Seattle melodic power / heavy metal Greyhawk released their latest album, “Warriors of Greyhawk” on February 13 (read my review!), and to celebrate they held an album release show on February 21 at Substation in Seattle, WA. Two other Seattle area bands supported them, Telomyras and Rope. As many times as I have seen Greyhawk, I had never seen the other two bands, so I was getting to hear new Greyhawk material and be introduced to two new bands. That is the definition of a great show!

First up for the night was Telomyras. They blended a few different styles, with a heavy driving traditional metal sound mixed with power, thrash, and even death metal influences, with a bit of a prog feel at times. The songs had a dark moody vibe, with speedy riffs, great guitar solos, thick bass, and thunderous drums. Lead vocalist Sammie has an absolutely fabulous voice, maintaining more of an alto range while soaring to the rafters when she needs to, even occasionally smacking you with some brutal growls! I was quite impressed with them, and I am quite looking forward to their debut full length which I believe is coming out later this year. It is definitely going to be on my review list!

Telomyras played a 5-song set, with one from their 2-song demo, one from their 5-song EP, and three brand new ones which I believe will be on their upcoming album. The songs were:

1. Reckoning
2. First Blood
3. Harbinger
4. Witch
5. Attrition

Seattle metal quartet Rope played second. They played a fun brand of melodic metal that had a throwback feel to it while also having a punk-like sensibility at times. The songs were very guitar driven, with great riffing, lead work, and harmonies, and the bass slapped! Vocalist / guitarist Annie was great, and she was joined at times by drummer Margot for some cool harmonies. Unfortunately, the vocals were a bit too low in the overall mix, making them hard to hear at times. The vocals matched the tone and feel of the music perfectly, and I would like to see them again where I can hear the vocals better. I went in completely blind, and now I need to get to know their material a bit more!

Rope played a 7-song set from across their current catalog. There were a few songs I couldn’t find on any of their releases, so I am not sure if they are new songs or not? This is definitely where my lack of familiarity is getting the better of me.

The setlist was:

1. Trouble
2. Black Wheels
3. Sadie
4. Hooks
5. Devil That You Know
6. Taste of Blood
7. U Want it Bad

Now it was time for what everyone had been waiting for, local favorites Greyhawk to take the stage and perform many of their brand new songs for the first time live. I absolutely love “Warriors of Greyhawk,” and I was stoked to hear the new material. I have been impressed with lead vocalist Anthony ever since he took the mantle from previous vocalist Rev, and I have made it no secret that I believe Anthony is a huge step up. He proved just how amazing he was Saturday night, delivering his powerful broad range vocals that would make Daniel Heiman or Geoff Tate smile. I had the biggest grin on my face every time he soared beyond the heavens, but he sounded utterly fantastic with every syllable he uttered. Combine that with his antics and fun on stage, and he is such an incredible frontman! And as far as antics, you have Jesse practically dancing on stage with his fret gymnastics and lead wizardry, Rob’s hair swirling with his perpetual smile that is impossible not to smile back while he is making his own guitar strings smoke, Darin living up to his Instagram handle of “doomhammer206” by delivering a thick and hefty low end, and Nate just crushing it behind the kit. We even got Darin’s famous sacrifice of steel, and Anthony stole my phone while videoing at one point and just went ballistic on stage, getting some great footage in the process. The band was having fun, the crowd was having fun, and it was just a fun set to end an amazing night of heavy metal!

Setlist

Greyhawk had a 10-song set along with separate solo performances from Nate and Jesse. Then Darin did his Sacrifice of Steel routine, and the band followed with an unscripted 3-song encore. They played a large selection from “Warriors of Greyhawk,” including all of my favorites, as well as other fan favorites. The setlist was:

1. Spellstone
2. Steelbound
3. Ascension
4. Hyperspace
5. Chosen
6. Take a Stand
7. Embers Rise
8. Endless Race
9. Nate (drum solo)
10. Warriors Intro / Warriors of Greyhawk
11. Jesse (guitar solo)
12. Don’t Wait for the Wizard
13. [Darin’s Sacrifice of Steel]
14. [encore] Rock & Roll City
15. Halls of Insanity
16. Ride Out

Seeing Greyhawk’s new songs come to life was amazing, and you could tell how excited they were to play this show and present them for the first time. I have seen them so many times over the past year, and I think they keep getting better and better. I love the direction of their latest material, and I am already excited to hear these songs again soon! Both Rope and Telomyras provided fantastic support as openers, and I truly enjoyed both and look forward to hearing more from them. It was a great night, a packed house, and I would do it all over again!