Epitaph World Tour, Judas Priest, Whitesnake.

More than 12,000 fans of the classic concept of heavy metal were brought to the O2 Arena on June 28 by a pair of true believers of the genre. First, the British Whitesnake - Coverdale, Aldrich, Beach, Devin, Tichy and Ruedy - performed shortly after 7:30. Whitesnake's albums have always tended towards a melodic take on heavy metal in the form of elaborate guitar riffs with a punchy interplay of drums and bass, often backed by keys. This position was represented for example by Slide it in - 1984, also featured as a bonus on the current album Forevermore (Forever) - 2011 or Give me all your love - 1988 with its excellent tempo and innovative guitar solo. There were also lyrical but tightly performed ballads, such as Here I go again, a masterpiece featured on the excellent Saints & Sinners (1982). Among the overlong solos by each musician, a drum solo played in part by a knuckle-jointed hand (Brian Tichy) caught the eye. The stage was dominated by the cover of Whitesnake's latest album and two large screens, positioned to the sides. Unfortunately, the sound was unexpectedly miserable, and some of the vocal creations of one of the most talented rock singers of all time, a somewhat jaded David Coverdale, were lost in the din and awkwardly set up hall. Too bad, we expected more.

Judas Priest's next, more than two-hour performance had a clever and workable dramaturgy. Leaving aside the not-so-credible claims of the band's very last tour, backed by the imaginative Epitaph World Tour title, the concert's focus on two groundbreaking JP albums from different eras, namely British Steel (1980)and Nostradamus (2008), should be appreciated. Although the set list included songs from at least seven other albums, Rob Halford himself pointed out that the eighties were a golden period for heavy metal and the band therefore played three tracks from British Steel with the typical razor blade logo behind their backs. For fans of the old days there was also Heading out to the Highway (Point of Entry - 1981), a typical representative of the style of the time with double-tracked guitar flourishes. The set, painted in mostly infernal colours with miles of chains, either real or depicted, and Halford styled in the likeness of the sixteenth century French soothsayer, Nostradamus, was the backdrop for the songs from the band's only concept album (2CD), which Judas based a significant part of the show around. A brisk pace, a sound truly to the max, and good performances from the players (Tipton, Hill, Travis), including new guitarist Richie Faulkner, who replaced founding member K. K. Downing, were perceived by the audience as certain pluses of the concert. There was no shortage of tried and true hits, including Breaking the Law (1980) in an almost instrumental arrangement, Hell Bent for Leather (Killing Machine - 1978) and, at the very end, Living After Midnight (1980). By then, a polished Harley was on the scene, with a leather-clad, 60-year-old Rob Halford on it. Judas Priest said goodbye several times, as if they didn't want to leave the stage. They put on a riveting show with interesting effects including lasers, limited sound at times, handed out dozens of picks and proved that classic heavy metal still has something to offer.