POWER CRÜE -- The Sign of Rage

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Power Crüe is yet another great band that I discovered through Denis at Sentinel Steel. I was completely unfamiliar with the Greek metal scene, but after finding this amazing band I began to realize that there's some pretty good stuff happening over there in Hellas. (Another good power band from Greece is Marauder, with a disc out called Sense of Metal.) Check the "Links" section of this page for some places to find out more about what's going on in the Greek metal world.

Power Crüe's new line-up

Band History Power Crüe is a fantastic power metal band from Greece, formed way back in 1986 when guitarist George Pritsis and drummer Angel Tsoukalas got together. Along with various other musicians, the band recorded two demo tapes: a two-track simply called Power Crüe and a second demo called Alive Again. This last demo contained three tracks that ended up on the band's first full-length release, The Sign of Rage, recorded in in 1996 with George Economou on bass guitar and Thanasis Bertsatos on guitar. Alex Balakakis handled the vocals on the record.

Thanasis Bertsatos Guitar	George Pristis Guitar
Angel Tsoukalas Drums	George Ekonomou Bass

Alex Balakakis (known as ALX on the record sleeve) performed all the vocals on the debut disc and also sang when the band played live.

Several personnel changes followed the release of the band's debut disc. For unknown reasons, Alex left the band upon completion of the disc, which is unfortunate since I loved his voice and considered it perfect for Power Crüe's brand of old school metal. The band quickly found a new singer in George Rodopoulos, who joined the group in January 1997. In addition, drummer Angel Tsoukalas left the band for personal reasons and was replaced in May 1997 by Michaelis Vazeos.

The Sign of Rage Power Crüe has a very cool style that is firmly rooted in the old school sound, somewhat of a cross between classic Iron Maiden (circa Piece of Mind and Powerslave) and older Running Wild. I mean, in the disc's brief liner notes, the band sends "Exclusive thanks to Accept, Dio, Running Wild and Judas Priest for showing us the right way." How can you go wrong with that? A glance at the lyrics gives further proof of the band's influences, as phrases like "running wild, running free" and "metal gods" and "fast as a shark" leave little doubt as to the sources from which the band draws inspiration.

Though the band does not list Iron Maiden among its influences, the spirit of the classic Adrian Smith/Dave Murray guitar team shines through in the guitar work on The Sign of Rage. There's plenty of melodies and twin-guitar harmonies....the lead sections in "Torture" and "Enemy Brothers" are absolutely fantastic. Alex's rough-around-the-edges vocals (think of Rock n' Rolf when he was in his prime) fit perfectly with the heaviness and speed that is displayed consistently throughout the record.

The Sign of Rage is full of exceptional songs, loaded with great hooks and memorable riffs. While several of the tunes on the record are all-out speed blitzes ("Torture" is completely awesome), the band is by no means limited to one tempo. Closing tracks "Before the End" and "Spent on You" show that the band is powerful at any speed....or check out the eight-minute "Last Command" as it builds from the slow intro to the midtempo main riff before accelerating into high gear for the blazing lead section that closes out the song. Each tune stands on its own as an excellent composition, and the whole record is so strong that it would be difficult to say which songs are my favorites.

The band produced the disc themselves, and I think they did a very good job with it. There's not much bass in the mix, so the overall effect is slightly trebly, but it's not bad at all. There's only seven tunes on this album (about 45 minutes of music), but each one is a gem, quite powerful and extremely memorable. This is one of those albums that warrants repeated play....just put it in your CD player and leave it there. Every time I listen to this record, I feel fortunate that I happened to stumble across it. This record is highly recommended!!

News and Current Happenings The Sign of Rage was released on Live Records but I think the CD is currently sold out. (I don't know how many were printed.) With its new line-up intact, the band is working on a new EP that will be released (on Metal Mad Music) prior to the next full-length record (most likely on Live again). After this second full-length release, The Sign of Rage will be reissued with a different cover.

Guitarist Thanasis Bertsatos is also in a band called Power Drops that sounds a little bit like a less-refined Power Crüe, not quite as speedy. The band has released two demos—The Deluge (1995) and Creation of Fear (1996)—as well as 1997's 7" called Proud of Our Shit. The first full-length CD was released in 1998. Called Seven Feelings, the CD contains some new material as well as a few tunes from the demos, the B side of the 7" and a track taken from a Live Records compilation album. A second CD release is in the works.

Sounds Here's a couple of clips from the record. These brief samples should give you an idea of how damn good this band is. Do yourself a favor and buy this CD!!

Torture

On the Run

Links and Contact Information Visit Power Crüe's official web site for more information about the band, including profiles of each band member, some additional sound clips, lyrics and more. The site is designed and maintained by bassist George Ekonomou (Grip!) and he does a great job. You can send the band some e-mail and find out what's going on. Tell `em I sent you!

If you're feeling nostalgic and you'd like to resort to snail mail, try the address below.

POWER CRÜE
El Venizelou 72.A
Helioupolis 16344
Athens, Greece

I got the Power Crüe and Power Drops CDs from Denis Gulbey at Sentinel Steel. Call him at 973.398.3436 to buy either disc and he will hook you up. (Let him know that I sent you!)

For more information about the Greek metal scene, try out these links.

O CHORUS — The Greek Metal Resource

Phantomlord's Greek Scene Report

The photo of Power Crüe's new line-up, the stuff on Power Drops, and some of the info about current happenings was taken from the third issue of Snakepit, a killer German mag written completely in English. The `zine covers "underground" bands like Power Crüe and Edguy as well as bigger acts like HammerFall and Blind Guardian. I got this great mag from Denis at Sentinel Steel (where else?). You can get in touch with editor and Master of the Pit Frank Stover at the address below.

P.O. Box 210212
28222 Bremen
Germany
Fax: 49.(0).421.61.600.45