Report: Enforcer + Wolf + Dynamite + Midnight Priest + Ravensire @Side B, Benavente

One of the most beloved clubs of the area of greater Lisbon celebrated it’s 7th Anniversary and we just could not miss it. In the past 7 years, Side B Club was the stage of memorable gigs, great festivals but also welcomed many first times on stage for many Portuguese bands and musicians (yours truly included – oh, the memories!). In true Portuguese style, yes it was already October but off course still warm AF, and we could see and almost full venue from early on – loads of heavy metal lovers and Side B friends were there to celebrate!

First on stage were two Portuguese acts that have been touring to showcase their latest works. With only 30 minutes to show what they can do best, Ravensire played a few songs of they upcoming album “The Cycle Never Ends” but some of their already known and recognizable work, such as “Drawing the Sword”

Up next we had Midnight Priest doing the honors. After being one of the opening acts for Vader and Venom earlier in the week, they were back on stage, taking the opportunity to film one last part of the videoclip for “Into the Nightmare”. “Hellbringer” or “Ferro em Brasa” were some of the other tunes we could hear that night, before their set ended. Both Midnight Priest and Ravensire were a perfect start for this Heavy Metal night!

In a night all about celebrating and going back in time, Dynamite gave us rock’n’roll straight from the 70s/80s! Bam! (pun intended). They could be the grandsons of AC/DC and they would sure be proud of their offspring. Splitting their setlist quite evenly between their two releases, “Lock n’ Load” and the more recent “Blackout Station”, it would be fair to say that they came and conquered  the ones who were there to see their show.

The second Swedish act to take the stage was none other than Wolf. Just as many were there to see Enforcer, the headliners for the night, as many people waiting for these gentlemen. Formed back in 1995, they already have a long history and many full-lengths to speak for them. As frontman Niklas ‘Viper’ said, it was their first time in Portugal and they were loving it – and so did their audience! “The Bite”, “Night Stalker”,”Venom” and “Speed On” were just some of the tunes played that night, with a non-stop energy coming from the band and audience.

Finally, and to be the icing on Side B’s anniversary cake (did I just wrote that?! ahah!) Enforcer took the stage: tons of smoke, hairspray and leather – and shirtless, of course! From the moment the lights were on and the band appeared on stage, it was clear that we were somewhere back in the 80s, no DeLorean needed. But don’t think this is just for show – they do know how to play and how to put on a true spectacle of a gig. With the audience singing all their tunes and raising their fists, their gig was a parade of old school heavy metal made in the 00s. “Take Me Out of This Nightmare” was, off course, of the night’s highlights with an encore with “Katana” and “Midnight Vice” made the delights of the metalheads in the room and reminded us that old school heavy metal is not dead, indeed!!

Now, back to rewinding my Slayer tapes with a pencil…

Words and photos: Joana Martins