Black Majesty Play Sydney Again

10th July 2004 @ Bizzo's (Caringbah, Sydney, NSW)
Supports: Switchblade, Syphilis & Vaticide

Having missed Black Majesty's first trip to Sydney due to obligations with running Breakers Metal, etc, there was no way in this side of Hell I was going to miss their second gig there! Originally, both Silvio Massaro of Vanishing Point and Danny Cecati of EYEFEAR were going along for the show - Silvio to sing on "Colliding Worlds" and Danny to sing on "Guardian" - which made it all the more reason to head up north and see them. Unfortunately, Silvio had to pull out due to work commitments, but since he sang on both songs the first trip up, everyone agreed having Danny do them this time 'round would be a treat for all!

Not only would this be a first for the Sydney crowd (or any other), but also for the show they had the multi-talented Rob filling in on drums while Pavel is back home in the Czech Republic visiting relatives. Rob is primarily a technical guitarist, but you wouldn't know it watching him play drums! He's also quite a debater, which earned him the nickname "Machinos" on the long trip up (since all agreed his mouth had a motor in it!).

If the cramped trip up in the minibus wasn't enough, they found they couldn't check into the motel till midday - 6 hours away. As you can well imagine, no one actually got any sleep; add to this about an hour of wasted travel listening to faulty directions on the way to Caringbah for the gig, you could say the guys were slightly worried about their upcoming performance!

But this is Black Majesty we are talking about here, so I knew that once they hit the stage, they'd be full of life. That is, of course, exactly what happened, with the very appreciative (and slightly crazy) Sydney crowd adding to the fuel. Many had caught them the first time in Sydney and were back for more; others were newer recruits who had been hanging to see them for the first time.

After powering through four favourites from their "Sands Of Time" album: "Destination", "Journey's End", "Legacy", and the title track, Danny joined his cousin Gio for "Colliding Worlds" - after having rehearsed it only once! He did a great job, and those who had never seen Danny before were amazed! (While the many fans of "Guardian" had been hanging for him to come up as they'd never seen him, there were those there who had seen him at Wacken in Germany!).

The next song up was another treat: Black Majesty playing Iron Maiden's "Aces High" live for the first time! I don't think these guys had to do much convincing that they are an awesome act, but from the stunned looks I saw, these guys really blew everyone away! Gio is without a doubt one of the best vocalists in the world, so he did not disappoint! They definitely do the best cover of that song ever, so I hope their home-crowd get to see this in the near future.

"No Sanctuary" came next, followed by a favourite of fans worldwide: "Guardian". Danny hit the stage again amid massive applause, and he and Gio nearly brought the roof down with their duelling screams! This was a stunning way to end a set, but of course left the crowd yelling for more.

And what would a Black Majesty gig be without "Fall Of The Reich"? Well, it would still be great, but I don't think they would be let off stage if they didn't play it! And play it they did, with a sea of banging heads nodding their approval and keeping the beat with them. This was a great finale for an awesome night, and everyone I talked to afterwards said they're already hanging for the next return trip! The boys were really impressed with the audience support, and had a great time, so I'm sure they'll be back soon.

After a pig-out at Hungry Jacks on the way back to the hotel, the guys finally got 4 or 5 hours of well-deserved sleep. Then it was check-out time already, so off they set to spend some bucks on metal at Utopia Records in the heart of Sydney. It was then time to head home... though one would think they had learned by now: don't stop to ask directions in Sydney! So after realising they were near the coast, and detouring through Canberra, they finally zigzagged their way back to the Hume Hwy and on their way home. The extra 6 hours or so (making it over 19 hours in total) were well spent on skylarking in cramped comfort, having farting contests, generally hassling the hell out of each other... and listening to Machinos!!!

Oh, the joys of being in a Heavy Metal band! But they'll be doing it all over again for their next trip up north, and hopefully to a city near you soon! Stay tuned for more.

Set List: Destination Journey's End Legacy Sands Of Time Colliding Worlds (with Danny Cecati) Aces High No Sanctuary Guardian (with Danny Cecati) Fall Of The Reich (encore)

Click above for Photos of this gig