Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 11:55 AM by Giorgos Tsekas
The truth is that you can never be certain for many things in life. This rule, however, does not apply for what’s about to unfold in a Manilla Road gig. When you know for a long time that a band so important with so much history on its back and such a large wish to perform for and meet its fan base comes to your city for a concert, you pretty much get the feeling for what’s about to happen and the experiences you’re going to gather will stay with you for the rest of your life. At Thursday the 26th of May Manilla Road (their fame precedes them), Convixion from Athens and Murder Angels from Larisa gave us a hell of a night full of Heavy Metal, goofy smiles and of course (you all know what was coming) loads of drinking.
The night began with Murder Angels from Larisa as the first opening act. One of the recent and most up and coming bands of the Greek Heavy Metal scene, as they proceed with steady steps forward. They’re mostly on Heavy/Speed paths combining effectively melody on the guitars and classic/traditional 80’s Heavy Metal forms with some finishing touches of Thrash Metal. Pretty satisfying both musically and in terms of performance that flourished through their own stage equipment which certainly left its mark. The sound quality was perfect for the most part with an exception of one or two times when the vocals seemed kind of lost in the mix. I would also like to point out that it’s usually difficult for the opening acts, especially the first one, to warm up the few people that are in the club. This wasn’t the case at the time. When Murder Angels played there where many people inside that seemed really pleased with the performance and gave them their round of applause. Their set included: Fire And Axe, Black Lightning, Haunted By Darkness, Left Behind, Ways Of Sin, Wolfheart, Bleed For The Godz (Agent Steel)
Murder Angels:
Convixion and “Heavy Metal god damn it!” was the next course. Truth be told, there aren’t many things about Convixion that someone could say. They’re one of the few bands that can turn a sparkle into a flame in no time. They managed to lift the audience’s, that started to fill the club, spirit and in the most part they all sang along. Convixion’s shows don’t rely only on them being executively correct or having a great sound on stage (they were perfect on both), but also on this unique vibe that the Heavy Metal way of life isn’t just a depiction of our reality, but so much more. They managed to transcend that from the heart and it was breathtaking. Their set included: Fist of Agony, Spiral into Oblivion, Made of Steel, Wings of Vengeance, Morbid Encounter, In Days of Rage and Nights of Wrath, A Matter of Faith, Black Magic Night, Into the Crypts of Rays (Celtic Frost Cover), Avenger, Drink Metal, Violence and Force (Exciter Cover).
Convixion:
The magnificent Manilla Road returned to our city after a long period of 14 years to tear our brains up. Since the first moment they set foot on stage they gave their absolute best. In comparison with many bands of their time they weren’t characterized by this classic frozenness of “Hey! That’s that. See y’all later!”. On the contrary they had excellent communication with the audience, shared experiences, had a laugh and drank a handful of shots. They were restless through their whole set (an epic perfection of almost 2 hours) and with their one of a kind humbleness and kindness thanked us many times for the love we gave them. Countless stage dives and moshpits are the proof. The sound was generally good with an exception of Shelton’s displaced guitar cable on the chaotic atmosphere of “Necropolis”. At this point I’d like to add that Manilla Road’s majesty surfaces their onstage presence. To my surprise, I noticed that the whole time Murder Angels and Convixion performed, they were a part of the audience and watched the live as if they were simple viewers having fun, taking photos and commenting on the bands just like us. Just like regular people do. In conclusion they were splendid on every aspect. Even when the time will pass, even if someone thinks they’re at their end and as much hate some choose to give them, Manilla Road are huge. They also sat at the after show and chatted with all the fans that approached them. Their set included: Flaming Metal Systems, Road of Kings, Divine Victim, Open The Gates, Truth In The Ash, Mystification, Masque of the Red Death, Death By The Hammer, Hammer of The Witches, Witches Brew, Reign of Dreams, Luxiferia’s Light, The Ninth Wave, Queen of The Black Coast, The Riddle Master, Cage of Mirrors, Necropolis, Crystal Logic, Up From The Crypt.
-Were they perfect, mr. Panos? -The definition of it, miss.
(Take a rain check on the set list. I think I drank far too many beers.)
Manilla Road:
