Having had the best fish & chips at the most historic British pubs last week, a rich redneck American burger from Iowa turned out to be the best dessert to cap off this year’s summer festival season.
First to go on stage and face the… heat were Project Renegade, who didn’t flinch from the extreme temperature and the unbearable sun that was hitting them straight in the face and gave their all with a sort but solid set. They moved around a lot, they had energy and passionate enough to offer the ideal “appetizer” for the wild night that was ahead.
I don’t think Maplerun need a special introduction, since their career is noteworthy, they are consistent, their work is pretty good and their level of quality is stable. Probably, one of the most serious Greek bands of the last 20 years. Maybe they weren’t the perfect match for the specific day and its lineup, but still they managed to give a great performance under extreme conditions. Just imagine that the festival organizers used water hoses to cool down the audience in front of the stage. The cover of SOAD’s “Toxicity” was the icing to the cake.
Vaggelis Dimitriou
Vended: I don’t have the stats in front of me, about when this has happened before, that is to say two sons of bandmates forming their own group, but it opens up a cool discussion about talent and heritage. Taylor and Crahan: the next generation. I think it would be beneficial to them to distance themselves a little more from their fathers’ sound, but the stage presence was good enough, especially considering the weather and their… age.
We won’t get into geopolitics, but it is a given that Ukrainian band Jinjer – touring internationally while their country is a war zone – are living through an unprecedented situation. With the peace sign and their country’s colors in the backdrop, 2 factors separate them from the masses: the technical proficiency of each member, and the impressive range of frontwoman Tatiana Shmailyuk, who often gives the impression that she’s two singers trapped inside the same body.
Nighttime finally came, so did more people, and so did Sepultura. In a direct support slot that is hard to find with their current lineup (also missing Andreas Kisser on this tour), the Brazilians’ technical executional was flawless. Who could argue with the riffs in ‘Territory’, ‘Propaganda’, ‘Arise’ etc.? The thing is we get sentimentally connected with people who don’t just perform their material, they embody it as well. Hence this bittersweet feeling, for a band that supports (rightly so) its recent material, ‘using’ older, recognizable songs, to widen the reach. In a world where Pantera is getting ready to tour, this seems less of a big deal of course.
Setlist: Isolation, Territory, Means to an End, Capital Enslavement, Kairos, Propaganda, Cut-Throat, Convicted in Life, Troops of Doom, Agony of Defeat, Slave New World, Refuse/Resist, Arise, Ratamahatta, Roots Bloody Roots
A little after 11, the 9 came on stage to offer the grand finale to this year’s Release festival. Starting off with ‘Disasterpiece’ and ‘Wait and Bleed’ helps make your intentions crystal clear right off the bat. The sound did show a lack of definition, but of course there is added difficulty with a band with that many musicians and lots of double bass drumming. Personal favorite ‘Sulfur’ was the moment where I could really enjoy the Root/Thomson guitar duo, and of course Corey Taylor – who obviously didn’t remember how many years have passed since Slipknot’s last gig in Greece – in of his best choruses. Wearing the new mask that was revealed in ‘The Dying Song (Time to Sing)’ video, he was always moving, confirming that he is one the frontmen you can’t stop looking at while he’s on stage.
Next important date for the maggots: 30th of September, when ‘The End, So Far’ comes out!
‘The Heretic Anthem’, ‘Psychosocial’ and ‘Duality’ represented the peak of the set, in the audience things got out of hand pretty quick, and Corey started the ‘one more song’ game fairly early: I do have an objection on that front; yes, a show of that kind of intensity can’t go on for hours, but I do believe a couple more songs could have fitted nicely.
Setlist: Disasterpiece, Wait and Bleed, All Out Life, Sulfur, Before I Forget, The Chapeltown Rag, Dead Memories, Unsainted, The Heretic Anthem, Psychosocial, Duality, Custer, Spit it Out
Encore: People = Shit, Surfacing
Romanos Terzis
