Beast in Black is one of the most promising newcomer bands in the power metal scene – if you can say that a band with three records already released is a newcomer! So, their first ever live show in Athens, Greece, was a very important event for all the Greek fans. Of course, we must not forget that Beast in Black’s frontman is Yannis Papadopoulos, who makes us proud with his amazing vocal talent. So, I counted the days until this show, which took place in Gagarin 205 live venue and was sold out – all the Greek powerheads would be there to enjoy Beast in Black. Before the headliners, Suicidal Angels would play and warm up the audience. Indeed, the Greek thrash metallers stormed the stage with their technical stuff, playing with passion and self-confidence. Suicidal Angels is an experienced act and performed nicely their thrash metal anthems, however, they didn’t match with the musical style of the headliners.  I would prefer a Greek power metal band to open for Beast in Black, and I am sure that’s what most of the fans would prefer. Yet, we all liked the supporting act’s set, despite the fact that the lead guitar sound wasn’t so loud. After one hour, Suicidal Angels left the stage and in some minutes everything was ready for Beast in Black. Who got on stage and all hell broke loose!! The power metal stars started their show impressively, with a crystal clear, heavy sound and gallons of passion and grit!! They performed amazingly, combining their fantastic skills with true feeling and elegance. They were powerful and melodic, and they gave their fans power metal and a little bit of…disco, as Yannis Papadopoulos correctly said. It was a real party, everyone was jumping and dancing, both the group and the fans had a great time, real fun, with all the beautiful tracks from the three albums of the band’s discography. "Blade Runner", ”Die by the Blade”, ”Moonlight Rendezvous”, ”Blind and Frozen”, ”One Night in Tokyo”, ”Unlimited Sin”, "Crazy, Mad, Insane", "Sweet True Lies", "Cry Out For a Hero", all were top hits that sounded stunning during this power metal feast. Everything went on perfect, apart from one thing that I didn’t like, and that was the prerecorded vocals and keyboards … However, that happens in live shows nowadays, so today, two weeks after this live show, I have totally forgotten about it. What stays as an impression, as a memory, is the top class performance of a band, who played and kicked ass, who gave us almost two hours of fantastic, melodic metal music. Yannis Papadopoulos and his company helped us forget everything else  and made us happy! A modern metal phenomenon stroke us in Athens that night! We are looking forward for the next Beast in Black album and their next concerts in Greece! Thank you, guys!

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Supporting the big, famous metal bands is very important, however, supporting the younger, local metal bands is even more important. The only way to secure the future of this music is to help the new bands, who are trying hard to make a name and become more popular. So, when the news about the Next Gen Blood Festival broke, Myth of Rock was excited, as two upcoming bands of the Greek metal scene would play live together – the promising Lazy Man’s Load and the mighty Project Renegade. Right below you can read our impressions from that night …

This first Next Gen Blood Festival would take place in Piraeus Club Academy, a small and cozy venue. I was there on time to enjoy the first band, Lazy Man’s Load. I was not familiar with them, however, they managed to win the crowd, who had already filled the venue, including me. The band from Athens, Greece, plays in a heavy rock/stoner style and soon as they played the first notes, everyone present understood that Lazy Man’s Load is a silent force! Yes, they performed their heavy rock music with conviction and dignity, persuading us that they have the talent and the balls to continue the heavy rock traditions. Very confident, very comfortable and simple, the five members of the band showcased their massive riffs, their catchy refrains, their passionate rhythms. I became a fan of Lazy Man’s Load, without a doubt this band rocks big time and the future belongs to them. For 75-80 minutes we tasted true and heartfelt heavy rock by a band, who sounds already mature and capable of big things! Congratulations to this fiery quintet!

After the loud and proud performance of Lazy Man’s Load, it was time to enjoy the unique, the phenomenal Project Renegade. I had seen this band live a lot of times in the past and they always were fantastic. So, I knew what I would see. Well, this time the band was even better! Project Renegade hit the stage triumphantly and catapulted their fine blend of modern metal, where Lacuna Coil meets Slipknot and Korn. A full venue welcomed the Athenian band and what we witnessed was colossal. Project Renegade works as an accomplished, mature professional act, which has certain goals and knows the way to achieve them: they give everything they have, they play like there is no tomorrow, they really communicate with their fans. Marianna (vocals) was superb in her vocal and stage performance, so did the other guys of the band, who furiously tear down everything. The playlist was wisely chosen and included songs from the past, the present and the future of the band – my personal favorite moments of the set were “The Fix Is In” and “Bloodwitch”, which drove crazy all the fans in the club! Almost one hour and a half with Project Renegade was pure pleasure for both sides, and the band left the stage in ecstasy! It was a blast!

We took our way home, with a big smile on our faces, as we had a great time with two amazing Greek bands  – Lazy Man’s Load, who took us by storm, and Project Renegade, who proved they are a well-established, distinguished band … it is the blood of the next generation!

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Do you remember Kula Shaker? The English psychedelic/folk alternative rock band who had big success in the late nineties, with hit singles and a great hype around its name? Kula Shaker came back in 2022 with a nice new album (“1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs”) and scheduled some live shows in many countries. Myth of Rock had the unique chance to witness Kula Shaker's live concert in Birmingham, UK. Being on a business trip in London, I bought my tickets to Birmingham and got ready for a vintage rock night at the O2 Institute, after having been at Black Sabbath’s bench and having seen Jeff Lynne’s star in the Walk of Stars… I arrived outside the venue at 7.30 pm, however, to my disappointment, not too many people were there. It’s still early, I thought … Thirty minutes later our wait was over, and we entered the club. O2 Institute is a rather small place, but, on the other hand, it’s warm and friendly for the fans. And my thoughts about the people attending, soon disappeared, because the venue got full – approximately, 1000 people were there, anxious to have fun with Kula Shaker. There would not be a support band, ehmmm, who are these five musicians with the tympani getting on stage, in front of a DJ, who played dance music? Well, there was a support band: …, who played their tympani over dance music themes, adding an Indian flavor and a folk element to the beat. This unique group is unbelievably skilled, and very communicative with the audience, which was amazed with all this … experimental pop sound! Their set wasn’t longer than half an hour, and we were already looking forward to Kula Shaker! The quartet didn’t let us wait, as they entered the stage with confidence and conviction. Indeed, they started playing passionately although they had sound problems in the very beginning. The crew fixed the minor problems and it’s shockingly true that the band played with much more focus and precision, since then! Kula Shaker played songs from all its discography, from their debut to their latest long player “1st Congregational Church …” - the sound was now clean and loud, the famous English band was cheerful and gave their everything just to please their listeners. The song selection was fine, I wanted some other songs too, e.g. “Mystical Machine Gun” and “Great Hosannah”, though. Crispian Mills was a real rock star, playing his guitar like a god and singing beautifully every hooky vocal line. And he was the undisputed leader of a well-rehearsed, hardworking, mature band, which even made changes to the song structures – a superb gift to their fans!  The keyboards were fantastic, and took us to the early seventies, the guitars were lost in an alternative heavy rock labyrinth and the rhythm section was super supportive! Kula Shaker concluded their almost two-hour set, living a triumph, as the audience applauded in standing ovation. This concert proved to be super special, since we had the good luck to see and hear Kula Shaker’s mighty come back to the modern rock scene. Hats off to Mr. Mills and his gang! And go grab the sitar, let’s practice!

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Geoff Tate’s visit to Athens, Greece, is enough in itself for all the good music lovers in Greece: we all knew where we would go that night, all the roads of Athens led to the Gagarin 205 venue, where Queensrÿche’s original singer would perform live. And the news, that Tate would play the “Rage For Order” and “Empire” albums in their entirety, made everyone enthusiastic for this great live show.

The venue was packed with the crazy fans, as soon as the doors opened. Although it was not announced, the evening had a support band – it was Emerald Sun, who would open for Geoff Tate, a traditional epic heavy/power metal band from Thessaloniki. I arrived at the venue some minutes after the beginning of the show, and seeing them on stage was a true surprise for me. The Greeks performed with conviction and passion, they had a nice, tight sound and their material is first class. They chose songs, spanning from their early years until their most recent album (“Kingdom of Gods”, 2022, out via El Puerto Records), and I liked very much their wonderful guitar work and their catchy vocal lines. The fans all had a fun time with Emerald Sun and time went by quickly.

It was time to enjoy Mr. Tate! Yes, Emerald Sun had left and everything was ready. Firstly, the members of Tate’s touring band came in front of us and we were already screaming! In seconds, Geoff Tate, the legendary singer from Tacoma, Washington, appeared on stage, smiling and performing in his unique style. The first verse of “Walk in the Shadows” was a bomb, which “exploded” on our hands – we all were singing together Tate. Three meters before us, Tate was unfolding his art, and we all stood there, breathless, don’t believing our ears and eyes! Geoff Tate was in a perfect shape, having recovered from his health issues, acting like a teenager. That was amazing!

Geoff Tate’s show included two parts – the first part was “Rage for Order” and the second one was “Empire”… as you can surely understand, it was Queensrÿche fans happy hour! Yes, we enjoyed these classic progressive metal albums in all their majesty, in all their beauty and charm! We lived singular moments of progressive metal art, we experienced the perfect sound of Queensrÿche with Tate’s vocals! It was a miracle, almost two hours of music perfection, a dream that came true for so many fans, who were punctual in their rendezvous with history and art!

The live show ended with an encore of two songs – “Last Time In Paris”, “Take Hold of The Flame” and “Queen of the Reich” … it was the best way to end for this compelling live show, with the fans singing along like lunatics! Geoff Tate thanked us and we thanked him for changing again our life! A phenomenal concert by a phenomenal artist!

Dimitris Zacharopoulos