Yiannis Manopoulos, mastermind of Thelemite, is one of the best, the most talented Greek guitarists. From his early, solo demos to the second album of Thelemite, Manopoulos has proved his excellent qualifications, which make him an absolute hero of the Greek heavy metal scene. I was really anxious to attend Thelemite’s live show in Athens, at the Level69 Live Studio on the 7th of May, 2022 – it is a pleasure to see Manopoulos performing live his great compositions. We arrived at 10.00 pm at the small venue and waited thirty minutes for the band to enter the stage. Despite my personal expectations that the venue would be crowdy, few metal fans had come to Level69, but that didn’t disappoint the band! Thelemite played like there were thousands of people – yes, Manopoulos and co. performed with passion and heart, they gave their everything for a perfect concert, they laid down their soul to the altars of metal! Every song, every moment of the set was pure bliss – the band enjoyed it and the fans had a great time listening to Thelemite’s furious and catchy classic heavy metal tunes! Manopoulos’ guitar playing was for another time amazing and flawless – but, apart from a guitar maestro, Manopoulos is a skilled singer, whose voice sounds so theatrical and melodramatic, a real frontman, who stands with confidence on stage. I was also impressed by the other members of the band – Zack Kotsikis is a great guitarist, bassist Nikos Michalakos knows what to play and when, and drummer Renos Lialioutis is an absolute driving force! Thelemite played for an hour and a half, picking songs from their two full-length albums (“Slave to Desire” and “Thelemism”) and covered marvelously five songs – Judas Priest and “Hell Bent for Leather” (with the historic participation of Manopoulos’ father on the guitar), Ozzy Osbourne and “Shot in the Dark”, Alice Cooper and “Bed of Nails”, Savatage and “Sirens”, Manowar and “Thor (The Powerhead)”. The whole show was fantastic, a total classic metal blast and satisfied all the fans, who were there. Having seen Thelemite on stage, I can surely say: this band has everything needed to become a major act! Shall they pay attention to the very details and all the future is theirs. Bravo!
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
Photos by Elena Vasilaki
