|
 I
have been looking forward to attend this gig for
months now (since its initial announcement) and
I wouldn't miss it for the world. Trouble has
chosen Greece as their first stop on their "Simple
Mind Condition" promotion tour and I had
made my arrangements for that day. No matter what,
I would be there. You see, whether someone likes
Trouble or not, a golden chance appeared before
us, a chance to watch live a part of the living
heavy (and especially doom) metal history. For
Black Sabbath may be the band that started all
back in the 70's, forging at the same time the
musical identity and status of the generation
to come, but Trouble was the band that in 1984
with "Psalm 9" brought to surface a
new, dark and desperate, side of our beloved music.
A new dimension that Candlemass maximized two
years later with their classic "Epicus Doomicus
Metalicus", creating the "Kingdom of
Doom" and declaring themselves as Kings,
a title they bare to date. However Trouble, as
faithful "courtiers", never stopped
pledging allegiance to this Kingdom, offering
numerous memorable moments of sadness and despair,
experimenting with time on new forms of melancholy,
on albums like "Manic Frustration" and
"Plastic Green Head".
The weather seemed to understand
what was going on that Thursday, creating the
appropriate cloudy and rainy "background"
and by 20:00 we were outside Gagarin Club. We
decided to stir our blood with some booze before
moving in and it wasn't until we heard the first
notes from Violet Vortex that we entered the club,
hence I missed their opening track. Violet Vortex,
dedicated to stoner/doom, is a band I like a lot
and they showed much of their talent that day.
They seemed pretty solid and St. Spirus loved
and enjoyed every minute on the stage. In fact
he was the only member of the band lost in its
music, since the others looked pretty static and
apathetic. Nonetheless they offered us a very
good performance and earned liberally our applause.
Then it was time for Infidel,
another stoner/doom band from Greece. Up to that
moment I hadn't listened to their debut cd "I,
Oathbreaker" and I was really anxious to
see what they had to offer. Unfortunately, I wasn't
moved at all from their tunes and presence. A
really icy display from the band, (only singer
G. Poussios seemed to be in the appropiate mood)
and judging from what I heard that day, it was
clear that we were dealing with a band that hasn't
set its musical views, yet. A little bit of doom,
a doze of stoner, some integrated heavy rock psychedelia
and we are set to go! Really? I don't think so.
It takes more than that. Not to mention their
problematic sound especially on the voice, that
was a little behind in comparison with the other
instruments (thank God for that, now that I've
spinned the cd). They offered me 45-60 torturing
minutes, but they managed to earn the crowd, so
I must be wrong.
But that was all ancient history
by 22:30. The lights dimmed, a clear sing of what
was to come, with Trouble entering the stage and
suddenly all hell broke loose. The guitars started
to weep when touched by Bruce Franklin and Rick
Wartell, emitting the first notes of "Come
Touch the Sky". The crowd started screaming
and headbanging and Trouble felt called upon to
continue torturing the instruments on the same
doomy tempo. Unfortunately Wagner, no matter how
a good frontman can be, he couldn't sing at all.
He isn't anymore the great singer he used to be.
At least that's what he showed that day. And even
though I wanted to think of it as a technical
problem, since they had some at the very beginning,
it proved out to be just a fake belief, since
the rest of the band were simply amazing. Noone
seemed to bother though and it definitely didn't
"spoil my appetite", since the display
and energy of the rest was astonishing. The sound
of the guitar could only be described as skullcrushing
and the rhythm section enhanced their affectiveness
ten times over. Trouble became one with the crowd
and seemed to enjoy every single moment and the
same goes for the crowd, that didn't give a damn
about Wagner's lack of interpretation. How could
they after all? Trouble were performing in front
of us, we're talking living history here!!! "Fear",
"Tomorrow Never Knows", "Plastic
Green Head", "Tempter", "Bastards
Will Pay", "Pray For The Dead",
"The Fall of Lucifer", "Goin' Home",
Wickedness Of Man", "Mindbender",
"At The End Of My Daze" and "Memory's
Garden" was included on their setlist, listed
here in no particular order, together with 3 encore
songs.
I can't add much. I can't find
the words. Only this; Trouble did what an ancient
Roman Emperor once said. They came, they saw,
they conquered. Simple us that. Whoever was absent
that day is eternally doomed. |
