Iced Earth - Christos Kinigopoulos' Impressions About Their Live On 27 November 2016 At Principal ,Thessalonki, Greece

By Michael m on 4:03 PM 30 December 2016

Filed Under:




It was Thursday night and i was looking for a company to send my CV.

Misery, everyday life, and then intervenes the search engine, as omniscient as a husband as the mother.

Some months ago I had seen in the showcase of a metal record stores that Iced Earth will come to Thessaloniki.


But I had forgot about it!
Iced Earth, Sunday in Principal says the engine. on its own. there to the right.

Maybe I clicked something by mistake I’m not sure about it!

I would go alone but I eventually found friends to go with. I looked at my old clothes, to those who, although not given they are not to be wear. I had one with Damien, a nice shirt, I said why not wear it on the work too? It has the necessary wildness, just fine. and after I thought it momentarily, looked again the shirt and regret it. Okay, it was not to the time to wear it on the work , nor we are what we wear nor in the final needs to look wild!
Several such cheap mental processes that keep as much as a blink of an eye.

Doors open at 19.00 says the poster .We however, as old and experienced, chose to give appointment at 19.30, so not to go early, but also enjoy the band that opens the night. We eventually gathered in 19.50 (experience talks guys), but the doors were not open and did not open until 21.00, where, finally opened in half and slowly the people began to enter.
This is certainly so bad because when they are out of schedule by two hours you begin to think that there is zero respect to the people that chose to come. to that add the fact that we have grown old (32!!) and with so much standing before and with the concert to follow after we had a doubt about our endurance!!!

I have that impression that 14 years ago things were a little different Maybe only changed the way I see people and obviously they are different times.. Over the years many things have changed. But what I’ve been expecting? Okay, there were some old school guys, in motorhead clothing with jean jackets and bandana , one or two maybe. even someone with investment badges (three badges) to his polo-like bag. Entering the place of the concert-meeting we saw enough space near the scene. Here is where the beating will be, i thought.

We stood there, and a little later, at 21.30 the support band, the monument entered the stage!


I confess that I haven’t heard Iced Earth's songs after “the horror show” I tried to but dιd not manage to do it , maybe the absence of Mat is the reason!

For this reason, seeing the poster of the concert, under the logo of iced earth, a word, monument, I thought it was the title of their album for whose they where touring !!

Well I searched on saturday, 'iced earth monument' to hear any song, and not go completely unread. The results on youtube were an album or song from iced earth and below it, ancient monuments. Youtube was saying to me: “Although I have iced earth I do not know what are you asking me to listen to!

This search came to my mind when I show them on stage, same thoughts I had when I show their t-shirts on the entrance of the show! Their singer said hello, the band begun to play, many people knew the songs and sang with the band and I thought “oh I do not know them but seems to have many fans here”

It was a good surprise for me ( I didn’t know the band ). They have a dark hair singer, 2 blond guitarists (they had long hair and it was like flowing beer) and back there must have been a drummer too!! They had a good performance and their singer sounded to me like a little Bruce Dickinson!! After two songs “Little Bruce” talked to us and said that will speak on Greek! I though that he will say to us a “καλησπέρα”( Good evening ) , “γεια σου” (hello) , “καληνύχτα” (goodnight). But he started to talk on Greek like he knew the language!!!!

He explained to us that he was born on Thessaloniki, that he loves the people of this city( typical words that all bands say on every gig!), and I thought , “look this s.. of a b… he was mocking with us the whole time, talking to English language with so good English accent!!”

They played for about an hour and after that they left leaving the stage for Iced Earth. After they left three people went on stage to check the instruments to be sure the sound will be great and I thought that I was waiting to hear something special from Iced Earth and not something that everyone can just play!

22:45: Iced Earth came to stage and the crowd was so enthusiastic like they are about to see their friends playing on stage. We have them on our heart and we feel them as our friends.


I can’t remember the song that opened the show, I do remember that they did not sing many songs. They have so many albums and it was not possible to sing all their song but I compare their show to the one they did on 2002 when they had sing for about 2,5 hours!

 I was watching people recording parts of the show with their mobile phones or to send to their friends what they see and I thought “what a waste of time cause will be a recording with terrible quality and sound” Beside these thoughts I did it too and send some videos to my friends especially on some great parts of this gig (on “I died for you” , Watching over me” , Burning times”)

After some songs Schaffer started talking to us and said that he can see some friendly and familiar faces on the crowd and that we mean so much to him, he showed us Iced Earth’s logo and said that behind this logo are 30 years of devotion on metal and I though “ they have same years on metal as Metallica!!” .



He played us a song of the year 1992 ,the year where Metallica were releasing “Black album”. When Metallica released “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing else matters” this man was singing a “Stormrider” ! Wow!

Gig’s sound was bad and we couldn’t hear so clear!

As for the singer…. I miss Barlow…Especially when I heard “ Question of heaven” I thought that with Barlow’s voice would be so magic!

Stu Block is not a bad singer but with Barlow I think that Iced Earth were at their top!

Without Barlow but with so many great songs that they have Iced Earth showed us that they are a good band,they have history but is not the same!

I think that Iced Earth must have Barlow as their singer!

I kept on my mind and heart the moments that people were singing some songs after they were over(like “Watching Over Me”) and the band just played the music and we were the singer! It was so great feeling!

00:30 : The gig was over . Seeing the ticket’s price (28 Euro) is hard for me to tell you if this gig was worth all the money. Maybe yes cause it had its good moments and we saw a great band on stage maybe no.

 On the other hand what to ask more? A few good moments to keep!

Review by Christos Kinigopoulos

0 comments for this post

Post a Comment

Scream For Me