The night opened up with a bang with LÏVEWÏRE unleashing Attack! Attack! Attack! to the masses of metal heads slowing pouring in through the door on this rainy Friday evening. I’ve known Nick and the crew for a while now and even had the pleasure of sharing the stage with them a month ago with my own band Visualis at our album launch and these guys always bring the goods. But it was the first time seeing them as a three piece as their guitarist Chris was in Europe touring with their brethren from Peru, Hyena. This didn’t stop the boys as Nicks vocals were on full display alongside Anthony bringing the riffs for tracks like Insecticide and Turbo Shark. I also thought it was quite commendable for the band to play their new track Fast Speed Killing Machine without the whole line-up. Midnight Sun showed the bands melodic side and Lock Jaw Death Row highlighted a bass intro along with drums taking centre stage with a lot of stage coordination and a massive breakdown. LÏVEWÏRE delivered a tight and fierce 30 minute set.
Next up were the national supporters Night Legion. I have heard the name of the band in the past but never got a chance to see them live. And this is the point where I say the Sydney metal scene is so small as when the band got on stage I just realised that I’m actually friends with the vocalist and guitarist. The stage goes red and a drum intro kicks in, followed by the guitars. Then Vo from Darker Half enters the stage with high vocals and dressed all flamboyant with long coat, sunnies and a hat, taking a page straight out of Tobi’s book from Avantasia. I immediately knew we were in for some classic power metal. The second track Babylon Burns showcases Vo’s theatrics and on stage charisma. Bear in mind, this is a super group with each member coming from established bands, so every member was on their A-game. Vo tells tales between each track, giving a brief intro to the songs showing that as far as power metal goes, its always about telling a story. This is something I welcome with open arms. There were even costume changes with Vo ditching the hat and sunnies for one track, to bring out another straw hat and waving a pirate flag for the crowd to sing along in unison “there we row”. Vo’s vocals were epic on each track although personally I feel the volume of vox should’ve been turned up a tad higher. They even threw in a Dio cover of Stand Up and Shout which really showcased Vo wearing his influences on his sleeve. Guitarist Stu Marshall has been shredding non stop throughout the set but I felt that ending the set with his collab track with Udo Hammer Down, with Vo on vocals was a befitting closer given this was indeed the Sign of the Hammer tour for Ross the Boss.
By now the Crowbar was full and the stage was bathed in blue for the Boss himself. Marc Lopes screams “are you ready?” and the crowd loses it. If the vocalists from the previous two bands were hitting high notes, then Marc was taking it to the stratosphere with Blood of the Kings. Now I must confess that I am not well versed with the Manowar discography but due to my significant other I have heard many of their hits and we own Sign of the Hammer on vinyl. And when we heard that they were playing this album we were excited. What took us by surprise was that they didn’t play the tracks in order nor did they play the whole album. So there was an element of surprise in the air. But more on that later. The Oath sees the crowd start running into each other and Ross getting to shine centre stage for this one. Bassist Dirk wasn’t too happy hearing only drums in the fold backs but this was quickly rectified by the in house tech. When the first notes of Sign of the Hammer hits you could see the crowd instantly reflect the sign back to the stage. The band then unleashes their inner Viking with the track Thor (The Powerhead).
At this point the band decides to stray away from the album tracks and the crowd goes absolutely ape shit singing along to each and every word of Kings of Metal as each band member exhibits their full calibre for this track. Mountains sees Ross showcase his skills on the keys with the band bringing down the tempo and having extended instrumental bits. Drummer shines with stand up drumming, screaming to the crowd, playing with one hand while the other hand raises the horns and second drumstick clenched within his teeth delivering a big finish. Marc asks the crowd if they were ready for the cool aid and everyone knew what was next, screaming Guyana to the top of their lungs. Although Eric Adams does this track better, I was just absolutely blown away by Marc’s vocal abilities throughout the night, a true vocal veteran. The crowd was treated to All Men Play on 10 next, which is just an absolute good time. The encore begins with Fighting the World, the pit opens up, Marc comes to the crowd barrier and the crowd surfing commences. Stu Marshall from Night Legion joins the band for the final track Hail and Kill, decimating with Ross and the boys an absolute killer closer. There was a pit, Marc was in the crowd, in the pit, crowd surfers and everyone yelling the words “Hail” and “Kill” was truly a sight to behold.
Ross the Boss played a lengthy and rifftastic 1hr 40min set. Every Manowar fan leaving the Crowbar with an ear to ear smiles and an unforgettable experience. Animals was the one track that was sorely missed from the Sign of the Hammer album and I was very surprised that Warriors of the World was not played or even yelled from the crowd. But I’m not complaining, this was an excellent night with a stellar line-up with each band delivering banger after banger. Many thanks to Doug from Hardline Media for delivering unforgettable experiences like these.
Review by TNT & Photos by Michael Lueders
Ross The Boss
Night Legion
LiveWire
