The underground heavy metal scene in Greece seems to be more vibrant than ever nowadays as lots of new bands make their appearance on the musical front proving that they have absolutely incorporated the elements of the glorious 80s. Heavy Metal Thunder is really a mini festival that gathers some of the best up and coming outfits. Its third volume took place at Modu club and let’s see what the promoters had in store for us…
Fyrecross is a relatively new band that started in late 2013. So far they have released an EP from which the majority of the set list was based on. They were the first to hit the stage and their early NWOBHM sound with the unavoidable Maiden influence was the ideal warm-up for the few fans that were in the club at that time. The 45-minute set was comprised of songs from the EP, unreleased stuff and a cover version of Virtue’s “We Stand To Fight”. Fyrecross is a band to be reckoned with and you should definitely check them out…
Bandemonic traveled all the way from Ioannina City and they left us all under the best impression! Well-rehearsed and with an arsenal of beautifully crafted compositions, they guys showed that they have worked really hard in the last 3-4 years. Naturally, the selection of the songs were out of the band’s sole full length album “Fires of Redemption” that was released in 2014. “Martyr”, “Burn The Witch”, “The Seeker” and Guardiand of Time” were highlights of an immaculate performance by Bandemonic. The fans of traditional heavy metal (and why not occult heavy rock) should definitely take notice of them…
The headliner of the evening was non other than Erase; an experienced band that has never let me down throughout the years! Truth be told here…I was really anxious and curious to see them with their new singer Tasos Lazaris as the songs from Erase’s excellent EP had the stamp of the band’s previous singer George Stavropoulos. Luckily, Tasos did a fabulous job behind the mic and I am sure that in time he will gain more self-confidence on stage. Erase chose songs from the 2014 EP and their demo that was issued in 2011 (especially “Metal Force” went down extremely well) while they also played the new song “Easy Riders” cued from the split 7’’ single that was released a few weeks ago. The absolute highlight of the evening –for me personally, at least- was the song “New World Order” a forerunner of the things to come for Erase…an excellent heavy metal dynamite that will be available next year with the band’s new album.
All in all, this was definitely a heavy metal night to remember. In this difficult time, we all need this kind of events but at the same time we all should support the underground heavy metal scene. There are some great bands in the rising that should not pass unnoticed!
Sakis Nikas
