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Firewind And Fury Rip Through The Underworld In London
Band Photo: Firewind (?)
Power metal isn’t for everyone, that’s for sure, but it definitely needs to be a part of the metal spectrum. There’s a lot of people who love heavy music, but don’t always want to experience the darkness and negativity of say death or black metal. There needs to be an outlet for head bangers who wouldn’t mind feeling happy, and that’s where power metal steps in. Undoubtedly one of the brightest names to emerge from the genre in the 21st century is Firewind and for over twenty years now, the band led by guitar virtuoso Gus G. has gone from strength to strength. At the beginning of the month, the Thessaloniki born group unleashed their tenth studio album, “Stand United” and fans were eager to hear these new songs live. They may have saved London for last when it came to their European tour, but the British capital proved to be worth the wait.
Heading down to The Underworld (which we’ll be revisiting later this week,) it wasn’t long before the crowd were treated to the special guests this evening, Fury. Not to be confused with Fury UK from Manchester way, the Midlands based band combines heavy metal with power, thrash and a little bit of old fashioned rock and roll to create a truly exciting sound. Honestly, the audience seemed almost as happy to see Fury as they were to see Firewind, and with good reason. From the opening notes of “If You Get To Hell First,” Fury set the Underworld alight. Almost every song is filled with heart racing beats and wild guitars, complimented perfectly by the vocal partnership of founder Julian Jenkins and Nyah Ifill and the driving bass of Becky Baldwin.
Fury possesses an enormous stage presence and they know exactly how to use it. By the time of their third song, “The World Is Mine,” everyone was won over. The quintet didn’t calm down from beginning to end and thus, neither did the crowd. “Prince Of Darkness” and “Lost In Space” followed and both were highlights, showcasing immense talent and infectious enthusiasm. Eventually, their time came to an end with “Road Warrior,” but the good news is the band has a lot of shows planned for the rest of the year and they’re working on a new album. Take advantage of these shows and treat yourself, because Fury are absolutely brilliant live!
Shortly before 8PM, the intro tape rolled and the crowd erupted. The crowd, which included a number of Firewind’s countrymen, and Cypriots, were almost foaming at the mouth with anticipation and excitement to see the power metal titans in north London. This passion seemed to fuel the band, who opened their performance with “Salvation Day,” the opening track from “Stand United.” As soon as Gus G. began playing, there was not let up from the audience. There were several new songs brought out tonight, including the amazing “Destiny Is Calling” and “Chains” and the crowd were singing along as if they’d been listening to these songs for years. Other recent favourites like “Rising Fire” and the beautiful “Longing To Know You” from their previous, eponymous album were also given a very warm reception.
Naturally, a band that’s been going for over two decades has plenty of longtime classics and the first of these to be aired was “World On Fire” from the “Days Of Defiance” album. Vocalist Herbie Langhans does great justice to all of the older favourites and while some miss the cleaner sound of former singer Apollo Papathanasio, the added grit that Langhans brings adds a new flavour both to the band’s current sound and the staples. Other crowd pleasers like “Mercenary Man” and, appropriately given tonight’s support, “The Fire And The Fury” were also played, before the band got feet moving with their rendition of the Michael Sembello hit, “Maniac” and left the stage. Of course, it couldn’t end there and very soon, the band returned to treat fans to the Spartan anthem, “Ode To Leonidas,” which some fans had been calling for all set. After this, Firewind clocked out with “Falling To Pieces” from “Allegiance.” Throughout the show, the band kept remarking how amazing the crowd was and while this may be standard, perhaps even cliche from many groups, I had no trouble believing them. This was an absolutely incredible night of heavy metal music and for any American fans reading, I urge you not to miss out when they venture across the Atlantic in a few weeks.
Ollie Hynes has been a writer for Metal Underground.com since 2007 and a metal fan since 2001, going as far as to travel to other countries and continents for metal gigs.
