DEAD CAN DANCE Live in Athens, Greece. (3/7/2019). The setlist and more...

  A few days ago, Dead Can Dance visited Athens for a concert at the Herodus Atticus Odeon, which is situated exactly under the Acropolis of Athens.
It is a majestic ancient theater, which creates a wonderful atmosphere for these kind of events, and as Brendan Perry stated a few months ago, it was a dream of his to play in this theater at some point. 
  Having been a fan of Dead Can Dance since the 80's, it was impossible for me not to go to their gig, despite the fact that I have seen then 3-4 times in the past. So, I bought my ticket on the first day of the pre-sale, and then I was just counting the days. The concert was sold out many weeks before the day of the event, and the place was packed!
  Dead Can Dance came on stage almost on time, and for the next 100 minutes gave a flawless performance, which, further than their songs, it also included 2 cover versions.
They played songs from their long career, and as far as I saw (and read), everybody has only good words to say about their gig.
It was a magical night, which I will remember for many years. I feel lucky for being able to see them once more in this amazing theater!
Here you can take a look at the concert's setlist:

Anywhere Out of the World
Mesmerism
Labour of Love
Avatar
In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated
Bylar

Xavier
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Sanvean
Indoctrination (A Design for Living)
Yulunga (Spirit Dance)
The Carnival Is Over
The Host of Seraphim
Amnesia
Autumn Sun (Deleyaman cover)
Dance of the Bacchantes
Encore #1
Song to the Siren (Tim Buckley cover)
Cantara

Encore #2

The Promised Womb
Severance

GANDALF'S FIST: The Clockwork Prologue (2019). My review..

  A couple of years ago, Gandalf’s Fist surprised everybody with the release of the excellent - but kind of ambitious - The Clockwork Fable. It was a really interesting triple concept album that introduced us to the underground city of Cogtopolis and its bizarre inhabitants. With that album they increased their fame and the band begun to play at various festivals, such as HRH Prog in North Wales for example, where they were the headliners on the 2nd stage.

  This year they returned with The Clockwork Prologue, which works as a prequel, if I got it right. The band now includes two more members in comparison with The Clockwork Fable; Keri Farish on vocals and Ben Bell on keyboards, bass, guitar and vocals.

  Although The Clockwork Prologue is similar with The Clockwork Fable, it is slightly better in my opinion. Not only because it includes all the elements that we enjoyed in the previous album, like for example the theatrical narration parts that work as a “bridge” between the songs, but also because it is shorter, therefore less “chaotic”, and it can be appreciated better and faster.

  There are lots of wonderful melodies throughout the album, strong guitar riffs, beautiful changes, and let’s not forget the really interesting story, on which, both albums have been built.

   At the very beginning of this post, I wrote that with the release of The Clockwork Fable, Gandalf’s Fist surprised everybody. I’m afraid that the element of surprise is not going to work this time, mostly because now people know what to expect. But that doesn’t make the album less enjoyable!

  So, to sum up, The Clockwork Prologue is a great album and without a doubt a very serious piece of work! Definitely one of the best releases of 2019 so far. And as far as I’ve heard, this time it will be available in vinyl edition as well. Good things are happening to good bands…

  Congratulations to Gandalf’s Fist once more, not only for releasing really good albums, but for their hard work and for keeping their quality at very high standards.

Favorite tracks (so far): Solar Huntress, Wanderer, Supplies for the Festivities, The Clokkemaker, Blackening.

                        My Rating: 4.5 stars