Artist:  Power Quest & Hanging Doll

Venue: The Asylum, Birmingham 

Date: 1 December 2008  

With the short nights and the dropping temperatures what you need is a dose of Power Metal to thaw the coldest of metal hearts. And what better way than a jaunt down to Birmingham’s Asylum for two cracking bands.

First up was local band Hanging Doll who we first caught earlier this year and were so suitably impressed that we got the bands album and traveled down for their headline appearance at the Dames Of Darkness Festival at this very venue.

The band deliver a polished mix of Symphonic Metal and Goth led by the formidable vocals of Sally, who despite her small stature can certainly belt out a tune or two, and the rest of the band aren’t too shabby either.

The band opened up in emphatic style with the ten minute epic ‘Sweet Retribution’ and instantly the band were on fire and as tight as I’ve seen them.  Right from the opening barrage it was straight into ‘Hope Springs Eternal’, again another fine example of powerful Symphonic Metal with all eyes on Holliday at the front of the stage, as this diminutive figure powered through with such grace and passion it was spellbinding. This was followed by the haunting melody ‘Iniquity’, a dark and moving slice of pure Symphonic Metal.

The band continued to impress with ‘Echoes of Sorrow’ before one of my favourites from the bands debut album 'Reasons & Madness', the sonic ‘Twist Of A Deity'.  The band really turned up the heat with their final song of the night the excellent ‘Forlorn’.  Once again the band put on a show well worthy of any of their European counterparts and when the band do break into the European market, they will surely make their mark.  No doubt next time we see them will be on a full headline tour that will see them fill venues all over Europe.    

Now on to the main event and the mighty Power Quest, another band that we here at the Mayfair Mall hold in very high esteem and one band that we have had to wait a good two years before this UK set of live tour dates appeared.   A lot has happened in those two years for the band, new label, new album, new management and new band member.  The latter of these changes as well as the new album are what we were focusing on with tonight’s show.  How would the new album sound live?  What would Bill Hudson bring to the bands live sound as an additional guitarist?  Both of these questions would soon be answered as the band hit the stage.

Right from the off I can confirm these two changes have done wonders for the bands live sound, as Hudson’s guitars add another dynamic to the band on stage and really brought out the best in fellow guitarist Italian Andrea Martongelli.

The set got underway with something from the superb 'Master Of Illusion' album ‘Cemetary Gates’, and as I said this was a real insight into a new chapter for the band and with Hudson and Martongelli working so well together, one can only wait in anticipation for the next album is this opener is anything to go by.

Things continued with something a little older from the bands 'Magic Never Dies' album, this time ‘Find My Heaven’, which was given a new lease of life with the 

additional of the second guitar and got more than a few heads banging down at the front of the stage.  You wouldn’t think the band have only had 16 hours rehearsal time before this tour as they were as tight as one of Francesco Tresca's snare drums.  

It was on with the older material with the pace ridden ‘Temple Of Fire’, with the new toxic twin guitars of Martongelli and Hudson firing on all six, or seven in Hudson case, and the frenetic drumming of Tresca towering above it all.  The noted absence from tonight was bassist Steve 'Kiwi' Scott, who's place is being for this tour by Jon Hoare of Bristol’s Mercury Rain, who did a sterling job throughout the set. A little dickie bird tells me that following the tour this position will be filled on a permanent basis by German bassist Oliver Holzwarth.  Let's hope that's true because things will really start to get interesting when Holzwarth adds his ideas to the bands material.  Power Quest have always been a multi-national band who wear their nations cultural influences on their sleeves through their music and their performances and I'm sure Hotzwarth will be a worthy replacement for Scott. 

The power enthused assault continued with something from the new album the stomping ‘Human Machine’.  Again the toxic twin guitarists ripped up a storm whilst the stalwart keyboards of the Welsh Wizard himself Mr Steve Williams was as awe inspiring as always.  His Celtic roots are the fuel that sparks his imagination when writing the lyrics and music to many of the bands songs and it always makes me smile when I see that little Welsh flag popping out from the side of the keyboards.  Nice to see someone proud of their heritage and background.  Dragons, folklore and Power Metal, it doesn't get much better than that does it?. 

The two guitarists were the main attention for me tonight, just to see the chemistry between this pair on stage as great as they traded licks like they’d been doing it for years.  It was truly great to watch in wonderment.  The pair continued to triumph through the likes of ‘Edge Of Time’ and ‘Master Of Illusion’, with both songs sounding extremely meaty.

Next it was back to the bands back catalogue for ‘Wings Of Forever’ and ‘Hold On To Love’, although one of the many highlights of the tonight’s set was ‘Magic Never Dies’, with the toxic twins just magnificent, against Tresca who just pummeled away at the skins like a man possessed.  Like fellow Italians Martongelli and Garavello, Tresca shows that typical Italian flare in his delivery with such passion and commitment that only the Italians seem to pull off without so much as breaking a sweat. 

It was back to the new album for ‘Civilised’, again a bone crusher of a track on album but live it was just phenomenal, with Williams just showing what a great keyboard player he really is and why he has become the backbone of the whole Power Quest sound.

With the set almost at a close the band really went all out on the final few songs firstly it was ‘Soulfly’ on which Williams traded melody with the licks from the two guitarists and in turn giving them a real run for their money.  Then it was ‘Faraway’ from the 2002 'Wings of Heaven' album, which again sounded awesome.  

The set was rounded off in true Power Quest style with the fantastic 'Neverworld', a song that has always been a favourite with the fans and one that ended a quite fantastic set.

Power Quest seem to have found themselves in a truly unique proposition due to the multinational nature of the band. At a time when many bands are falling apart because of the close proximity of the members and their limited influences causing the music to become stagnant and stale, these boys seem to have found a winning formula by going against the grain and bringing into their music so many culturally diverse influences that make them a true international band in every sense of the word.  But that's just one of the many things that go to make this band a truly unique entity in it's own right on the Power Metal scene.

Tonight was just the first date on this UK tour and if they carry on like this they'll blow you away if you go to see them.  If you haven’t already got your tickets for one of their shows then beg, steel or borrow the money, because the Quest has started and they are taking no prisoners on their way to Prog Power US next year.

 

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