[Nick] After an interview with Serenity earlier in the day, a quick dash back to the hotel before we returned to Bannerman’s just in time to enjoy Alight (8) with a nice pint in hand. Alight hail from Italy and their relatively broken English meant there was very little chat between songs, however this was not a problem as the band’s evident passion for their music and then fun that they were having instantly rubbed off onto the crowd. Walking around the small stage and jumping at every opportunity the crowd joined in with no promoting required. The highlight of this set was one that was to be a trend throughout the night...the vocals.
Lead vocalist Catia was the star of this set, effortlessly delivering vocals at either end of the spectrum while not dropping a note throughout the set. Hauntingly beautiful at times this lady hopefully has a massive career in front of her, hopefully that will be with Alight who deserve a big push with their music that is reminiscent of Musipedia favourites Triaxis, except with an extra hand full of symphony thrown in. Paired with the stunning vocals of Catia the musicianship of Roberto's solid guitar rhythms and chunky breakdowns when required, Monika’s bouncy bass and Mirko's well tempered drums, Alight were a joy to behold and a cracking way to start the evening.
[Stief] next up was a personal treat, Temperance (8). Having followed their progress from their beginnings back in 2013, this tour was a great chance to finally see them. Despite a few microphone issues at the beginning, which continued to pop up from time to time through their set, the quintet waste no time getting into it, and from start to finish, it's clear they're loving every second here, their joy contagious. Newcomers Alessia Scolleti and Michele Guaitoli are extremely comfortable in centre stage, and seeing them live, they show a great synchronisation both in vocal style and how they perform. Marco Pastorino provides back up vocals, clearly happy to allow the other two to take the spotlight a bit more. The smaller venue means, as with the other bands, certain elements such as keyboards etc. are replaced by tape, which is sometimes drowned out by the live elements; however, this doesn't detract from the brilliant set, both Scolleti and Guaitoli showing great voice control and a wide range over the six songs. As they end with huge smiles on their faces, you can't help but smile with them.
[Nick] Entering the stage to the traditional Deus Lo Vult theme, Serenity (10) spared no time and jumped straight into what was to be the first of many anthems throughout the set, United. Not having the chance to see the band since their date in Cardiff back in 2012, I was pretty excited to see them, and again, as I always do, I forgot how immense the vocals of Georg are. We always hear people say that this singers vocals are just as good live as they are on record, when it is very rarely the case. Not here, six years on and Georg's vocals are still as pure and as clean as ever, and you could be forgiven to think that they weren’t live, but oh my they were! And were again the highlight of this set as the band powered through a handful of songs including Hero, New Horizons and personal favourite Iniquity. Ensuring they gave a nod to the majority of their back catalogue the band even offered up a new acoustic song performed live only once before called In The Name Of Scotland. This was always going to be met with rapturous applause and celebration by the die hard Scottish fans, and rightfully so... It was a little beauty of a song. The crowd then kindly returned the favour by serenading the band with The Flower Of Scotland. Throughout the set the crowd joined in in most songs, singing at the top of their voices, jumping around and generally having a great time.
[Stief] next up was a personal treat, Temperance (8). Having followed their progress from their beginnings back in 2013, this tour was a great chance to finally see them. Despite a few microphone issues at the beginning, which continued to pop up from time to time through their set, the quintet waste no time getting into it, and from start to finish, it's clear they're loving every second here, their joy contagious. Newcomers Alessia Scolleti and Michele Guaitoli are extremely comfortable in centre stage, and seeing them live, they show a great synchronisation both in vocal style and how they perform. Marco Pastorino provides back up vocals, clearly happy to allow the other two to take the spotlight a bit more. The smaller venue means, as with the other bands, certain elements such as keyboards etc. are replaced by tape, which is sometimes drowned out by the live elements; however, this doesn't detract from the brilliant set, both Scolleti and Guaitoli showing great voice control and a wide range over the six songs. As they end with huge smiles on their faces, you can't help but smile with them.
[Nick] Entering the stage to the traditional Deus Lo Vult theme, Serenity (10) spared no time and jumped straight into what was to be the first of many anthems throughout the set, United. Not having the chance to see the band since their date in Cardiff back in 2012, I was pretty excited to see them, and again, as I always do, I forgot how immense the vocals of Georg are. We always hear people say that this singers vocals are just as good live as they are on record, when it is very rarely the case. Not here, six years on and Georg's vocals are still as pure and as clean as ever, and you could be forgiven to think that they weren’t live, but oh my they were! And were again the highlight of this set as the band powered through a handful of songs including Hero, New Horizons and personal favourite Iniquity. Ensuring they gave a nod to the majority of their back catalogue the band even offered up a new acoustic song performed live only once before called In The Name Of Scotland. This was always going to be met with rapturous applause and celebration by the die hard Scottish fans, and rightfully so... It was a little beauty of a song. The crowd then kindly returned the favour by serenading the band with The Flower Of Scotland. Throughout the set the crowd joined in in most songs, singing at the top of their voices, jumping around and generally having a great time.
We were joined a few times by both Georg and Fabio both of which highlighted how much fun they were having playing to the smaller crowd. This was evident to see as banter was exchanged throughout (even with us Welsh) drinks were exchanged and birthday girls brought on stage to share a moment with her crush Georg. Despite all this adding to the occasion, all this aside, the music was still delivered to the highest quality. Fabio's bass was smooth throughout the set dictating the atmosphere of each song, also proving why he is a vocal coach hitting some of the highest notes possible when called upon. Guitarist Cris was able to offer the deepest and darkest of breakdowns one minute then roll of the most delicate of solos and ride the next... This young lad is talented. Combined with his shrieking death growls, he has the lot! Finally Andreas on drums, who as Fabio mentioned can wrongful go in noticed at times, but without his hard hitting guidance and pounding bass pedals the magic that serenity want to create on stage would simply fall apart. These guys are a family and that is obviously both from the interview pre show and the performance they put on live, so tight yet done with so much ease.
Finishing the set with a triple whammy of The Final Crusade, Reduced To Nothingness and Follow Me the band ended the set in style. Allowing the adoring fans to sing along and have one last moment of jumping around in unison. Leaving them with no other option to chant “please come back” as Serenity left the stage. I for one really hope they do, this was a perfect example of how to out on a show that was both about the fans and the band, both felt equal here and the music brought everyone together... And damn was it good music!
A quick word on the venue; Bannerman’s Bar. A bar that is dedicated completely to metal. The decorations throughout were evident but not over the top, a great selection of real ales, metal music of all genres playing on the jukebox, equally as passionate staff and the gig hall although small was perfect. The sound was some of the best I’ve heard in a long time and the respect the patrons had for the venue was evident. Cardiff is crying out for a venue such as this run in exactly the same vein and for no other reason than metal. I certainly will be looking out for gigs here in the future as I’d love to experience Bannerman’s again.
Finishing the set with a triple whammy of The Final Crusade, Reduced To Nothingness and Follow Me the band ended the set in style. Allowing the adoring fans to sing along and have one last moment of jumping around in unison. Leaving them with no other option to chant “please come back” as Serenity left the stage. I for one really hope they do, this was a perfect example of how to out on a show that was both about the fans and the band, both felt equal here and the music brought everyone together... And damn was it good music!
A quick word on the venue; Bannerman’s Bar. A bar that is dedicated completely to metal. The decorations throughout were evident but not over the top, a great selection of real ales, metal music of all genres playing on the jukebox, equally as passionate staff and the gig hall although small was perfect. The sound was some of the best I’ve heard in a long time and the respect the patrons had for the venue was evident. Cardiff is crying out for a venue such as this run in exactly the same vein and for no other reason than metal. I certainly will be looking out for gigs here in the future as I’d love to experience Bannerman’s again.
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