Last metal day for this year’s Release Athens, which was the most extreme of the rest. With two bands that visit us very often (Amon Amarth, Kreator), one that hasn’t been here since 2011 (Heaven Shall Burn) and one that made its debut appearance in our country (Bleed From Within). A very strong line-up that foreshadowed that we were in for a good time. And indeed it did.
Opening with metalcore and Bleed From Within from Scotland. Due to family problems we enjoyed them without their bassist which didn’t seem to affect the performance of the band that came to give their best. Under the hot sun the mosh pits started with tracks like “Pathfinder” and “Levitate” with its ultra catchy chorus. The response from the crowd was beyond great and the frontman’s energy and his constant contact with it certainly played a role, especially since he even got down and sang standing up in the pit. Their performance may have only been half an hour, but it certainly whetted our appetite to get to know them better through their releases and also hopefully a future headline visit.
Setlist: Stand Down, Pathfinder, Levitate, Killing Time, I Am Damnation, The End of All We Know
Nick Drakos
Still trying to recover from Scott Kennedy’s incredible Scottish accent, I waited patiently for my favorite Heaven Shall Burn. And I can say that the band from Germany made up for all of us who have been waiting for so many years to see them live again, having released a series of excellent albums in the meantime. The only bad thing was the sound. Mediocre at first, it got a bit better afterwards but still wasn’t up to the best standards. But the band and their fans didn’t seem to be discouraged. A great performance that had the ultimate star in Marcus Bischoff. The lead singer of the band with his recently acquired long hair was a beast. Having seen several official live videos from their past, I noticed that his voice often “cracked”. But here it was not so. For an hour his growls were excellent, and so were his movements and energy on stage. With a setlist that managed to fit in some of their greatest songs, Heaven Shall Burn had us screaming, motivated the crowd to open the first big circle pits (like on the insurmountable “Voice Of The Voiceless”) and made me think about what would happen if they played like this at their own show in an indoor venue. I hope to have that question solved soon. Closing with the anthem “Endzeit” was just what we all needed to shout “we are the final resistance” as loud as possible. Simply excellent.
Setlist: Hunters Will Be Hunted, Bring The War Home, Counterweight, Übermacht, Voice Of The Voiceless, The Weapon They Fear, Behind A Wall Of Silence, Protector, Black Tears (Edge Of Sanity), Endzeit
For the next two bands that followed, in my mind there was one common denominator. I’ve been listening to them since my early days in the wondrous world of metal, I love them, I’ve seen them five times each, but with their last two releases having disappointed me (with few exceptions), I was left wondering whether I would enjoy them. The German thrash legends took that wonderment and put it through a wood chipper. Predictably opening with “Hate Über Alles” and followed up with the titanic “People Of The Lie”, one of the best in their history, which found me screaming at the top of my lungs. The streak continued with an assault from the early days (“Betrayer”, “Phobia”), their old-school fans sailing on a sea of happiness and the band on stage reaping the rewards. The sound was amazing and their performance was seminar worthy. There were six impaled dummies on stage, two in the front and four in the back, and in the center and behind the drum kit of the beast Ventor a big figure of Violent Mind, the band’s mascot. Their show was complemented by fires, smoke as well as excellent lights. The setlist had a few weak moments (for my taste), but mostly it was shaped to make people not stop the circle pits while we saw wall of death and crowdsurfing. We didn’t hear anything we didn’t expect but such was the rage and fury of Kreator that it doesn’t matter. You can never write off a band of their size. A leading performance with the only dark spot being the echo that occasionally crept into Mille Petrozza’s voice.
Setlist: Hate Über Alles, People Of The Lie, Enemy Of God, Betrayer, Phobia, Satan Is Real, Hordes Of Chaos, Hail To The Hordes, 666-World Divided, Phantom Antichrist, Strongest Of The Strong, Extreme Aggression, Terrible Certainty, Endless Pain, Violent Revolution, Flag Of Hate, Pleasure To Kill
The wait for Amon Amarth was long, probably in order to prepare the well-known sets that they were going to present to us. They came out amidst a standing ovation with “Guardians Of Asgaard”, immediately making the audience erupt in war cries. Two large Viking figures stood left and right of the stage while the drum kit of the amazing Jocke Wallgren was set up on a Viking helmet, whose eyes changed images depending on the song. The setlist was based on newer and more classic songs, with the crowd of course participating more in their more familiar and concert anthems. In fact, when you choose to play the epics “Death In Fire” and “The Pursuit Of Vikings” so early on, which were always saved for last, it shows how much faith you have in your material as a band. On “Put Your Back Into The Oar” a drakkar made an appearance with the fans responding to Johan Hegg asking them to…row, we saw a roadie dressed as Loki on “Deceiver Of The Gods” (fantastic atmosphere with the sing-along of the crowd), a duel on “The Way Of Vikings” and of course a huge serpent on the grand closing with “Twilight Of The Thunder God”. The sound was crystal clear and you could clearly hear every note of the riffs, melodies and solos of the flawless Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg. The gentle giant Johan Hegg was also delightful with his growls and his unstoppable smile, constantly thanking the attendees. All in all, a very strong performance from the Swedes, a band that has managed with hard work to be permanently in the top positions of all festivals. It definitely deserves it.
Setlist: Guardians Of Asgaard, Raven’s Flight, The Great Heathen Army, War Of The Gods, Heidrun, Death In Fire, The Pursuit Of Vikings, Deceiver Of The Gods, Find A Way Or Make One, Put Your Back Into The Oar, Destroyer Of The Universe, The Way Of Vikings, The Berserker At Stamford Bridge, First Kill, Shield Wall, Raise Your Horns, Twilight Of The Thunder God
In conclusion, the debate of the night was which of Kreator and Amon Amarth was better. They were both excellent, so that lies in everyone’s personal preference. The important thing was that over ten thousand people went to Release Athens for a day dedicated to extreme metal. However, I feel like I have to make a note of something. As people were leaving and the venue emptied I saw a huge “carpet” of discarded beer glasses in front of the stage. We may profess to be better and more dedicated than those who listen to other types of music, but such unacceptable behavior shows a complete lack of respect when there were even many bins in various places. The same of course applies to the classic orcs who lit flares and made us choke on the smoke. However, grumbling aside, we had an impressive and enjoyable evening. Let’s hope to repeat this next year.
George Terzakis
photo: NDrakos photo: NDrakos photo: NDrakos 
