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 Firewind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Firewind. Show all posts
Monday, 20 February 2017
Saturday, 8 January 2011
Firewind @ the Garage
Pretty soon into 2011 and one of my favourite power metal bands were in town to kick off the new year in style. Before the all conquering power metal geniuses known as Firewind blew us all away, we had two support bands to get through. Namely Breed 77 and Primitai. Actually Primitai who are a local band were not listed as being part of the show. I guess they are one of those local warm up add ons that aren't listed for some reason.
Anyway I missed the start of their set but caught about 4 or 5 songs in the end to get the picture. The band is merely ok in my book. They are not a horrible screamo band or a metalcore band thankfully. They are a modern heavy metal band with influences ranging from say Maiden to Pantera to some heavier power metal bands. The singer's voice is ok but he didn't have any great charisma about him or any really catchy melodies of note. The guitarist's are no slouches though and they played well. They finished at 8pm and got some "Primitai! Primitai!" chants from a few kids and quite a few headbangers.
Soon the stage was ready for Breed 77 - that's Breed Seven Seven and not Breed Seventy Seven by the way! They are a London based melodic modern cum nu-metal band from Spanish descent. They are basically like the UK's answer to Ill Nino or something along those lines. These guys have been around quite a long time in and around the London scene but I've never seen them not being a nu-metal fan but someone had obviously seen it fit to book them as support to a full on power metal band so here we are.
The sound was immediately much better for them than it was for Primitai which was a plus point. Their songs were built around jerky and melodic mid paced riffing with sometimes crooning vocals and other times Panteraesque screams. In fact to sum up the band they were like a more melodic Pantera with Spanish Flamenco influence with nice lurching grooves. The punters were sort of lukewarm to them. Some were totally getting it and headbanging and moshing furiously but the older power metal loving throngs were like yeah yeah get this nu-metal crap off.
I was sort of in-between to be honest. I thought they were quite good and had some tasty riffage which a power metal fan could enjoy but then they had the jump da fuck up nu-metal posturing to go with it which was like ok that's not good at a power metal gig is it lads! Anyway Breed 77 were in my eyes not too bad at all and their cover of the Cranberries Zombie was immensely fun and heavy actually and perhaps the most enjoyable song of their set. They played nearly and hour which is quite good for a support slot.
Finally at around 9.30 or just before the intro to Firewind's set started and the Greeks took to the stage fully revved up and raring to go. As you may know Bob plays both guitar and keyboards whilst on stage and he'd probably have you believe that he plays them at the same time but that's pushing it but on many occasions he has guitar hanging from his neck whilst tinkling the keyboards and switching quickly back and forth which is quite fun to watch. Gus G was wearing his privateer looking tunic or jacket as they burst into the opening cut from the new album, The Ark of Lies. Apollo ran on and he had much longer hair and looked much more metal than in the older days shall we say. They have a new drummer since the bald guy quit but good power metal drummers are probably ten a penny so no one really noticed the difference probably.
Appollo sounded in fine voice as second song Head Up High started up and it's familiar catchy chorus soon had the very healthy Friday night crowd bellowing along. I don't know what happened to the air conditioning in the Garage but that floor was wet and steamy last night from all the sweaty headbangers and song after incessant song of power metal bliss only made matters more steamy still. The new single World on fire was played ferociously by the band and sounded much better and heavier live than it did on record. Amazing performance on that one.
There was a slight lull shortly into the set were we had the all instrumental the Fire and The Fury followed by drum solos and Gus's guitar solo and basically no vocals for about 10 minutes or which I must say was a bit much. Is it possible to go to a gig and not have a drum solo please? It's fucking BORING!
Finally that useless skin bashing was over and we got back to the songs and what songs they offered up for the punters. The infectious Apollo vocal melodies were bursting out here there and everywhere song after song. I loved the new track Chariot - a pure highlight of the set. My Loneliness which followed slowed things down a touch but was nevertheless absolutely perfectly sung and played. Easily one of the best songs of the night as was Mercenary Man which followed.
Towards the end of the set we had the dance hit Maniac given the Firewind treatment which got the punters er flash dancing is it? Well anyway it was fun. At one point whoever was on the stage smoke generator got carried away a bit as well as the whole floor was swamped with smoke and you could barely see your next door neighbour never mind the stage. Bizarre! Tyranny was the last song of the main set and was greeted rapturously and played mightily fast by the guys.
They left but of course the encore was still to come. Firstly it was Into the Fire which is not a huge fave of mine but the following track is the ultimate Firewind song that I'd been waiting all night for and that's I am The Anger which was shredded from beginning till end and sung powerfully as always by Apollo. Finally at just gone 11pm they finished with one of their more melodic and less speedy hits Falling into Pieces which was a nice way to end.
I've seen Firewind 3 or 4 times now and they never disappoint in the live setting. Mind you when you have so many cool tunes how can it possibly go wrong eh? They played around 90 minutes and on a Friday night that's a great way to start the weekend and on the plus side the rain had stopped and it was actually mild outside! Bring on the weekend!
Anyway I missed the start of their set but caught about 4 or 5 songs in the end to get the picture. The band is merely ok in my book. They are not a horrible screamo band or a metalcore band thankfully. They are a modern heavy metal band with influences ranging from say Maiden to Pantera to some heavier power metal bands. The singer's voice is ok but he didn't have any great charisma about him or any really catchy melodies of note. The guitarist's are no slouches though and they played well. They finished at 8pm and got some "Primitai! Primitai!" chants from a few kids and quite a few headbangers.
Soon the stage was ready for Breed 77 - that's Breed Seven Seven and not Breed Seventy Seven by the way! They are a London based melodic modern cum nu-metal band from Spanish descent. They are basically like the UK's answer to Ill Nino or something along those lines. These guys have been around quite a long time in and around the London scene but I've never seen them not being a nu-metal fan but someone had obviously seen it fit to book them as support to a full on power metal band so here we are.
The sound was immediately much better for them than it was for Primitai which was a plus point. Their songs were built around jerky and melodic mid paced riffing with sometimes crooning vocals and other times Panteraesque screams. In fact to sum up the band they were like a more melodic Pantera with Spanish Flamenco influence with nice lurching grooves. The punters were sort of lukewarm to them. Some were totally getting it and headbanging and moshing furiously but the older power metal loving throngs were like yeah yeah get this nu-metal crap off.
I was sort of in-between to be honest. I thought they were quite good and had some tasty riffage which a power metal fan could enjoy but then they had the jump da fuck up nu-metal posturing to go with it which was like ok that's not good at a power metal gig is it lads! Anyway Breed 77 were in my eyes not too bad at all and their cover of the Cranberries Zombie was immensely fun and heavy actually and perhaps the most enjoyable song of their set. They played nearly and hour which is quite good for a support slot.
Finally at around 9.30 or just before the intro to Firewind's set started and the Greeks took to the stage fully revved up and raring to go. As you may know Bob plays both guitar and keyboards whilst on stage and he'd probably have you believe that he plays them at the same time but that's pushing it but on many occasions he has guitar hanging from his neck whilst tinkling the keyboards and switching quickly back and forth which is quite fun to watch. Gus G was wearing his privateer looking tunic or jacket as they burst into the opening cut from the new album, The Ark of Lies. Apollo ran on and he had much longer hair and looked much more metal than in the older days shall we say. They have a new drummer since the bald guy quit but good power metal drummers are probably ten a penny so no one really noticed the difference probably.
Appollo sounded in fine voice as second song Head Up High started up and it's familiar catchy chorus soon had the very healthy Friday night crowd bellowing along. I don't know what happened to the air conditioning in the Garage but that floor was wet and steamy last night from all the sweaty headbangers and song after incessant song of power metal bliss only made matters more steamy still. The new single World on fire was played ferociously by the band and sounded much better and heavier live than it did on record. Amazing performance on that one.
There was a slight lull shortly into the set were we had the all instrumental the Fire and The Fury followed by drum solos and Gus's guitar solo and basically no vocals for about 10 minutes or which I must say was a bit much. Is it possible to go to a gig and not have a drum solo please? It's fucking BORING!
Finally that useless skin bashing was over and we got back to the songs and what songs they offered up for the punters. The infectious Apollo vocal melodies were bursting out here there and everywhere song after song. I loved the new track Chariot - a pure highlight of the set. My Loneliness which followed slowed things down a touch but was nevertheless absolutely perfectly sung and played. Easily one of the best songs of the night as was Mercenary Man which followed.
Towards the end of the set we had the dance hit Maniac given the Firewind treatment which got the punters er flash dancing is it? Well anyway it was fun. At one point whoever was on the stage smoke generator got carried away a bit as well as the whole floor was swamped with smoke and you could barely see your next door neighbour never mind the stage. Bizarre! Tyranny was the last song of the main set and was greeted rapturously and played mightily fast by the guys.
They left but of course the encore was still to come. Firstly it was Into the Fire which is not a huge fave of mine but the following track is the ultimate Firewind song that I'd been waiting all night for and that's I am The Anger which was shredded from beginning till end and sung powerfully as always by Apollo. Finally at just gone 11pm they finished with one of their more melodic and less speedy hits Falling into Pieces which was a nice way to end.
I've seen Firewind 3 or 4 times now and they never disappoint in the live setting. Mind you when you have so many cool tunes how can it possibly go wrong eh? They played around 90 minutes and on a Friday night that's a great way to start the weekend and on the plus side the rain had stopped and it was actually mild outside! Bring on the weekend!
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