Ashes of Ares (June 2023)
A year where you attend less than 10 concerts (festival gigs counted in) can definitely be considered on the calmer spectrum of things. 2023 was such a year for MetalBear. But sometimes it is in the calmest of times that the greatest of memories are created. This wisdom was also totally valid for MetalBear in the past year. And the reason is that I managed to fulfill a decades-long dream of mine when it comes to metal gigs, namely seeing Matt Barlow live for the first time ever. As you are probably aware by now from my previous posts, Barlow is one of my all-time favorite vocalists in heavy metal. After seeing him live, he has so mightily fortified the number 1 spot on my personal rank list that it is extremely likely to stay this way till the end of MetalBear’s times. Let’s see why.
Back in June I had the opportunity to go see Matt with Ashes of Ares on their brief European tour. The band’s lineup for the tour included the two founding, and only full-time members, Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales who were joined by veteran Kelly Conlon on bass as well as Charlie Honig on guitars and Kyle Taylor on drums. Three of the four pillars that make up MetalBear’s gig rating system – Show Spectacularity; Setlist and Altered Live Delivery – were all nothing short of magical. The fourth remaining component (Sound Quality) was also actually as decent as it can get in the modest venue where the gig took place and where sound is traditionally fairly poor (been to dozens of concerts there). The passion and energy of every single band member was just impressive and this was immediately felt by the vast majority of the metalheads attending. Among the highlights for me was Conlon who is one hell of a beast bass player as well as Freddie Vidales who was outstanding on guitars. But, as biased as I am on this, the performance by Barlow was just out-of-this-world kind of phenomenal. The first time I came across Matt was almost 20 years ago when the man was in his mid thirties. His voice has not deteriorated even a bit in two decades, quite the opposite actually, and while I haven’t seen him live before, I’ve watched a good amount of Iced Earth live videos with Barlow to be able to tell that this was a vocalist in top, top form who sounded live just as good, if not at times better, than on the records. Yes, one might argue that he hasn’t been actively touring for a good while and has hence managed to maintain his voice but let’s be honest – in this case it really is down to sublime talent. However, it is not only Barlow’s vocal abilities that deserve the highest of praise, but also his exceptional stage presence and his superb interaction with the crowd. On top of all that, Barlow striked me as such a genuinely good-natured and friendly guy based on the brief opportunity I had to talk to him after the gig. I must say that I have the utmost respect and admiration for musicians who take their time to go and talk to the fans after a show, and that I count this toward the overall concert experience (I do realize that on some occasions this isn’t possible due to touring/venue logistics, but after over 500 gigs – I’ve also seen bands going above and beyond to meet with fans post-show).
The true pinnacle of the gig was the setlist and the altered live delivery of some iconic songs included in that setlist. You might be starting to wonder here about the iconic status of Ashes of Ares’ songs (which a good number of them unquestionably deserve as well, “This Is My Hell” being a perfect example) but it is the Iced Earth songs the band decided to play that really made this show an unforgettable experience of cosmic dimensions. Here is the setlist:
- I Am The Night
- Our Last Sunrise
- The Hunter (ICED EARTH)
- Gone
- The Alien
- Last December (ICED EARTH)
- Emperors and Fools
- Reaping Stone (ICED EARTH)
- By My Blade
- Transcending
- Dragon’s Child (ICED EARTH)
- This is My Hell
- Throne of Inequity
- Burning Times (ICED EARTH)
- I Died For You (ICED EARTH)
- Blessed Are You (ICED EARTH)
It is a real, real pity that the tour was that short as these guys delivered an absolutely magnificent performance and deserve a WAAAAAY bigger recognition than what they currently get. Gargantuan kudos goes to “Rock of Angels Records” – the people who made this tour possible, and I can only strongly hope that festival and concert organizers (both in Europe and across the globe) will follow suite and start inviting these amazing musicians more and more often. I know for myself that I would definitely travel to the most distant point in Europe from my current forestry whereabouts, if needed, to see Ashes of Ares live again. Thank you, Matt Barlow and Ashes of Ares, for a night of phenomenality forever to be remembered by MetalBear.
Blessed Is MetalBear! With one of Heavy Metal’s All-Time Greatest – Matt Barlow.
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