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On stage: Heathen



- W.O.A. - Aug. 2002 - Wacken (D) -
- Heathen & After All - July 2005 - Geleen (NL) -
- RockHard Festival - May 2009 - Gelsenkirchen (D) -
- Overkill, Destruction, Heathen & After All - Mar. 2011 - Cologne (D) -


www.heathenmetal.com









Heathen & After All
- July 15th 2005 - Geleen (NL), Ed & Rocco's -




This was the second time for us at Ed & Rocco's and again we saw After All as support act. Ed & Rocco's is a bar and has just a small stage. The whole place is tiny, but through a video camera they show it on a large screen, so everybody can watch the band, even in the back.
Last time we been here the Belgium thrashers toured with Agent Steel, now they are on the road with another legend - with Heathen. Even if they started past 10:30 PM there were not that many people. A shame, coz After All are a great live and again gave their best to entertain the metal heads. This time they were out to promote their last album called The Vermin Breed. They started with Reasonable Doubt. The band sounded tight and singer Piet Focroul is getting better each time we see them. From The Vermin Breed they played Forgotten, The Insufferable and The Great Divide. For me Forgotten and The Great Divide were the highlights of the set. But they also presented some songs from Mercury Rising - incl. Beneath The Flesh and The Shadow Wall. Good choice. To soon it was over. I would like to see a longer set from the Belgium boys, but these days even established bands have problems to draw enough people to their shows. But well, perhaps a double headliner tour...
After a break it was time for the US boys! Time for Heathen! When they entered the stage at midnight a few more people had found Ed & Rocco's and so it was bit more packed.
It was about midnight when Heathen entered the stage. I haven't seen them before and so I was curious to see how they do live. Unfortunately I list my notes, so I'm not 100% sure about the songs... But if memory serves - usually I'm not too bad - then I should get the set list together - more or less... The Bay Area thrashers opened up with the three-some Hypnotized, Opiate Of The Masses and Timeless Cell Of Prophecy of Victims Of Deception. With Pray For Death, Open The Grave, Death By Hanging and Breaking The Silence they played a lot from their debut. They concentrated on the first 2 albums and only The Holy War - the Thin Lizzy classic - was taken from their 2004 release Recovered. After bassist Mike Jazstremski passed a few weeks ago and so the band got Jon Torres for the tour. On Recovery Ira Black was on guitar, but beside Vicious Rumors he's playing in Chris Caffery's (Savatage) solo band and is helping out Metal Church on their US tour at the moment. Jerry Lauderdale took over his part. But the band sounded very tight... Like they play together for ages. They also played some new songs, but I can't tell you more about these. The heat was taking it's toll and so the show was over too soon for some fans who shouted for more after the encore The Holy War.
The band had some technical problems and not every note was perfect, but it was a great thrash metal show. Very intense and I think many will regret not to see them on this run, coz nobody knows when they'll be back in Europe... Rumors say that Lee Altus will join Exodus... Thanks to Ed & Rocco's for another fantastic night and hopefully not the last time that legendary bands - who never made it big - will play in Geleen.



Claudia Ehrhardt

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