 The
second volume of Monolith Dopes invited in the
small, but warm stage of Rodeo Club in Athens.
Like every underground club that respects itself
has the usual diseases, like cement columns in
the center of the crowd area, but at least the
drinks are good. Pre-show DJ set by Regular Paul,
editor of Monolith webzine, revealed a great band
that came to my notice and I immediately asked
Paul about them. Sahg is their name and this is
the only clue that you’ll get from my side.
The rest is now on your hands. Find them. Thanks
Paul. You’ve proven once more that you remain
one of the best informed guys in the scene (or
I am the worst informed guy). Pentheus, chief
editor and soul of Monolith webzine, set up a
small kiosk with the new Monolith t-shit and stuff
from the bands. The new design, courtesy of Maleus,
is awesome. Evil and erotic at the same time,
it encapsulates the spirit of doom metal and heavy
rock that the guys in Monolith believe in. Despite
the Tool gig in the previous day and the fact
that the following day was a working one, a great
amount of people (approx. 120) gathered in Rodeo
Club to see three of the best heavy/doom metal
bands in a series of concerts under the auspices
of Monolith, one of the most authoritative web
resources. In Vain were and remain one of
the best kept secrets of Greek underground. Their
low-profile and humble personality is the main
reason and that gives them even greater value.
Other bands in their position would make their
presence bold and why not they would treat their
audience with arrogance. No. The guys are great
kids and we have a hell of a time remembering
habits we had in early '90s, when underground
had another shape. Panos Dimitriou (also in Denial
Price for those who don’t know) is the key
person in In Vain and he has lead the band in
the fields of groovy doom metal. While in Denial
price he deposits his love for Dio-era Black Sabbath
(and early Fates Warning), in In Vain he shows
his preference for the first period of Black Sabbath.
I saw some grim faces coming from our power/doom
metal friends, but the rest of the club was enjoying
their gifts. They played songs from their first
demo, while they gave us a few tunes from their
second demo "Letters From My Brother Cain".
People seemed to enjoy the "Black Sabbath"
cover, as Panos imitated the wrecking Ozzy figure,
and at the end they received a warm applaud.
Infidel were by all means the
band that attract the majority of the attendees.
The band has released its debut through the Greek
department of EMI and currently promotes it with
live appearances. They were simply amazing. Infidel
on stage is a piece concrete that falls on your
head from the penthouse of a skywalker. So I understand
those who argue on their support they get from
media and their company, but at the same time
I encourage all these "infidels" to
go to one of their shows and see with their very
own eyes if they deserve it or not. I have no
reservation for their value and I am waiting to
listen to "I, the Oathbreaker". Every
member of the band gave a solid performance of
multi-faceted heavy/doom metal. Although John
Pousios is the voice of Messiah Marcolin jailed
in the body of Forsaken’s Albert Bell, this
gives only a small part of their whole image.
The negative point in their presence was that
people who came to the show just for them, left
the club immediately after their appearance, showing
some sort of disrespect to Sorrow’s Path.
However the band has nothing to do this, but we
must underline this behavior.
Sorrow’s Path deservedly
headlined this short doom metal festival. They
are back for good in business and, yes, we are
anxious for their first official release. They
gave a show based on their demos’ songs
that everyone who remained on his/her seat highly
appreciated. As these guys getting older, they
become more mature and this is reflected on their
music. The doom metal they deliver is vivid and
robust without seeking for false tricks in keys
or whatever. The portion of riff-based doom metal
with plenty of melodic bridges was including two
covers, one Candlemass ("Seven Silver Keys")
and one Judas Priest ("Angel"). My only
objection is that they should hire a session member
in rhythm guitars, because during the solos or
the lead guitar parts, their sound becomes weaker.
This is something that you can easily overcome,
especially when you listen to some small diamonds,
like "Prince of the Night" or "No
Possibility".
In overall it was a good gig.
The organization was great and the bands contributed
to the final result. I am sure that right after
the end of the show the Monolith guys started
thinking about the next hit and the only thing
that I am thinking is how shortly.
P.S. I know that many people
don’t think like that, but I have to say
it. Once a Monolithian, always a Monolithian.
Thanks guys. |
