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Sonisphere Greece 2011

Sonisphere Greece 2011

Where do I start? Well I guess it all started last year when I was here at Sonisphere 2010 and I told my pals that if Maiden played a show in Greece on the new album tour I would be there. Then a few months later I find out that Iron Maiden would be headlining Sonisphere Greece 2011. So I just had to sort out coming over. Then after conversations with Rotting Christ my trip gets even better as I manage to organize an interview with the lead singer/founder of Rotting Christ, Sakis (audio included below). Also after emails with Didi Music I was able to get a press pass for the whole day as well, (many thanks to Tina) for making this possible.

Nightfall.

We arrived at the site just in time for Nightfall to take to the stage for their set. This is the opening set for the main stage at today’s festival and it was a good way to open up the festival. I have not heard much from this band and after today I can say that it is a situation that has been dealt with. The band played a good set of melodic death metal that had the crowd engaged right from the start despite the near 40oC heat.

1. Astronomica
2. Armanda
3. Ishtar (Celebrate Your Beauty)
4. Iris (And the Burning Aureole)
5. Ambassador of Mass
6. The Thirty Tyrants
7. Diva
8. Lesbian Show

Moonspell.

Here we have another band that I have only heard a few songs from over the last few years as they seem a bit too progressive for my tastes. But the set they played for us all today was quite good and a lot heavier than I was expecting. I found myself liking them as a live band. I have since listened to some of their songs on their website and I’m still not convinced that I like the studio versions of the songs. But as a live band they all play well together and deliver a strong set of songs.

1. In Memoriam
2. Finisterra
3. Night Eternal
4. The Southern Deathstyle
5. Opium
6. Wolfshade (A Werewolf Masquerade)
7. Scorpion Flower
8. ...of Dream and Drama (Midnight Ride)
9. Trebraruna
10. Vampiria
11. Alma Mater

Gojira

Unfortunately I was unable to photo and watch all of Gojira’s set as I had to go and interview Sakis from Rotting Christ while they were onstage and only got to see pars of the middle of the set. But what I could see and hear from the side of the Saturn stage they sounded good at what they do. I’m not a fan of the vocalist myself and I don’t think that his style is the best fit for the band. The musicians in the band played well. I also wanted to be in the photo pit for Mastodon as well and as the end of the Gojira set and the start of the Mastodon set clashed then I had to miss the end of this set. But to be honest I could still hear most of the songs while walking to the main (Apollo) stage and I wasn’t all that impressed with what they played.

1. Ocean Planet
2. Backbone
3. Remembrance
4. Love
5. A Sight to Behold
6. Flying Whales
7. The Heaviest Matter of the Universe
8. Toxic Garbage Island
9. Vacuity

Mastodon.

I saw Mastodon here when they played at Rockwave 2009 here in Greece. I have also seen them in the UK at festivals as well and they have always put a good set together. I must point out that they are one of those bands that I tend to play an album by about once a year or just for something to put on in the background. But live they seem to always catch my attention and I enjoy their set. Today was no exception to this view. They played a very good set of all their most famous songs and the crowd was screaming for more by the end of the show, me included. The band had a lot of energy and played as well as I have ever seen them and up to that point where the band of the day.

1. Iron Tusk
2. March of the Fire Ants
3. Where Strides the Behemoth
4. Mother Puncher
5. Circle of Cysquatch
6. Aqua Dementia
7. Sleeping Giant
8. Crack The Skye
9. The Wolf Is Loose
10. Crystal Skull
11. Bladecatcher
12. Megalodon
13. Blood and Thunder

Slipknot.

What a thrill for me to be in the photo pit for one of my favourite live bands of the last few years. I was here when they last came to Greece to headline Rockwave 2009. I have also seen them many times in the UK and they always blow me away with their live set. I have also become a fan of their last couple of studio albums. The atmosphere in the crowd before slipknot took to the stage was the same as for their headline show 2 years ago. The chant of slipknot started a good 10 minutes before the set start and never let up. I was able to feed of the energy from the crowd as the intro tape started and we were given access to the photo pit. If this had been an indoor festival then the roof would have been blown off when the 8 remaining members of Slipknot took to the stage with a blast of flames from the back of the stage and with the flaming S directly behind Joey’s (drummer) head. The band managed to play through what must have been a tough show for them as this is the first time they have taken to the stage since the death of Bassist Paul Grey. A mark of respect was shown to him with the hanging of his boiler suit at the side of the drum riser. What a great set they put on and didn’t disappoint in any way and it was an excellent tribute to Paul. I hope that Slipknot can find a way to carry on beyond this tour as they are still one of the greatest live bands out there.

1. 742617000027 (sic)
2. Eyeless
3. Wait and Bleed
4. The Blister Exists
5. Liberate
6. Before I Forget
7. Pulse Of The Maggots
8. Disasterpiece
9. Psychosocial
10. The Heretic Anthem
11. Duality
12. Spit It Out
13. People = Shit
14. Surfacing
15. 'Til We Die

Rotting Christ.

This then brings us onto the headliner for the Saturn stage. Rotting Christ a local band from Athens formed by the two brothers Sakis and Themis, many years ago. I have never seen Rotting Christ perform before tonight’s show and was looking forward to it as I have seen many black metal shows in recent years and have had Rotting Christ on the list of bands to check out. Also I had a very good interview with Sakis earlier in the day as you will hear if you click on the link here

But onto the show and the crowd has packed into the space for the Saturn stage straight from the set by Slipknot and start the chant for Rotting Christ. I have found my spot in the photo pit to be ready for them to take to the stage and am deafen by the sheer volume of the crowd gathered behind me for the home coming of Rotting Christ. The excitement builds as the stage fills with smoke and the intro tape starts to roll. There is a tremendous noise when drummer Themis takes to his kit. Just as the rest of the band take to the stage. The band is full of smiles as they take their places at the front of the stage and blast into the first song. All the nerves that Sakis talks of having about playing in front of a home crowd are soon put behind him as the songs are flawless and played to perfection. The 3 men up front of the stage each join in head banging when possible and blast out the songs with so much feeling I don’t think I will ever see a band leave as much on that stage as they did tonight. The crowd are loving every minute of it, I had the hardest time keeping the camera straight to take pictures and not join in with the head banging myself. The show was amazing and showed why Rotting Christ have been made the headliners of the Saturn stage. I really look forward to seeing them again somewhere on the road in the future. For the final sing of the set “Non Serviam the band let 50 people crowd the stage to head bang along with them.
I also want to say a very big thank you to Sakis for the interview at such a busy and stressful time.

1. Aealo
2. Eon Aenaos
3. Athanati Este
4. Fire Death and Fear
5. Nemecic
6. Among Two Storms
7. The Sign of Evil Existence
8. Demonon Vrosis
9. Chaos Geneto (The Sign of Prime Creation)
10. Phobos' Synagogue
11. dub-sag-ta-ke
12. Non Serviam

Iron Maiden.

From the blistering set of Rotting Christ we all charge down the hill to be ready for Iron Maiden to play their first set in Greece in a few years. This is the first time that I have seen Maiden in Greece but not the first time I have seen them outside the UK. The chant of “O’LAY, O’LAY MAIDEN, MAIDEN” was screaming out from the waiting crowd as I made my way to the spot that we had all picked out for the festival to the left of the main stage from the bar. This moment in time has been a long time in the making between me and my Greek metal brothers and sisters. I was fulfilling a promise I had made a year ago. As the first few bars of “Doctor, Doctor” by UFO starts the Maiden chant gets louder as the crowd knows that Maiden always have the P.A system blast out this song before they take to the stage. The set opens with a video monologue played to the sounds of Satellite 15 as the band take to the stage for the start of “the Final Frontier”. The crowd is full of energy and greet this song with the biggest of cheers. But after only 3 songs the crowd are shouting for “Alistair the Great” only for Bruce Dickinson (Vocals) to announce to the crowd that they won’t be playing it tonight and then sings a few lines from the chorus. This has the effect of killing the atmosphere and the remaining songs from the new album don’t go down as well as they could have done. The first half of the set is set very much in this century with only “2 minutes to midnight” and “the trooper” being the only songs before then. The crowd don’t seem to enjoy this and it isn’t until “The evil that men do” starts of the return to a more classic set do the crowd start to come alive again and get more behind the band. To Maiden’s credit they don’t let the crowd reaction bother them and the still play very well and give every song the most amount of effort. I think that the choice of set list might not have been the best one for a festival. When they played the more classic songs the crowd reaction was better and the whole show seemed better. I can honestly say that it wasn’t the best show that I have seen Maiden play and it wasn’t terrible. I spoke with people that have never seen the band before and they said that they were really good over all but preferred the older songs more than the newer stuff. A lot of them said that they would see the band again.

1. Satellite 15... The Final Frontier
2. El Dorado
3. 2 Minutes to Midnight
4. The Talisman
5. Coming Home
6. Dance of Death
7. The Trooper
8. The Wicker Man
9. Blood Brothers
10. When the Wild Wind Blows
11. The Evil That Men Do
12. Fear of the Dark
13. Iron Maiden
14. The Number of the Beast
15. Hallowed Be Thy Name
16. Running Free

In review of the festival I would say that on the night Rotting Christ stole the show and played the best set of the day. Slipknot would be a close second with Maiden third for delivering a good set but left me slightly disappointed in the choice of song order. But on the whole the festival was very good and the Greek metal heads sure know how to enjoy themselves.
Many thanks go out to Tina from Didi music for the press access and also to my Greek metal family (you know who you are) for making me so welcome in your country every year. I look forward to next year’s trip already.

I must also add that if you live in Athens and need a tattoo doing then look to my pal Dimitris. He has done some wonderful work and I had a tattoo done with him while I was there. Check him out at http://inkyswallowstattoo.yolasite.com/