Nightmare’s Tel Aviv performance confirmed the conclusions I arrived at while listening to their latest release, 2005’s The Dominion Gate.

It was after 1AM (which actually makes it April 14th) when Nightmare took the stage at one of Tel Aviv’s most horrible sounding clubs, after two opening local acts, Dissonant and Solitary.

Although much of the material on the 100-minute set was derived from their recent release, the music was certainly less eclectic than on the album, mostly due to the lack of a keyboard player and a female singer in the lineup. Therefore, all that was left was the Dio and Scorpions influenced power metal, with simple drumming that occasionally thrashed with overly crowded, syncopated beats, power chord maneuvers and some generic guitar solos being exchanged by both guitarists. All in all, Nightmare, despite its veteran status (being founded in 1979), had nothing that you can’t find in other average quality power metal bands.

But moving on beyond the critique of Nightmare’s unimaginative music, their live performance is a spectacle! The two young guitarists and the band’s senior bass player were constantly changing positions on the rather small stage, while lead vocalist Jo Amore, the only member other the bassist to survive from the band’s first incarnations after moving upfront from the drum stool, did everything a frontman should in order to invigorate the crowd, which responded enthusiastically. The latter also sang fantastically, high notes wrapped in ruggedness, with the right attitude and dedication.

Unfortunately, the volume was way too high, and so was the feedback, and while it supplied the gig an underground nature that I had mistaken for being in the danger of extinction, as well as providing an easy setting for the band to perform its unrefined attack, it also made everything sound raw in a way that power metal should not be!

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I suffered so much from a gig’s volume level, and this burden and damage to the ears (Roberto, prepare my compensations!) was crucial in my (and probably others) intolerance to the gig. (Avi, two words: ear. plugs. – Roberto)

The late hour was another factor, and organizers of such events should certainly take that into account. Furthermore, I fail to see the reason for the exhausting procedure of surviving the two local acts before arriving at the main course. The great Opeth performed earlier this month in Israel with no opening acts for twice the price, and I don’t think anyone complained.