IMMORTAL GUARDIAN (Live)

at Dante's Inferno, Portland, OR, USA, April 30, 2022

With the pandemic finally easing, live shows are returning to form. One band that is on the rise in the Power Metal / Progressive Metal scene is Immortal Guardian who is finishing up their North America Tour with video game metallers Powerglove. Fortunately this reviewer was able to catch them live at Dante’s Inferno in Portland, Oregon for a highly energetic, highly entertaining night of excellent Heavy Metal.

The band hit the stage in front of a packed house, performing material from their latest release Psychosomatic perfectly. One thing about Immortal Guardian is that they go all out for every show whether there’s 10 people or thousands, and this show was no different. Carlos Zema has an incredible range, and a voice that is perfect for the Melodic Heavy Metal that Immortal Guardian creates. Gabriel Guardian is the phenom guitarist who’s made a name for himself with his playing of guitar and keyboard simultaneously, and he does not disappoint live.

Joshua Lopez on bass and Justin Piedimonte on drums create the most kicking rhythm section, with killer syncopation and razor tight grooves that help make Immortal Guardian the Super Metal band that they are. They treated the audience to their brand new single titled “Ozona” from their upcoming album, and it’s a great indication that the new album is going to kick some serious metal butt!

Powerglove

After Immortal Guardian finished up an excellent show, the headliners; Powerglove took the stage, bringing their quirky, fun, shredding arrangements of video game and cartoon soundtracks. Playing such great hit songs like “Tetris”, “Animaniacs”, “Guiles Theme” and a crowd favorite “Ghostbusters”, Powerglove delivered thrills, laughs and great music to do the pogo to. So live music is back! A fun experience with 2 great bands, and a great reason to catch them live any chance you get!

Photos by Bryce Van Patten

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Bryce Van Patten

Bryce is an audio engineer and a graphic designer here at Metal Express Radio. From the day he purchased his first album (Machine Head by Deep Purple), he has had a passion for heavy music, which has influenced his whole life. Bryce is from the great Pacific Northwest in USA, and has played in metal bands like Babylon, Holy Terror, The Wild Dogs, Warhead and Egypt through the 80s. He had his first interview for the Portland, Oregon publication The Rock Rag with guitarist Paul Gilbert in his Racer X days. Then he was honored to get to have drinks, and talk for an hour with the legendary Dan McCafferty of Nazareth for his second interview. In 2013, he spent an amazing hour talking to Andi Deris of Helloween, which was the high point of his heavy metal journalism. In the year 2001, he formed Man in Black Music Publishing. They released recordings by several local bands, and in the spirit of the old Metal Massacre compilations, he created a 2-album series called The Defenders of Metal. The albums featured classic styled Metal bands from all around the world, with bands from Australia to England, and from Argentina to Russia. Currently, he is the producer/creator/vocalist of the Metal band The Black Tuesdays.
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IMMORTAL GUARDIAN (Live)