The second big concert in January, for me, was Reflection. A long-time favorite band of mine, it was a great pleasure to see them again after many years on the occasion of the presentation of their new album, “The Battles I Have Won.” They were joined by the equally beloved Doomocracy and the “new” addition to the lineup, Venus.
Despite the bitter cold, over 300 people turned up to see the three bands on Sunday night. The schedule was adhered to with British punctuality, and we were inside the venue by 7:30 p.m. After a quick investment in merchandise, we settled in with the crowd and waited for the night to begin.
Venus were the first to take the stage, and I was delighted to see that many people had come early to see them and knew their songs. Their technical thrash metal may not be one of my favorite genres of music, but I took my hat off to them because, despite being relatively new, with an EP in 2022 and a full album in 2023, “Obscured Until Observed,” they were flawless on stage.
During their set, they played two tracks from their EP, three from their debut album, and a new track, “Zero One,” from their upcoming release. With their sound as their ally, they earned the audience’s applause.
Next up were Doomocracy, one of the most acclaimed and longest-running Greek bands in the doom metal scene. With three excellent albums under their belt, I can say that they left no room for misinterpretation.
Their doom is devastating and of European standards. Technical compositions, with many atmospheric moments and the necessary bursts of energy where needed to keep us alert. Their latest album, “Unorthodox,” may already be four years old, but start your engines, gentlemen, because it still sounds so fresh and powerful.
Awesome guitars and an excellent Michalis Stavrakakis. If I’m not mistaken, I haven’t seen them since 2023, and their absence was starting to be felt. I know Crete isn’t exactly next door, but come visit us more often, guys!
But, it was time for battle. Reflection is a cult band. They have fanatical fans, but this love is reciprocated by the band towards the audience. After all, the banter from below the stage to above and vice versa showed no sign of stopping.
The live show may have been for the presentation of their new album, but it was impossible to leave out the great moments from the past. So we heard almost the entirety of “Battles,” with the highlights being the opening song of the concert, “March Of The Argonauts,” “Once Again,” and “Lady In The Water,” with the rest not far behind.
However, epics such as “Fire,” “When Shadows Fall,” and “When Immortals Die” could not be left out. The audience was enthusiastic throughout the set. This is understandable, since many of us grew up with these songs. Reflection may not have had a huge international career, but their steel is unbreakable.
During their 90 minutes on stage, they made us feel pain with their music, but at the same time they made us laugh and cry. For me, bands like Reflection are like that friend you haven’t seen for a year, but when you finally meet, it’s like no time has passed.
We won’t have to wait a year to see them again, as they will also be playing at this year’s Up The Hammers, and they have promised us more performances. We may have had to work the next day, except for Tokas, who had taken a day off, but it was worth staying up late for a favorite band.
Michael Ntalakos
