Another concert that I eagerly anticipated from the moment it was announced was a legendary presence of two of the most important bands in the “Hellenic” Black Metal scene, who would share the same stage. Firstly, we’re talking about Varathron, one of the most well-toured Greek bands, having played countless shows and gathered a huge following all around the globe.

This band rarely performs in the country and hadn’t been in Thessaloniki since the presentation of their previous album. This time they came to present “The Crimson Temple,” which was released in December 2023.

The second reference is to Deviser, a band that many people may remember from the early ’90s. Deviser was set to perform live again after more than 10 years, adding significantly to the line-up and fitting perfectly with what we intended to see that night.

The night started with Exilium Noctis, a band from Volos, who have a strong presence in the Greek black metal scene lately. Other notable bands from Volos include Isolert, Sørgelig, and Thlipsis.

Their performance was impeccable, delivering intense second-wave black metal sound in their songs, and their stage presence was perfect. The only thing that didn’t work was the torches they wanted to light up, as it wasn’t suitable to do so in the venue.

They are a really good band, and I would easily see them again. Gradually, the venue began to fill up tightly as we prepared for Deviser.

A nice surprise was that Agis Tzoukopoulos would be their drummer, who would do double duty as he had also played with the previous band. He is a musician with great talent, already playing with bands like Kawir, among others, besides his own band Infernal Storm.

The other members are well-known since the band’s early line-up, and without further ado, let’s move on to their performance.

The atmosphere immediately felt like the ’90s, even though they were playing their newer songs. They were an incredibly good band, and for no reason did their long absence from the stage seem evident.

It was a set that everyone enjoyed from start to finish, with everyone satisfied. It was a performance that showcased “Hellenic” Black Metal at its finest. Vocals, guitar riffs, bass lines, everything was flawless. I was very happy to have the opportunity to see them.

And now we come to the band we were all eagerly awaiting, Varathron. As mentioned earlier, Varathron hadn’t performed specifically in Thessaloniki since 2018.

From the moment they stepped on stage, they showed their thirst and passion for performing. The crowd went crazy, and the band seemed to be even more excited by the atmosphere.

The passion and immense experience of the band were evident after so many tours and countless concerts they’ve done so far.

All the members showed their best selves, and the overall result was 100% solid. There was a never-ending mosh pit, and the atmosphere was absolutely electrifying.

Amidst all this, the band had a surprise to add another tone to the dark atmosphere they managed to create. Stefanos wore an amazing crown-like mask on stage. A creation that is a mixture of an open brain and rotten parts with a crown that couldn’t go unnoticed.

This piece is the work of Chris Kolias and is entirely handmade. In conclusion, I really couldn’t tell when Varathron’s set ended.

It was a concert that I had been looking forward to for a long time, and I was left speechless. Finally, I am really glad that in the last two years I have noticed that black metal concerts in Thessaloniki are attracting more and more people, which is very optimistic because concerts like this one deserve the utmost.

Review and Photos Sotiris Zikas