Author: Rok Klemše
Venue: Metelkova/Channel Zero
Concert date: 16.05.2007
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: 4€
All it took was that ominous “Woe to you, oh Earth and Sea…” and the jam-packed Channel Zero at Metelkova lost its mind. Like a sextet of English legends led by Commander Biggles was about to walk onto the stage… Not this time, though. Standing up there was the first Slovenian Iron Maiden tribute band, Iron Median, as they call themselves. Ever since Iron Maiden announced their return to Slovenia after seven years, the hype has grown so big it’s almost hard to believe, but then again, you don’t get to see legends every day. Iron Median took the chance too, although according to mastermind Alen Steržaj (Big Foot Mama), the idea had been brewing for a good while. The buzz around this gig was like the chatter of old grannies over coffee, calling for rain… Hehe, it rained yesterday too, and Iron Median had a seriously tough job living up to the huge expectations.
Time to move from words to deeds. Iron Median are made up of tried-and-tested names – the aforementioned Alen on bass, of course, Tine Horvat (Ivje, Bananas) behind the drums, air-raid siren Sergej Škofljanec (M.I.L.F., ex-Requiem), and the guitar duo of Matjaž Tozon and Helmut Frangeš – Maco (Sausages). Hardcore fans who weren’t content with just collecting records! I was a bit skeptical myself, but at nine o’clock the ominous biblical intro finally kicked in, and from the very first notes Iron Median proved this was no game, that they’re deadly serious and have Maiden studied down to the last detail! Every single solo was played perfectly and flawlessly, Alen nailed Harris “to a T”, Tine was a great part of that indispensable rhythm section, and Sergej crushed any skepticism too, with maybe the hardest job of all. Hats off, he sang really well, even though the crowd jumped in to help him a few times and the tricky Hallowed Be Thy Name gave him a bit of trouble. But there aren’t many singers who could pull off those difficult vocal lines as well as Sergej does, least of all around here. Iron Median kept the setlist well hidden and promised songs that their idols barely play, or don’t play at all. Sadly that didn’t fully pan out, but the song selection was good. There was no way to skip The Number of the Beast trio, of course, but the opener, Hallowed Be Thy Name and Run to the Hills were played brilliantly, the solos perfect again, every single triple-harmony part audible, both guitars mixed just right, and Alen was driving those “trademark” gallops like crazy. The first big surprises came already in the first half of the show – a fantastic Flight of the Icarus and maybe an even bigger surprise, the almost never played The Clairvoyant from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Hairs stood on end and eyes got misty, if I may be poetically cheesy. “Can we mess around with madness?” energetic Sergej asked in his Primorska accent, announcing none other than Can I Play With Madness. Sergej was radiating exactly the kind of energy every frontman needs to have. Personally, I was most blown away by an excellent Deja vu, and all I can say is thank you, Iron Median! The close of the show was pretty classic Maiden – Wrathchild, The Evil That Man Do, Fear of the Dark, Iron Maiden and 2 Minutes to Midnight – with only Wasted Years being a slightly bigger departure.
Iron Median got what they came for. The wait for Maiden just got even harder, but our tribute band more than succeeded in satisfying the hunger for great heavy metal. We can be glad that Iron Median isn’t a one-off and that we’ll get to see them again. A bigger room with air conditioning and even better sound would be just the thing. The steaming Channel Zero surely witnessed one of its better gigs, and the sweat will have to be scrubbed off the walls with “sandpaper”, because the crowd went wild, jumping, headbanging, screaming and singing from start to finish of two hours of hell. And why wouldn’t they? These songs are so damn good that it hardly matters who plays them, as long as they’re played and sung decently. The premiere was a total success for Iron Median. Next time, I’d personally like a slightly more varied setlist. I wouldn’t say no to Caught Somewhere in Time, Infinite Dreams, Killers, a meeting with Charlotte, and I definitely hope the guys will rehearse one of the epics. Alen’s wish is Alexander the Great… Until then – UP THE MEDIAN!!!
Setlist
1. The Number of the Beast
2. Aces High
3. The Trooper
4. Flight of Icarus
5. The Clairvoyant
6. Can I Play With Madness
7. Hallowed Be Thy Name
8. Run to the Hills
9. Deja Vu
10. Wrathchild
11. The Evil That Men Do
12. Fear of the Dark
13. Wasted Years
14. Iron Maiden
15. 2 Minutes to Midnight
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