For anyone who prefers their metal of the classic variety then London was the place to be on this cold January night. with three of the best exponents of the genre stopping by the capitol for the only UK show on a Europe wide jaunt. Despite an early start to the evening's events by the time Axxis took to the stage at 6.30pm the Empire was already reasonably full. Promoting recent effort Doom Of Destiny Axxis were tight and on the money from the start. As on the band's studio work the dual vocals of Bernard Weiss and Magica's Ana Mladinovici (guesting with the band in place of Lakonia) worked extremely well, especially on the excellent Take My Hand from the Paradise In Flames opus and by the time the band wrapped up a relatively short thirty five set the crowd were suitably warmed up for the rest of the evening's events and no doubt Axxis had found some new fans.

Gamma Ray hit the stage to an almost full to capacity Empire and, from the very outset, the crowd greeted the band as returning heroes. From an enthusiastic start thanks to Welcome and Gardens Of The Sinner Gamma Ray were able to keep upping the performance level another notch song by song &, if truth be told, held the audience as captivated and entertained as many a headline band. As with Axxis with a limited set time Gamme Ray weren't able to promote new album Land Of The Free Pt II completely but instead chose to play a set covering the full extent of their career with the stand out song being Valley of the Kings, although former Helloween guitarist and Gamma Ray mainman Kai Hansen  managed to raise the roof during Heavy Metal Universe & especially during the early Helloween classic that was Ride the Sky. Rounding out the set with Somewhere Out In Space & Send Me A Sign Hansen & his cohorts proved how strong a band they truly are with Hansen proving as adept vocally as he is with his guitar duties. If the pit of seething headbangers occupying the floor of the Empire were anything to go then Gamma Ray hit all the right spots.

By the time Helloween took to the stage, opening the two hour plus set with Kill It from the recently released Gambling With The Devil opus the Empire was rocking & from the start it was obvious the crowd were in for a treat. With the likes of Sole Survivor, March of Time & new single As Long as I Fall making early appearances the audience certainly gave off the unmistakable aroma of sweaty men enjoying themselves although perhaps the party piece, and panto performance, of the band kneeling down wearing large white beards & top hat’s was a bit too left field.  The drum solo was lapped up by the crowd, if slightly too long but, as a band, Helloween are nothing if not entertainers with great stage movement, all members taking it in turns centre stage and exhorting the audience to even greater efforts. Bass player Markus Großkopf style of playing was impressive throughout and Andi Deris proved a nigh on perfect rock and roll frontman.

The main set was brought to a close by King For A Thousand Years, Eagle fly free, & Dr Stein which is without doubt a real crowd pleaser. Indeed the whole set seemed to fly by – always a sign of a good gig, but then there was the encore. The first of which involved a medley of I Can/Where The Rain Grows/Perfect Gentlemen and Keeper of the Seven Keys but this was followed by what many people wanted as Gamma Ray & Helloween came together thrilling the audience thanks to Future World & I Want Out. it was this finale that wrapped up the evening and sent the sweaty masses home more than happy. For this reviewer Helloween were definitely a very impressive live outfit. When all concerned seemed to be enjoying themselves so much on the Empire's stage it's pretty hard not to be swept along with the energy and enthusiasm of it all.

Related Links

Helloween - Michael Weikath Interview

Helloween - Gambling With The Devil CD Review

Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free Pt II CD Review

Axxis - Doom Of Destiny CD Review

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