Tokyo Blade @ Texas Necropolis

\r\nAlexander The Great… was the first thing I heard coming in Texas Necropolis on Tuesday the 18th. You see traffic kept me from reaching the venue sooner so I am sorry for Dark Nightmare but I missed your set guys.\r\n

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\r\n Dark Nightmare\r\n

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\r\nAs for Maidenance, well, they were supposed to be the band that would open tonight’s show but due to last minute change they were the second ones to hit the stage.\r\n

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\r\nI didn’t see their whole set but from what I saw they’re a quite good tribute band and the vocals are pretty decent. Bruce Dickinson’s shoes are a really difficult to fill. However these guys like the band enough to be a very well structured and bonded live act. \r\n

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\r\nAs soon as their set was through I approached the stage for the time had come for us to spread the Wings Of Fate and fly in the sky When Shadows Fall. I am pretty sure that for those of you who have never listened to REFLECTION the epic doomsters who were next, the previous sentence doesn’t make sense but it will as I continue. With the small necessary pause to set everything up REFLECTION took the stage. Stathis, Leo, Jon, Iraklis and George took their places and the atmosphere went heavy, epic and doom all at the same time. \r\n

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\r\nREFLECTION don’t play live often in Greece as their new singer Leo Stivala (FORSAKEN) lives in Malta and the planning has to be really accurate and made long time before the show. Probably this was the reason the band had gathered a pretty big crowd. This and their latest release When Shadows Fall, a dark and heavy well established release which was received really well around the media and fans. \r\n

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\r\nAs I later found out they sold out the albums on the merchandise bench that night. Leo is a man of rather medium size, really sweet and smiling when you meet him off stage. But when he set foot on the TEXAS NECROPOLIS stage he was a possessed man. As if an elegy of dark nightmares and battles fought in a place far away in a time unknown the melodies of the guitar took control of the sweet guy I met before the show and transformed him into a sorcerer who would claim your soul should you be disrespectful and don’t follow the chant he was screaming. It is amazing the power of the fierce atmosphere they fired in the venue with their music. They love what they do and we could see that. We could taste how much observed by the music they became. They played songs from their latest release, When Shadows Fall, Kingdom Of Fire, Soul Salvation which were very well received by the crowd but also songs from their previous releases such as Slaughter In The Island Of, Fire, Wings Of Fate – which sent a shiver down my spine bringing me almost tears – and concluded their set with the all time classic hit When Immortals Die. \r\n

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\r\nThey were all taken by the music they were playing, they were all loving it, they were all enjoying every moment and the crowd was the 6th member of the band, singing and head banging. Iraklis on the keys was singing and loving every minute of it. I don’t have to say much about the “sexy mother f…” as Leo introduced him Jon –bass- who is probably the grooviest and heaviest (at the same time) bass player I’ve seen in an epic doom band.  \r\n

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\r\nHowever, the guitar in this set was absolutely captivating. I couldn’t believe the emotion and the melodies coming from this guy’s fingers, so simple yet so breathtaking and touching. Sathis is one of the best guitarists I’ve heard live in Greece and if you tell him so he’ll just laugh about it or make a joke. They left us wanting more and promised to be back for Up The Hammers festival on March.
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\r\nSet List
\r\nWho Will Dare To Bent The Bow

\r\n\r\nGhost Ship
\r\nSlaughter In The Island Of The Sun
\r\nWings Of Fate
\r\nThe Sorceress
\r\nSoul Salvation
\r\nFire
\r\nKingdom Of Fire
\r\nWhen Shadows Fall
\r\nWhen Immortals Die

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\r\nFinally the moment we’ve been waiting for in years. The band who reactivated and with them all the emotions they stir with their songs. Cause if heaven is hell well…. Tokyo Blade would be the keepers of the gate. They took the stage really strongly playing songs from their latest release. \r\n

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\r\nThe new singer is pretty good and his vocal lines as well as color fit the band perfectly. He was drinking beer and enjoying while singing but I think the one who was making us jump from our place was Frank, the base player who was everywhere on stage. Andy might be the only remaining member of the original line up but still if you like what you do, you can deliver a very good and solid result to the people who come to see a Tokyo Blade show. \r\n

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\r\nTEXAS NECROPOLIS was packed and people who came in to see the band were enthusiastic, almost delirious to be watching Tokyo Blade live. It was a great craving metal heads in Greece had for a long time coming true and they were sucking in every single moment of it. \r\n

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\r\nAnd when they covered Rainbow’s Long Live Rock N Roll the whole place was singing along and vibrating in the song. After that it was time for delirium and it flooded the place when the first lyrics of If Heaven Is Hell came out of Chris Gillen’s mouth. Crowd surfing, head banging, singing, screaming all put together in a magical passionate way. I guess it won’t be the last time we see these guys in Greece and to be more accurate I hope so!
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\r\nThe current line up is
\r\nChris Gillen – Vocals
\r\nAndy Boulton -Guitars
\r\nBrian Holland – Guitars
\r\nFrank Sapardi – Bass
\r\nLorenzo Gonzales – Drums  
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\r\nSet List

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\r\nLove Struck
\r\nSomeone To Love
\r\nRip It Up
\r\nLighting Strikes
\r\nMidnight Rendez Vous
\r\n Blackhearts And Jaded Spades
\r\nDeath On Main Street
\r\nUnleash The Beast
\r\nDead Of The Night
\r\nAttack Attack
\r\nLong Live Rock ’n’ Roll
\r\nIf Heaven Is Hell
\r\n-Encore-
\r\nNight Of The Blade
\r\nMonkey’s Blood
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\r\nReport Elena Mihailidou
\r\nPhotos Jim Hatzimoisis
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