Rethymno Rocks #4, Day I
Beast In Black, Crashdïet, Aherusia, Meden Agan
Friday the 30th of August 2024, Fortezza Castle, Rethymno
I must say that I was surprised with some of the bands that this year’s edition of Rethymno Rocks decided to bring and so it was a first class opportunity to go for the first time to this festival of the island of Crete. The venue is ideal, in the old Venetian Castle Fortezza, with incredible view as far as the eye can see and plenty of space to explore when you don’t want to sit in front of the stage waiting for the next band to start.
I couldn’t make it to the warm-up with Babel Trio (personal favorite), Saturday Night Satan, Misty Route and Bad Contact, as the rooms were booked well before they were announced. Kick-off with Meden Agan. The sound was an ally and Dimitra Panariti behind the mic on a very good day, which meant the symphonic/gothic metallers’ performance was more than decent. The setlist was based on this year’s fifth, full-length album “My Name Is Katherine”. Their music may never have won me over, but the time passed pleasantly while watching them. I can say the same for the still sparse, yet growing, crowd as they seemed to enjoy what was happening on the stage.
Next in line, the folk metallers Aherusia, who had a special guest. Their main singer Iony Moschovakou couldn’t attend due to other responsibilities so Iliana Tsakiraki (Enemy Of Reality) took her place. I was wondering how this performance would go, since I was going to see them for the first time after the change of style in their music. I love their first two albums that move in symphonic black metal paths but since they decided to try something different, I hadn’t caught them at a show. The sound was very good, Iliana excellent as always but I can’t say that I will remember anything from what I saw. They played, if I’m not mistaken, their latest fifth full-length “Bacchus – Epiphanies Of The Crazy God” which came out in 2022 in its entirety.
I had never checked out the Swedes Crashdïet, although I knew them as a name, and I regretted it as soon as they started their set. Heavy riffs that balanced between hard rock and heavy metal, addictive rhythms, massive sound from the remaining founding members Martin Sweet on guitar and Peter London on bass, enviable performance, ideal ingredients to set up their own party in Fortezza. The sleaze rockers were thrilled to be in our country, although they couldn’t easily get used to the heat compared to their own. I could easily see them again in a closed venue with their own audience. And I say that because yes, they were flawless and had a strong reaction from the attendees but it was clear that most of them had come for the headliners. Either way though, Rethymno Rocks was justified in their choice and kudos for bringing them.
The anticipation was great for the second appearance of Beast In Black in our country, especially after that unforgettable night last March at Gagarin. Unfortunately, the start was not ideal, as “Blade Runner” had to get in the chorus for me to understand which song it was. The sound was terrible and the vocals of Yannis Papadopoulos were buried in the chaos. The same happened in the next two, when a power failure temporarily interrupted the show until it was restored. Thankfully though, when they returned to the stage things were better. The crowd and the band weren’t affected, the sound was fixed and the follow up was what we expected. A flawless performance with one great song following another. Beast In Black had no album to promote so the setlist was split across their three releases, with most of them coming from the debut album. They also played the recently released single “Power Of The Beast”. Their performance was for a seminar. Most eyes were drawn to the amazing Papadopoulos, the charismatic leader Anton Kabanen and the cool-as-fuck dude that goes by the name of Kasperi Heikkinen. It’s remarkable how perfectly rehearsed this band is, how coordinated they are on stage and how they seem to enjoy what they do to the fullest. You don’t see that so often anymore and of course it gives extra points to what they presented, which was full of highlights like the dance on “Sweet True Lies” and “Blind And Frozen”, the sing-along on “Born Again” and the huge “Die By The Blade”. Beast In Black showed once again that the name they’ve made so far is no accident and I hope their visits to our country will become more frequent.
Setlist: Blade Runner, Hardcore, The Fifth Angel, Born Again, Sweet True Lies, No Surrender, Die By The Blade, Beast In Black, Moonlight Rendezvous, Eternal Fire, Power Of The Beast, Blind And Frozen, Cry Out For A Hero, One Night In Tokyo, End Of The World
Day one ended with the outcome being positive, both with the performances of the bands (regardless of the personal taste of each one) and the event organizers which stood up to the circumstances. The technical problems at the headliners did not spoil the mood and we started the descent from Fortezza with smiles and impatience for the second day.
Rethymno Rocks #4, Day II
Suicidal Angels, Evergrey, Domine, Cosmic Plunge
Saturday the 31th of August 2024, Fortezza Castle, Rethymno
Second and last day for the festival in Rethymno and I must mention that there were many visitors from abroad. You could see quite a few t-shirts from smaller festivals that the public is not aware of. There are people who choose to arrange their holidays to coincide with a concert, so this is a major achievement for the people who run this event.
On the music side now, there was a delay in opening the doors from the start (I don’t know why) and by the time we entered the venue Cosmic Plunge were still soundchecking, so they begun their set about forty minutes after the scheduled time. This may have worked in their favor, as they had more people under the stage. The doomsters from Heraklion were very good. Their music is played at a very low tempo, close to funeral, with some excellent melodies finding their place in the blackness. And if usually death vocals are more suited to this style, the clean vocals of Mike (ex-Lucky Funeral) proved to be just right for the occasion. I might not be crazy about this particular sound but the impression they left me was more than positive. Fans of doom should definitely listen to the two full-length albums they have released so far.
Next in line the Italians Domine, one year after their last visit to our country. The initial delay affected them, as they announced they had to play less time than planned. Of course, it didn’t affect their appetite and performance, as the power metallers were flawless. There were also several fans who gave them a warm welcome with their reactions. Special mention must of course go to Morby, who despite being 58 years old was amazing and had no problem hitting the highest and most demanding notes when singing. A grand and powerful performance, worthy of the name the band has built over the years they have been on the scene.
And we come to Evergrey, the main reason why I decided to go to Rethymno this year. What if they are going to perform in Athens three months from now? Any opportunity that presents itself to see this criminally underrated band is not going to go to waste. What if we waited for a long time for the newest member Simen Sandnes to set up his drum kit? From the first notes of “Falling From The Sun”, nothing else mattered at that moment. It was a stellar performance from the Swedes. It’s a pleasure to hear the unique and special voice of leader Tom Englund, it’s a pleasure to see the amazing Henrik Danhage with his guitar. Sandnes, despite being in the band for only a few months, deservedly replaced the great Jonas Ekdahl who decided to stop playing shows, enjoyed every second and had a comfort as if he had been playing with the rest of the band for years. Extra points were also given by the amazing light show combined with the smoke machine, which created the perfect atmosphere for their melancholic melodies (“Call Out The Dark”, what an anthem). To say anything about this band would be an understatement. Lucky those of us who enjoyed them that night.
Setlist: Falling From The Sun, Say, Midwinter Calls, Distance, Weightless, Where August Mourns, Call Out The Dark, Eternal Nocturnal, A Touch Of Blessing, King Of Errors, Misfortune, Save Us
And closing with thrashers Suicidal Angels. No matter how many times I’ve seen them in the last few years, I’m always amazed at how much they’ve evolved as a band. They are after all one of the top names in our country and they proved that again in Fortezza. With an enviable performance and passion, they started the attack trying to fit as much material as they could into their set since unfortunately with all the delay they had little time available. The honor was of course given to their latest excellent album “Profane Prayer”, the songs of which kill on stage. It’s a pity that they couldn’t present us something more complete but as I mentioned at the beginning I don’t know what caused the schedule to go so far behind. I hope they will soon give more concerts on Greek soil so that people can enjoy them as they should.
Setlist: When The Lions Die, Crypts Of Madness, Purified By Fire, The Return Of The Reaper, Bloodbath, Bloody Ground, Deathstalker, Apokathilosis, Capital Of War
My conclusion from my first visit to Rethymno Rocks? Kudos to everyone who runs this festival. It’s still in their early days, only the fourth time, but they are on very solid ground. A well-kept venue that has the essentials without the hassle. Golf cart to take those with walking difficulties from the entrance to the stage. Strong names from abroad who can draw visitors. I hope they continue like this so I have one more reason to visit Rethymno every year. Thanks for the memories and see you soon.
George Terzakis
