Kamelot @ Fuzz Club

\r\nWednesday night is not the best day to plan a gig, so the success of the Forever Slave/Firewind/Kamelot concert was under serious doubt. When reaching Fuzz club though, it became obvious that no matter the day, the place would be packed. In such cases people expect the main act to attract the attention (Kamelot in this case), but it was clear that the Firewind fans were as many as those of Kamelot, if not the majority.
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\r\nFrom the soundcheck, Firewind gave us an idea about what to expect. Despite some minor problems, the sound was quite massive already, so all that was left was to put the theory in practice during their actual performance. A couple of hours later Firewind stormed the stage with the confidence that they gained from the endless touring during the last years. They’re a major act nowadays, and pretty soon they will start headlining their own tours. This is something that is almost planned for the new season (September onwards that is). Their set was obviously based mainly on their brand new album ‘The Premonition’, but ‘Allegiance’ could not be ignored. 7 out of 10 tracks came from these 2 albums, which are the ones that Firewind maintained the same line up. So, having their best line up ever, all the experience and at least 2 great albums to back them up, Firewind took the audience by storm. The sound was among the best I’ve ever heard (they had better sound than Kamelot), and the band was full of energy. There’s no reason to speak about their musical abilities, all five of them are top class musicians, and have nothing to prove.
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\r\nFor anyone that might have any doubts, this performance proved that Firewind is the biggest Greek metal band ever (with all the respect to the mighty Rotting Christ), simply because they have done major tours, they have the biggest sales, they are the most recognisable Greek export, and because their live performance backs this up 100%.
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\r\nIn approximately 55 minutes they delivered a great set, including the personal favourites Head Up High, Falling To Pieces and the amazing Till The End Of Time. There was great communication between the band and the audience, and the feedback from the crowd was amazing. It’s also impressive to see that although they are so successful, they still remain 5 normal guys that have no pretentious attitude, and they don’t mind using their humour on stage. They enjoy playing their favourite music, and this is pretty clear.
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\r\nWhen I go to a concert the things I expect is great sound (very rare to happen though), a band that is having fun performing, and obviously a great set. Firewind delivered in all these 3 aspects, so this concert was a really pleasant experience. Above all though, this was a reason to stop being miserable as a nation, use them as an example and be proud of Firewind’s achievements. \r\n

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\r\n\r\nSETLIST\r\n\r\n

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\r\nKAMELOT’s show began in a very atmospheric background featuring a female violinist who appeared through the artificial mist under the sounds of “Solitaire”. The band got on stage right after, and “Rule The World” was the most appropriate way to give a bit more of excitement to the people of the full-crowded Fuzz Club. Khan performed in his well-known emotional and expressive way while keeping a unique interaction with the crowd during the whole show, something that derived from the really good performance of the band as well. All in all, this band can antagonize more popular names of this music scene, that’s for sure.
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\r\nTheir set list was based on the “Ghost Opera” album mainly, but also contained strong doses of songs from their previous records. Surely they left no one disappointed, however a couple of songs from their first amazing albums for instance would be much welcome as well, as unfortunately this era is missing from the set lists of their last tours.
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\r\nThe quality of the sound was generally good and well balanced, however FIREWIND who performed before KAMELOT had a much more solid, heavy and impressive sound regarding the guitar parts mostly. Concerning Khan’s performance, it was mesmerizing as usual, even though in the middle of the show, especially during “Fourth Legacy”, he seemed and sounded to be tired, so the keyboard/drum solos were necessary so that he could return on stage in a more powerful way. \r\n

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\r\nKAMELOT returned to Greece after three years and proved that they are performing so professionally and that they are a huge “modern” power metal Monster on stage. Few bands can perform live such songs with several orchestral parts and extended studio process. Any power metal fan that didn’t see them that night, missed more than a lot. Hopefully they will continue to compose quality albums and give us the chance to see them live again as soon as possible.\r\n

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\r\nThe issue of the sound quality and the arrangement of this venue is not news. However, since it’s not working only as a trendy Club during the last years, but it also works as a venue for live shows, it’s about time to change the prices of the drinks as the only process through out the years has to do with at least selling it in a glass instead of a bottle, which of course could turn out to be pretty dangerous. Yet the price is still higher even than the selling price of the beer in the most popular Metal Club in Athens. \r\n

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\r\n\r\nSET LIST\r\n

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\r\n\r\nSolitaire
\r\nRule The World
\r\nWhen The Lights Are Down
\r\nSoul Society
\r\nDescent Of The Archangel
\r\nCenter of the Universe
\r\nAbandoned
\r\nInstrumental
\r\nFourth Legacy
\r\nInstrumental
\r\nThe Human Stain
\r\nEdenEcho
\r\nKeyboard Solo
\r\nForever
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\r\nEncore
\r\n\r\nGhost Opera
\r\nLove You to Death
\r\nKarma
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\r\n2nd Encore
\r\n\r\nMarch Of Mephisto \r\n

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\r\n\r\nLive Report : Angel K/ Nicoleta Sarantou\r\n

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