Four years of absence were a long time for one of my favorite festivals, which has now become an institution. A festival that celebrates female presence in our scene—one that keeps growing over the years and continuously elevates the Metal scene. The 5th edition of the festival took place at Temple over the three days of April 23–25 and was the richest one yet.

Day 1

Every beginning is difficult, as the first day of the festival fell on a weekday, resulting in a small turnout at first. However, as time went on, Temple filled up and the intensity increased. The challenging task of opening both the day and the festival overall fell to the Progressive Rockers INFECTED MINDS, whose sound and overall stage presence are characterized by a unique atmospheric vibe. A major contribution to this comes from the excellent Katerina Kehagia on vocals, with her warm, full, and technically refined voice. Another standout element was the well-crafted and high-quality backing vocals from guitarist Victor Mastelas and bassist Angel Pearl, who complemented Katerina perfectly whenever needed. As expected, their set was based on their only full-length album so far, “Reanimated”, released in 2022, while we hear they are already preparing their next release. Overall, an ideal opening for the festival.

Setlist

1. Towards The Truth
2. Foreign Passenger
3. Xenomorph
4. Next in the Line
5. Induce Pain
6. Induce Joy

Next on stage were the Alternative Metallers VENUS EFFECT, who, despite being relatively new in the scene, have significant live experience, with a highlight being their appearance at Rockwave Festival alongside OPETH. Their sound was clearly more dynamic and modern, though not as refined as INFECTED MINDS, as their youthful energy was evident. The band delivered endless energy on stage, with Sia on vocals giving it her all, while guitarists Leo and Kostas added intensity and variety to their sound. What stood out most was the incredible voice and energy of their guitarist, Leonardo Agushi, who also treated us to a fantastic duet with Sia at the beginning of their set. Their debut full-length album “Venus Effect” dominated the set, but they also had two surprises in store: a cover of “What I’ve Done” by LINKIN PARK and the first live performance of their new single “Don’t You Forget,” which closed their set. Bands like this fill us with optimism and confidence that the Greek metal scene has both a strong present and a bright future, attracting new fans along the way.

Setlist

1. Flesh And Bones
2. Cold Nectar
3. Plugin Baby
4. Motionless
5. The End
6. Thursday’s Wedding
7. Sunday’s Revenge
8. What I’ve Done (LINKIN PARK cover)
9. Don’t You Forget

One of the many positives of the festival was the strict adherence to the schedule. Thus, DISILLUSIVE PLAY took the stage exactly on time. Truth be told, I have a particular soft spot for this band, especially their second album “Songs For The Non Existent” (2023), which I had on repeat back then. Antigoni Kalamara, with her warm, gritty rock voice and communicative ability, dominated the stage. Unlike the other frontwomen, she took the time to explain the meaning behind each song, as DISILLUSIVE PLAY is a band with strong social concerns. Their set focused on their latest album and featured a special guest, Manolis Papadopoulos of DREAMBLEED, who joined Antigoni to perform “Parallel Lives (A Song For The Non Existent).” In the studio version, we hear Mario Karanastasis of THE SILENT WEDDING, but Manolis gave the track a more dynamic twist. Finally, I learned that they will soon begin working on new material for their next album, so we eagerly await their next steps.

Setlist

1. Enough
2. Why
3. Sisiphus
4. Make Them All Feel Good
5. Life’s Scar
6. Parallel Lives (A Song For The Non Existent)
7. Queen Of The Night
8. Demon’s Glove

The night closed with the Alternative/Progressive Metallers NEGATIVE CONTRAST, who definitely had the most distinctive sound among the bands of the first day. Both the ethereal presence of Efthymia Michou and their overall style reminded me somewhat of my favorite band UNVERKALT. Not so much due to their music but mostly the feeling I got watching them on stage. This may be due to their combination of atmospheric compositions and Efthymia’s powerful vocal performance. NEGATIVE CONTRAST have plenty of material at their disposal, which they presented excellently, bringing to a close a flawless evening both in terms of band performances and technical production. Temple, as I have mentioned before, has significantly improved its sound quality compared to the past.

Setlist

1. Used
2. Paralyzed
3. Sick
4. Owned
5. Heavens Above
6. Outcast
7. Machines

Around midnight, the first day of the festival came to an end. Ideally, there should have been a larger crowd, but Thursday is always a challenging day for live shows.

Live Correspondent – Photos – Videos: Kostas Boudoukos