Live Show: The Silent Wedding, Destiny Calls, Beyond The River
Place: Piraeus Club Academy, Athens, Greece
Date: Saturday, February 1st, 2025
Live Correspondent: Kostas Boudoukos
Seriously, how nice it is to see bands you love gradually grow, evolve and get what they deserve according to their talent and passion for work. Participating as a support act in lives of important bands like THERION or WITHIN TEMPTATION may be a badge of honor for any band, but a really successful headlining show may have perhaps greater value. And it is essentially the payoff of all the previous steps.
So, we were lucky enough to be present at the Piraeus Club Academy to enjoy for the first time the new BEYOND THE RIVER who offered us an extremely well-prepared performance. Down to the last detail… from the attire of one of the singer-guitarists with his vest and tie to the vocal changes from growl to clean and vise versa by both singers, Antonis Kontoleon and Dimitris Manesis. With a mix of Heavy and Prog Metal, they were the ideal opening for the show since their sound tied in wonderfully with the other two bands. In fact, they are currently preparing their first full-length album so it was an ideal opportunity to try out some of their songs on stage, where their true potential can be seen. And I think the test was successful… we eagerly await more from BEYOND THE RIVER.
Setlist
- In The Shadows
- We Shattered
- Fear Me
- Pressing Moment
- As I Fall
The second band were the experienced DESTINY CALLS. The band may be barely 1 year old, but all the musicians who participate have years of experience in the music scene of our country, participating in various bands. After all, the base of the band is the hard rockers FLYING MERCURY. I can’t help but make special mention of their excellent singer Angeliki Rossolatou with her rich and slightly retro voice that perfectly matched the style of music they want to present, which is classic Hard Rock with modern touches but also references to the romantic era of the ’80s. Like BEYOND THE RIVER, DESTINY CALLS are in the process of releasing their first album, for which, as I learned, they have already completed the recordings.
Setlist
- Better Days
- Alive
- Lonely Days
- Out Of Love
- Angel
- Into The Night
- Tonight
Around 22:30 it was time for THE SILENT WEDDING for a performance that both the crowd and themselves will remember for a long time. Under the sounds of “Diamonds And Rust” one by one, the band members took their place on the stage with the aim of essentially, as it turned out, to “introduce” the band to us. And what I mean is that Marios Karanastasis took on the role of sneaking us into the band’s secrets, explaining the story behind each album and thus opening a small window into the soul of its members which is captured through their songs. Some minor technical problems were probably for the best since they gave him the opportunity to elaborate even more what he wanted to say so that when we left Piraeus Academy we all felt that we now knew them a little better than before. As for their set, as expected, it was a best of with an emphasis on the excellent “Ego Path” and songs like “The Sea Of Fate” or “Loneliness” (from “Enigma Eternal”) that highlight Mario’s talent and his endless voice. The particularly expressive Giorgos on bass, Tzimis, the calm power on guitar, Giannis on keyboards who combines miraculously headbanging with playing and of course Renos, one of the best drummers in Greece, ideally complemented the whole scenery. The talented Christina Tsakiri appeared with them on backing vocals, as well as Artemis with her violin on “The Cry Within” and “Loneliness”. After about 90 satisfying minutes, THE SILENT WEDDING left under the warm applause of the crowd that filled every corner of the venue. Another thing worth mentioning, as Marios himself pointed out, was the presence of many children, which gave a touch of freshness and optimism to the evening for the future of metal scene.
Setlist
- Diamonds And Rust (Intro)
- To Them
- The Tale of Strahd
- In Vitro
- Shadows Ans Dust
- Catharsis
- Silence
- A Cry From Within
- Loneliness
- Time Of Darkness
- The Sea Of Fate
- Stealing The Sun
- The Final Token
- Caught In The Web
- Song Of The Dead
- A Path To Nowhere (outro)
I think this particular live show confirmed that THE SILENT WEDDING are a significant band in their genre and that they live and thrive on live performances. It is no coincidence that in their career they have participated in many important concerts and festivals in Greece and abroad. We expect even greater things in the future from them and the other 2 bands as well!!
Live Correspondent: Kostas Boudoukos
Design & Editing: Kostas Boudoukos
Photographs: Sofia Bali
External Links: THE SILENT WEDDING – Facebook Page
DESTINY CALLS – Facebook Page
BEYOND THE RIVER – Facebook Page
Copyright © 2025 by THEGALLERY.GR
