Death Angel
Suicidal Angels, Roots Of Death, Adimiron
Eightball Club, Thessaloniki, Greece
19/03/11.
Once again we had the chance to see a good package of four groups in Thessaloniki and once again the people of the city didn’t decide to attend the show. I don’t really know what must happen in order to have some kind of respect at what some promoters do for the fans, but what I surely know is that four groups for the price of 20 euros in the year of 2011 in Greece is something that happens not very often.
Adimiron were the first band to play, influenced heavily by Meshuggah and Fear Factory, with a lot of groove to their sound. They played 25 minutes only but were really good, if we add the fact that they didn’t have the best possible sound.
Roots Of Death were the next band and I was very surprised by the energy and guts they show on the stage. These guys seem like they play for the last time in their lives and they bang their heads and torsos all the time. The frontman was so neurotic that it felt as if he was going to come down and throw fists and kicks to the crowd. Especially when he was screaming his face would turn red, looking like he’s going to explode very soon. Adding a good cover of Sepultura’s ”Territory” on their set, they made the crowd give them lots of hints. Their touch of In Flames combined with doses of The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel and Despised Icon is produced very well and they could go many steps forward with such energy. Only time will tell.
Suicidal Angels felt like being home and this was proved along their 40 minute set, mainly based on their last and critically acclaimed album ”Dead Again”. Once ”Reborn In Violence” entered, the party started, and ”Bleeding Holocaust” was not only the spark that started the fire, but it could be the title of the whole night. Superb performance, amazing certainty and sweat all over the place were the main characteristics of this hellish show. The title track of the last album was followed by ”Violent Abuse” and Beggar Of Scorn”. They also played ”The Lies Of Ressurection” and ”Search Of Recreation”, followed by ”Final Dawn”. The set closed as usual with ”Apokathilosis” and with 30 people coming up the stage, not leaving the band perform entirely, so bassist Aggelos came down to the crowd and started moshing his ass out. A totally accepted night for the best group of our country at the moment. Five years after I first saw them here, they still kick asses with no remorse. The best haven’t come yet. They deserve whatever will come on their way. Apotheosis!
Death Angel made their first show ever in Greece and they had the difficult tusk to overcome the performance of our local heroes. A band with such energy couldn’t deliver less than thrash metall lessons, playing about 75 minutes, that could be even more if they hadn’t a time limit. It is really indescribable to see persons you thought you’d never see standing about 5 meters close and banging their heads to the very end. Mark Osegueda is an amazing frontman and his rasta hair don’t prevent him from making windmills and spitting his guts out throughout the whole set. The two guitar players perfectly synchronized on rhythm and lead parts. Rob Cavestany more expressive and Ted Aguilar more focused torturing his white guitar.
Amazing rhythm section by newcomers Damien Sisson on bass and Will Carrol on drums (what a man). The set was mainly based on the three last albums they did since they reformed and the godly debut album ”The Ultra Violence”. In all songs they didn’t lose their tied up basis and an extra hint goes out to ”Seemingly Endless Time” from the ”Act III” album, which was the first song I ever listened from them. On ”Thrashers” the club was set on fire, with Osegueda smiling constantly and didn’t believing his eyes. Everyone left satisfied and despite some complaints for the abscence of tracks from the ”Frolic Through The Park” album, Death Angel’s first Greek show made us thinking there’s a bright future in thrash metal with the old pioneers leading the new ones. Next thrash stops: Whiplash and Assassin!
Report: Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras.
Photos: Louis Konstantinou photography.