Freedom Call - London Review

Given that October was very busy for me gig-wise, it was actually nice to have a couple of weekends at home recently. Given the past couple of years, though, live music should never be taken for granted - and thankfully it is rare that there is not at least one gig in my near future. Following a quiet few weeks, then, it was with excitement that I headed up to London yesterday for another evening of live music - this time courtesy of the German power metal four-piece Freedom Call. I actually got into Freedom Call many years ago, when I found a copy of their third album, 2002's Eternity, at a local second hand CD market stall. I enjoyed it from the off, but it would be a while before I bought another one of their albums - and it is really only in the past month or so that I have actually completed my collection of their back catalogue. I guess I have always been a casual fan of the band, then, but they are an act that never fail to elicit a smile. They are not a band that take themselves too seriously, and their brand of power metal has always been very joyous and uplifting. They have been around since the late 1990s, too, so they can be considered a part of the big European metal boom of the 1990s that saw bands like HammerFall really set out their stall. As such, Freedom Call are very much part of that traditional sound and, despite not taking themselves too seriously, they have never been part of the overly gimmicky brand of upbeat power metal that has emerged in recent years - with its reliance on costumes and props. It was perhaps their extremely upbeat nature that made me only like rather than love them, though, but I have really been enjoying exploring their catalogue again in the run up to last night's gig. I had previously seen the band live once before, which was back in 2018. I remember picking up a few of their albums in the run up to that show, and enjoying them, but this time I wanted to go in with full knowledge of their catalogue. The last few weeks have been rather filled with upbeat power metal, then, so by the time yesterday rolled around I was very much ready to see the band again. The venue, as it was back in 2018, was The Underworld in Camden. The venue is very much the go-to London haunt for those European metal bands who can only really justify playing one UK show - so I have been there a lot over the years. It came as a surprise to me, then, that last night was my first trip to the venue this year - following three in quick succession in 2021. I have nothing planned at The Underworld for the rest of this year, either, so Freedom Call will be my one visit to the famed venue in 2022. Attendance-wise, then turnout was decent - and the venue was a bit fuller than I remember it being in 2018. It was not a sell out, but there was a healthy crowd gathered in the venue at all times - and everyone in attendance was up for a good time,which ensured that there was a strong atmosphere from the off.

Unlike some Underworld bills, which can be rather stacked, there was only one support act before Freedom Call took to the stage. It was left, then, to the Portsmouth-based five-piece Dendera to set the tone for the rest of the night, and the heavy metal act put on a stellar show that impressed the growing crowd. I remember seeing Dendera quite a few years ago now, and at the time I seem to recall thinking that they were quite sloppy and nothing special. A lot of time has passed since then, though, and last night's showing revealed that the band are a well-oiled machine with a number of hooky tracks. This was the case despite them having a stand-in drummer for the night, but the band stormed throughout a powerful set with ease that featured a lot of hard-hitting riffs from guitarists Stephen Main and David Stanton, as well as some soaring chorus that brought the best out of frontman Ashley Edison. Since last seeing Dendera I had seen Edison a few times fronting Power Quest, so I was well aware of his abilities, but it was great hearing him tackle Dendera's heavier material. Some of the band's songs could be classed as power metal but in general Dendera just sound like good, old-fashioned heavy metal. There were a few modern twists, such as the occasional burst of harsh vocals from Main, but in general the songs were riff-driven, with lots of flashy solos and vocal hooks. Not being familiar with the band's material it is hard to pick out individual moments, but there were a couple of tracks that did stand out in particular. One of the hookiest songs of the set was The End of Days, which featured a great chorus, and another that stood out was the more epic Blood Red Skies - which was heavier and showcased the slight progressive edge to the band's sound that was present during some of the numbers. Given that the band have been around for a while now, too, there were quite a few in the crowd who were familiar with their songs. This meant that the band did not need to work to get the crowd going, and this helped the evening's atmosphere reach a high level early on. As such, I came away impressed by the band. I was not expecting too much given my memories of seeing them previously, but they have clearly upped their game significantly since then - and I will definitely need to give them a proper listen.

The changeover between the two bands was pretty quick, so it was not long before Freedom Call hit the stage. This is a show that had been rescheduled a couple of times due to the pandemic - and I think that it was supposed to take place in March 2020. I did not have tickets for it back then, as I think it clashed with something else, so it was good to have been able to pick up tickets along the way. It turned out to be a bit of a one-off show for the band, with much of their touring in 2022 having already happened. I am not sure how economical doing a random one-off UK show will have been for the band - but they seemed to have travelled light as I think that they were basically using all of Dendera's gear with the exception of their guitars. I am sure that this kept the costs down, and they would have been pleased to find a decent-sized and enthusiastic crowd to greet them. They opened the show with a couple of long-standing favourites. The anthemic Union of the Strong got things off to a fine start, but perhaps it was Tears of Babylon that really lit the fire under the evening. From the off, everyone in the crowd was jumping - and it was clear that Chris Bay (vocals/guitar) was not going to have to exert much effort in getting the crowd going. Every song was greeted as well as the next, and the set felt like one long party from start to finish. This show was also the band's first visit to the UK since releasing M.E.T.A.L. in 2019, so the album was given prominence in the set. Five songs from the band's latest offering were featured - which was great as in my opinion it is one of their strongest albums. The faster-paced Spirit of Daedalus was one of the newer ones that really got everyone going, and it also included a great solo from Lars Rettkowitz (guitar/vocals). Another early highlight, though, was a powerful rendition of the somewhat more symphonic Metal Invasion. The song is on the longer side for the band, and as such provided lots of opportunities for the crowd to sing along. More newer songs followed, though, including the anthemic M.E.T.A.L., which was stretched out to include some crowd participation, and my personal favourite cut from the last album The Ace of the Unicorn. This was another that featured a lot of singing thanks to its big chorus, before the grander Freedom Call was wheeled out. The self-titled song always goes down well live, and is a track that also features a lot more guitar firepower from Bay. Rettkowitz tends to handle the solos, but this one showcased Bay - which was great to see. By this point the main set was coming to a close, though. Following a brief, and altered, version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, the band ended with a powerful rendition of Metal Is for Everyone - which unsurprisingly everyone sang along to before the band briefly left the stage. A three-song encore followed, which was packed with anthems. The mid-paced Warriors kicked it off, but it was the upbeat and highly-melodic Far Away and Land of Light that followed which the crowd really seemed to enjoy. The energy levels in the room shot up further here, and it was the perfect way to cap off what had been a great night of music. The setlist was:

Union of the Strong

Tears of Babylon

Spirit of Daedalus

Sail Away

Metal Invasion

M.E.T.A.L.

111 - The Number of the Angels

The Ace of the Unicorn

Freedom Call

Power & Glory

Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen cover]

Metal Is for Everyone

-

Warriors

Far Away

Land of Light

Given that Dendera also put on a great show, last night at The Underworld was very much worth the trip to London. I do not tend to get to that many power metal shows these days, so it is always nice to do so - and Freedom Call are one of those bands that always seem to be able create a strong atmosphere thanks to their feel-good music and charismatic stage presence. I would definitely make the effort to see them again, so I hope that they return to the UK in due course - perhaps following the release of their next album.