Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 07:34 PM by Lilliana Tseka
This night’s menu consisted of death/black bands, exclusively from the Greek scene, with Varathron, the legendary band from Iwannina as headliners. Now that’s some serious s**t…..
Let’s head straight to the first band, Deacidified from Karditsa with their in-your-face, brutal death metal style. The band is very active lately, taking part in a number of live gigs. They are quite bond with each other, literally – as three of its members are brothers and metaphorically regarding their stage appearance. Deacidified performed all its songs vigorously and decisively, kicking the gig off with a blast. We are looking forward to their first full-length studio work and we are pretty sure that we’ll keep writing about them in the future.
The next band was The Unconfessed from Larisa, which, unless I’m terribly wrong, gave their first ever live performance. With their material being unreleased yet, you can guess that this was uncharted territory. The first thing that attracted our attention was the twin vocalists, raising the total number of the band members at six. The stage was full for sure. We can also distinguish two familiar faces, those of the drummer and the guitarist, who are members of Murder Angels as well. Their status is purely cult, playing primal black metal –no blastbeats, no keys, no female vocals etc… Thrash and punk elements were often evident, no surprise there, since those were evident in the 80’s black metal scene as well. A hint of death metal was added by the second vocalist. The band seems to have worthy songwriting abilities and was fully charged onstage, assisted by its numerous endorsers. We’ll most certainly come across ‘em again in the near future and we’re expecting some kind of release from them (demo,ep…). Yet another very promising band.
Soulskinner from Athens hit the stage next. The band is around for fifteen years more or less and in its ranks we find Gothmog and Bill Zombolas, both members of Thou Art Lord. Having released the solid “Crypts of Ancient Wisdom” last year, the band showcases a number of live shows recently, stating that they are in a very creative hiatus. Their sound made quite an impression to me, as I found interesting the amalgamation of Swedish first wave death metal and Mediterranean black metal. Quite interesting. More interesting imo than the American brutal death metal style displayed in “Non Stop Killing”. The sound differences between these two albums were apparent on stage. Their performance was flawless, bringing a chaotic set, filled with tension and verve. The drumming was tremendous, all the stringwork was tight, Gothmog stood barbaric. Very good performance, met with our expectations.
So, time had come for the historic band Varathron to get on stage. A few days before their shows in Poland with Rotting Christ, Necroabyssious’ band proved that, just like Soulskinner, is currently on fire. I must admit that I’m not a big fan of the band. Their music just did not light that spark that should have. However, after this show I must admit that these guys definitely know the true meaning of a show! Their stage act was full of theatrical and symbolic elements, mainly demonstrated by their frontman, who brought the songs to life with his serpentual voice and his symbolic moves. The band’s stage show seemed to be premeditated to the last detail, the song placement, the movement, the lights…all part of an unholy ceremony, the practice of which has been forged by the centuries. The tracks, both from the past and the present of the band, harmonically succeeding one another, proved the continuity of the Mediterranean black metal scene, which Varathron founded with the other Great Ones. All in all, Varathron gave a unique performance, which I surely hope to witness again as soon as possible. I would surely recommend that you do so as well.
Closing, we feel obliged to pay respect to Thomas for bringing together this live gig. This is what underground is all about, with abundant merchandise, with new bands, with a cult overall status. Till next time……Support!!!
