The time came once again to see the unbreakable metal veterans from Texas, Helstar, live on stage. A band long loved by the Greek crowd, both from the more “eclectic” fans and the die-hard “traditionalists”. They’ve been flying the flag of true, high-quality US power for four decades now – with almost a ten year break back in 1995 – and they still combine a unique aesthetic with a sound that’s instantly theirs. They’ve always felt to me like the American Mercyful Fate, just in a harder, power/speed metal form. From the very beginning, Helstar delivered a brand of metal that mixed unconventional ideas with straight-up intensity, heavy – to – thrash metal influences, sharp playing, and of course James Rivera’s unique presence and voice. Knowing how strong they are on stage, we were genuinely hyped. It was the perfect chance to experience this again with friends and all the familiar attendants, plus we’d get to enjoy two killer Greek support bands, The Silent Rage and Desert Near The End. Everything pointed to a great night, so for us to show up went without question.
by Tasos Bouhoutsos
photos by Iro Kalligeri (@irokalligeriphotography)
The Silent Rage hit the stage first, starting their set a bit late because of some sound/equipment issues, luckily fixed relatively fast. Once they kicked off, they came in strong, with a loud and rich sound and you could tell right away they were tight and ready to go. They played songs from both of their albums and tracks like “Wings of Tragedy”, “Sin of a Pilgrim” and their “old school” fan classic “StormWarrior” set a powerful and bold tone that the crowd responded to immediately and even more as their set progressed. Vocalist Michael Rinakakis and guitarist/mastermind Nikos Siglidis handled the crowd interactions, creating a warm, almost family-like vibe, even by joking around while keeping things deadly serious when it came to the actual performance. Their well-written power metal became more than the perfect warm-up for the night. The song “Leading the Legions” ended their set in the best way, preparing the ground for the next ragers.
Desert Near The End are no strangers to live shows, and it showed from the first notes. The band was tight and confident, though the sound wasn’t doing them any favors — kind of chaotic and narrow for the most of the set, making it a bit harder for their songs to hit the way they deserve. Their music mixes a lot of elements since their beginnings: melodies, heavy and fast riffing, concrete-thick bass, and precise, pounding drums, strongly based in the spirit of classic-era Iced Earth. Alexandros Papandreou delivered an excellent vocal performance, and the band went through material from a now six-album discography, with the latest being 2024’s “Tides of Time”. They kicked off with “Ascension” and followed with tracks like “Rise for Dominion”, “Iron Rain” and “Throne of Martyrdom”, delivering a strong set that hold and earned everyone’s attention and applause. Still, a part of the crowd was clearly already fired up for the headliners as Desert Near The End closed their set, leaving behind a dark, gritty and almost epic atmosphere but also a “promise” for the next time.
Now it was time for Helstar and you could feel the guys knew they were playing “at home”. This was more than obvious when it comes to Rivera and Barragán, while the three younger members, the bassist being an old known gun of the band, seemed genuinely thrilled by the crowd’s loud and instant enthusiasm and on the same time more than willing and capable to take this pleasant “challenge” empowering the band’s onstage storming.
Helstar also had some tech issues — mainly Rivera’s mic and at one point one of the guitars, but none of that fortunately slowed them down. They pushed through with energy, feeding off the crowd and putting on a killer show powered by intense drumming and extremely tight playing as a whole. That said, the sound didn’t really help them either, especially with guitars and vocals. As Rivera shared with us later at the set, he was dealing with a cold but not once did he consider skipping the show and miss the chance to this meeting. You could hear him struggle on some of the lower notes, but then he’d nail the high ones with that chilling, signature tone he’s known for.
Starting their set with the fresh but familiar in sound “The Devil’s Masquerade”, continued without mercy with “Evil Reign” and ‘The King Is Dead” and from this point on the crowd was captured and both “sides” never let go. Once again, they played songs from across their whole catalog, not just older classics, including tracks from their powerful latest album, “The Devil’s Masquerade”. Their relentless setlist had two standout moments as I felt it from the general mood: the newer but already classic “Black Wings of Solitude” and the Greek fan favorite “Winds of War”, which they added specifically for this show, as Rivera happily revealed to us, making the crowd even happier and hyped so to end up explode, singing and moving during the chorus and the unmatched “sweet” epicness of the closing part. The night wrapped up in full celebration mode with “Run with the Pack” and “Burning Star” with Helstar posing for photos in front of a crowd they had become one with during the show.
No doubt about it, this was the payoff to a very promising night for fans of the genre. Judging by the post-show reactions, everyone left happy and satisfied. And despite the sound issues, we got three bands playing their material with power and precision, in a warm and energetic setup. We sang, we headbanged, we let out the bad and kept the good we absorbed that night. That’s how it should be — and that’s exactly how it turned out, with Helstar leading the charge once again. Here’s for them to keep going strong and keep coming back for many years to follow. See you at the next one.
