With a sense of relief the drive to Sheffield was probably the least fraught trip I’ve had venturing to gigs in quite some time arriving in time for doors at seven. Now, for some reasons, and this applies to the Manchester Academy venues too, tonight’s doors were indeed seven and where I expected a little bit of time to mooch about checking merch, get a drink etc, the first band Hellgrimm, was due on at 7.05.

So by the time I got in they had already started and were playing to about two or three people, and even though numbers swelled as more punters came in it does seem unfair for the first support act to play to a pitiful number of people which only increased to about 20 or so by the middle of their set. I get that there are logistical issues of stage time allocations on a tour and things can be tight with change overs etc but starting five minutes after doors seemed unjust to me.

I normally give support bands a quick listen prior to seeing them live but for this gig I refrained and went in cold as the three piece from Texas, Hellgrimm, had already started, like I said, and initially I was hearing some straight up metal with drummer Erica Missey also doing the vocals, who was clearly enjoying herself. As the opener concluded the band went straight into their next number which saw a change to stoner like riffing vibes replete with a slight Sabbath like feathering.

I did think the vocals were a little strained at times but playing drums and singing is not easy but she did an admirable job being backed up by the fuzzed out bass and riffing exploits of the duo front of the stage. For some reason her Texan drawl caught me out when trying to understand what she was saying but clearly the crowd understood every word as the band knocked out a handful of melodic stoner tracks.

With so few people initially watching you felt like the bands eyes were on you constantly and indeed guitarist Jerry Connor was beckoning everyone to come forward, practically speaking to each one of us individually. I declined and stayed where I was as the band proceeded to play ‘Resurrection’ which again was stoner drenched and included a guitar solo, the first of quite a few during the evening.

Their set closed with a song called ‘Anarchy’ from which the band was encouraging us to shout the word anarchy when requested and to be honest it was rather feeble and I do think the audience was being polite and doing as requested though not with much enthusiasm. Time to head off to the bar.

During the break between the opener and Andry I did wonder why they had brought out a stoner act when the audience was predominantly middle-aged thrashers and that thought was confirmed when symphonic metal act Andry appeared on stage. Fronted by the eye catching Andry Lagiou, from Cyprus, the band was a total contrast to the openers and the headliners, but noticeably there was a huge step up in presence, playing and confidence.

As a five piece they were adorned in similar black attire which paled into insignificance when Andry hit the stage and dazzled us with her outfit and her vocal performance. Sporting gloves that had blue laser like light emitting occasionally she looked every bit the rock star and stalked the stage with the utmost of self-assurance. Added to that Andry is touring in support of her solo album called ‘Skies’, but some of you may recognise her name as she also participated in the Vivaldi Metal Project and was also on The Voice.

Background over and as the band prepared the stage a large silver skull was placed at the front which I think she borrowed from the venue and named Jane that also had blue lights, but from its eyes. She was very ably assisted by a raft of talented musicians, with guitarist Mickey Lyxx, drummer Hans in’t Zandt, Marko Vladilo on bass and Fab Jablonski playing keyboards plus a keytar. I was expecting some song title announcements which failed to materialise or I didn’t catch them as the band played a 40+ minute set of modernised symphonic metal after a short intro piece was aired.

The confidence from the band deluged the audience and whilst the thrashers probably would have preferred a thrash band to watch there was no denying the captivating enigma Andry possessed hooking the now gathering mass in the venue. Disappearing off stage briefly Andry returned sporting headgear with horns and glittery mask before playing ‘Mistress Of The Night’. There was a slight clichéd approach to their shenanigans on stage as though they had watched countless metal videos to put together a show they felt was suitable.

People enjoyed it, I did too, especially the guitar work by Lyxx who was very skilled indeed pulling off every pose imaginable. This band was also enjoying their time playing live as the energy and sheer gusto was felt continually on each song played. The mix from the sound desk was awesome too, every instrument pinpointed in the mix as noticeably the keyboard sound was dominant when required.

Much of the bands set was dominated by Andry’s antics and the cavorting band members with the songs delivering tons of melody and even a sizeable amount of panache. Their set flew by I should add, which is testament to how well they went down as the band decided to play a cover and the instant riff to Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’ was belted out by Mickey.

This was a blinding move by the band as the audience could be heard singing the lyrics and Andry was astonishingly good at singing the iconic song. Indeed every band member was brilliant but especially Mickey who duplicated the guitar work consummately and effortlessly including the blazing solo in the middle and concluded the band’s well worked set routine.

Every single person who attended this gig were really not there for any of the supports as Kings Of Thrash is really a super group of sorts with ex-members of Megadeth playing Megadeth tunes from the band’s first four albums plus a smattering of tracks from the ‘Youthanasia’ album which was celebrating its 30th anniversary exactly on this gig date. The band comprises of David Ellefson, Jeff Young who played in Megadeth from 1987-1989, Fred Aching on drums and the talented vocalist/guitarist Chaz Leon.

I will admit that I have never got on with Megadeth albums and despite owning plenty of them they never clicked with me even though I have tried numerous times. My sole reason for attending this was to hear some tunes from the early albums which this tour was all about as the audience was absolutely stoked for what they were about to watch and hear. With rumbling noises and a cavalry like horn charge the band appeared to rapturous approval and opened the set with the instrumental piece ‘Into The Lungs Of Hell’. I did wonder whether there would be a pit during this set considering the age of the clientele and though some tried it was squashed quickly so people could just watch and adore the songs, which they did with unwavering delight. I also know the band has been mixing up what they play so I wasn’t sure what to expect as they went straight into ‘Mary Jane’ and at first I thought the vocal line was weak, though any Megadeth fan will tell you Mustaine isn’t the greatest singer anyway. Also they didn’t play all of the song which was puzzling and left my friend who is a colossal Megadeth fan scratching her head.

Chaz found his voice quickly after a slightly shaky start he shredded into the set with aplomb and dexterity as ‘The Conjuring’ was played. As the venue seemed to increase in temperature so did the fervour of the crowd who belted out the lyrics practically for the whole set but especially the classics. There was some chat saying this is about a trip down memory lane as the band ripped into a doublet from the ‘Youthanasia’ album. First up was ‘Train Of Consequences’ which most of the crowd recognised and was followed by ‘Victory’ and whilst they didn’t go down as well as the 80s material it was still very appreciated.

‘Wake Up Dead’ was instantly cheered by the crowd after about two seconds due to it being one of the bands most recognisable tunes and was the heaviest song so far. I did actually think the band had made a lot of the songs much heavier which was possibly down to modern sound mixes as they aired ‘502’ with its fine build up and was balanced by a drum solo to give the others a break I assumed. One of the highlights of the set for me was ‘In My Darkest Hour’ which was utterly pulverising as the guitarist’s athletic playing was perfect. Jeff was on fire for the entire set list, his shredding was unmatched on the night as ‘Good Mourning/Black Friday’ smashed into the crowd and continued the heaviness laid down on ‘In My Darkest Hour’. The first song from the debut was played next as ‘Skull Beneath The Skin’ put a smile on my face but was spoilt for me by lashings of soloing though the crowd enjoyed it all the same.

Momentum was high mid-way through the set and a slight pause ensued before they played the Nancy Sinatra tune ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ which again the crowd liked but it was expanded to include lengthy soloing, primarily by Jeff who pulled some contorted faces whilst executing them. I did think this section was far too self-indulgent and unnecessary especially when other songs could have been played as the band disappeared off stage. As the band was off stage a shout of ‘Rattlehead’ was started by the crowd with the most inebriated shouting the loudest, which Chaz had obviously taken on board as the encore started with ‘Rattlehead’.

I honestly think the band weren’t going to play it, possibly due to time constraints, but I am glad they did as it was by far the fastest and most aggressive song of the entire evening. The definitive riff and speed metal like drum work was excellent to hear and though I couldn’t see Fred on drums from my vantage point he was an absolute powerhouse. On this tour the band has been playing various covers and the band said we’re going to play a couple of surprise covers the first of which was Thin Lizzy’s ‘Cold Sweat’, a fine tune but I would have preferred another Megadeth track and was followed by some chat about Def Leppard (since the band was in Sheffield of course) and that the band saw them back in the day and aired ‘Wasted’.

It was certainly a surprise though my friend did predict this might happen. Nothing wrong with some old Def Leppard material but again it meant not playing a Megadeth track though the crowd seemed oblivious or just taken in awe at watching ex-Megadeth members at such close quarters. By now their set time was supposed to end but they ended with ‘Peace Sells’, like they have on all the dates of the tour so far I believe, and again was an instant hit with the crowd especially that abrupt riff change that appears in the middle which you could see was being anticipated by the audience and brought the set to a close.

I am sure all those who attended thought this was a phenomenal set by Kings Of Thrash, but the more cynical would probably have preferred more Megadeth tracks than covers but suffice to say this was an all-conquering night that people will remember for many years to come.

REVIEW: MARTIN HARRIS
PHOTOS: ANDY POUNTNEY (@shot_in_the_dark_photography2)