Summer has passed, autumn has arrived, and a new season is dawning! So, Black Temple opened its doors once again, this time welcoming the Italian death metallers Demidead, who had Risabov as their special guests and Ktinos as the opening act. Myth of Rock could not be absent from this extreme metal assault – on the contrary, we were there to capture all the beautiful things that were about to happen!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
photos by Iro Kalligeri(@irokalligeriphotography)
We arrived outside Black Temple on time, at 8 p.m., when the doors opened. We went inside, found our spot, and were looking forward to the first band’s appearance. Unfortunately, there were very few people, which was understandable, both because of the strange time of year (many people are still on vacation) and because Demidead are not particularly popular in Greece.
In any case, Ktinos took the stage (set up like a cemetery!) to our warm applause and immediately launched into their death/black metal. They were well prepared, showed that they know their genre well, and made a good impression with their carefully crafted compositions. Their vocals were convincing, their guitars skillful, and the atmosphere of their music deliberately dark and bleak. They certainly do not reinvent the wheel, but they have all the elements needed to satisfy extreme metal fans. There are many good things to come from this Greek band!
The second band, who were scheduled to play before Demidead, were the Greeks Risabov. To be honest, I knew them by name, but I had never come into contact with their music before. So, I was blown away when I heard Risabov’s songs, as they move in the fields of progressive/tech thrash/death metal! Risabov are so technical that they even touch on fusion, bringing to mind bands such as Watchtower, Spastic Ink, Voivod, Mekong Delta, and so on! They were devastating, frantic, and fired at us with their incredibly technical compositions! I really wonder how they remember all those parts of their songs! The three musicians were extremely well-rehearsed, full of passion and intensity, and for quite some time they put us through a very enjoyable kind of torture. Needless to say, we are definitely keeping the name Risabov in mind for the future, which, judging by what we saw, looks like it will be even brighter for the Greek progsters!
It was time for the headliners. Demidead are an Italian band who play death metal and have one album under their belt. And, as we mentioned earlier, they played in an almost empty venue, as very few people chose to see them live. They, however, showed tremendous professionalism and played as if they were performing in front of thousands of people, giving it everything they had! Indeed, the Italians, dressed in a distinctive way and wearing makeup, delivered their extreme metal with enthusiasm, confidence and attitude! In great spirits and with a very good sound, they performed their death metal flawlessly, which, as I discovered, also includes quite a few thrash metal and groove metal elements. It was a pleasure to watch them play live, listen to their well-written songs and experience the Demidead experience! The show was special, with their vocalist, Danilo “Maze” Mazzei, also having great communication with the audience and sharing his own thoughts, talking between songs. So, we witnessed a solid, beautiful and powerful concert, with the protagonists easily winning over those lucky enough to be there. After all, we realized that their songs are worthy and that we should all discover them! Demidead’s next works will be magnificent – and I say that with confidence!
With Demidead’s nice performance, the night came to an end and we left Black Temple. What do we take away from the whole event?! The good promise shown by Ktinos, the incredible, crazy stuff of Risabov, and the great potential of Demidead, about whom many people will be talking in the best possible terms! An extreme metal night that left a very positive impression!
