'Up The Hammers IV' Day 2

[Erika] It was a really rude awakening on Saturday morning for us, bands and fans that had checked in to Exarchion hotel. At 7 am (and I repeat, on SATURDAY morning) they started to dig out the sidewalk outside of the hotel. Jackhammers and other powertools aren't really silent so there wasn't much rest for all of us.

[Yiannis DK] Second day for the 'Up The Hammers Festival IV' and -from the one- it finds us almost dead from exhaustion, since day one was super and -from the other hand- was other full of metallic lust.

First band the Greeks Epic/Heavy metallers STORMBRINGER. Very young band; their debut was a three track promo that was released during the previous year and contained music between SACRED STEEL and epic Heavy from the 80s of USA. Sometimes their tracks were in full speed and many of them were really impressive. I should mention the fact that I was hearing them for the very first time. Especially the one that closed their set list, entitled Raging Steel, was Metal to the bone. The quartet had a nice presentation on the stage; their bassist looked like he enjoyed the whole gig more than the audience plus the singer had an acceptable voice. We expect more of them in the future.

[Yiannis DK] Second in line were the Irish DARKEST ERA. Like the previous band, this was a young band with an EP The Journey Through Damnation being unleashed in the beginning of 2008. Their sound moved between Heavy Metal paths getting lost in a dark forest of melodies from Ireland with an epic rime upon the trees. Think of bands like OLD SEASON, CELTIC LEGACY or more traditional Heavy Metal PRIMORDIAL and you're close. Main characteristic is their young age and also the presence of two ladies, Lisa and Sarah in drums and guitar respectively. Ok, enough with the band's presentation, let's try another way.

Up The Hammers: the powerful earthquake, the answer to all these believing that Metal is dying. And here is the opposite averment; this young band from Ireland proved to us that this music exists and it will continue to do so. Despite their age, they proved to be so much experienced and on stage were as tight as a fist; absolutely full of adrenaline and with great communication with the crowd. I confess that I didn't know a fuck about them but from the first song I felt like when I was a kid while the Metal notes were penetrating my rotten ears. These guys were a clear depiction of how to love 100 per cent the fact that you playing Metal with that dedication to the songs. Songs that, yes, were very good but right now the only one that remained in my mind is their explosive, hell breaking loose performance. They promised that they will pay a visit in the next year and surely I know many guys who will be there. Cheerz brothers and sisters, stay that way!!!

[Yiannis DK] ETRUSGRAVE are hailing from Italy and play something like Heavy 70s with Epic additions.

The important thing is that their guitarist is Fulberto Serena who was in the two first albums of DARK QUARTERER. Ok, maybe this means nothing special to many of you but: a)The Dark Quarterer LP is an obscure jewel for those who dig in the ancient underground tombs and b) The Etruscan Prophecy contained some really well played material that is more difficult to untrained ears than the debut but in almost same satisfactory levels.

The new band of Fulberto released an album in 2008, named Masters Of Fate, which maybe has a lot to say to all those into the aforementioned party but, I don't know, I felt somewhere a little lost during their gig. I guess their music works better if you hear it in your room and to be honest ETRUSGRAVE are not as good as DARK QUARTERER. Maybe I wasn't in the preferable mood, maybe my ears were completely melted by DARKEST ERA actually or constructively I caught myself feeling bored. I must mention that I saw a lot of metalheads having good time with them.

[Yiannis DK] The Greek legends, REFLECTION were next and I guess that was one of the best performances I ever watched from them. They started with Who Will Dare To Bend The Bow from the ultimate Odyssey album and they looked like it was their debut gig.

The passion and the power were really remarkable. Next one was from their last album, When Shadows Fall, Ghost Ship along with the homonymous track. Slaughter In The Island Of The Sun came and I found myself having my neck on the floor from the headbanging! Every time I listen to The Sorceress my mind travels to somewhere else while during their hymn, Wings Of Fate, all the crowd was singing the chorus. The cover on MANOWAR's Battle Hymn put me in rapture since it was excellently played. They ended with When Immortals Die in an extended version that I am sure made most of the crowd more than excited. I will repeat it one more time, REFLECTION is a very big band and singers like Leo Stivala or guitarists like Stathis Pavlantis are not easy to be found. Total respect!

[Yiannis DK] Doom clouds were gathered and made An Club darker than it was. The time for the Swedish act ISOLE had come. One of the best Doom acts right now and surely the highlight for any genre's fan.

They honored all their albums playing at least one song from each one, even from their recently released Silent Ruins. They managed to have a convincing rendering although I had some thinking how their works would look on stage. I cannot find enough words for what I felt when I heard The Watcher, Demon Green, Throne Of Void or By Blood. Doom, real Doom, is a very personal thing and all those who where there, either fans or not, surely understood the hidden power of ISOLE. Their last albums are not as good as the first ones, but they still remain an excellent choice. They look like they have a lot of more to offer in the future and I'm more than grateful to the people behind this festival that offered me the opportunity of seeing them.

[Grigoris] After ISOLE's ritual performance was over, what was needed was - exactly - what EMERALD offered.

Nearly fifty minutes of in-your-face traditional Metal, with a clear reference to the SAXON_JUDAS PRIEST mix enriched with Holland's early 80s flavor (e.g. PICTURE), was EMERALD's luggage. I was thrilled to see so many fists in the air to the hearing of nearly the whole Down Town LP's tracklist. This (now) quintet has been a hidden gem for the Dutch Metal circuit and surely is a missed act for everyone growing in the 80s.

Nonetheless, as the band hit the stage the impact was imminent; guitars, bass drums and some soaring vocals (not properly heard, though) by Bert Kivits summed it up to an exciting recital by these 50-years-something Dutchmen. Fast tempo, up tempo, mid tempo, slow tempo; EMERALD's offering was something that's widely missing from today's Metal(?) music. Judging from the audience's reaction, the band delivered the goods in ease and confirmed you do not have to be young to be a metalhead.

[Grigoris] If objection is the point here, then the legendary Greek Metal band's set was not that impressive. Their sound was quite fuzzy while they did not seem to have rehearsed a lot in order to appear at the fest.

Still, this should not be the hot spot. CRUSH had performed live for the last time seven years ago so it was nothing less than moving to see them again onstage. The fans gathered requested an honest set and surely they did get it. Starting off with a song just penned, the quartet followed up with a hellish attack of songs from their monumental Kingdom Of The Kings 1987 full-length release. An Club was on fire... Run To The Highway, Kingdom Of The Kings, Unborn and March Of The Dead proved to be a painkiller for the exhaustion starting shining bright, while the atmosphere was sensational and the response from the fans gradually turned to unleashed mania. A living legend for Greek Heavy Metal performed for something more than 40 minutes; CRUSH lived up to our expectations prior to hitting the stage, no questions asked. Their Heavy_Epic Metal sting shined on and none would complain.

[Grigoris] The moment Harry The Tyrant Conklin walked the petite stage, the same time it was definite who was the main attraction of that day.

This charismatic frontman's personality, his majestic voice, his ever going loyalty in Metal music... we'd only hope for an adequate sound; and we got it.
Except from the first 2-3 songs (the guitars were kinda buried while Harry's voice sounded pale), magic got shaped and after that it was a matter of significance and impact. TITAN FORCE is considered to be one of the most well-kept secrets of American Power Metal. Many often labeled this quintet as 'progressive' and that's not out of the question, too, bringing to mind the songwriting, technique and vibe of their two albums released in the late 80s_early 90s (Titan Force and Winner_Loser). Thankfully, TITAN FORCE convinced us they deserved each praise, and much more...

Conklin's voice was b-r-i-l-l-i-a-n-t; how the hell did he succeed in singing for two whole hours that high, without losing it for a mere second, without falling short in spreading his unique dramatic performance, without showing a small sample of fatigue? Nuff said; he just did magic, helped by a set of faultless musicians (2_3 of the Flores brothers were present) that did 100% justice to the songs' worth. Be it the 'dream come true' picture of TITAN FORCE onstage or not, the crowd went almost nuts to the band's setlist honoring both their albums.

Harry Conklin was a mean machine, had a wide smile all over his face and - added value - did prologue each song manifesting the central idea behind the lyrics. He certainly achieved putting us in the picture and then...songs like Chase Your Dreams (played twice!), Master OF Disguise, Blaze Of Glory, New Age Rebels, Shadow Of A Promise, Winner_Loser and Face To Face scattered dozes of refined metallum to a number of 300-350 fans clearly living their dream. There were times the excitement was so high, really high...The band performed for around two hours, even played tunes from their demo recordings and as soon as they waved goodbye it was time to reflect on various things regarding Metal music's current meaning.

[Grigoris] Was this year's 'Up The Hammers' festival a successful event, either way? That's for each one of us to decide, according to the standards individually set. Truth is, whatsoever, the word 'honest' was in most fans' oral texts describing emotions as a farewell. If that counts, we really look forward to the next issue, really look forward to...

(photos by 'titan' Erika)

STORMBRINGER

DARKEST ERA

ETRUSGRAVE

REFLECTION

ISOLE

EMERALD

CRUSH

TITAN FORCE