Brand of Torture?
The crowd has filled out nicely by the time rock five piece Avenger take the stage. The first thing you notice about them is that they push the boundaries of qualifying for the Young Blood Stage, with the singer being a good forty something!
They are the first band of the day to really get the crowd going with their take on the classic rock formula. The singer drops down into the crowd and does his best to whip up some audience participation albeit with limited success. Much of the material sounds very dated but it's well done; it's really just a step back in time to the 80s, perfectly listenable but somewhat lacking in scope and originality.
For the crowd though this is just what they wanted to get them warmed up for some of the better known acts that will follow. Tracks like 'Fate' and 'Brand of Torture' go down well and whilst it might be dated but there is plenty to like. There's some good lead guitar work with tracks like 'In Arcadia' sounding very much like early Maiden with a touch of Saxon thrown in for good measure. 'Death Race 2000' & 'Shot to Hell' continue in similar vein and they are all delivered with good humour and a smile; sure it's all a bit clichéd but you can't help but like them.