It may only be February, but Piraeus Academy is already becoming my second home in 2026, as it has proven to be very welcoming to Greek (mainly) bands. One of the live shows I’ve been eagerly awaiting since last year was this one by the legendary ACID DEATH, who continue their steady upward trajectory that began 36-37 years ago.
However, this particular concert could also be considered a history lesson for the Greek metal scene, as the combined experience of the three bands that participated must exceed 100 (!!) years. SELEFICE were the first to appear, replacing KINETIC, who were scheduled to play. SELEFICE may not have a large discography, having released only one full-length album in 1993 (“Where Is The Heaven”) and one EP in 2019 (“I Met A God”), but when they are on stage, they certainly know what they want and how to deliver it. What stuck in my mind from their performance was definitely the atmospheric character of their songs and the low or mid-tempo melodies that filled the Academy, fortunately aided by the very good sound (which was true for all three bands). I also liked that we heard something in Greek, specifically “Thanate,” since that’s something we don’t usually hear at metal concerts. I don’t know if they have something more complete in the works, such as a new studio album, but the scene definitely needs these historic bands that paved the way for the rest.
Setlist
- Intro – I Will Die By Evil Ways
- Nothing But Freedom
- Damned
- Innsmouth
- Where Is The Heaven
- Mora
- Θάνατε
Next up were the beloved DEATH COURIER. The pulse quickened, the tempo increased, and the crowd got even more excited. DEATH COURIER may consist of only three members, founder Vasilis (bass and vocals) and the new additions after their reactivation, George and Ilias on guitar and drums respectively, but they lose nothing in terms of performance and depth in their sound and prove that a guitar, a bass, and drums are enough to play serious and solid metal music. Sometimes. less is more. They played songs from all three studio albums honoring both the band’s eras since as we know after 1993 they were in a long hiatus until 2009. Metalheads seemed to really enjoy it, and there were quite a few who came (also) for them, a sign of the respect they have earned in our scene. We await their next steps.
Setlist
- Intro
- MindWarp
- Devour the Moments
- Rostov Ripper
- Immune the Burial
- Pillars of Murk
- Mourning Extacy
- Demise
- Relics & Ornaments
- Remnands
- Wormman
- Deprive the Deceased
However, the event was dedicated to the great ACID DEATH of Savvas Betinis and Dennis Kostopoulos, who have been the backbone of the band since 1989. Their setlist consisted of two parts. First, they played a mini best-of set with songs from their entire rich discography, even “Our Shadows” from their first album, “Pieces of Mankind,” which essentially gave them the label of a progressive death metal band, as Savvas himself mentioned. A favorite moment was “Reality and Fear” from the excellent “Primal Energies” with its distinctive folk character. The rest of the setlist included almost the entire new album, “Evolution”, and the only song missing was “Fallen Empires”, probably due to time constraints. “Evolution” made it onto many best-of lists in 2025, and rightly so, since we are talking about a well-crafted and modern album that nevertheless retains all the elements that have characterized ACID DEATH’s career. Performing an album live is always a challenge, and ACID DEATH scored high marks in this area as well. Savvas gave his all vocally, while the rest of the band performed demanding songs to the best of their ability. The set ended around midnight with “Apathy Murders Hope” from the band’s first self-titled EP from 1993. Finally, the fact that various videos were projected at the back of the stage shows just how hard ACID DEATH had worked for this particular live show although the particular venue is not suitable for something like that as there is not enough space for video projection.
Setlist
- Supreme Act of Heroism
- Godless Shrines
- Psycho Love
- Our Shadows
- Reality And Fear
- Singularity – Coded Dominion
- Rise of Salvation
- Genesis – Flesh Dancing in The Fire
- The Getaway To Knowledge
- Humanity – Shadows Of Our Despair
- Babel – Walking The Path To Certainty
- Forging the Chains
- Apathy Murders Hope
I belive ACID DEATH must be absolutely delighted with how the show went. The venue was not packed but plenty of metalheads honored the band and the most important thing is that everybody had a great time, the bands performed well and were enthusiastic, the sound was excellent, and overall the evening went off without a problem. We may love and support all the new bands but historic bands like those three shaped our scene and still have a lot to offer!
Live Correspondent – Photos – Videos: Kostas Boudoukos
