HEAVY METAL SATAN: Mortuary Drape 30 years anniversary and the live review that was never written!

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live at ,Athens,GR (2024), photo by Nayia K.Rose

Today we are honouring Mortuary Drape, for visiting Athens and Temple two years in a row (at least two years while I've been around as a photographer).

live at ,Athens,GR (2024), photo by Nayia K.Rose

Mortuary Drape is an Italian black metal band formed in 1986. They have released six albums.

Mortuary Drape live at Temple Athens 2024,photos by Nayia K.Rose

Last year on 9/11/2024 I had the great honour to photograph them, the photos were posted, but due to pressure, uncomfortable and unfortunate circumstances the review was never posted. Long story short, they were great! And they played at my personally favourite venue in Athens, Greece, at Temple.This year, 2025 they were back at the Temple shaking the whole place celebrating 30 years as a band!

Mortuary Drape live at Temple,GR 2024,photos by Nayia K.Rose

All I remember and I still can't forget (and I think about it sometimes, yes Mortuary Drape, sometimes I think about you and your rhythms and your riffs and your beautiful chaos) is a crowd full of energy and the first time I experienced a mosh pit in the Temple. Everyone was dancing. I hadn't seen such a chaotic night for a long time and it justifies the name of their new album "All the Witches Dance", which was presented at the Temple (Iakhou 17,Gazi, Athens) on Saturday 6 of December. Perfect ritual to celebrate the end of the year and welcoming 2026. Opening bands (Shadowmass and Böneyard) , also wrote their own history in 2024, I had to mention the incident with the bass drum that broke during the Shadowmass’ set.

The broken bass drum incident…

Shadowmass live at Temple,Athens 2024, photo by Nayia K.Rose

The band members arguing with each other, as all of a sudden there was no bass drum and then the drummer informed them that it broke. Yelling “Malaka Malaka Malaka” to each other and the Greeks shouting at the band playfully “Oh horny boys! You are so angry you make us so horny!”(“Ouou Kavliarides mas kavlosate Kavliarides”-in Greek … greeklish) . 10 out of 10 experience, I would pay to see that again.

Shadowmass live at Temple 2024,photo by Nayia K.Rose

These things can happen to live shows and that’s what makes them so tasty. The bass drum was replaced with Böneyard’s drummer letting them use their own-the agony on Böneyard’s drummer’s face was gold and just like that the show went on with the headliners. By the way, not judging the opening bands, excuse me for laughing, the bands played delightfully and they were very entertaining. Good… A+.They all pass to the next phase, and hopefully to see more from everybody.