Metal Muthas at Sin City (2010)

Sin City (Athens, Greece)

Metal Muthas

Sometimes when a gig is planned based on the die-hard metalhead philosophy then things can […]

By Dimitris Kontogeorgakos

• April 16, 2010

Sometimes when a gig is planned based on the die-hard metalhead philosophy then things can only go better. Well, this was exactly the case with the debut live appearance of the newborn band/project/friends gathering METAL MUTHAS. This act is in fact a group of friends who share the same love for the NWOBHM movement and just wanted to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this most influential genre. The fact that it was a working day worked in favor of all of us who wanted to see familiar faces in the Sin City club and leave aside the PR-guided presence.

So, right on schedule Greg "Manimal" (Drums), Kostas "Witchkiller" (Lead Guitar), Dimitris Mitroyiannis (Rhythm Guitar) and Thanasis Mpelas (Bass) took over the stage enjoying the warm applaud and cheers from the gathered friends. In this lineup the singer's name is missing but not on purpose; the plan was to have guest singers in order to deliver in the best way the fruitful setlist accommodating the variety of singing styles among the 22 tracks.

The first song METAL MUTHAS delivered was DEMON's "Nigh Of The Demon". Since I was not aware of the band's musicianship (Ok, I have watched a couple of them on stage before) and performing chemistry I was amazed by their solid sound. The initial and minor stage-fright was quickly washed-out by the warm welcome from the gathered audience taking also into account that this was a gig just to have fun; no strings attached and nothing under the table. As the setlist progressed the audience started joining on the singing parts and was also throwing some witted comments that enhanced the perfect friendly atmosphere. Between, the tracks "Manimal" was responsible for sharing some words of wisdom about the following tracks and bands. Apart from the useful info he was challenged to stay serious and not be carried away about the aforementioned comments but this made it even better. "Pull The Trigger" was well received while TANK's "Turn Your Head Around" made us bang our heads around! By this moment METAL MUTHAS looked like a band that has been together for ages and hence there was an on-stage energy that was floating from the stage to the crowd and back again. The age of some of the band members (I am not pointing fingers) brought us in front of the break after the very good "Rock Of Ages" (SARACEN) during which Kypparisia handled the vocals "forcing" a wide smile to metalheads and of course not only due to her looks.

The second part put the foot of the gas pedal starting off with GRIM REAPER's "See You In Hell" and everybody joined the catchy sing-along chorus. The guys seemed to have an honest fun playing their favourite tracks and consequently worked their arses off and gave a reason to celebrate the birth of the NWOBHM genre. Time went really fast and what a NWOBHM tribute would it be without RAVEN, SAXON and VENOM on the setlist? It would be lame I tell you! Nevertheless, METAL MUTHAS did a die hard fan version of "Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil)" as a trio act having "Witchkiller" on the vocals. Of course, don't expect a comment about the performance on this apart from the fact that every head was banging during this massive VENOM song! The end of this celebration had ANGELWITCH on the menu; the way the audience received and responded to their classic song sent a message to the guys on-stage that this must be repeated!

Sin City remains and no-concert venue but the emotions built during the setlist cannot spoil the very good impressions everyone had when the show ended. See you next time guys!

The guest singers were Nikos Syrakos, Nick M., Kypparisia and Johnny "Hot".

METAL MUTHAS setlist: