Review & Photography by Ritchie Birnie for MPM
A three year wait is finally over as Twilight Force touch down in Glasgow and bring the adventure metal, the fantasy and a whole lot of fun.
There are two support bands tonight with first up the German band Silver Bullet and they kicked off a night of epic proportions. Huge, powerful metal is brought forward by the guys and they go for the throat from the off with opening track “Shadow of a Curse”.
The band kick off the Guinness book of records attempt at how many times an audience can chant Hey…they must have gotten close.
The band is very guitar focused and on “She Holds the Greatest Promise” I get taken back in time to the Downing/Tipton barrage of Priest. It is fast, furious and impossible not to get sucked into the energy of the band and the atmosphere.
The band also made sure they would remain with you as they had us chanting “Witches Hammer” like some army of the walking dead.
I loved the set and the guys were a pleasure to speak to. Make sure you check them out all across Europe.
Next up were Seven Spires who kicked the show off with intro “Wanderers Prayer” which lulls you into a false sense of security as that gentle ditty burst into “Gods of Debauchery”. The slight frame of Adrienne Cowan hides a demonic beast inside. As the music soars she roams the stage like a dragon flying the skies seeking out her enemies.
It was unfortunate that the sound mix was screwed up, the drum and Bass were overpowering the quieter numbers so Adrienne was drowned out in the mix but on those moments things settled you could hear how good her clean vocals were and made sure you will want to see these Americans again.
The band were full of virtuosos with Peter de Reyna on his six string bass running patterns on the fretboard like a demented guitar hero player. Jack Kosto’s work was lost a lot in the mix but his work was impressive and Chris Dovas basically ripped my head off.
A pity the sound disrupted the show so much but with songs like “Succumb”, “In Sickness, in Health” and set closer “This God is Dead” you could tell this band are very different and well worth keeping an eye out for.
Now it is time to fill the stage with Elf’s, heroes and wizards for my first ever taste of Twilight Force and I do not think I have ever had a smile on my face for a full show the way I did tonight.
Take the gimmicks away and you have some incredible musicians and a sound that is built via layers and each song a story to behold.
The show opens with “Dawn of the Dragonstar” and in what seemed like a flash was straight into “Twilight Force” and this packed venue went into raptures and a mosh pit. Singer Allessandro Conti sang like an angel as well as looking like an ass kicking John Snow.
The small stage was filled to bursting with the seven members all vying for space whilst bringing these musical stories to life. There was a personal moment when one crowd member was brought onto the stage to be knighted and being able to chose the next song which was “Long Live the King”.
Keyboard player and backbone of the band Danial Beckman kept us entertained with his Gandalf persona and very evil laugh but this works incredibly well with the whole fantasy element of the show.
I really have not had so much fun at a show as I did tonight. All three bands worked so well together but Twilight Force were definitely the jewel in the crown and they have to be the biggest bang for your buck with the costumes, the incredible musicians and the level of sheer enjoyment.
