“Nuances Of Life”, the second full-length of The Silent Rage, is one of my favorite albums for 2023. The band would be presenting it alongside three other local acts I hadn’t personally seen before, so such an opportunity couldn’t go unused.
From Subfire’s set I unfortunately missed a few songs. We know that the public transports in Athens is a tragedy (also) on Sundays, but on this particular one they went overboard. And I say unfortunately because they have very good music and gave a strong performance. With epic, sharp riffs and great vocals by Veandok, they showed that heavy/power metal is a simple affair if played with the right conditions. Their set was based on their so far unique full-length “Define The Sinner” (2021), which they also enriched with two amazing songs from their upcoming album that won’t take too long to be released.
Next in line, Heavenblack, who got the crowd going for good. With tremendous energy on stage and remarkable material, they made me rush to the merch stand to get their self-titled EP that came out in 2018. In the time they had, they also played songs from their debut album, which will soon be ready for release. Music that straddles the line between hard rock and heavy metal, with strong riffs, intense groove, solid drumming from Mantalena (recent band member) and nice vocals from Marios. I would love to see them again soon and listen to their first full length work.
Just before Dreamlord took the stage, an unacceptable crowd behavior started to make its appearance here as well. But more on that in a moment. The heavy/thrasher metallers were particularly happy since this was their first show since the lockdowns and made quite a few people headbang to their fast pace. They played tracks from their debut album “Disciples Of War” (2019), one from their upcoming full-length for which they will start recording soon and Kreator’s iconic “People Of The Lie”.
And we got to the headliners and the behavior I mentioned earlier, as An was starting to empty out for good. And not because of the time, far from it. It was just that a lot of friends and acquaintances had come who decided to see only the band they were interested in and completely ignored the rest. So, on behalf of all the fans of this music who go to concerts to see all the bands that play, whether we know them or not, whether we like them or not, I have to say that this music doesn’t need the likes of you. You better not set foot in a concert venue again, no one will miss you.
This didn’t seem to bother The Silent Rage though, who once again took the stage by storm. With Stamatis being an untamed monster behind the drum kit and Michael reaching the sky with his vocals, they split the set between this year’s excellent “Nuances Of Life” and their debut album “The Deadliest Scourge” (2016). It’s a shame there weren’t more people to witness this performance, which shows the band in the best shape of their career so far. At least those of us who stayed enjoyed it more than enough, as of course did the band themselves, which was evident from their reactions as they played. The only negative was the mediocre sound they had, apart from that everything else was flawless. Hope to see them again soon, this time with people who really appreciate what they see.
Setlist: The Serpent Lord, Code Of Destruction, Nuances Of Life, Crows Fly Back, My Race Won’t Last, Sin Of A Pilgrim, Exhaling Fear, Carve Your Rage, Stormwarrior, Between Harmony And Sorrow, Leading The Legions, Ghost Of A Wayward God, A Piece Of Eden
George Terzakis
Photos: Vicky Athanasopoulou
