Freedom Call
London Camden Underworld
18th November, 2011

A small but committed crowd greeted the German power-metal quartet, who, as always, put in a sterling shift of 16 songs over 95 minutes. While their lack of live keyboards may grate, the furious guitars of Lars Rettkowitz and singer Chris Bay blazed the trail from the opening pile-driver blast of 66 Warriors, to the closing eponymous rallying cry and fellow encore belter, Land Of Light. Prior to that, highlights included the pomp-stomp singalong of We Are One (with strains of Ultravox thrown in), sweet harmonies and dervish mid-section on Tears Of Babylon, and drum solo-intro’d Metal Invasion. Dual guitars came to the fore on The Quest, a cover of A-Ha’s Hunting High And Low had all arms aloft, and Far Away should have had them joined by plastic swords, had the masses rallied. Still, a rousing call indeed.