It's a hot August night and I'm walking down the road to An Club. When I arrived in front of the club, I didn't see many people gathered and I was a bit shocked. I couldn't believe that Atheist were playing for the first time live in Greece and the show wouldn't be sold out. Fortunately later, I was informed that if not all of the tickets, at least most of them had been sold. Anyway, I was in before the doors were open so I took a look at the club. Lots of memories from this place! Anyway, that's not something that has to be analyzed now.
Black/Death metallers Desolation were the first to hit the stage. I have only listened to one song they had written in the past and this live was a good chance for me to get to know this band's material. These guys can only be described as pure, brutal holocaust. Their songs were performed very dynamically and Alexandros (the drummer) was in a really good shape. He blasted the shit out of his drum kit. Their sound was very sharp, something that helped them a lot produce the desired result. I have to say that I saw many people wear Desolation t-shirts and sing some songs along. For one more time I was right about saying that the underground audience is the most hardcore.
The second band that entered the stage were Kinetic, an Athenian Progressive Death Metal act. With two new members in their line up, Mina (vocals) and Vagelis (keyboards), Kinetic played only two songs from their debut album The Chains That Bind Us (2004) and the rest of the setlist contained brand new songs from their upcoming album via Burning Star Records. With a good sound, they managed to attract the audience and make many heads bang! Mina attracted the most people, but that's the most natural reaction the male audience could have. Kostas, the drummer, was really a beast behind his drum kit and didn't stop screaming and delivering a hell of a good show. The highlight of their appearance was when they finished the last song of their set and Kostas was playing on the floor tom with his foot! Anyway, their new songs seem catchier and I think that their upcoming album will make a great impact on the Greek Metal scene, and I hope not only the Greek one!
After Kinetic finished their set, it was time for Atheist to blow our brains to the wall. I am really sorry to say something like this, but I admit that I missed the first song Atheist performed for some let's say technical issues. Anyway, Atheist were just like the old good time. They were as if no single year had passed. Fresh and full of energy. They performed songs from all of their albums (not that they have many albums). Hymns like Unquestionable Presence, I Deny, Unholy War, Mineral, Mother Man, Piece Of Time and one of my favorite songs, Air, made every single person headbanging ?till death. Nobody cared about the unbearable heat in the club. Everyone was singing along, ok, almost everyone! As for me, I just couldn't believe that what these guys do in their albums is true. I couldn't believe the level of technique I was witnessing! The 'worst' moment was when the drummer and the bass player stayed alone on stage to play some solos. The drummer was the first on to start. The bass player followed and then they continued jamming together. I don't have to do any comments. Just perfect! There are no words to describe what these guys can do! I still remember Savvas's words (Kinetic's bassist_singer) during the bass solo: When I grow up, I'll be able to play such things, too! The gig was over with Atheist signing autographs and talking with the fans. They were in a really good mood. Thank God that there are still bands with a great level of communication with the fans!
I was one of the people that witnessed the first live performance of Atheist in Greece and I consider myself extremely lucky! I wouldn't want to miss this live for anything else in the world! All of you who attended An surely know what I'm talking about. Great bands are made for great live performances and Atheist are such a band!
