I guess it's very hard to predict how big a crowd one event will draw. I was surprised to see all that open space on the floor at both Rockland and Sticky Fingers, after all it was a Friday night. After LIZZY BORDEN's amazing concert at 'Sweden Rock Festival' this summer at least judging by what other people said since I was stupid enough to choose to watch something else when they played. I really thought the interest for them would be a lot higher. But that didn't seem to matter to the bands on the bill these two dates. It perhaps seems unnecessary to post this report too since LIZZY BORDEN's concert in Athens just very recently was up-loaded to this section of the Metal Temple page. And to rewrite the LIZZY BORDEN review is not the purpose of this report. So this piece of text is dedicated to MARTYR.

Now both Rockland and Sticky Fingers are quite small places but the floor in front of the stage was embarrassingly open when MARTYR kicked off their first notes. The ones present were standing polite a little here and there in the venue, tapping their feet to the floor or slightly nodding their heads to the music just paying enough attention to look interested. Most bands would probably have been bummed out by it all and sort of thrown in the towel right from start. Not MARTYR, this Dutch old school band was solidly determined to be remembered after this tour. And their driven NWOBHM music was easy to take in but I doubt that's the first thing people will talk about when looking back at these two concerts. Half in to the first song vocalist Rop van Haren jumps off stage and takes the position where the crowd was supposed to be, headbanging out to his own band. No reaction, then what? Go get people so they build a crowd of course. He simply started walking through the venue, hanging out in the bar, on the balcony's or having a seat at some table were people were eating. Of course, continuing with the singing all the way through and he actually managed to get company to the front line of the stage and more joined in after that. Sure, behavior like this normally feel really over the edge and having the band running out in the crowd can feel quite embarrassing but the nature of these two places made it work. Of course, that has a lot to do how it's done also, MARTYR though would probably have gotten away with this anywhere. All since they were so much fun to watch and spread a lot of positive energy where ever they went!

I don't think LIZZY BORDEN had gotten the response they actually got if it hadn't been for MARTYR. A small crowd is often harder too kick start compared to if the place is packed. Instead of being a transport to the main thing MARTYR really did everything they possibly could to wake everyone up. How many concerts have you been to where the singer picks up a guy on his shoulders and take a walk around the venue and then waiting very long for the guy's camera to wake up and to focus in the pitch black venue, so he would have proof of what happened too. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before and I've been to a fair share of concerts. But it wasn't all entertainment value over MARTYR, the music also held quite high standard. Ok, it's hard to judge the first time you hear a band but it's absolutely something I will check out further. And origin from the early 80's with 2 releases from back then (For The Universe from 1984 and Darkness at Time's Edge from 1984) they're perhaps one of these reunited bands but past due date for them is long in the future. Well played, vital, interesting enough songs to make their time on stage feel really short. If more of the bands in this school of metal could have half the energy MARTYR had concerts would be even more fun because MARTYR absolutely Kicked ASS.

But it does feel a little strange to not write anything at all about LIZZY BORDEN since it really was their tour now. They deserve all credits and cheers possible since they rocked the socks of everyone this summer on several big festivals. It's not so strange that events like those will be a huge inspiration to give a little extra. It's not at all as clear that the same magic will happen in a half empty club in the middle of the dark season. If a band can serve the same delicious show with minimal resources, like very limited stage space and a far from spectacular light show as they did on the massive Festival stages. Then they're really something special. LIZZY BORDEN was as good this time too, and the small stages made the show more intimate. The presence of the axe Lizzy swinging in Give Them The Axe really increase the feeling of actually being a part of it all. What's not to love about a band that swings an axe and a baseball bat on stage a friend of mine said and I couldn't do anything but agree with him. Of course, a lot lies in the show for LIZZY BORDEN but the songs would make it on their own too, over the 25 years the band has existed the low points has been none when it comes to record releases and I'm so surprised that this event only enticed about 70 people for each show in Sweden. Something needs to be done so people get to realize the greatness of Lizzy Borden. There's just one thing I didn't got, how the hell does he do it, the thing he did with the masks in Master Of Disguise.

(photos by give'em the axe Erika)

MARTYR

LIZZY BORDEN