorious earlier on this year at a special release show and was blown away by lead singer Nathan. The big lad's voice is just something else and it was a no brainer to get a ticket for this proper tour date. The Ballroom was completely rammed so I wasn't the only one with that thought. Easily a 1000 if not more. The first band I didn't like too much but I never caught their name. They were meat and potatoes rock/metal.
Next were Wayward Sons who's album I really enjoy. They are fronted by Toby Jepson ex of Little Angels, a band I never actually liked. But I liked WS a lot. They play good time swaggering rock with a big riff and a big attitude. Very fun stuff and the Angus Young like goose stepping by Toby was quite fun to watch. Very nice warm up!
then it was time for Nathan and co to really start the Rock! And boy did they do that. The sound was absolutely perfect and the band sounded shit hot. It's all about Nathan and that voice though. The guy is a bonafide star but boy does he cuss a lot on stage! Tone it down mate, there's old people in the crowd not used to that many F bombs lol!
Anyway the Friday night crowd was pumped, the band was hot and the songs were epic. From speedier run throughs to slower blues based rock which I normally wouldn't like but I'm telling you this guy Nathan can sing any old crap and make it sound good. Great night and two more nights yet to come.
On to Saturday we go and a night of the lighter and fluffier side of rock with the London debut of Brother Firetribe supported ably By Shiraz Lane at the Borderline. This is not a big venue by any means but it was packed full to 300 and everyone was in the mood for a party. Shiraz Lane, pronounced Shira Lane with no "z" as I found out started things off pretty well with their energetic pretty boy edgy melodic rock. The lead singer's voice was a bit high pitched and whiny but the band rocked. They had the energy and look to be stars and a decent set of tunes. New single Harder To Breathe was particularly great.
At 9 o'clock sharp the BF boys took to the stage and immediately there was a look of amazement on Pekka's face as they launched into Help Is On The Way as the crowd was well into it. Indelible Heroes followed with complete singalong. You can't go wrong with that one-two! Cert KO. Pekka is quite a funny guy on stage whilst Nightwish man Empuu does the classy riffs and solos. Keyboards sounded very loud and centre stage in the mix of course. Heart of the Matter was great. There's not any real duff songs. Not a huge fan of slow burner Shock. Taste of a Champion again has everyone singing their nuts off so to speak hehe! Last four songs of the main set were all incendiary. I'm on Fire a big highlight. Pekka forgot the words to one song, I forget which but who cared, no one. Main set ended with the magical energetic Heart full Of Fire and everyone really let loose on that one.
Just a one song encore I am Rock. Not a bad song but another one would have been nice since there was still time until the 10.30 curfew. Pekka said they'd be back and let's hope it's not another 15 years this time!
Final stop...Metallicaaa!
Paid through the nose for a ticket so they better be good right? Actually they were more than good. I think they sound better now than in quite a while. James looks lean and mean and even his voice is acceptable these days though not perfect. he still has a tendency to change the odd melody slightly which throws the sing alongers as they sing it how it is on the record.
The support was Kvelertak which are like Hetfield's fave band or something. Must admit I don't like their black n' roll much but they actually sounded pretty cool. A few nice riffs here and there though I don't care for those vocals. Not sure they were that well appreciated by the Metallica diehards and the older members of the audience either. It's more for people who can just about stomach black metal and then watch it be bastardised into a Motorhead wannabe band.
Special mention for the stage which was set in the middle of the Arena giving everyone a great view. The stage set was pretty elaborate with video cubes dropping up and down as each song is played with various effects and videos. pretty cool and I guess that's what our ticket price went on haha!
The guys start up a storm with the thrash fest that is Hardwired followed by Atlas Rise. Pretty cool start and every one is rocking hard from band to crowd. Sound is heavy and crisp as hell which always helps. Seek and Destroy's stomp follows and the old schoolers get to have a field day before newer songs are played. Must admit Dream No More's super heavy stomp sounds quite cool even though I find the song boring on record.
new songs go down OK and even well but still the majority just wanna hear the classics. Now That We're Dead is notable for its 4 man drum section played on cubes with drum pads on I guess. I loved Through The Never. That is one underrated Metallica cut that's for sure. Sanitarium is very cool of course and everyone sings the guitar parts. Fuel doesn't do much for me at all but has energy but I would have preferred a track from Death Magnetic even. The last 4 tracks of the main set are full on crowd pleasers. Moth Into Flame is perhaps the best cut from Hardwired and then there's the lumbering hulk of SBT which literally everyone either sings to or wrecks their necks with. The epic One follows followed by Master which obviously gets everyone's air guitar out for the umpteenth time.
A triumphant four punch end leave the band to leave and return for a three song encore. Two of which were obvious with the other being perhaps the best song of the night for me. Namely Damage Inc. Man that was cool as hell to watch Hetfield ripping thrash riffs and spitting lyrics like a 25 year old again. The following two were played a gazillion times NEM and Sandman closed the set. Whatever, great tunes but personally I far prefer the Unforgiven to NEM. SAndman has to be played whether anyone likes it or not but by this point beers have been drunk, hair has been splayed and air guitars smashed so no one gives a shit really Light has exited and night has eneterd so to speak! Even at the death they tease out the riff to Frayed Ends just to say "Gotcha thrashers!"
Metallica gets a lot of flak coming their way and their ticket price is getting a little out of hand but they still deliver the goods. Kirk ain't the best and Lars is Lars but I don't listen to Metallica for those guys it's all about the main man Het. The guy is adored like a metal God when he stalks around pumping those bad riffs out macine gun like. The glory days maybe over but they aren't a fading force quite yet either. Lars spoke at the end and said Metallica have been playing London since 33 years ago and have played in and around the London area around 30 times and that they've only just started! Obviously he was having a laugh but there's still a little bite left in the old dog yet as the band looks meaner and sharper than they've probably done for a while. I guess healthy old age living helps. Not sure about Lars's old man knees and back though! :-)
The Ecstasy of Gold
(Ennio Morricone song)
Hardwired Intro
Hardwired
Atlas, Rise!
Seek & Destroy
Through the Never
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Now That We're Dead
(with extended middle drum solo with all)
Dream No More
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Halo on Fire
(followed by Kirk & Rob's solos with London Calling, Immigrant Song and Anesthesia Pulling Teeth)
Die, Die My Darling
(Misfits cover)
Fuel
Moth Into Flame
Sad but True
One
Master of Puppets
Encore:
Damage, Inc.
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
(with 'The Frayed Ends of Sanity' outro)
So much of a blast in fact that I had to take a day off work to recover from three nights of excess. Well not that I'm getting hammered at every gig I go to, but what with the odd beer or two, food, standing around for hours and lack of sleep in the night..well you get the picture when you're not far from 50!
Things started off on Friday at the Electric Ballroom with Inglorious and Wayward Sons. A night of great new British classic rock. I saw Inglorious earlier on this year at a special release show and was blown away by lead singer Nathan. The big lad's voice is just something else and it was a no brainer to get a ticket for this proper tour date. The Ballroom was completely rammed so I wasn't the only one with that thought. Easily a 1000 if not more. The first band I didn't like too much but I never caught their name. They were meat and potatoes rock/metal.
Next were Wayward Sons who's album I really enjoy. They are fronted by Toby Jepson ex of Little Angels, a band I never actually liked. But I liked WS a lot. They play good time swaggering rock with a big riff and a big attitude. Very fun stuff and the Angus Young like goose stepping by Toby was quite fun to watch. Very nice warm up!
then it was time for Nathan and co to really start the Rock! And boy did they do that. The sound was absolutely perfect and the band sounded shit hot. It's all about Nathan and that voice though. The guy is a bonafide star but boy does he cuss a lot on stage! Tone it down mate, there's old people in the crowd not used to that many F bombs lol!
Anyway the Friday night crowd was pumped, the band was hot and the songs were epic. From speedier run throughs to slower blues based rock which I normally wouldn't like but I'm telling you this guy Nathan can sing any old crap and make it sound good. Great night and two more nights yet to come.
On to Saturday we go and a night of the lighter and fluffier side of rock with the London debut of Brother Firetribe supported ably By Shiraz Lane at the Borderline. This is not a big venue by any means but it was packed full to 300 and everyone was in the mood for a party. Shiraz Lane, pronounced Shira Lane with no "z" as I found out started things off pretty well with their energetic pretty boy edgy melodic rock. The lead singer's voice was a bit high pitched and whiny but the band rocked. They had the energy and look to be stars and a decent set of tunes. New single Harder To Breathe was particularly great.
At 9 o'clock sharp the BF boys took to the stage and immediately there was a look of amazement on Pekka's face as they launched into Help Is On The Way as the crowd was well into it. Indelible Heroes followed with complete singalong. You can't go wrong with that one-two! Cert KO. Pekka is quite a funny guy on stage whilst Nightwish man Empuu does the classy riffs and solos. Keyboards sounded very loud and centre stage in the mix of course. Heart of the Matter was great. There's not any real duff songs. Not a huge fan of slow burner Shock. Taste of a Champion again has everyone singing their nuts off so to speak hehe! Last four songs of the main set were all incendiary. I'm on Fire a big highlight. Pekka forgot the words to one song, I forget which but who cared, no one. Main set ended with the magical energetic Heart full Of Fire and everyone really let loose on that one.
Just a one song encore I am Rock. Not a bad song but another one would have been nice since there was still time until the 10.30 curfew. Pekka said they'd be back and let's hope it's not another 15 years this time!
Final stop...Metallicaaa!
Paid through the nose for a ticket so they better be good right? Actually they were more than good. I think they sound better now than in quite a while. James looks lean and mean and even his voice is acceptable these days though not perfect. he still has a tendency to change the odd melody slightly which throws the sing alongers as they sing it how it is on the record.
The support was Kvelertak which are like Hetfield's fave band or something. Must admit I don't like their black n' roll much but they actually sounded pretty cool. A few nice riffs here and there though I don't care for those vocals. Not sure they were that well appreciated by the Metallica diehards and the older members of the audience either. It's more for people who can just about stomach black metal and then watch it be bastardised into a Motorhead wannabe band.
Special mention for the stage which was set in the middle of the Arena giving everyone a great view. The stage set was pretty elaborate with video cubes dropping up and down as each song is played with various effects and videos. pretty cool and I guess that's what our ticket price went on haha!
The guys start up a storm with the thrash fest that is Hardwired followed by Atlas Rise. Pretty cool start and every one is rocking hard from band to crowd. Sound is heavy and crisp as hell which always helps. Seek and Destroy's stomp follows and the old schoolers get to have a field day before newer songs are played. Must admit Dream No More's super heavy stomp sounds quite cool even though I find the song boring on record.
new songs go down OK and even well but still the majority just wanna hear the classics. Now That We're Dead is notable for its 4 man drum section played on cubes with drum pads on I guess. I loved Through The Never. That is one underrated Metallica cut that's for sure. Sanitarium is very cool of course and everyone sings the guitar parts. Fuel doesn't do much for me at all but has energy but I would have preferred a track from Death Magnetic even. The last 4 tracks of the main set are full on crowd pleasers. Moth Into Flame is perhaps the best cut from Hardwired and then there's the lumbering hulk of SBT which literally everyone either sings to or wrecks their necks with. The epic One follows followed by Master which obviously gets everyone's air guitar out for the umpteenth time.
A triumphant four punch end leave the band to leave and return for a three song encore. Two of which were obvious with the other being perhaps the best song of the night for me. Namely Damage Inc. Man that was cool as hell to watch Hetfield ripping thrash riffs and spitting lyrics like a 25 year old again. The following two were played a gazillion times NEM and Sandman closed the set. Whatever, great tunes but personally I far prefer the Unforgiven to NEM. SAndman has to be played whether anyone likes it or not but by this point beers have been drunk, hair has been splayed and air guitars smashed so no one gives a shit really Light has exited and night has eneterd so to speak! Even at the death they tease out the riff to Frayed Ends just to say "Gotcha thrashers!"
Metallica gets a lot of flak coming their way and their ticket price is getting a little out of hand but they still deliver the goods. Kirk ain't the best and Lars is Lars but I don't listen to Metallica for those guys it's all about the main man Het. The guy is adored like a metal God when he stalks around pumping those bad riffs out macine gun like. The glory days maybe over but they aren't a fading force quite yet either. Lars spoke at the end and said Metallica have been playing London since 33 years ago and have played in and around the London area around 30 times and that they've only just started! Obviously he was having a laugh but there's still a little bite left in the old dog yet as the band looks meaner and sharper than they've probably done for a while. I guess healthy old age living helps. Not sure about Lars's old man knees and back though! :-)
The Ecstasy of Gold
(Ennio Morricone song)
Hardwired Intro
Hardwired
Atlas, Rise!
Seek & Destroy
Through the Never
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Now That We're Dead
(with extended middle drum solo with all)
Dream No More
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Halo on Fire
(followed by Kirk & Rob's solos with London Calling, Immigrant Song and Anesthesia Pulling Teeth)
Die, Die My Darling
(Misfits cover)
Fuel
Moth Into Flame
Sad but True
One
Master of Puppets
Encore:
Damage, Inc.
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
(with 'The Frayed Ends of Sanity' outro)
Sunday, 15 October 2017
Dragonforce Live
Ok how many times is is watching Dragonforce live now? I actually dread to think and here I am yet again. To be honest I wouldn't have bothered if I didn't enjoy the new album so much plus the mighty Power Quest was the support and it's a Friday so what better way to start the weekend!
First up were the PQ guys. They were awesome plain and simple. New Front man Ashley from Dendera fits like a glove. The melodic riffing and super happy memorable choruses go whirling round your head. I was quite close to the stage for PQ but I had a slight foot problem and retreated to the side for Dragonforce. Anyway I loved PQ. The couple of new songs sounded ace but the song of the night was final track Temple of Fire which was sung and played brilliantly. I'll be catching these guys on their own headline date in 2 weeks at the Underworld.
Finally at the earlier time of 8 sharp due to a Friday curfew, da 'Force hit the stage and the usual barrage of energetic notes started up and we were off and running with new track Ashes of the Dawn. Damn it sounded good and much ballsier and heavier than they've ever sounded. I guess that's what happens when you let the death metal guy in the band write most of the tunes. Anyway the band sounded dead on and are by now almost veterans at this game. They are still complete goofballs though and fuck around on stage like 10 year old let loose in a toy shop! The set list these days is very difficult but I guess there are some songs that they just have to play.
Marc Hudson sounded very good for the most part but he has a tendency to go full whine at times which can be a little grating but his voice is pretty much crystal clear and I don't think the ZP fanboys are missing him that much and have accepted Marc as the voice of the band. The stand out song of the night is epic newie The Edge of the World. A big departure for the band with it's mid paced epic feel and use of death growls and heavy parts. Obviously again written by bassist Fred who is responsible for most of the new album. Fury of the Storm is a manic melodic song that always gets the juices flowing from the rabid crowd. Cry Thunder got every one bouncing and singing and brought the main set to rousing finale though it did include a somewhat tedius and prolonged crowd sing along which all bands seem to do these day, before a three pronged encore after s short period off stage.
I've heard people decrying the Ring of Fire cover but I quite like it. Their signature song Through The Fire and the Flames ended proceedings at not far off 10 pm after nearly 2 hours on stage. Mind you they did waste 20 minutes with a medley of music to give Marc a rest no doubt but nearly 20 minutes of that was stretching it. oh and I should mention that the Electric Ballroom was absolutely rammed to the rafters front to back. Easily a 1000 in there if not more and a vast mix from young to really old haha. Dragonforce maybe be old news now but their popularity amongst metal heads is still something and Marc mentioned a couple of times that the band is as big as it's even been and thanked the fans for the huge turn out. Will I go again? If I said "nahhh" you'd call me a fucking liar anyway!!! :-)
Reaching Into Infinity
Ashes of the Dawn
Operation Ground and Pound
Judgement Day
Seasons
Curse of Darkness
Fury of the Storm
Guitar Solo / Drum Solo
(Fred on Guitar and Marc on… more )
Heart of a Dragon
The Edge of the World
Cry Thunder
Encore:
Valley of the Damned
Ring of Fire
(Merle Kilgore cover)
Through the Fire and Flames
First up were the PQ guys. They were awesome plain and simple. New Front man Ashley from Dendera fits like a glove. The melodic riffing and super happy memorable choruses go whirling round your head. I was quite close to the stage for PQ but I had a slight foot problem and retreated to the side for Dragonforce. Anyway I loved PQ. The couple of new songs sounded ace but the song of the night was final track Temple of Fire which was sung and played brilliantly. I'll be catching these guys on their own headline date in 2 weeks at the Underworld.
Finally at the earlier time of 8 sharp due to a Friday curfew, da 'Force hit the stage and the usual barrage of energetic notes started up and we were off and running with new track Ashes of the Dawn. Damn it sounded good and much ballsier and heavier than they've ever sounded. I guess that's what happens when you let the death metal guy in the band write most of the tunes. Anyway the band sounded dead on and are by now almost veterans at this game. They are still complete goofballs though and fuck around on stage like 10 year old let loose in a toy shop! The set list these days is very difficult but I guess there are some songs that they just have to play.
Marc Hudson sounded very good for the most part but he has a tendency to go full whine at times which can be a little grating but his voice is pretty much crystal clear and I don't think the ZP fanboys are missing him that much and have accepted Marc as the voice of the band. The stand out song of the night is epic newie The Edge of the World. A big departure for the band with it's mid paced epic feel and use of death growls and heavy parts. Obviously again written by bassist Fred who is responsible for most of the new album. Fury of the Storm is a manic melodic song that always gets the juices flowing from the rabid crowd. Cry Thunder got every one bouncing and singing and brought the main set to rousing finale though it did include a somewhat tedius and prolonged crowd sing along which all bands seem to do these day, before a three pronged encore after s short period off stage.
I've heard people decrying the Ring of Fire cover but I quite like it. Their signature song Through The Fire and the Flames ended proceedings at not far off 10 pm after nearly 2 hours on stage. Mind you they did waste 20 minutes with a medley of music to give Marc a rest no doubt but nearly 20 minutes of that was stretching it. oh and I should mention that the Electric Ballroom was absolutely rammed to the rafters front to back. Easily a 1000 in there if not more and a vast mix from young to really old haha. Dragonforce maybe be old news now but their popularity amongst metal heads is still something and Marc mentioned a couple of times that the band is as big as it's even been and thanked the fans for the huge turn out. Will I go again? If I said "nahhh" you'd call me a fucking liar anyway!!! :-)
Reaching Into Infinity
Ashes of the Dawn
Operation Ground and Pound
Judgement Day
Seasons
Curse of Darkness
Fury of the Storm
Guitar Solo / Drum Solo
(Fred on Guitar and Marc on… more )
Heart of a Dragon
The Edge of the World
Cry Thunder
Encore:
Valley of the Damned
Ring of Fire
(Merle Kilgore cover)
Through the Fire and Flames
Sunday, 1 October 2017
Cats in Space
First time seeing the Cats at the Borderline although they seem to be a bit of a fixture at the venue although they did have to cancel a gig due to one member having a dodgy ticker at the start of the tour. This was the last night of the tour and a triumphant end no doubt with a very decent turnout of over 200 with the Borderline pretty full.
First band was Kaato, a young looking bunch with one foot firmly in the 80s glam scene. The singer had a very high pitched voice that was on the sleazy side for my taste. A couple of their songs were pretty heavily riffed affairs and I quite enjoyed those. They they resorted more regular sleazeballs which were not exactly my cuppa. But they weren't actually that bad. I'm not sure they are really a suitable support for the more grown up Cats in Space fans though.
Anyway at 9pm the Cats took to the stage and sounded bloody great almost from the word go. I am not familiar with the band enough to know their names but they sounded like long in the tooth pros who had been doing the rock game for years. Lead singer sounded bloody great too with great vocal melodies. I am not so familiar with the first album and it's only with Scarecrow that I finally became a Cats fan so to speak. I do know Mr. heartache from the debut though and I must admit all the songs from the debut sounded as good if not better than the songs I know from Scarecrow.
The band sounded great no doubt and everyone was enjoying them and singing a long when they could. I love the energetic moments in certain songs like Timebomb and the epic title track Scarecrow. I get a Uriah Heep vibe from them at times. The keyboardist is a bit of a showman too though I couldn't see him too well from my vantage point. Special mention for the great harmony vocals provided by the bass player which were spot on. So there you have it. cats in Space are a great band and make effortless epic pop/rock music that anyone with a taste for classic melody can enjoy.
Don't miss them live if you get a chance.
Too Many Gods
Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Last Man Standing
Unfinished Symphony
September Rain
Scars
Timebomb
Scarecrow
Mr. Heartache
How Does It Feel?
(Slade cover)
Broken Wing
Encore:
The Greatest Story Never Told (inc. Andrew Stewart solo)
Five Minute Celebrity
First band was Kaato, a young looking bunch with one foot firmly in the 80s glam scene. The singer had a very high pitched voice that was on the sleazy side for my taste. A couple of their songs were pretty heavily riffed affairs and I quite enjoyed those. They they resorted more regular sleazeballs which were not exactly my cuppa. But they weren't actually that bad. I'm not sure they are really a suitable support for the more grown up Cats in Space fans though.
Anyway at 9pm the Cats took to the stage and sounded bloody great almost from the word go. I am not familiar with the band enough to know their names but they sounded like long in the tooth pros who had been doing the rock game for years. Lead singer sounded bloody great too with great vocal melodies. I am not so familiar with the first album and it's only with Scarecrow that I finally became a Cats fan so to speak. I do know Mr. heartache from the debut though and I must admit all the songs from the debut sounded as good if not better than the songs I know from Scarecrow.
The band sounded great no doubt and everyone was enjoying them and singing a long when they could. I love the energetic moments in certain songs like Timebomb and the epic title track Scarecrow. I get a Uriah Heep vibe from them at times. The keyboardist is a bit of a showman too though I couldn't see him too well from my vantage point. Special mention for the great harmony vocals provided by the bass player which were spot on. So there you have it. cats in Space are a great band and make effortless epic pop/rock music that anyone with a taste for classic melody can enjoy.
Don't miss them live if you get a chance.
Too Many Gods
Mad Hatter's Tea Party
Last Man Standing
Unfinished Symphony
September Rain
Scars
Timebomb
Scarecrow
Mr. Heartache
How Does It Feel?
(Slade cover)
Broken Wing
Encore:
The Greatest Story Never Told (inc. Andrew Stewart solo)
Five Minute Celebrity
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