'A Passing of the Torch'
From the reviews I had read, and from one friend's personal review of the Ft Lauderdale show, I wasn't expecting much from
Holy Hell except for some awesome shredding on guitar. Joe Stump is the 'leader' of this band I would think, and rightfully so. He taught at Berkley (the music insitute in Mass, not the Cali' college - so not sure of the spelling) for many years. But in the last few years has decided to strike out as a touring musician. And the audience is quite grateful for it.
I didn't catch the other guitarist's name, but he is apparently well-known as a shredder among guitar enthusiasts as well. He and Joe traded leads several times through several songs - flawlessly. They were each a blur on guitar. The keyboards and bass were supportive through the songs, and the drums were delivered with pounding fury by Rhino of ManOwaR. And this brings me to the female lead singer - Maria. I was totally expecting her to come out and be a nervous wreck who couldn't carry a tune. After all the reviews I had read, what more would I have expected?
She totally impressed me. She was playing up to the audience as she sang two original songs (I never caught their titles), 'Wings of Destiny' from Rhapsody - which she did not
butcher, as someone stated in another review, a 'Phantom of the Opera' duet with Eric Adams from ManOwaR, and the night's closer, Yngwie Malmsteen's 'Rising Force'. She performed well, and although I agree she could use a bit more power, I believe she impressed the Atlanta audience.
All in all,
Holy Hell will do well once they establish themselves as a rising force among the true metal scene. And if ManOwaR believes in them enough to sign them to Magic Circle records, then that's good enough for me.
~~~
With a symphonic soundtrack and an introduction from the enigmatic Christopher Lee,
Rhapsody stormed the stage next. And they took Atlanta to a new level with their performance. Everyone was top-notch throughout the set. And the set included all of my favorite songs by the Italian 'movie score' metal band...
They opened with 'The Dark Secret' and 'Unholy Warcry', went straight into 'Wisdom of the Kings' - always a crowd favorite. Then what surprised me was a song I never considered to be a typical 'head-banging' number, 'Village of the Dwarves'. But Rhapsody and the audience turned a folksy tune into a fist-waving, head-banging monster. I was blown away by the crowd reaction. I will not listen to that song the same way again. :Spin:
Each member of Rhapsody were brilliant - founding members Alex Staropoli on keyboards and Luca Turilli, master of the guitar, led their band to heights I wouldn't think could be attained in the intimate setting of the Masquerade nightclub. Their new bassist Patrick Guers was incredible. His past experience includes supporting the G3 tour with Joe Satriani. He broke into a bass solo in the middle of the song 'The Magic of the Wizard's Dream' that was utterly amazing. The second guitarist, Dominique Luerquin traded many of the leads with Luca, and they both captivated the crowd. They were both playing such fast harmony, it was hard to tell who was playing what and when.
Rhapsody went on to play several more anthems such as 'Dawn of Victory' (
my favorite album and song) and a stirring and powerful rendition of their Italian masterpiece 'Lamento Eroico'. It was obvious that the crowd was spellbound by Fabio Leone's incredble opera-level voice. They ended the evening with the last track from the latest album, and then came out for a double-dose encore after the crowd of a couple of hundred fans were chanting their name. The encore consisted of 'March of the Swordmaster' and 'The Emerald Sword'.
They were very appreciative of the crowd response and promised to return another day. Hopefully when they do, we will be in a larger facility. The Masquerade is just too small for such an enormous stage presence.
~~~
ManOwaR - the Kings of Metal
The title says it all. I was fully expecting to be let down by the long-time metallers after reading so many poor reviews of their first few performances on this eastern seaboard tour. But I was absolutely amazed by the four-piece outfit. I had only seen them once before in Germany in 1989. And you don't get any stronger reaction from a crowd than 80's Germany metal-heads when ManOwaR's in town! (
to German fans)
but I could be wrong.
Granted, the Atlanta crowd was a disappointing 2 or 3 hundred strong. But I could not tell from my vantage point near the stage. It felt like twice that many folks were behind me, screaming ManOwaR lyrics along with Eric Adams all through their set. And the band played as if they were in an arena instead of the hole-in-the-wall nightclub we were stuck in. And they also took a moment to show appreciation to the club's owner (and of course the fans as well) for having invited them to play there. Top-notch in my book.
They opened with their namesake, 'Manowar', and then went into several more classic metal anthems of theirs. Halfway through their set, Eric Adams pointed out the camera man who was following them around on stage, as well as the strategically-placed mics... and then claimed they were filming the show for their next dvd. This brought the already-intense crowd to a new level of energy.
According to a friend of mine who saw them in Orlando the evening before, he was disappointed that they had not played many of their classic late-eighties masterpieces. But they didn't let
us down at all. Their set list included (in no particular order here): 'Kings of Metal'; 'Heart of Steel'; 'Hail & Kill' (which created much ferocity in the crowd); Black Wind Fire & Steel; and 'Sign of the Hammer'; and later anthems such as 'Warriors of the World', 'Call to Arms' and 'Brothers of Metal'. They ended the night fast and furious with 'Outlaw', 'Power', and 'Fight Until We Die'.
I can't remember the last time I raised my fist, banged my head, and sang loudly, proudly, and -even if a little off-key- with so much heart.
ManOwaR promised the crowd that they would be back, and that the wait won't be near as long as it has been for last night's show.
And I will be there.
Not much more to say then that. Their bass player is wicked. Also, the song their drummer does the solo too is "Starship Troopers"...awesome movie score. Luca was great, though the lead tone was too quiet a couple of times. And Fabio - holy shit. His voice sounds exactly like the album, the range, the power - incredible. Especially the 'Lamento Eroico'. Incredible performance, and you can tell they were greatful for the audience singing along. Closing with Emerald Sword was great too. It's my favorite Rhapsody song!
