You do have to feel sorry for Gus G. He is one of the world's most sought-after guitarists (a modern-dayYngwie Malmsteen). For the last twenty-five years, with his main outfit Firewind, he has been a stalwart in keeping power metal's ornate flag flying. Yet here he is (with Firewind) supporting in a subterranean club that is probably smaller in size than his front room. The indignity is probably made even more pertinent by the fact that tonight's headline act, Beast in Black, have been in existence for a mere fraction of the time that Firewind have been hauling themselves across the globe. However, if Mr G does feel any level of petulance about the introverted nature of tonight’s billing, he certainly doesn't show it.

Firewind are consummate professionals. They are here to put on a show and the show is what was going to get. Journeyman Herbie Langhans may still be the new boy upfront, but he has bedded in fantastically. He owns the claustrophobic confines of the club Academy’s tiny stage in a confident and charismatic manner. His warm and frequently self-deprecating manner enamours him and the band to a partisan audience that probably weren’t aware that Firewind were the support until they entered the building this evening. 

 However, Firewind will always be about one man and one man only. Gus G is the guitar virtuoso’s guitar virtuoso. His fingers dance across the fretboard in a way that most guitarists can only dream of. Understandably he is given a lot of time this evening to showcase his outstanding and inexplicable talent. Almost all the nine tracks aired here this evening come with an elongated solo, with Mr. G shredding in a tumultuous manner. During ‘The Fire and The Fury’, his guitar glows red and, keeping with the much-vaunted theme, looks like it's on fire.

It seems a new album is imminent, they’re first with the full involvement of Herbie, as we get a preview of its lead single (as it will never get a physical release can we still call them singles?). ‘Destiny is Calling’ seems to adhere to the age-old adage of "if it isn’t broke don't fix it”. It's big, sumptuous, and just brimming with Gus G's signature guitar. The set is rounded off with an obligatory eighties-tastic cover and ‘Maniac’ from Flashdance seems to kickstart the party vibes that will be continued by the headline act. Firewind are too good at this game to let the temporary demotion to opening act put them off their stride. Tonight, it is only the truncated length of the set that gives any indication that they aren't in fact headlining. They are dominant, Imperial, and just darn brilliant.

A couple of tracks in, Yannis Papadopoulos manages to eloquently describe the DNA that beats at the heart of Beast in Black. With his exclamation that they are going to give us a night of heavy metal with a sprinkle of disco, he essentially writes my review for me. There is more cheese on display here than you would find at the most decadent high-end cheese shop. It is like being at a Eurovision semi-final that is populated solely by entries from the Baltic states. They categorise themselves as power metal, but actually the closest comparison I can find is Kiss’ much maligned but actually ruddy brilliant 1979 disco album “Dynasty”.

Tonight, is just pure decadent schmaltz and it is utterly wonderful. It is a masterclass in high-end camp entertainment. The flawless moves of Anton Kabanen, Kasperi Heikkinen and Máté Molnár are immaculately synchronised. There may not be room to swing a cat on the stage, but they still manage to intertwine with each other in a slick choreographed manner that is reminiscent of ballet dancers. In the middle of all that swoons Yannis Papadopoulos, the bastard child of Ming the Merciless and the geezer from the pitfall shaver ads. He bounds around the stage like a hyperactive toddler that has overdosed on tartrazine. He has stage presence to spare, exuding just the right combination of likeability and aloofness.

The staging that they have managed to squeeze into the confines of the club Academy befits a hall or even an arena. The lights are spectacular, and I can keep expecting the cyborg torsos suspended on either side of the drum kit to burst into life at any given moment. In many ways tonight is about the show, with the songs actually playing second fiddle to the exuberance of the band's performance. With only three studio outings in the can and over an hour and 40 minutes of stage time to fill they are not selective in what they play. We get seven songs apiece from their debut, “Berserker”, and from 2021's “Dark Connection” (which, because of Covid maths they are still out on the road promoting). However, their Sophomore effort, “From Hell With Love” is not ignored even though it brings up the rear with five appearances. 

Beast in Black specialise in short sharp pithy numbers that lean hard into territories normally reserved for sugary pop. The choruses are big and the lush keyboard swirls are bigger. Musically it is akin to an explosion in a Haribo factory, and you can just taste the saccharin in the air. But it is all performed in a deliciously irony-free manner that is highly infectious. It may lack any real musical girth and there may well be an over reliance on backing tapes (for all its dominance in the mix there is not a keyboard to be seen in sight) but that doesn't stop it from being joyous exuberant fun. It is obvious that the band is also having a whale of a time as they grin and gurn through the entire performance. It is also a miracle that drummer Atte Palokangas, he of the Aslan-like mane, doesn't melt as he spends the entire set besuited in a heavy leather tunic reminiscent of an extra from Game of Thrones.

Space is of so much a premium that they don't bother trying to extradite themselves from the stage to perform the hide-and-seek act of an encore. Instead, they power through the final numbers with the same level of inhibition-less rampant fun that they have exuded for the duration of the set. And that is the reason, in my humble opinion, why their star is in such ascendance (tonight is not just sold out but also twice upgraded). You see metal can take itself far too seriously, Beast in Black subvert that Poe-faced uniformity and revel in colourful absurdity. They take the blatant hedonistic opulence of pop and drag it screaming and kicking into our world. Like the moment in Wizard of Oz where it bursts into colour, they have put joyous grandiose fun back into metal. Whether we know it or not we all need a little bit of disco in our lives.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!

Beast In Black, Firewind