FREEDOM CALL, Arthemis, Neonfly @ The Roadhouse 23/11/11

It is always with a sense of trepidation that you approach the Roadhouse.

Not because it’s not a good venue, because it is. Not because they don’t have good gigs on there, because they do. But because the crowds tend to be rather sparse.

So it is a pleasant surprise when it turns out there is about 70 there for this evening of Power Metal, including one fella who is brandishing a wooden sword. Battle Metal indeed.

Openers Neonfly deserve a crowd. Since they were last in this very place supporting Pagan’s Mind on a rather ill-fated evening when the sound – and headliners – did them no favours, the London melodic power metal five piece have released the outstanding “Outshine The Sun” album and, brim full of the confidence that brings with it they are an entirely different proposition this time round. “Reality Shift” sounds superb, so does “The Enemy” and whilst the whole band plays with consummate skill it really is frontman Willy Norton who takes the eye, by turns a hip shaking classic rock singer and whirling dervish who is delivering songs from the Merch stand, he clearly believes his band is destined for bigger things.

They end with a reprise of “I think I Saw A UFO” and can be well pleased with their half hours work.

Italy’s Arthemis are up next and they have evidently enjoyed their first jaunt to the UK. Their brand of Maiden-esque metal goes down well too and with vocalist Fabio being superbly backed up by former Power Quest man Andrea Martongelli on lead guitar the selection of tracks they play from recent album “Heroes” is a fine one – opener “Scars on Scars” an obvious highlight. They also play a cover, Deep Purple’s “Burn” and lets face it any band that plays Purple can’t be bad.

So it’s left to Freedom Call to close the evening off and they do it in rather epic fashion. They take the brave step of starting their hour and three quarter long set with “66 Warriors” a song from their upcoming album, due to land in 2012.

There is no need to worry, though as they know the German Power metal stalwarts know how to pace a show, singer/guitarist Chris Bay cuts a happy figure and, whilst the “you can be louder than that” antics would antics would usually grate, this is a type of music that you expect to be over the top (although we are louder than Wakefield and scream louder than Grimsby, so that’s a relief).

And gloriously over the top it is. The likes of “Thunder God” “Metal Invasion” and “Mr Evil” sound exactly like you want them too – superbly pompous heavy metal. This is the last night of the tour and, appropriately it ends with the bands signature tune “Freedom Call” before we head out into the night – dodging the bloke with sword, obviously.

An unexpectedly brilliant night.