The second day of the two-day event at Temple featured three very good and interesting bands from the wider hard/heavy scene that gave 100% of themselves on stage, satisfying the crowd that was at the club on Saturday night. Let’s take a closer look at them…
First to take the stage was Part of the Theory (P.O.T.T.), a relatively new band that I hadn’t had the chance to see before. With a completely theatrical atmosphere and an excellent frontwoman who effortlessly “caught” every demanding note, P.O.T.T. rightfully earned the applause of the crowd. Judging from the comments and the overall reactions, the general feedback was absolutely positive since the prog aesthetic – not so much in the music but in the general attitude – was ideally married with the well-crafted show, giving you the impression that you are watching a musical performance with many references to modern and symphonic metal. A very special band who used several pre-recordings for the needs of the show which is worth checking out.
Next up was Passengers in Panic (excellent choice of name if you ask me), a band that from the very first notes and first few minutes on stage showed that they had come with a clear intention not to…take prisoners on their path. And I gotta say that they more than succeeded on that goal of theirs. The traditional metal with several folk and Maiden references was perfectly rendered on stage as all four guys had rehearsed their songs perfectly well. A massive and solid rhythm section, a very good guitarist and a charismatic frontwoman make up the structure of Passengers in Panic which I think would benefit even more from the addition of a second guitarist since every song gave me the impression that…it was crying out for a twin-guitar assault. Either way, positive mark here too…
With the schedule being followed almost to the letter and a quarter past 11:00, the headliners of the night, Crimson Fire, took the stage. With the sounds of the pop anthem “Mad Desire” (Den Harrow) blasting out of the Temple’s speakers, Crimson Fire made their entrance to a general apotheosis from the fans, choosing “Judas” as their first track. As expected, the set was based on their latest album, the very good “Another Dimension” without missing to include references to “Metal is Back” and “Fireborn” of course. In fact, the title track from the debut album was the one where it wend down in a storm and the crowd loved it. Personally, however, I think that the tracks of “Another Dimension” were perfectly performed and I dare to say they sounded even better than their respective studio versions since Crimson Fire is now a completely “tight” and impressive band on stage. The guys closed with a cover of “And the Bands Played On” (Saxon) closing 2023 in the same way and in the same place as they started in the beginning of 2023. We wholeheartedly wish them good luck on their upcoming European tour and we are, of course, looking forward to their new record which all signs indicate that it will be even better than “Another Dimension”.
In closing, I would like to give a “thumbs up” to all six bands that performed on Temple stage these two days. Their task is difficult and we should as much as we can support their efforts.
Sakis Nikas
