Having experienced a fantastic event, organized excellently by Angels PR and with the unique performances of the bands, we went to Holywood Live Stage with the expectation of a fine second day of the Ladies of Metal Festival volume four. We arrived ten minutes past eight o’ clock and saw Marialena on stage. I was a little confused, since according to the concert programme, the first band of the evening would be TV Witch, however, I was informed that the band had cancelled its appearance.
Marialena is a distinguished singer, who has released a nice debut album (“Prophecies”), full of symphonic metal highlights and marvelous operatic vocals. With a skilled live band behind her, Marialena sung passionately some of her best songs and satisfied the few fans, who had already come to the venue. Despite not being much-experienced as a live act, the Greek singer and her group were well-rehearsed and concentrated, convincing us to note down Marialena’s name - I am pretty sure that we will soon hear very interesting things from her!
After this ideal beginning, we were warm enough for rest of the bands. Disillusive Play was next and I will put it straight – this modern melodic metal band gained a lot of fans that night, including me! Every moment of their show was more than satisfactory, they had the quality, the energy, the melodies and the feeling to conquer us all. I have the impression that Disillusive Play was the most fascinating band of the two days of the Festival – in terms of songwriting, musicianship and technique. Yes, the guitars were incredible, the vocals of Antigoni Kalamara were modest and sophisticated, the overall sound so heavy, clear and bright. I also liked the words, with which every song was introduced and generally, the interaction of the band with the fans. A spellbinding live show by Disillusive Play!
But the time for Barbara Black had come. I was so curious to see how Barbara is on stage and if she can reach her high studio performance and if see can produce all that energy and power that her songs have. I have said before that Barbara Black is a true metal lady, a furious rock n’ roll diva, who has everything under her command. Well, that night we understood that Barbara Black is all these things and much more! Her stage acting is gorgeous, her looks kill, she can sing just like in the album. It is not an exaggeration to say that Barbara Black is a music phenomenon, since every moment of her live show is electrifying and the Spanish frontwoman attracts every single one of the fans like a magnet! The band that supported Barbara worked as the perfect basis, on which she did her magical tricks! We tasted many of her thunderous hard n’ heavy songs and remembered again what a nice album “Love, Death and Flies” is. The audience was excited with the cataclysmic live set of Barbara Black, who left the stage in triumph.
Meden Agan was the headlining group of this second day of the fourth Ladies of Metal Festival. The venue was almost full, with the fans waiting impatiently for one of the most acclaimed female fronted metal bands of the Greek scene. As soon as the band appeared on stage, everyone went crazy with the super heavy, crystal clear and pompous sound of Meden Agan. The band’s modern gothic/symphonic metal songs, majestically performed, captured our complete attention and for almost an hour we enjoyed a unique, breathtaking live set. Although the band was a tight unit, Diman Koutsogiannopoulos on the guitar and Dimitra Panariti on vocals were the ones who stole the show – you could easily tell that Diman is a great player, a real virtuoso, and Dimitra has a fantastic voice, well-trained and beautifully shaped, which was combined with an excellent stage acting. The songs were wisely chosen, however, my personal favorite moment of the show was “The Purge” – that’s a hit! We listened also to some very interesting songs from Meden Agan’s upcoming album, and the band finished its set gloriously, with a warm applause from the fans.
The second day of the fourth Ladies of Metal Festival was an absolute success and ended with an enthralling epilogue; the metal ladies of that day gathered on stage and sang together a classic Nightwish song, “Ever Dream” – the best way to conclude a marvelous event! I would like to thank again Angels PR and Marian Nicolaou for organizing this incredible festival. The Greek scene needs such events, since the bands may reach a broader audience and the fans can experience fantastic moments of metal beauty! I am already looking forward for the next, fifth volume of Ladies of Metal Festival!
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
