Live Review: Midnight & Hellripper Live in Athens ~ June 2nd, 2026

Dagon M. July 1, 2026

Review by Dagon M.

All those who decided to grab a ticket for the show at Kyttaro Athens on 02/06 knew in advance what they were getting themselves into. Athenar & McBain are the masterminds of two of the best one-man bands and live acts out there. Both bands are well known for their high-intensity performances, as they serve a ferocious mix of Speed/Black Metal, seeing one of them is guaranteed to have an amazing time, but having both perform on the same night made for a concert to the ages.

First up were Hellripper, having released the highly successful full-length “Coronach” earlier this year, they are undoubtedly at the peak of their powers. They went on stage with all guns blazing, opening up with “All Hail the Goat”, with the entirety of their show being an adrenaline-filled massacre. Circle pits everywhere with James fueling the crowd to go wild, as they played a great mix of their new anthems such as “Kinchyle”, “Hunderprest” and “Mortercheyn”, as well as a collection of their all-time best tracks with “The Affair of the Poisons”, “The Nuckelavee” and “Bastard of Hades” being absolute standouts. Their approximately 50-minute set went by in an instant, with the crowd tearing the place to the ground and the promise from McBain to return again in the future. The sound during their performance was excellent, with both James and the beast of a drummer Max Southall truly a sight to behold.

With Hellripper having made for the perfect first half of the night, it was now time for the Black n’ Roll giants Midnight to take the stage. From the moment Athenar stepped on the floor, looking like he was spawned straight out of a nightmare, the whole atmosphere took a menacing turn. They performed the all-timeclassic “Satanic Royalty” in its entirety and the crowd responded likewise. Non-stop headbanging, ferocious mosh pits, and countless stage dives created a violent environment to behold. Their guitar and bass were as if it went straight through your chest and they completely lived up to their notoriety. At the end of their set, Athenar stage dived and went all across the room on the shoulders of the fans and became one with the crowd.

All in all, this concert for me personally is one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of attending in the last 5 years at least. Both Hellripper and Midnight are favorites of mine and the token of a busted nose from the mosh pit was the most fitting souvenir. If you have the chance to see any of these bands playing live, it would be a mistake not to take it. Best concert of the year without a doubt!!