Arthemis - 18 Nov 2011 (The Underworld)

 The Italian metalers are back, and thank god this time they’re not wearing skirts! Arthemis, the Italian power metalers, were in London to start their first ever UK tour along with Neonfly and Freedom Call at the Underworld in Camden, London.  The heavy metal quartet delivered a very energetic set and rocked the house. By playing a selection of their best compositions, the band filled the support slot for Freedom Call in a great way. With a very Maiden-like sound, Arthemis have a sound which is familiar to many and which never disappoints. In conjunction with the amazing technicality that the Arthemis members have on their instruments, they definitely made it clear that they are a band which came here to stay and they won’t stop till they get to the top.  On the night, Arthemis also performed an excellent cover of Deep Purple’s Burn which fitted really nicely with their own compositions. Sound wise however it wasn’t great, and this wasn’t because the band didn’t have a nice sound but because as usual, the Underworld is not a great venue when it comes down to sound. Unfortunately the sound is a very important factor to create the atmosphere needed to make a great gig and the atmosphere of the gig was affected by the sound. Nevertheless a great set by Arthemis which made a very promising tour debut on the London stage!

Arthemis: 18/20

Sound: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Presentation: 5/5
Performance: 5/5

Posted by Nick 

F-Arthemis - 24 Sep 2011 (The Standard)

Take a pinch of Rihanna and violently force it with a bit of distortion and keep on doing it till it bleeds, then put on a hell lot of make-up and a nice silky, sexy dress. What do you get? Four crazy dudes from Italy rocking up Dean Guitar’s show! It was with great pleasure that DOA UK welcomed for this year’s edition Italian heavy metal band ARTHEMIS for a very special show. It was not long ago that Arthemis had released an “outrageous EP” entitled "F-ARTHEMIS Pop Up Your Ass Vol. 1" which was released for Metal Hammer UK and included covers of pop songs from Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Madonna and many, many more. The covers of course were not spared by the Metal that flows in the veins of the Italian quartet and the result was certainly a very enjoyable listen! Well, those of us who were lucky enough to attend DOA UK 2011 got the chance to hear this result live for the first and apparently last time! Frankly I was surprised, not only because F-Arthemis attacked the stage with their stockings and sexy little dresses with a complimentary over-dosage of facial hair but because the whole thing actually sounded metal! With a set-list that consisted of songs such as Don’t Stop the Music, Survivor, Womanizer and Bad it seemed that the crowd was pleased and notably, the lady standing next to me who expressed her satisfaction with the cover of Womanizer saying that this was the best version of the song she’d ever heard, including the original! F-Arthemis: 1, Britney Spears: 0! The boys discharged an amazing amount of energy and showcased their talent at arranging and re-arranging songs into what they really want! Unfortunately the sound of the whole event was not the best and it did make many of the performers, along with the crowd, to suffer. However on a general note, F-Arthemis was a simple concept and it was executed perfectly! Naturally though before the end of the set, the boys gave us a little preview of what is coming up in November, when Arthemis will be touring the UK with Neonfly and Freedom Call, with some of their own material and notably their track Scars on Scars. November looks promising!

F-Arthemis: 18/20
Sound: 3/5
Ambience: 5/5
Presentation: 5/5
Performance: 5/5

Posted by Nick