Artist: Gamma Ray Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: Into Eternity, Arctic Flame Date: 5/1/2006 Label: Sanctuary Records
Far from being in the shadow of his accomplishments in Helloween, singer guitarist Kai Hansen has made sure that Gamma Ray is one of the most important bands in Power Metal history.
Starting off the festivities for this evening would be Arctic Flame, whose name I had only recently heard but alas I was not in the club when they performed. I was given a copy of the CD by their singer and got to chat with them briefly. Watch for that CD review sometime soon. Opening up the show would be Into Eternity, and as I write this I can hear the Metal concert goers sighing “again?” The band was pretty much a mainstay at some of the biggest shows of 2005 with almost every major Power Metal show having them on the bill as well. Great for the fans that enjoy them as I do, but perhaps not too much in the eyes of those who look to see some different stuff a little more often. Tonight however we would find a very different band on the stage. Gone was drummer Adam Sagan, who had left the band a few months ago and in his place was Jim Austin who recorded the album for them in the first place. The other surprise to me as someone who had seen the band several times was the absence of Rob Doherty who was being filled in for by Collin Craig. While I don’t know the specifics behind his absence I have to say that Craig did a great job on the material that I knew. Once again a number of Metal blasts from “Buried By Oblivion” were delivered and we even were treated to a couple of new numbers that will be on their as yet untitled follow up to the last record. Looking at the calendar of shows made me wonder how many times I will see them this year. Either way I am sure Tim Roth and company will be sure to start off everyone’s Metal evening right so I look forward to it. Continue reading Gamma Ray @ B.B. King Blues Club (5/1/2006)→
Artist: Opeth Venue: Webster Hall (New York, NY) Opener: Nevermore, Into Eternity Date: 11/3/2005 Label: Roadrunner Records
It wasn’t long after the release of “Ghost Reveries” that Opeth announced that they would be making a return trip to the USA and this would be a welcome visit in the eyes of the legions of Metal. Some fans had gotten to see the group perform on the “Sounds Of The Underground 2005” tour which brought you almost 20 Metal acts in one afternoon. The sad part of this was the fact that Opeth would play under 30 minutes and for those that know their material this is only about 3 songs. It’s quite ridiculous to think that one can even begin to capture the magic that this band puts together in that long a set. With “Ghost Reveries”, an album that many are calling one of the best in their catalog, the group takes elements of “Blackwater Park” and touches “Damnation” enough to combine into this unique expression. It’s an album that needs to be heard a few times to fully catch what it happening and this evening we would get a chance to absorb this and a whole lot more. The scene would be the very mysterious and brooding venue called Webster Hall. This is a deep and dark cavernous club that made the perfect setting for the type of music that Opeth would be bringing to life tonight. Capable of holding a capacity of about 1300 people this event sold out in only a few days. A note that is always worth mentioning when one hears that Metal is a dead issue, I like having something like this fact to remind them of how wrong they are. Continue reading Opeth @ Webster Hall (11/3/2005)→
Artist: Stratovarius Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: Into Eternity Date: 9/21/2005 Label: Sanctuary Records
It’s really a great thing when you are able to participate in a bands first appearance to your City. I find it is all the more special with me being a native New Yorker. This will the second time in two weeks that this would be the case many others who form the Metal Legions in the Big Apple. Last week it was Therion and this week the one and only Stratovarius would be coming to pay us a visit. Similar to Therion’s show; the band Stratovarius would also be a featured performer at the ProgPowerUSA Festival while in the States. This band in particular has had a dramatic couple of years which featured break-ups and line-up changes among them. Lead singer Timo Kotipelto left for a solo career very briefly after bad in-fighting with guitarist Timo Tolkki and was replaced. This year the band mended fences and reunited and recorded a new CD entitled very simply “Stratovarius”. Touring was soon to follow this release and rightly so for the group has long been recognized as one of the key forces in Melodic Heavy Metal music. They are well known for their catchy musical experiments and powerful shows with a lineup that is made up of some amazing musicians. Timo Kotipelto on vocals, Timo Tolkki on guitar and Jens Johannson on keyboards are legends in the genre and all are held together by drummer Jorg Michael and new bassist Laurie Porra. The band recently had lost bassist Kainulainen who left shortly after the album was released. Continue reading Stratovarius @ B.B. King Blues Club (9/21/2005)→
Artist: Hammerfall Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: EdGuy, Into Eternity Date: 8/16/2005 Label: Nuclear Blast Records
I was really excited about his show mostly for the chance to see EdGuy once again and Hammerfall for the first time ever. When the announcement came that Into Eternity would be on the bill as well I knew this would be a triple threat event to be reckoned with. I would have to say that this is quite possibly one of the best touring lineups that I have seen in recent months. I find that it is too often that you attend shows and you wonder how exactly the decision for the show lineup came about. B.B. King Blues Club in NYC was again to be the scene to be on and I found it quite crowded from a very early time. Always a good sign when the crowd is there for all the bands. As referenced above, Into Eternity would start the show off. They are one of those bands that have been making a lot of great moves as far as shows go of late. This Century Media band is currently among my list of favorites and the guys are awesome musicians and people at the same time. Unfortunately their set would only be 30 minutes so it would be concentrated on music from their killer album “Buried By Oblivion”. In four months time I have seen them 3 times. Each performance is excellent and for those who hear the name for the first time think of a little bit Yes, mixed with Rush and Dimmu Borgir. Progressive Black is the genre I lock them into. Guitarist Tim Roth and Singer Stu Bloch told me they will be on the bill for some upcoming shows hitting our areas as well so watch those calendars and don’t miss them. You will not regret it. Continue reading Hammerfall @ B.B. King Blues Club (8/16/2005)→
Artist: Amorphis Venue: B.B. King Blues Club – NYC Opener: Into Eternity, Beyond The Embrace Label: Nuclear Blast Records Date: 3-20-2005
Finnish legends Amorphis returned to New York City for one show to support their latest release entitled “Far From The Sun”. This release on Nuclear Blast Records finds the band with a new lead singer and an entirely different approach to their brand of metal. When one looks at band tour schedules, you will see that B.B. King Blues Club seems to be getting every single metal act that is on the road. It’s pretty interesting touring nowadays. I think I have been to this venue over a dozen times to cover shows and it does not seem to have a slow down yet. Always a good thing to have one venue at least you can trust to bring you the latest and greatest in Heavy Metal performances. Continue reading Amorphis @ B.B. King Blues Club (3/20/2005)→
