|
If its
walls could speak, I’m sure they’d have several tales of Metal debauchery to
tell. I am in fact told that over the years, the Boston Arms Music Rooms have
hosted gigs by the like of D.R.I., Paradise Lost, Godflesh and Cradle Of Filth.
Anyway
tonight the venue hosts Serenity, supported by Visions of Atlantis and
Souldrinker. As the audience trickles in, the main demographics roughly seem to
be female fans and middle-aged male fans. I found the latter more surprising.
Hey, there might be some pedantic statisticians amongst you readers…..I have to
think of their needs too!
As for
the rest of you, here’s how it all went…..
Souldrinker
(www.souldrinker.org)
It’s
funny how events sometimes take an entirely unexpected path. Case in point was
my plan to immerse myself into the performance of German band Souldrinker. As
the band finished its soundcheck, I noticed they were struggling to find a place
to position their camcorder. Instinctively I offered to help out and was
subsequently promoted to the role of official cameraman (truth be told I’ve just
invented that title). This might explain the absence of Souldrinker live photos
with this review.
But what
of the band’s performance? Well, unlike Serenity and Visions Of Atlantis,
Souldrinker’s sound has a Classic Metal vibe to it. It’s sort of the Metal
equivalent of a barrel of whisky whose aged texture enhances its taste and warms
your soul (pun intended!). Harsh male vocals, blistering guitar solos (courtesy
of Mystic Prophecy’s Markus Pohl) and some nifty double-bass pedal drumming
ensured the audience’s attention. But it was the voice of frontwoman Iris Boanta,
who also sings in The Mystery, that dominated the songs and the band’s show.
As if to
emphasise from where their music was coming (as well as saluting the country
they were performing in), Souldrinker ended their set with a cover of Judas
Priest’s ‘Nightcrawler’. All in all, quite an enjoyable performance.
Set-list:
The Rising Tide (Intro)
Burn The Pact
Damn The Machine
To All That Is Lost
Weep
Sixteen Men Of Tain
Nightcrawler
RATING: 84/100
Visions Of Atlantis
(
www.facebook.com/visionsofatlantisofficial
)
Tonight
was doubtlessly a special one for Visions Of Atlantis, being the day the band
officially releases their new album “Ethera” on which most of the set was
understandably focused. Surprisingly enough, the songs from this new album
translated quite well to a live scenario.
From a
fan/audience point of view, line-ups have become a confusing matter with this
Austrian band – Greek (male) vocalist Babis Nikou is filling in for regular
vocalist Mario Plank for this tour but I’m not sure I recognised the guy behind
the drum kit. Moreover, samples were used instead of a flesh and blood bass
guitarist. In a way you have to admire the band’s determination to soldier on
whenever a member becomes unavailable.
Babis
proved to have a great voice and was a positive asset for the band during the
gig. Maxi Nil, Babis’ female counterpart, didn’t waste any opportunity to
involve the audience and bring the venue alive.
From the
set-list that reproposed the band’s fast-expanding back catalogue, I felt that
the more uptempo numbers seemed to work best. As often happens with any live
gig, the second half of VOA’s set was tighter and more spot-on, apart from some
minor mistakes from guitarist Chris Tian. Definitely worth checking out if they
come to a venue near you.
Set-list:
Intro + The Ark
New Dawn
Memento
Vicious Circle
Avatara
Seven Seas
Hypnotized
Burden Of Divinity
Machinage
Elegy Of Existence
At The Back Of Beyond
Passing Dead End
RATING:
84/100
Serenity
(
http://www.serenity-band.com
)
I’d
already known that Serenity were a decent Melodic Power Metal band but tonight
they simply blew me away. Like Visions Of Atlantis before them, the members
appeared very young but they had the audience in their grips like seasoned pros
do.
Also
Serenity have a brand new album to showcase and it’s called “War Of Ages”, which
a good part of the audience already seemed familiar with. Judging from how
‘Heavenly Mission’ and ‘The Chevalier’ were received, “Death & Legacy” of 2011
seems to be the fans’ favourite Serenity album right now even though I believe
“War Of Ages” has the potential to widen the band’s appeal.
Some
humourous banter between the audience and male vocalist Georg Neuhauser was
priceless in building a strong band/audience rapport. There wasn’t really
anything negative I can say about Serenity’s performance but the climax seemed
to be when the song ‘Fairytales’ came on. That was when the audience literally
took over and sang the lyrics in unison while an emotional Georg struggled to
keep back his tears. Anyone still wondering why the band recently recruited
vocalist Clementine Delauney to share lead vocal duties, had their answer when
she sang her verses in ‘Fairytales’. As far as Georg is concerned, tonight’s
performance proved that he’s one of the best singers around in this music genre.
I’m a fan
of Metal in all its forms, even Death Metal, Grindcore and Black Metal finds its
way into my MP3 player. And yet, despite their mainstream appeal, I have to
concede that Serenity are currently top of their genre.
Set-list:
Age Of Glory
Far From Home
Coldness Kills
The Matricide
For Freedom’s Sake
Rust Of Coming Ages
When Canvas Starts To Burn
Reduced To Nothingness
Heavenly Mission
Forever
Fairytales
Wings Of Madness
The Chevalier
Engraved Within
Velatum
Serenade Of Flames
RATING: 98/100
Attending:
Chris Galea |
