The allfathers of black metal Mayhem and the Greek phenoms Varathron joined forces in Volos on the 31st of August, at Golden R. Festival to give us a hell of a night. Along with them were several other acts, hailing from all around the world.
by Christina X
photos by Christina X
Here we were, on the last day of Golden R. Festival, on a hot evening, heading down to Nea Anchialos to witness the black metal history that was about to unfold in front of our eyes. With a heart full of napalm and a lot of cold drinks, the day began.
First up on the stage was Deus Dethroned, a black metal act from Volos, who kicked off the show with a bang. Crushing riffs, a whole lot of energy and drums on point and ruthless, they left us with a taste of pure extreme.
At this point, rain began pouring and sadly the next bands (Afterimage, Graywitch and Isolert) had to be skipped, but promised to come back and give a proper show. However, that was only a small setback for the day and as the rain ceased, the show went on like no other.
Heavy/ power metal Americans Warlord entered, as to fulfill the performance they had for the previous day and had to reschedule due to rainstorm. They took the crowd by storm, as they chanted lyrics and thanked them for being here. Their rhythmic timing and connection truly took the act to the next level and lifted our spirits.
It was time for doom metal pioneers Sorcerer to take the stage and we were all awaiting with glee. The legendary quintet made their performances memorable, with their guitar riffs ablaze and vocals to match a metal god, they surely left a huge impression.
Varathron was ready. The time had come. As smoke filled our visions, the legends arose. Track after track, they played eloquently, masterfully and full of passion. The torches aflame in the crowd only fueled the Athenian menaces, who spewed lyric after lyric. My personal favorite of the night was “Unholy Funeral”, with Necroabyssious on vocals absolutely demolishing. This was a hell of a way to await the great Mayhem. Varathron, once again, prove why they are at the top of the game.
Τhe long awaited arrival of Mayhem was finally here. The Norwegian invocation was ready to tear the stage to pieces. With the visuals displaying videos from the band’s previous video clips as well as personal tapes, Hellhammer entered. Deafening screams echoed. One by one, Teloch, Ghul, Necrobutcher and last, Αttila Csihar, bloody and gorgeously obscene made their ways to the stage. Every moment was chilling and my hair stood up straight. Mayhem were crushing our souls song by song. They played on and it was like a spell had washed over us. Their set list included older tracks to newer ones and every member was on fire. “Freezing Moon” was the moment we were absolutely dazed. Torches lit behind us in the crowd made the night look like day and it was mesmerizing. They had one more surprise left for us. Necrobutcher took the microphone and introduced none other than Manheim and Messiah to come join them and play tracks from “Deathcrush”. It was one of the most emotional moments in a show I’ve been to. As the lights dimmed and they exited, I just about couldn’t believe what I had witnessed.
There was history written that night and it will forever remain engrained in my heart and memory.
