Quick aside ? prior to the gig I was handing out Mitch Malloy flyers
outside the sold out Velvet Revolver gig at the Hammersmith Apollo and you
had to laugh at the ticket tour who was convinced he was selling tickets for
the Velvet Underground! Almost as good as one fan trying to sell a spare
ticket to see ?Velvet Underpants?!
Anyway, onto a much better gig? to say I was keen to see two bands whose
respective latest albums I?ve given 5 star reviews to was an understatement.
A nicely packed Underworld including members of fellow power metal band
Dragonforce and prog rockers Arena. Power Quest started with ?Wings Of
Forever?, one the finest tune son their debut album and the crowd were well
up for their set ? plenty of fans in tonight. ?Edge of Time? and ?Temple of
Fire? were played with efficiency and a tightness that is surprising for a
band that come from all over Europe each time they perform live! The short
set concluded with ?Neverworld? and again Power Quest proved just how good a
power metal act they are. The only slight quibble was I couldn?t hear the
guitar solos very well in the mix.
Balance of Power I know of but had never heard before tonight?s gig. The
set started well with the catchy riffing of ?Chemical Imbalance? and the
slower ?Shelter Me?, with some neat keyboard touches. But that was sit for
me as the singer was just to high pitched and strained ? he was trying to
emulate Geoff Tate or Bruce Dickinson but sadly failing. Obviously they have
their fans but sadly I am not a convert.
Threshold started off with a song of the new album, ?Mission Profile? and
then came the crunching riffing of ?Ground Control?. Threshold have the
knack to meld brutal riffs into a melodic tune underpinned by strong
keyboards like on ?The Art of Reason?. The slower ?Falling Away? was aired
and it shows that Threshold can change their style and pace with ease.
The crowd were lapping it up and the band were clearly enjoying it
including new bassist Steve Andersen, who slotted in well with the overall
band sound. Special mention to drummer Johanne James, what a powerhouse
drummer this guy is and he shows that you don?t always need double-speed
drumming to create a heavy backbeat. Vocalist Mac works the crowd well, none
more so then the encores of ?Fragmentation? and ?Long Way Home?.
Very enjoyable night, particularly pleased to see Threshold live at long
last and great to see such a good turnout.
outside the sold out Velvet Revolver gig at the Hammersmith Apollo and you
had to laugh at the ticket tour who was convinced he was selling tickets for
the Velvet Underground! Almost as good as one fan trying to sell a spare
ticket to see ?Velvet Underpants?!
Anyway, onto a much better gig? to say I was keen to see two bands whose
respective latest albums I?ve given 5 star reviews to was an understatement.
A nicely packed Underworld including members of fellow power metal band
Dragonforce and prog rockers Arena. Power Quest started with ?Wings Of
Forever?, one the finest tune son their debut album and the crowd were well
up for their set ? plenty of fans in tonight. ?Edge of Time? and ?Temple of
Fire? were played with efficiency and a tightness that is surprising for a
band that come from all over Europe each time they perform live! The short
set concluded with ?Neverworld? and again Power Quest proved just how good a
power metal act they are. The only slight quibble was I couldn?t hear the
guitar solos very well in the mix.
Balance of Power I know of but had never heard before tonight?s gig. The
set started well with the catchy riffing of ?Chemical Imbalance? and the
slower ?Shelter Me?, with some neat keyboard touches. But that was sit for
me as the singer was just to high pitched and strained ? he was trying to
emulate Geoff Tate or Bruce Dickinson but sadly failing. Obviously they have
their fans but sadly I am not a convert.
Threshold started off with a song of the new album, ?Mission Profile? and
then came the crunching riffing of ?Ground Control?. Threshold have the
knack to meld brutal riffs into a melodic tune underpinned by strong
keyboards like on ?The Art of Reason?. The slower ?Falling Away? was aired
and it shows that Threshold can change their style and pace with ease.
The crowd were lapping it up and the band were clearly enjoying it
including new bassist Steve Andersen, who slotted in well with the overall
band sound. Special mention to drummer Johanne James, what a powerhouse
drummer this guy is and he shows that you don?t always need double-speed
drumming to create a heavy backbeat. Vocalist Mac works the crowd well, none
more so then the encores of ?Fragmentation? and ?Long Way Home?.
Very enjoyable night, particularly pleased to see Threshold live at long
last and great to see such a good turnout.
