Artist:  Dream Evil, Labyrinth & Power Quest

Venue: The Underworld, London

Date:  13 November 2004 

Firstly I would have to say that the Underworld isn’t one of my favourite venues.  But needs must, if I have to travel to London to see bands I want to see , then travel I must. I have to admit the sole purpose of my travels was to see prog-power metallers Powerquest, who have impressed me every time I have seen them.  As a band they have grown in stature after every gig.

Even though they were playing a some what shortened set than the past few times I have seen them, they still gave it 110%. There was literally no time to get a drink at the bar, as the band went on stage a few minutes earlier than had been expected.

Launching straight into 'Wings of Forever' from the album of the same name, with vocalist Alessio soon whipping the crowd into a frenzy of excitement.  Moving about the stage like a frantic praying mantis, he was really out to impress.

Performing some of the bands strongest tracks off their two albums 'Neverworld' and 'Wings of Forever', they'd put together a good formula for such a short set.  Each song went down well with the fans.  These being 'Temple of Fire', 'Edge of Forever', and the excellent 'Sacred Land'.  Finishing off the set with 'Neverworld', by this time the crowd were singing along with the chorus.

Powerquest are a band that win over new fans with every gig they play.  They are steadily growing stronger as a band and if they manage to get find a more permanent drummer, then the future looks good for Powerquest.

This will probably be their last gig before the release of their next album.  An album that I know a lot of their fans, both old and new, simply can't wait to hear.

Next up was Labyrinth, a bit of an unknown quantity for me as I have heard very little by the band, but after the performance tonight they are a band that I will be checking out for the future. They also played a short set, but one that really impressed me a lot.

The band has seen several band member changes throughout the years and several vocalists but with Roberto Tiranti they have found a vocalist with an exceptional voice.

Delivering a mix of melodic metal and old school rock of the highest caliber, this Italian quintet went for broke straight from the off and I will most definitely be checking them out again.

The main event, and the one 90% of the crowd had come to see , was Dream Evil. With a look that wouldn’t go a miss on a Mad Max movie, they hit the stage and went straight into 'Man or a Mouse'.  Which put aside the look of the band and makes you concentrate on the fact that this band can really play.

Delivering a sound that is a mix between Manowar and Accept, they sing about the subject of Heavy Metal with a passion. The cheese factor of the lyrics is as high as any Manowar track, but that never did them any harm. 'The Book of Heavy Metal' is the biggest example of this, but as the crowd sang it word for word along with vocalist Niklas, you know that this is what they wanted to hear.

Stand out tracks of the night were 'Burn Down Jerusalem', 'Made of Metal', 'Chase the Dragon' and the superb 'The Prophecy'.  With a few surprise intros throw in such as 'Queens We Will Rock You' before 'Kingdom of the Damned', and the Sweets 'Ballroom Blitz ' was fragmented into 'Heavy Metal into the Night'.

'The Prophecy' was supposed to be the final track of the night but as the crowd bayed for more, it was obvious that they weren’t going anywhere until they got what they wanted.  After a few minutes of constant chanting the band finally came back on and did 'The Chosen Ones' to leave the crowd feeling satisfied and fulfilled.

If you ignore the stage garb and the mention of the words heavy metal in nearly all the songs then I would highly recommend you check this band out

 

 

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