Release Athens Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, it brought many big names from the contemporary music scene to our shores. Among these names, of course, were Helloween, who, as part of their 40th-anniversary tour in support of their latest album, “Giants & Monsters”, once again included us in their plans. Myth of Rock could not be absent from the power metal celebration Helloween put together on a festival day that also featured the highly interesting Ashes of Ares and veteran metallers Saxon.
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
photos by Iro Kalligeri (@irokalligeriphotography)
As the doors were scheduled to open at 6 p.m., we arrived a few minutes earlier to secure a good spot. As usual, we didn’t head straight to the front of the stage, but instead stopped by the sponsors’ booths, where visitors could find information about various products, special offers, giveaways, and more.
When the first notes of Ashes of Ares rang out, we immediately rushed to the front of the stage. Matt Barlow and company unleashed their brand of American power metal and certainly got us warmed up for what was to come. The sun was blazing, as it was still afternoon, yet nothing could stop the metal assault of Ashes of Ares, who performed both their own songs and several well-known Iced Earth compositions. Naturally, the Iced Earth songs went down an absolute storm, with the crowd, which was gradually filling up Plateia Nerou, screaming and headbanging with excitement. And how could it be any different when hearing classics such as “Dark Saga”, “I Died For You”, “Vengeance Is Mine”, “Burning Times” and so on? We’re talking about true US metal classics, with Barlow delivering a fantastic performance, perfectly complemented by Freddie Vidales, who was flawless in his guitar duties! I really enjoyed them!
Next up were one of the true mainstays of British heavy metal, Saxon! As you can imagine, we knew exactly what to expect, what we were going to see and hear, because Saxon are a guaranteed live act and a living piece of metal history—a top-class band delivering first-rate steel with passion, soul and pride! This is what they have been doing for so many decades, giving us classic heavy metal songs that move and unite metalheads! Once again, Biff Byford, the iconic frontman of Saxon, inspired awe and admiration, sweeping us all into a metal frenzy. As always! For more than an hour, Saxon treated us to many of the great anthems of ’80s metal, including “Power and the Glory”, “Heavy Metal Thunder”, “Princess of the Night”, “Denim and Leather”, “Wheels of Steel”, “Motorcycle Man”, “Crusader”, “And the Bands Played On” and many more. We sang along, headbanged and had an absolutely fantastic time! Just watching Biff sing was enough to fill you with satisfaction! The band also featured the great Brian Tatler (guitar, Diamond Head), who delivered a fantastic performance himself, being a true legend of British metal! So, even though we’ve seen Saxon live countless times, we were still absolutely thrilled! As we said, we never get tired of enjoying Saxon!
After the live masterclass delivered by Saxon, it was time for the headliners—Helloween! And Helloween are undoubtedly one of the greatest metal bands of all time, one of the most important and influential acts in the history of heavy metal. The pioneers of European power metal were right on time for their appointment with us, and shortly afterwards, Plateia Nerou, packed with devoted fans, welcomed the reunited Helloween, featuring Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen. They stormed onto the stage like a tidal wave, kicking things off with “March of Time”!
The revitalized Helloween greeted us with their second song, the epic and extended “The King for a 1000 Years”. We couldn’t have imagined a better opening to a show that immediately revealed itself to be a true production extravaganza, featuring incredible stage sets and a band in absolutely phenomenal spirits. It was amazing to see Kiske performing alongside Andi Deris, covering songs from every era of the German metal giants. Where do we even begin?! “We Burn”, “Twilight of the Gods”, “Ride the Sky”, “Hey Lord!”, “Heavy Metal Is the Law”, “Halloween”, “Eagle Fly Free”, “Dr. Stein”, “Power” and so many more had us singing and jumping up and down like crazy!
The setlist was packed, but the enthusiasm was even greater, with Helloween effortlessly proving why they are considered masters of the genre—their genre! The communication between the musicians and the audience was incredible, and it was obvious that both sides were having an absolute blast. It was a full-on Euro power metal party, with “Future World”, “I Want Out” and “A Tale That Wasn’t Right” naturally standing among the highlights.
We watched Kai Hansen, Michael Weikath and Markus Grosskopf perform just a few meters away from us, and all three musicians were absolutely captivating, clearly enjoying themselves to the fullest. Hansen was the only one who seemed to struggle a little with his vocals compared to the old days. You didn’t have to be a Helloween fan to realize that this was one of the best shows the Pumpkins have ever delivered in our country. The band are in absolutely monstrous form, and we all witnessed it firsthand!!
In this beautiful fashion, with the chorus of “Keeper of the Seven Keys,” Helloween’s live show came to an end, leaving us after almost two hours of pure metal magic! It was a truly bombastic concert, and anyone who missed it genuinely missed out! We’ll remember it for a long time, and we’ll be talking about it among ourselves for years to come. Pumpkins United!
