The Illusory, Erase and Achelous concert was the best way to spend a rainy Sunday night.
The strongest motive was the debut concert for Achelous, a promising new band featuring Chris Kappas (ex Reflection) on vocals. Their start was a bit nervous but that quickly changed since there were a lot of people present to cheer for them. The setlist included only original songs and no covers and I have to admit that this was a courageous and respected move, showing that the band has strong faith in its own material. The sound was great and the band was tight, leaving the impression that this wasn’t a stage debut!
Erase on the other hand are stage veterans, with numerous concerts under their belts. They kicked off with a cover of the legendary Rust tune Shoot ‘em Higher and proceeded with their own classic heavy metal material. The great sound was definitely an ally and time flew.
This was my first contact with Illusory (ex The Ivory Tower). The sextet filled almost every inch of the narrow Remedy stage leaving but a little room for movement but that didn’t seem to bother the band. Illusory delivers nostalgic melodic progressive power metal very reminiscent of the (German in their majority) bands of the Music is Intelligence (or else WMMS) roster back in the mid 90s. A pleasant surprise.
The night came to a close leaving a nice feeling. Without troubles or unpleasant surprises and with bands who know how to put out a good show. Plus soundwise, everything was great.
Kostas Kounadinis
Photos: Helena Michailidou
