I was really looking forward to see the Italian masters of Horror Metal that evening. Then the bad news came on, that a kinda car accident had occurred the previous night in Italy (nothing tragic, were we informed), with the band eventually not available to come to Athens for the show. Thus, Swedish 'gothic' Doom metallers Lake Of Tears were now obliged to act as the sole headlining act in front of - mainly - their fans, since most of the Death SS followers decided they should hold their tickets for a re-scheduled - as announced by the promoters - performance in the future to come. All these, on a moonlit 'chilling' Sunday evening.
Trying to 'solve' the Death SS 'enigma', I was not present at the Greek opening band W.E.B.'s show. I hope I'll be able to catch up with this promising 'dark' Atmospheric Metal act at some time in the near future. Watching Deviser - in opposite - starting their show, I was kinda - in-the-middle - in regards to their performance. This veteran Death_Black Metal act spit fire from the late 80s_early 90s and I was really looking forward on what their up to anno 2006. What we witnessed - not more than 300 people were present at the time - was a quintet in fine mood, 'thirsty' to deliver extreme music to the crowd; they - partially - succeeded in so. Still, the lack of chemistry or rehearsing was apparent through their setlist. The sound - on the other hand - was rather appropriate for their style, therefore their 45' minutes of recital were 'active' enough to warm up the crowd. A warm applause was the consequent result as the band left - rather rapidly, we should note - the stage.
Not being familiar with the Lake Of Tears discography, I could only recall the positive 'impact' of their Greater Art (1994) full-length release in my ears (back then). With match of anticipation did the band's fans welcome the quartet onstage and - it was obvious in the end - Lake Of Tears did manage to leave no one unsatisfied with their show! Supported by an excellent sound, simple but powerful, it was a matter of time to see the whole club moving to the melancholic Lake Of Tears tunes. Frontman Daniel Brennare was rather energetic interacting with the crowd - no other band member was involved into this - while each and every single tune was accepted with a great praise. Playing for around 90 minutes, Lake Of Tears - as informed, don't blame me for the lack of knowledge! - performed the following setlist:
- A Foreign Land, Raven Land, Sweetwaters, Headstones (from the Headstones album)
- Boogie Bubble, CosmicWeed, To Die Is To Wake (from the A Crimson Cosmos album)
- So Fell Autumn Rain, Hold On Tight, Forever Autumn, Pagan Wish (from the Forever Autumn album)
- Return Of Ravens, The Shadowshires (from the The Neonai album)
- The Greyman, The Organ, Rainy Day Away, Crazyman (from the Black Brick Road album)
The grand clap was the recognition for a band that played very good, honoring the 'not many' spectators. Lake Of Tears seem to be a rather 'true' act, dedicated to what they do and - watching the fans' reactions - rather capable of performing great shows. Now, waiting for the Death SS agenda to be 'updated' for Greece.
