Release Athens 2025: Photo-story Day 1

We couldn’t have asked for a better start to this year’s festival than the performances by Avenged Sevenfold and Palaye Royale, which were enjoyed by the thousands of devoted fans who filled Plateia Nerou from early on.

The opening act was brothers Remington Leith, Sebastian Danzig and Emerson Barrett, who proved why Palaye Royale are one of the hottest live bands out there with their flawless rock ‘n’ roll. Their setlist featured selections from their entire discography. From the opening song, “Nightmares”, to the final song, “Lonely”, which they dedicated to their mother, their performance had everything. There were non-stop singalongs to “Mr Doctor Man” and “Little Bastards”, plenty of dancing, and, of course, an especially energetic Remington who did it all. He dived into the crowd for some crowdsurfing on an inflatable, climbed the sound tower and danced among the audience. He even managed to squeeze The Doors’ “People Are Strange” chorus into the show. It was a captivating performance that firmly established him as one of the most dynamic frontmen in the world right now.

However, shortly afterwards came one of the summer’s most highly anticipated performances. Avenged Sevenfold took the stage to the sounds of Kavinsky’s “Nightcall”, delivering a flawless set filled with unforgettable moments: The spine-tingling (and, as it turned out, fan favourite) “Afterlife” at the beginning; Synyster Gates’ excellent solo on “The Stage”; the unparalleled singalong to “So Far Away”, which we’ll surely keep as one of the highlight moments of Release Athens 2025; and, of course, the trinity of absolute anthems: “Nightmare”, “Bat Country” and “Unholy Confessions”.

The California crew’s first ever performance in Greece more than confirmed the fact that they are one of the greatest metal bands of our time.