Summer heat was not over, one day before the mighty British metallers BLITZKRIEG was on forth to perform live in Athens, Greece. And...the same day every classic metalhead 'unlocked' their denim_leather coats under some suspicious gonna rain misty afternoon. Hours later, Brian Ross would hit the stage in his own black suede.

Was late enough to catch WRATHBLADE's barbaric Metal blend. In addition, grabbing a beer and chattin' with a dozen of friends can prove to be some kind of a 'time extend' procedure. Hence, sorry guys...

Probably the best Greek old-school Thrash Metal band in Greece nowadays? RELEASED ANGER hit the stage in full anger and their 70% German - 30% US Thrash Metal blend stormed out of the I-'ve-had-enough Texas Necropolis club speakers in no mercy. This quintet - breathing life since late 2004 - has its own identity, filtering greatly their influence and performing with much of 'bang along' attitude and less of acknowledgment conformity. The played for half an hour or so, with tunes off their so far discography (2005's Violent Instincts EP and 2007's Faces of Fate full-length), plus a neckripping take on SODOM's Agent Orange, as a tribute to the-one-and-only Chris Witchhunter's unexpected death. Fast tempos, clever bridges, hostile vocals and pure 80s Thrash Metal music you can't resist. A good doze of fans (in a less-than-half packed club) offered strong reaction and guess everybody had a fine time. Chaos...

Not strongly fed by the non-fill-up venue, classic Greek metalheads MARAUDER grabbed their weapons and in some mediocre (at least) guitars sound opened up with Born To Rock from their just-released Face The Mirror CD. An experienced band, existing since 1990, MARAUDER leans on the JUDAS PRIEST, PRIMAL FEAR, ACCEPT, IRON MAIDEN path with them developing_expanding their sound to more fresh productions but keeping loyal their hearts to the 80s Metal standards. It was a good chance to promote their new CD that evening, so Face The Mirror, Dark Riders and The End Of A Madman were also revealed in front of some 150- metalheads, whose response was overwhelming. The guitars sound did not achieve much of success, while the lead vocals were hidden here and there; still, MARAUDER is not the kind of a band that'll let down its crowd. The 'oldies' helped out, too, with Faster Than Thunder, Power From The Sky, Free Like An Eagle, Cry For The Glorious Town and The Greek Revolution Begins sending out tons of metallic eerie and headbanging lunacy. Another fine gig by MARAUDER, worth the notice for every 'classic' Metal follower across the globe.

Some British breeze did burst out when the pre-recorded intro of Ragnarok fiiled the air. A vocalist-less band appeared on stage and by the first notes of Inferno it was a matter of seconds for the (no explain given) limited number of BLITZKRIEG fans to start banging along to the presence of Brian Ross' dark figure. The sound was not adequate, I guess, but what counted most was the feeling.

The band - featuring only Ross as the original member - played less songs than expected from the A Time Of Changes milestone album (Inferno, Blitzkrieg, Pull The Trigger), while they focused also on their post-80s discography. 1995's Unholy Trinity offered the same-titled song, the anniversary Ten album brought up I'm Not Insane, 1998's The Mists Of Avalon was absent, 2002's Absolute Power offered Dark City, Sins And Greed (2005) presented Hell Express and Escape From The Village while last year's Theatre Of The Damned CD was signified with The Phantom, Theatre Of The Damned, Into The Light, My Life Is My Own and Tortured Souls.

Good news came with the performance of two SATAN classics, Trial By Fire and Blades Of Steel. The crowd, in general, was vivid and the band was in good mood, too. Ross has a great throat, still, even if in too high pitches he will not try it. No prob; his vibe, his theatrical mode, his melodic voice and the memories he can expose while singing to such songs can make it up for nearly everything. He even woke up comparisons when BLITZKRIEG ended their set with a JUDAS PRIEST medley (...the greatest British Metal band..., as Brian stated - and many agreed), consisting of Electric Eye, Beyond The Realms Of Death, You've Got Another Thing Comin', Metal Gods and Hell Bent For Leather.

Summary? The band was very good, the music was great, the sound was so and so, the crowd was 'narrow' yet enthusiastic, the support bands cheered us up, Jess Cox was behind the merch stall again...Oh my, such less nad less we get as years go by. Even for just listening to the original version of Blitzkrieg I'd bet on - the least - 100 METALLICA fans...

(photos by I can also take photos with my cell phone Dr Satan)

RELEASED ANGER

MARAUDER

BLITZKRIEG