Gamma Ray, Rhapsody Of Fire // Stage Volume 1, Athens, Greece // 29.03.2014

On the last Saturday of March we were left with an epic feeling and the taste of…ouzo, after the great show of Gamma Ray in Athens. Of course, they weren’t alone, ‘cause along came with them Rhapsody of Fire on dark wings of steel.

Dragons through flames and victorious men with emerald swords suddenly appeared, with Rhapsody of Fire, who were at the opening of the live show. Rhapsody took us on a trip to another era with songs from their latest album “Dark wings of Steel”, but also with older, favorite sounds such as “Dawn of Victory”, “Holy Thunderforce” and “Emerald Sword”. Fabio Lione thanked especially Roby De Micheli for playing with them (after the departure of Luca Turilli in 2011) as well as the Athenian audience for being there. Surprisingly, he didn’t hesitate to speak in Greek to the crowd, after he mentioned that was very glad for visiting our country once again.

It was time now for the headliners of the evening, Gamma Ray. Kai Hansen and his band showed us that they can literally shake the whole place! We can say that Hansen is quite loved here, not only by singing/playing with Gamma Ray but also as a past member of Helloween.

The show started with “Avalon” and “Hellbent” from their freshly released album “Empire of the Undead”. To continue with, we listened to older hits such as “Tribute to the Past”, “Heaven can wait”, “Time for Deliverance”. The funny part of the live was the constant reference of Hansen to Greek ouzo. In fact, he let us know that he enjoyed very much drinking, and that’s why it was a bit difficult to him to sing “Rebellion in Dreamland” without help. The Greek audience sang successfully with a strong passionate voice one of the very best songs of the band.

“Pale Rider” and “Empire of The Undead” were two more new songs that they played. During the whole show, the crowd was in frenzy, something that without doubt is an important characteristic of Greek audience. Before the ending with “To the metal” and “Send me a sign”, Michael Ehre performed a great drum solo including the theme song of Super Mario!

After approximately 2,5 hours of live show, the headliners Gamma Ray, and Rhapsody of Fire offered good music and special moments to their fans. We are looking forward, though, for another longer live show of Rhapsody in the future, and an even better album release from Mr. Hansen and Gamma Ray.

Report: Vasilina Louka
Photos: Andreas Denwar