Words and Photos by Annie Atlasman
The end of a Grecian summer is the ultimate time to welcome a big classic metal rock show, especially one featuring a Candlemass reunion with singer Messiah Marcolin. Other unique aspects of the festival included local Greek metal legend Gus G with special guest stars in former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and singer Ronnie Romero.
The two-evening special event was a first in the series for the Rock Hard franchise in Greece, which also has festivals in Germany, Italy, and France. The event was held near the center of Athens in Technopolis.
Night one’s lineup included headliner and Swedish power metal legion Hammerfall, and New Jersey bastards Overkill, along with Greek locals InnerWish, Dutch sleaze metallers Cobra Spell, and Athens hard rockers Ganzi Gun.
Night two was the most anticipated with doom legends Candlemass not only headlining but also reuniting with vocalist Messiah Marcolin, a lineup not seen in Greece since 1989! The Swedes cracked through 11 songs, tearing through classics “Mirror Mirror”, “Crystal Ball”, “Bewitched” and the encore combo of “At The Gallows End” and “Solitude”.
Greek guitar god Gus G performed a special set of covers with guest musicians David Ellefson and Ronnie Romero. Gus also paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne whom he played guitar for from 2009-2017. The Firewind mastermind knocked a trio of Black Sabbath and Ozzy tunes to close his set with “The Mob Rules”, “Bark At The Moon”, and “War Pigs”.
Also in direct support was Germany’s Heaven’s Gate – a reunion show with Sascha Paeth, Bonny Bilski, Robert Hunecke-Rizzo and Thorsten Müller, plus Herbie Langhans on vocals and Corvin Bahn on keyboards. Seven Spires vocalist Adrienne Cowan also joined to sing two burners – “Livin’ In Hysteria” and “Can’t Stop Rockin’”.
Other performances of night two included Swedish heavy doomsters The Crypt, BattleroaR, and a special VIP exclusive acoustic show from Conception and Pain Of Salvation.
The first edition of Rock Hard Greece was a tremendous success – now here’s hoping for a second in 2026! Head to rockhardfestival.gr for continued updates.
