MESSIAH
PIRANHA
THE CRUCIFIER

THE CRUCIFIER

Thrash metal without compromise

The song selection was another welcome surprise. Rather than concentrating on a single phase of their career, THE CRUCIFIER offered a substantial cross-section of their discography. From 2017’s Voices in My Head came Within Insanity and Happy Face Man, examples of the band’s more mature songwriting without any loss of their primordial aggression.

Even more interesting was the return to 2006’s Cursed Cross, an album celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. Governmental Slavery, Slave of Seeded Hatred, Thrash Till the Death, TV, and Drive Intense reminded us that the Greek underground kept the flame burning even when traditional thrash was far removed from the spotlight.

Execute Them All took us further back still. Originally dating to 2002’s Merciless Conviction and later reappearing on Cursed Cross, it remains every bit as worthy of a place in the set 24 years later — a testament to the staying power of no-frills thrash when played with the right attitude.

The performance was tight, forceful, and brimming with energy. THE CRUCIFIER showed that staying faithful to your musical roots does not have to mean standing still. With conviction, consistency, and a commanding stage performance, old-school thrash remains thoroughly convincing even decades down the line.

PIRANHA

A living chapter of Greek death/thrash history

Human Fear, from the 1992 EP World’s Grave, was a reminder of the significance of Greece’s early death/thrash scene. Yet PIRANHA were not content merely to revisit the tape-trading and vinyl days. With Arise from the Shadows, taken from their 2020 album of the same name, they showed that their return had also brought genuine creative momentum.

The pairing of Cancer and No Escape was especially gratifying: both tracks appeared on the 1993 seven-inch single Cancer, a genuine underground relic whose significance takes on a different weight when heard live more than three decades later. World’s Grave and Unholy Lie brought us back to 1992, while Endless Dream and Rotten Mind span the band’s recording history, from 1998’s Reborn to their later recordings.

On stage, PIRANHA were remarkably cohesive and effective, delivering a strong performance while maintaining genuine contact with the audience. Their death/thrash sound provided the perfect bridge between THE CRUCIFIER’s outright thrash assault and the darker, heavier sonic territory that awaited us.

A thoroughly enjoyable set from a band that deserves respect not only for its contribution to Greek metal history, but also for what it continues to bring to the stage today.

MESSIAH

42 years of history. One extraordinary performance.

A Nightmarish Choral Journey Back to 1991

With the extended Choir of Horrors intro, MESSIAH established the atmosphere before unleashing the title track, enveloping Temple in the distinctly morbid ambience of that album. And that was when the real devastation began.

Choir of Horrors strikes a singular balance between death metal and the aggressive thrash of the previous decade, wrapped in a dark, almost ritualistic atmosphere. What followed was a delight: Akasha Chronicle, Weeping Willow, Lycantropus Erectus, Münchhausen Syndrom, and Cautio Criminalis.

Six tracks from the same classic album, performed consecutively 35 years after its release. For anyone raised on Noise Records and the European death/thrash scene of the early ’90s, a selection like that carries tremendous emotional weight.

Akasha Chronicle, with its more technical, restless edge, and Weeping Willow, with its atmosphere and dynamic shifts, demonstrated MESSIAH’s distinctive compositional identity. This was never a band that relied on speed alone. Cautio Criminalis closed the anniversary sequence, with Northern Command and Weena the two album tracks not performed.

From 2024 Back to the Dawn of Extreme Metal

With Sikhote Alin and Christus Hypercubus from their 2024 album, the Swiss veterans reminded us that their reunion was never simply about reliving past glories. The essentials of their sound remain intact, but their approach is more considered, with a different command of weight, rhythm, and atmosphere.

Living with a Confidence brought us back to 1992’s Rotten Perish, while Morte al Dente, from 2020’s Fracmont, served as a bridge to the band’s recorded comeback after more than 25 years without a new full-length studio album.

Then came the Hymn to Abramelin / Messiah medley from their 1986 debut! Forty years later, this primitive, abrasive material remains a part of their live arsenal. For an old-school metal fan, moments like these are absolutely priceless.

The same goes for Space Invaders, another return to the debut, and for Enjoy Yourself and Extreme Cold Weather, taken from their second release in 1987. The latter, in particular, made for a superb finale — a reminder that the roots of European extreme metal run deeper than they are often given credit for.

From 1986 to 2024: almost four decades of recorded history compressed into roughly seventy minutes. And the most remarkable thing? Not once did I feel I was watching a band living solely on its past.

MARCUS SEEBACH

A frontman born for old-school death metal

If anyone stole the show, it was undoubtedly Marcus Seebach. The MESSIAH vocalist was utterly commanding, with an excellent vocal performance, an imposing presence, and the kind of stage personality that holds your attention without exaggerated gestures or contrived theatrics.

I couldn’t help being reminded of Martin van Drunen of ASPHYX and formerly PESTILENCE. Not because the two singers sound exactly alike, but because of that raw authenticity, ferocity, and sense that every word is being dragged up from the very depths of their lungs.

Seebach also has the considerable task of performing much of a catalogue so closely associated with the late Andy Kaina, who passed away in 2022. That is hardly an easy challenge. Yet Marcus delivered the material with a personality of his own while preserving the character of the original songs.

Oli Stübi — Stepping In Without Sacrificing an Ounce of Intensity

I was equally impressed by Oli Stübi, who stepped in on guitar in place of V.O. Pulver. Those are formidable shoes to fill, given the importance of the musician he was replacing. Yet Stübi rose to the occasion admirably, delivering a thoroughly convincing performance without sacrificing any of the band’s momentum.

Above all, what impressed me was the cohesion of the entire group. MESSIAH performed as a single, finely tuned engine of extreme music, rather than a collection of individual musicians trying to showcase their own abilities.

Their connection with the audience deserves special mention too. For all the extremity of the music, there was not a trace of aloofness or arrogance. The relationship between stage and crowd felt direct, almost personal — a shared celebration of underground metal.

And here I have a small confession to make. After all these years of gig-going, relentless headbanging is no longer a regular part of my concert routine. Age may not change your musical tastes, but your neck sometimes has other ideas!

When a band makes you react instinctively, surrender to the music, and forget everything around you, they have accomplished exactly what a live performance should. MESSIAH didn’t merely deliver outstanding renditions of their historic material; they conveyed the very spirit upon which death metal was built: intensity, dedication, unpretentious aggression, and an absolute refusal to compromise.

When the Musicians Stay Close to Their Fans

Once their set had ended, MESSIAH did not disappear backstage. They stayed around to meet the fans, sign autographs, and spend time with people who had waited so many years to see them live.

To some, that may seem a small detail. Personally, I think it matters enormously, particularly when it comes from musicians who have helped shape the history of extreme metal. MESSIAH proved that you can carry four decades of history on your shoulders and still treat your fans with genuine warmth and respect.