ROCKING ATHENS FESTIVAL @ Tae Kwon Do Stadium

\r\nWith a lot of neck pain and with my vocal chords truly destroyed I deliver you my experience of the first Athens Rocking Festival.
\r\n
\r\nA few words for the venue…
\r\nThe good: We didn’t melt from the heat. Finally a gig with enough fresh air, a big stage and a good view from everywhere around. A place to sit for the quieter or the tired ones. In general a lot of space and comfort (note by the translator: and clean WCs!!!)
\r\nThe Ugly: besides the terrible sound I can’t think of anything else. But that was bad enough. I believe it was the worst sound I ever heard at a concert. Because of that I will “judge” no band by its sound but only on stage performance. Was it the equipment? Was it the echo of the hall? Where the sound techs on drugs? I don’t know but the sound did not come down clearly.
\r\n
\r\nDESCENDING
\r\nOur guys Descending took over the hard part to warm us up. Though early and with a few people comparing to later, in the front rows there where already a lot of fans who showed their excitement from the beginning. The band hit the stage for almost 30min with a lot of thrash and merciless headbanging. If the cholera-speakers wouldn’t ruin their sound things would be million times better.
\r\n
\r\nMENCEA
\r\nWhatever was left over from Descending’s war, was about to be destroyed by Mencea. The situation started to burn as happy metalheads waved their hair to the wild death sounds of the band.   
\r\n
\r\nGOJIRA
\r\nSomewhere at this point my ears started to adjust to the handicapped sound waves and I can do a better review on Gojira’s performance. I have to admit that I haven’t heard a lot of these French guys and I had some prejudice based on the tags people put on them (eco metal? Metal based on equalizations?) Anyway all these thoughts disappeared as soon as they got on stage. The energy of this band is really impressive! They were running around and banging their heads without losing even one nanosecond of their synchronization. I can’t tell for sure if I will follow them in the future but I am surely curious after this performance. Sorry that I can’t mention a single song they played -they are quite sophisticated and hard to remember. (Translator’s note: the hit Vacuity surely gave us the thrills by the end of their set)
\r\n
\r\nTESTAMENT
\r\nNow it’s panic time! From the moment Testament went on stage, a wild happiness was spread among the audience! The thrashers took everything down with them! Thrash till death and merciless riffs where the main terms of their 50min set. We broke our necks with Over the Wall, proudly sang Alone in the Dark and I can’t even describe the hell that broke loose on Into the Pit. But the highlight was when Chuck Billy decided to play Moses and “ordered” the audience to split into two: by the beginning of Wall of Death the two sides crashed against each other and formed the biggest mosh pit ever! The closing Formation of Damnation only left us wanting more. Trash till death, Oh, I said that again, didn’t I?
\r\n
\r\nBLIND GUARDIAN
\r\nWorthless to mention that half of the people there had come for Blind Guardian. Everywhere around you would see fans wearing their T-shirts. Lights went down, the first thrills and goose bumps and the swords of Noldor echoed through the speakers. And no, they didn’t start their set with Into the Storm but with Time Stands Still! And…Hansi had cut his hair short…damn those declining years… They played everything we expected them to play with only surprise the song from their fresh single Sacred. Everyone in the audience seemed satisfied tough I have to say –since I have seen them a few times – that they were quite calm and down on stage and the voice of Mister Hansi Kürsch hit the high notes with some difficulty (translator disagrees here and comments: I believe that his voice was in an excellent condition and together with the impressing light sets they delivered pure magic) But Andre Olbrich was literally bewitching us with his guitar and every solo he delivered was like a little orgasm to our ears. Our yodels bleed while accompanying Valhalla, the magical Bard Song and the final song Mirror Mirror. Once again: the sound was NO sound at all.
\r\n 
\r\nHEAVEN & HELL
\r\nAnd there it was: Heaven and Hell together. I am too small and worthless to criticize the masters called Dio and Black Sabbath. Dio took over the stage like a Lilliputian god and we all bowed to his voice and image. Tony Iommy stood there like a rock and an aura of Rockstarism was clearly visible around him. Screams and delirium followed and… When you listen to the fools, the mob rules! What can you say about the playing and performance of these monsters of rock? They kept on strongly until Vinny Appice gave them a break with an entertaining drum solo. Ok, they have grown old but if you see Dio with his 67 years running, performing and his voice like a crystal clear bell, there is nothing you can say! Next thing, Mr Iommi delivered us a beautiful solo and the celebration continued. At the Heaven and Hell song, people were singing, screaming, firing flash bombs, the whole atmosphere is indescribable. They didn’t play long but no one left unsatisfied I believe. Last song was Neon Knights and you could see smiling faces on and off stage – in the end Black Sabbath and Dio aren’t on the top of the top in the temple of fame for nothing, right? A wonderful experience and whoever missed it…really missed something!   \r\n

\r\n

\r\nReport: Manos "M For Metal" Alibertis
\r\nInspired Translation: Vixx (Thank you!!)  \r\n

\r\n