HELOWEEN, Stratovarius, Avatar
23.01.2011,В Hristo Botev hall, Sofia - Bulgaria
words by Ivaylo Alexandrov, photo: Mihail Klisarski

Doesn’t matter how many times HELLOWEEN come to Bulgaria – it is obvious even for the blind that this band is adored by the Bulgarian audience and every time there will be many people to see them here. So many that they can afford making two concerts in two consecutive days in 'Hristo Botev' hall. Sold out, of course.

This time HELLOWEEN are bringing a tail. The described as “melodic death metal” Swedish from AVATAR and the Finnish synth-power heroes
STRATOVARIUS. And while the Finnish are well known and loved here, AVATAR are barely known for the audience. That is why they aim to make up anf gain our sympathies. The band has three albums bu plays songs only from their last record - ‘Avatar’ (2009). 

The music does not impress much with standard riffs, melodic choruses and screaming clean vocals by Johannes Eckerström that often pass to harsh growls and he seems to be doing well in both manners. Cheerful and fast, the songs of AVATAR sound more like heavier reading of heavy metal, if we don’t count the short chainsaw ‘Pigfucker’ which wakes up a small moshpit before the stage. And besides the ridiculous remarks the vocalist pours from the stage and the idiotic erecting of a fuel can from which he often “drinks”, their warm up is funny and adequate. The important thing is that the people are having fun and they applaud the band in each of their 7 songs.

7 or 8 years ago, while Vasko Katincharov was still doing concept metal weekends on MM TV, I saw a concert of STRATOVARIUS. I still remember how stunned I was by the fact that already famous band has built a name with such an ungifted singer. Last night I thought absolutely the same thing. Without ever being a fan of the Finnish (actually nor anything from Finland), the songs that they play about an hour in front of the 3000 people in 'Hristo Botev' sound nice, the sound is great but the vocals are… awful.

Timo Kotipelto acts naturally on stage but his voice is so weak that he tortures both himself and the audience with his miserable attempts to sing. Yet the crowd is more than benevolent – the hall resounds of the clapping, clattering and screaming; a forest of hands is washed in the lights above, while STRATOVARIUS are hitting ‘Hunting High and Low’, ‘Speed of Light’, the people are singing, filling the gaps around Timo and are having real good time.

We take a breath of air when the vocalist disappears and leaves the boys for a few minutes of instrumental trip where the shredding of Matias Kupiainen is competing with the wild galloping on the fat strings of Lauri Porra and both of them are soloing later during the STRATOVARIUS setlist. Bit by bit we reach the epic ‘Twilight Symphony’ with a grievous guitar solo at its end, flowing into the ballad ‘Forever’ and the finale ‘Black Diamond’ – a speed-power impersonal song with a double bass drumming from the returned after a surgery Jörg Michael and extremely tedious Nintendo-introduction from the keyboard player Jens Johansson. Isn’t there anybody to forbid the synthesizers in the metal?

Between the guests and the headliners we happen to listen some nice music – we hear songs by Mötley Crüe, Ozzy and AC/DC before HELLOWEEN land on the stage under the spinning vane from the artwork of their last album ‘7 Sinners’.

And ‘Are You Metal?’ blows us away with the tuned higher sound for the Germans and the strong voice of Andy Deris. Finally we have a singer on stage! The people go crazy and they scream out loud the silly chorus of the track, obviously written to being played live. And from the new we fly back a quarter of century ago with ‘Eagle Fly Free’ and the party bursts with full throttle.

The classic ‘Deutsche’ heavy metal we listen for more than two hours is a part of the blood sample of the Bulgarian metal fan. Even HELLOWEEN alone realize it and they have accented on their classic albums besides the obligatory new songs. And the choice between them is great.

The hard ‘Where the Sinners Go’ and the cheerful fairytale ‘World of Fantasy’ remind of the strongest year of the band without sounding as an autocopy and I quickly join the headbangers around me to sing along while HELLOWEEN rule the stage as they have been doing it for almost 30 years.

More than half of their setlist is with songs from the 80’s, they have added also a beautiful acoustic version of ‘Forever and One’ from 1996 for which Andy also grabs a guitar and around the hall there are flashing hundreds of cigarette lighters and digital screens.

Well, we can’t pass without some heavy metal posing, annoying screenplay dialogues and a boring drum solo by Dani Löble but in the heavy metal the kitsch is a part of the charm, isn’t it?
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The first part of the show of HELLOWEEN ends with a 15-minutes medley out of three of the most epic songs of the band -  ‘Keeper of the Seven Keys’, ‘The King for a 1000 Years’ and ‘Halloween’ after which we jump straight to ‘I Want Out’.

‘Hristo Botev’ is shaking, Deris gets the crowd to sing and conducts the mood and when there nobody stays static and calm, the five are hiding for the rehearsed encore. The speedy ‘Ride The Sky’ from the years with Kai Hansen as a singer and the all-time favorite ‘Future World’ erupt one after another under a blast of jolly cheers.
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It seems that tonight HELLOWEEN are more “heavy” than “happy” metal. They hide again, behind the last rows of seats in the back of the hall there rises a huge, shining pumpkin in the dark and the band is back for ‘Dr. Stein’ in the company of around ten fan disguised as the psyched character of the song. There follow bows, hugs, smiles and we gradually quiet down and go home.

Until the next evening when there is a second metal fiesta at the same place, with the same bands.

GALLERY