Almost every Sunday is sports day. One of the best things to do is to stay home, invite some friends to watch one or two football (soccer for our friends at the other side of the Atlantic) drink beers and eat pizza. But when a band like MOONSPELL is coming to town, I believe that the best thing to do is to get your ass over there! So, being extremely lucky to find a parking space almost outside Fuzz club, I was just in time to see the opening act.

INACTIVE MESSIAH hit the stage right on time. They tried to warm up the crowd, by playing songs from their latest album Sinful Nation and some older stuff. Some metalheads liked their show, but unfortunately for them, the sound wasn't good. During the first songs, I couldn't hear the guitars and as a friend of mine told me after their show, the only thing he could listen at the back was Christos voice. I've seen INACTIVE MESSIAH live before and I have to say that this wasn't one of their best shows. But having a not that good show, doesn't mean anything for a band. We'll keep an eye on them in the future.

[Dimitris K] Well, I have to be honest with my fellow countrymen and state that INACTIVE MESSIAH remained inactive in my mind. I only knew the band as the 'growing' name in the Greek Metal scene and after having seen them on-stage I don't really see the reason. Indeed the sound was terrible and clearly the guy behind the console (I cannot call him sound technician) was probably watching the soccer game since he did nothing about the audio chaos that tormented our ears. The guitar was nowhere while the drums and the samplers were shadowing everything. As a band the Greeks proved that their intention to blend Metalcore and the Gothenburg sound was colorless giving the impression that they just played one song. The music was totally unoriginal and definitely predictable. So, for one who was not familiar to INACTIVE MESSIAH's music their performance was just an annoyance.

The venue was full and it was time for the headliners to step on stage. After the mandatory sound check MOONSPELL came out one by one, under the applauds of the warm crowd. They started their set with At Tragic Heights and Night Eternal, from their last album. The sound wasn't the best, but from track to track it was improving. Next was one of my favorite songs from the Night Eternal album, Moon In Mercury. The band seemed to enjoy the show just like the fans did, even though metalheads are not like in the past and they are more cold nowadays. Anyway, it was time for the hit of the new album, Scorpion Flower and Maxi Nil from ELYSION came on stage to perform the song, as she did in the 'Rock 'Em All' festival a few months ago. Ok, she is not Anneke van Giersbergen but she has a really good voice and won the applause from the fans. Rebeiro showed us for one more time that he a a great performer and frontman, by doing whatever he liked with the crowd. MOONSPELL setlist covered their whole history, by even going way back by playing Goat On Fire. As always they saluted ROTTING CHRIST and SEPTICFLESH two bands that right now are touring in the U.S. Of course when the first notes from Opium were played, I lost control and I don't know what was going on in the crowd. They also dedicated Luna to the Greek fans, a song that they played live for the first time.

There is no point to say anything else about the set list. Of course there are going to be some of us that wanted something different,, some more songs for example, but I believe that the majority of the people inside the venue left happy. As for the encore? Just look bellow the songs that they played! Wolfheart and Love Crimes had to be played and a nice surprise for me, since I didn't know the songs that they were going to play, was Goat On Fire.

[Dimitris K] Although I am not a MOONSPELL fan (and I won't become one) I should admit that the show was solid as hell. The sound was massive and the band was in top-mood. Well, their on-stage presence was kind of stationary totally surrounding the tall figure of Ribeiro. I mean the rest of the guys were just invisible. The light show should be better but it was not MOONSPELL's fault that fact that the club has a low celing getting the spot lights inside our vision. field.

Time passes too quick when you are having a great time. So, without even noticed that two hours had gone by, MOONSPELL had to say goodbye and promised their fans that they will be back soon. They stayed on stage for quite a while thanking the Greek fans and giving them anything they could. A great show from a band that as time is passing by, they become better and bigger as a name.

Ps. A big thanks to Theodora for the pictures.

01. At Tragic Heights
02. Night Eternal
03. Moon In Mercury
04. Finisterra
05. Everything Invaded
06. The Southern Deathstyle
07. Scorpion Flower
08. Opium
09. Ruin & Misery
10. Luna
11. Vampiria
12. Alma Mater
13. First Light
Encore
14. Wolfshade
15. Love Crimes
16. Goat On Fire
17. Blood Tells
18. Full Moon Madness

(photos by Theodora)

INACTIVE MESSIAH

MOONSPELL