Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 05:30 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Nietzsche once wrote about chaos, chaos that leads to success, to shining, to the revelation of each one’s distinct uniqueness. I am not going to talk about this chaos here, neither about the chaos that has prevailed in this poor land, in which we are all trying to retain our dignity by all means (everything else has vanished…), in a society that breeds sad examples, insecurity, economical and social inequality and individual and social slavery. Here I am going to speak about the pure, all black epic metal chaos of CirithUngol, the epics of which took gigantic shape, in flesh and bone in front of my eyes. Gagarin that Saturday night was the purgatory of hundreds of souls that for many years were trying to be purified in the burning fire of epic metal’s lords.
In a packed venue the technicians are working hard to deliver the stage properly to the headliners. The skeletons that are facing each other in a bowing position are looming over us and the eyes in the crowd are shining in anticipation. The lights are lowered, smoke are filling the space in a mystic way and the first 40 seconds of “War Eternal” are serving as intro while the members of the band are taking their places. CirithUngol declare that they are here and that they still have life and power in them with “I’m Alive” among cheers and reactions of worship from a crowd in ecstasy. The voice of the king of the dead sounds in my ears with the same volume and chills as I first heard it from the record.The band is standing strong, professionally on stage honouring their history and fans. They shout “Join The Legion” at us, but it has been years since we have joined the legions of chaos. We were waiting so many years to see “Atom Smasher”, Edge Of A Knife”, Blood And Iron”, “Black Machine” and “Frost And Fire” live. With “Finger Of Scorn” the thrill peaked and it was then that we realized that all this is really happening. The venue surrendered completely into chaos with “Chaos Descends”. Stagediving, headbanging, fists thrown in the air, tears and countless smiles could be seen wherever you would turn your eyes. Even the band can’t conceive the size of the energy they receive from the crowd. “Doomed Planet” followed and then the unbelievable Paradise Lost trilogy (Chaos Rising, Fallen Idols and Paradise Lost). The first song in the encore was “Master Of The Pit” in which it was the first moment that I felt something is missing. The absence of Michael “Flint” Vujejia in the bass and Jerry Fogle (R.I.P.) in guitar was vivid. As much as the band was well rehearsed (and they damn were), it seems that some parts need the necessary fingers to melt us down. After “King Of The Dead” and “Cirith Ungol” the ceremony is completed with the best possible way as band and crowd were giving their all. All eyes on and off stage were shining from enjoyment and pleasure. There was a second encore with the repeat of “Black Machine”, but that was not enough. The legendary band vowed to its fans and left triumphantly while being applauded.
Justice was done for this band even after almost 30 years. The obvious injustice, the efforts that were never returned, the lost dreams and the scorn of an audience that was never able to conceive the greatness of their music seem like a bad dream. The reception of their greatness live from people that were raised in the inner core of hard music with their songs was a remedy for their soul.
Having a flawless sound in their side and exceptional lighting (congratulations to the people who were in charge for that), the Up The Hammers organization carried the difficult task out to give to the fans of the group the ultimate heavy metal experience. In their turn mister Tim Baker, Robert Garven, Jim Barazza, Greg Lindstrom and Jarvis Leatherby rose to the occasion and gave us moments that will be remembered for many years to come. This performance is at the same time one of the most important concerts that was ever made in Greece.
