On Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the
first of (what we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that
roughly played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist paying
close attention to the occult thematology which I find mischievously engaging.
Black Hat Bones I had seen once before, receiving their promo four track teaser
(from their upcoming album) in late 2011. The album is still under construction
two and a half years later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken
Memoriam were new additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert rock
foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow back and
instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a genre that has
been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard decent compositions that
did not verbatim resemble their sources of inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn,
Hermano), impressive high pitched sustained notes, and these were enough to
secure a good first impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the
audience in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was
also a winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does not do
their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a band I would like
to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert riffs rendered with a
relished burning desire to differentiate from others of the same musical field.Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
On
Saturday G.U.M (Greek Underground Music) presented the first of (what
we assume to be) more fests, consisting of four bands that roughly
played between 40-50 minutes each. Two, I knew already: Mahalaka have
been high profiling my musical preferences for some time now, and having
released their new concept album two months ago, I could not resist
paying close attention to the occult thematology which I find
mischievously engaging. Black Hat Bones I had seen once before,
receiving their promo four track teaser (from their upcoming album) in
late 2011. The album is still under construction two and a half years
later. The other two bands Burn the Sun and Forsaken Memoriam were new
additions to my Greek band database.
Burn the Sun played a continental take on the Desert
rock foundations with high tempo power trips amidst all the sand blow
back and instrumental parts that brought about something refreshing to a
genre that has been played and played since the late 80’s. I heard
decent compositions that did not verbatim resemble their sources of
inspiration (Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn, Hermano), impressive high pitched
sustained notes, and these were enough to secure a good first
impression. The front man’s timid nature whilst addressing the audience
in between tracks in contrast with the fervency of his playing was also a
winning factor on the modesty meter, as opposed to bands that have
offered a lot less on live performances, yet interact in a way that does
not do their mediocre music any good. All in all, Burn the Sun are a
band I would like to see again, given a taste of their classic Desert
riffs rendered with a relished burning desire to differentiate from
others of the same musical field.
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
Forsaken Memoriam came all the way from Crete to play at this fest, possibly hitting two birds with one stone, and staying for the Heavy by the Sea fest featuring epic bands Down and Slayer. Their heavy sound was fitting as a runner up to a ‘Down’ gig, reminding us that it is yet a step closer. Interestingly, although not based in Athens, they had a boisterous crowd below cheering them on, with a sound something along the lines of Southern metal, with pinches of down-tempered glam, entwined with solid sludgy breakdowns. The vocals were well practiced, consistent but in my opinion pretentiously executed. Interestingly enough the vocalist was also the bass player, as is Mahakala’s set-up as well. They revealed the first surprise for the night, a guest singer, whom they called the ‘best singer in Crete’ and what a claim that was! For what it’s worth, they appeared to fully enjoy themselves and delivered a respectable set, although I would not say they gained a die-hard fan in me.
The Black Hat Bones set was the loudest than any aforementioned; I anticipated seeing them for a second time especially since the last time was nearly two years ago. They appeared very together, more so than my last recollection, with awesome drums, a bass that was played with a pick, like a guitar, giving it a less fuzzy feel. They had good stage presence, and I couldn’t help but notice them wearing other local band t-shirts, something that is becoming all the more typical as part of an unofficial ‘support your local band’ movement. The technically spot on vocals had a great range, and the singer’s ability to graciously climb octaves reminded me of Chris Cornell’s tone, further reinforcing their commitment to quality heavy rock. It also proves my point that a front man who is not an instrument player should be able to melt faces with his vocal capacity as a way of justifying his position in the band. On a final note, the self-proclaimed ‘Devil Rockers’ from their upcoming album informed us that they will be the local opening act on the Rockwave Festival bill for the Vibe stage on the 8th July, headlining Iced Earth.
Mahakala are up there, on their own, on Satan’s throne, when he is out of town on business. The subliminal messages of promiscuity on the backdrop in between the all the awesome gruesome graphics already shared on their album release party took the visual part a bit further. I knew what to expect. When you’ve followed a band for some time there can be few surprises, although they did have one in store for us. They began their set by playing shuffled tracks from their latest album ‘Devil’s Music’ a concept record full of occult symbolism. Mahakala made up for requesting a bit more boost on the equipment side for the vocals at the start of the set, by playing almost without a breather between the first few tracks, giving off a sense of urgency. Soon enough they welcomed on stage their initial vocalist rejoining them as a guest after 6 years. In my opinion his appearance failed to enhance the current marketing of the band as their form today is very different to what it was half a dozen years ago, more sludgy and less polished than today, yet his sheer energy fed the older fan base with screams of yore. On a closing note, Mahakala are one of the few bands that believe so much in what they portray, so vested in a vision that will create a healthy challenge in itself for the band’s future development.
- See more at: http://burstzine.com/concerts/live-reports/item/4115-mahakala-black-hat-bones-forsaken-memoriam-burn-the-sun-six-d-o-g-s-29-06-13-athens-greece#sthash.utx0gQ7a.dpuf
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