[Dimitris K.]: I cannot hold it anymore! I have to say that the Greek Metal scene is dying. I am not talking about the bands because I can think of some names that have the term quality in their side but for the Greek metalheads. I mean for the first time the NWOBHM legends TOKYO BLADE were in town and we could not fill this dungeon like club. Ok, the venue was totally inappropriate not just for a metal gig but for anything else and the ticket was not the best value for money but hey TOKYO BLADE were in town! Ok, enough with the bitching...

I arrived at the basement (er, I mean venue) when DARK NIGHTMARE were already on-stage. The band had traveled long way to come to Athens and be a part of the supporting acts and for this only they deserve some credit. Musically the band plays straight forward Heavy Metal with some Epic finishing touches scattered here and there. The guys from the North part of Greece seemed to enjoy their time on-stage and performed in a high mood despite the really weak attendance that period of time. There was energy in their show and DARK NIGHTMARE did earn some additional applauds and cheers from the audience proving that we can wait something good from them in the future.

Next on stage were a IRON MAIDEN tribute band named MAIDENANCE. Judging by their looks they had nothing to do with the original band but musically they did a very good job. Due to time restrictions the band did seven songs but did earn a more than warm welcome by the slightly bigger crowd. The band did the Greek audience a big favor by performing Alexander The Great a song that is classically requested in every MAIDEN concert. The seven songs were flawlessly performed following the originals really warming the crowd that responded by singing every single line.

[Yiannis DK.]: REFLECTION count almost 17 years of existence playing an excellent alloy of Doom and Epic Metal and it is always a pleasure seeing them live; specially now that I had the opportunity of seeing their new vocalist. Leo Stivala, the singer of the Malta based Doomsters FORSAKEN, is now behind the microphone. By checking their new album, When Shadows Fall and their live set I can surely say that is not only 100% well fitted inside the band but a major chapter for now and on. The new songs were brilliantly performed gaining even more power and specially the Kingdom Of Fire with the haunted basic riff took another sonic dimensions that night in Texas Club. Apart from this they honored their -this is my opinion- magnum opus, Odyssey with the Who Will Dare To Bend The Bow that was the first track they played and also Sorceress and Slaughter In The Island Of The Sun. The experience of the band is more than easy to be noticed but I would like to stand in the passion playing of the main man guitarist Stathis Pavlantis whose performance was so powerful and strong making you believing that he feels each note he explodes from his guitar.

From the first era of the band we had the luck to hear Wings Of Fate and during its refrain most of the people gathered inside were singing. The last song was When Immortals Die an all time classic that graps you from the neck and leaves you speechless. For the end I want to say that REFLECTION dont have reach the appropriate status or recognition accordingly to their music even in their homeland. Maybe their style is difficult to be understood by the majority of metalheads since it was and is out of any metal current trend and stereotype. Anyway I hope the next time Ill enjoy their live being close chronological.

[Grigoris]: Would not imagine the headliner act's first performance in Greece would summon so many heads. The venerated figure of founder_guitarist Andy Boulton brought a good doze of hooray and the only thing that mattered at the time was if TOKYO BLADE (Boulton and Co., to be more precise) would meet our expectations; nothing more, nothing less.

And, yes, they did (bearing in mind what an average thinking metalhead would look ahead to). The sound was kinda messy and the vocals' output jingle was dry enough, but for the abilities of the specific venue (poor, in general) someone should not yell that much. The band did not seem to bother much, and delivered a setlist based on their two first monumental albums, Tokyo Blade (1983) and Night Of The Blade (1984), plus samples from their 3rd 'goin' American' Blackhearts & Jaded Spades follow-up album and a new song called Rip It Up.

Their performance was dynamic, with the guitars riffing hard and the bass_drums pounding equally tough. The solos from Andy were sharp, with a clear tension to be both metallic and vintage melodic. Not familiar with singer Chris Gillen, what we witnessed was a nice harsh voice with good dynamics and a more American than English vocal style & onstage behavior. Still, his recital was more than good and did justice to all the songs, including...

...'cult' hits like Love Struck, Someone To Love, Lightning Strikes, Midnight Rendezvous, Blackhearts & Jaded Spades, Attack Attack and If Heaven Is Hell. The crowd responded great to this British vintage concert and screamed our guts out to the hearing of their take on Long Live Rock 'n' Roll. TOKYO BLADE seamed to equally enjoy the evening, and -even if the atmosphere got a little bit over-heated in the end- they would not let us down not playing another one or two: Night Of The Blade and Monkeys Blood delivered the final measures of headbanging and what was left to 'extra' desire may only have been a final assault with our beloved Sunrise In Tokyo.

A nice gig, indeed. Fans of TOKYO BLADE's NWOBHM-related discography surely had a good time, while the (anyway) hardrockin'-friendly vibe of their songlist helped enough to create a party atmosphere. Thanks Andy & Co.

(photos by the undead Samurai)

DARK NIGHTMARE

MAIDENANCE

TOKYO BLADE