Attention. Deficit. Destroyer.

download festival, pt. 2

Observe! Part two of mine and Mr Zakk Appleyard’s review of Download Festival is now live on OneMetal.com.

Check it: http://www.onemetal.com/2011/07/06/onemetal-goes-to-download-saturday/

download festival, pt. 1

Behold! Part one of mine and Mr Zakk Appleyard’s review of Download Festival is now live on OneMetal.com.

Viddy here: http://www.onemetal.com/2011/07/05/onemetal-goes-to-download-friday/

Enjoy!

onemetal.com

For the last six months, I’ve been writing for the music, movie, gaming and alternative lifestyle website Onemetal.com. To check out my work, click the following link: http://www.onemetal.com/author/mike-perry/.

Be sure to check out the rest of the site too!

comeback kid/the ghost inside/kvelertak/grave maker/social suicide_manchester academy 3_190411

First published: High Voltage, April 20, 2011 http://bit.ly/kCBt7L

I’m not going to lie to you; there was one reason and one reason alone why I was in the sweaty confines of Academy 3 (a last minute venue change from the larger Club Academy) tonight, and that was to see Norwegian noise-merchants Kvelertak. The six-strong punk-meets-rock ‘n’ roll-meets-black metal outfit pretty much owned 2010, a year in which they released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, cemented their reputation as an explosive live proposition through just a handful of UK shows, and basically became the rock and metal scene’s new favourite band.

Their choice of tour buddies this time round had raised a few eyebrows, as all the other bands on tonight’s line-up were pretty much straight up hardcore, a genre that, with all its associated swing-kicking, limb-flailing aggression, seems a million miles away from the super-fun-happy-time party music that Kvelertak produce. There is arguably a certain amount of crossover, but whereas the other bands use breakdowns in their songs to get the crowd going ape-shit, Kvelertak manage to elicit the same response simply through the power of infectiously catchy riffs.

Opening act Social Suicide from Norway put on a noble performance in the face of a near-empty room, and by the end of their set, their energy on stage has at least brought a few more punters down front and centre. Grave Maker then up the heaviness with some colossal beatdowns and a hyper-aggressive performance, personified by Jon, the band’s brick-shithouse frontman, who stomps about the stage with a look in his eye that he’s ready to take someone’s head off…

Up next is Kvelertak, who, as you may have guessed by my superlative-strewn introductory paragraph, are something of a favourite band of mine. Having been lucky enough to catch them four times last year, I knew what to expect: an incendiary performance from every single member of the band, from frontman Erlend’s unholy growls, to the triple-guitar threat of Bjarte, Vidar and Maciek, and the tight-as-a-drum rhythm section courtesy of Marvin and Kjetil. 35 minutes isn’t a great deal of time to play with, but they make every second count, and despite only having one album to work from, the single record that they do have is so chock-full of tunes that there isn’t a dull moment in their entire set.

The gig could have finished right then and I would’ve been a happy man, but there was the small matter of The Ghost Inside and headliners Comeback Kid to contend with first. As with Grave Maker before them, The Ghost Inside offer up a set of no-frills hardcore, which is equally as abrasive yet for some reason not as compelling to watch and/or listen to; it just seemed to be lacking that certain something. Comeback Kid, on the other hand, put on an impressive display, with a sound that, although still rooted in hardcore, at least added a bit of variation to proceedings by throwing in a bit more melody, something that was missing from the other bands’ sets.

Despite going in with the sole intention of enjoying Kvelertak and a large sense of indifference towards the rest of the bands, I have to admit that a couple of the acts tonight, namely Comeback Kid and Grave Maker, actually won me over, through either their pure visceral aggression (in Grave Maker’s case) or their ability to add some decent riffs to what was an otherwise full-on aural assault (Comeback Kid). However, with their seemingly unstoppable rise to prominence showing no sign of abating, it was always going to be too big an ask to upstage Kvelertak, who own the night by absolutely miles…

black spiders/viking skull/turbowolf_roadhouse_280211

First published: High Voltage, February 28, 2011 http://bit.ly/lw7q7Y

The curse of the Monday night gig at Roadhouse strikes again… having missed Throats support Rolo Tomassi last year due to an ensuing club night and/or the presence of 14-year-olds forcing doors to open earlier than usual, it looked as though at least one of tonight’s support acts might suffer the same fate, what with doors being at 6pm and me not being able to escape the day job until the exact same time…

However, having heard good things about opening act Turbowolf, the walk across town would just have to involve a little more haste than usual to get there in time. Unsurprisingly, the band are already in full flow by the time beers are in hand and a suitable spot is found, but, quite remarkably for an opening band on stage as early as they are, they’ve already assembled a decent crowd who, to a man, all seem to be digging the band’s incendiary mix of electronic psychedelia and garage rock. Despite missing the first two or three tracks, the part of their set that we did get to see was more than enough to highlight what these guys are capable of.

Next up is Viking Skull, who are a little less complex than their predecessors on stage and instead put on a set of no frills (yet still enjoyable) rock and roll. I think it’s fair to say that Black Sabbath are an influence, so much so in fact that Tony Iommi could well be within his rights to ask for some of his guitar licks back. However, it’s difficult to hold this against a band when their riffs, recycled or not, are as hook-laden as they are. And anyway, I defy any hard rock band to say that Black Sabbath HAVEN’T been an influence on their sound; it just so happens that Viking Skull wear it on their sleeves a bit more than most.

Headliners Black Spiders enjoyed an extremely successful 2010, having spent most of the year touring with Airbourne and playing on the bill of pretty much every festival going (or at least, the more appropriate ones); and all this without even releasing a full length album. However, having now launched their debut, Sons of the North, the band are making their way around the country once more, albeit this time, finally, on their own headline tour.

Their ubiquity on the festival circuit made them hard to miss (tonight marked Spiders show number six for yours truly); however, what made tonight different, and arguably better, was that it was the first time I’d seen them in such an intimate surrounding. Don’t get me wrong, their festival shows were good, but their brand of no-nonsense hard rock was just made to be heard in dive bars like Roadhouse.

Starting with perennial opening track ‘Si, El Diablo’, the Spiders get stuck straight in to the set that’s served them so well for the last year or so, which includes the likes of their ode to Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, ‘KISS Tried to Kill Me’, along with ‘St. Peter’, and everyone’s favorite audience participation number, ‘Stay Down’ (FUCK YOU, BLACK SPIDERS!) The songs might have been the same as last time, but the sound was clearer, the riffs were crisper, and the fact that they had 100-odd sweaty fans singing in full voice right back in their faces as opposed to 30 yards away across a field seemed to spur the Spiders on even more than usual, with every single member giving that little bit more than in our previous encounters.

Most importantly, tonight proves that the band can draw a decent crowd of their own, who are already well versed in the ways of Black Spiders. On the basis of tonight’s gig, the Sheffield quintet’s reputation as a great live band is still definitely intact, and there’s every possibility that 2011 could prove to be even more rewarding for the band than last year.

darkest hour/protest the hero/born of osiris/purified in blood_manchester club academy_280111

First published: High Voltage, January 28, 2011 http://met.al/is6 

It’s not often a tour comes along where every band is a real draw, but tonight’s gig promised to be one of those all-too-rare occasions. There’s usually at least one band that sparks a mass exodus to the bar/toilet/smoking area, but in this case, each band was different enough to cater for most people’s taste, they all appear to be great live bands, and all of them have (or will have very soon) current albums that are (or promise to be) extremely strong. So surely, it was nothing short of awesome then, right?

Well, yes and no. Taking nothing away from the bands themselves, they all put on sterling performances; it’s just a shame that you couldn’t particularly hear them that well. Or, more accurately, you could hear sounds emanating from the stage that resembled each band’s songs and you could see what they were playing, but many of the intricacies were lost in the acoustic black hole that is Club Academy. As I continuously kept saying to a friend at the gig, and what essentially became the mantra for the evening, all of the bands sound considerably better on CD than they did tonight.

However, this all sounds rather negative, when in fact, sound gripes aside, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable show. Purified in Blood get things off to a strong start with their raucous fusion of thrash, hardcore, and straight-up metal, and set the bar suitably high for all other acts to follow. Second act Born of Osiris arguably suffer the most from the sound difficulties, as being a tech death metal band, their sound is rather reliant on being able to hear all the nuances. In places where there should have been a guitar solo or synth fill (yes, death metal bands use synths too…), only the faintest strains of what should be blasting through the speakers can be heard. Nonetheless, what they lack in intricacy, they more than make up for in the heaviness stakes, as the double kick-drums can still be heard without such trivialities as amplification, and just by looking at them, you can see the aggression that’s poured into their performance.

Up next is Protest the Hero, who, by the looks of things, are the reason why about 90% of the crowd are here tonight, as the once fairly empty venue is now practically a heaving sea of bodies. It’s not without good reason, too; with one great and one (for my money, at least) perfect album under their belts already and still only in their early twenties, the Canadian prog metallers are inarguably one of the most exciting young prospects in metal today, and with the release of their third album, ‘Scurrilous’, looming on the horizon, they stand to become very big indeed. Couple that with an extremely tight live performance and charismatic stage presence, and you’ve got the makings of one of the future greats. If only more people could get their head round odd time signatures, concept albums, and 10 minute long, less-than-radio-friendly songs…

With that in mind, Darkest Hour seem to have shot themselves in the foot somewhat by bringing Protest the Hero along, as no sooner have the sub-headliners finished than the crowd dissipates, leaving only about half the people that were there only moments ago. It’s a real shame though, as Darkest Hour put on a great set, and have no trouble keeping the diminished crowd interested with their crushing take on the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound. Opening with ‘Doomsayer’ from 2007’s Deliver Us, the band make their way through a set that spans their not unimpressive back catalogue, and being a 15th anniversary celebratory tour, the band give a lot of their older stuff, such as ‘For the Soul of the Savior’ and ‘How the Beautiful Decay’ a well-deserved airing. Being a more recent convert to the band, I wouldn’t have minded a little more of their recent material, but that’s just me; I’m sure the Darkest Hour die-hards at the front didn’t mind one bit…

wasp/shadowside_manchester academy 2_241110

First published: High Voltage, November 26, 2010 http://met.al/ds3

There was an air of familiarity about tonight’s show: a year ago, almost to the day, Blackie Lawless and Co. were in Manchester on the same tour that they’re currently on, playing at the same venue and promoting the same album, and quite probably, playing to the same crowd of people. In fact, I definitely recognize some of hairdos on display tonight from last year (what can I say? I’m a sucker for a kick-ass mullet).
 
Regardless of the shock rockers’ reasons for returning so swiftly, all I can say is that, after tonight’s show, I’m glad they did. I remember last year feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the whole thing, and a little put off by Blackie’s diva-like behaviour. However, there was no such posturing this time round, and instead of being left cold by the band’s music and performance, I think I’ve finally come to understand their appeal. The “shock” element of the band may now be somewhat lacking, due in part to Blackie’s born-again Christian status and also because, in 2010, we’ve seen it all before, but there’s still definitely an abundance of “rock”.
 
Opening act Shadowside are also an improvement over last year’s support (the overly-derivative and frankly pretty shite The Glitterati). Despite watching and enjoying Arch Enemy only the night before, I’m not typically over-enamoured with female-fronted metal bands; not because of some petty chauvinism, but because more often than not, the music tends to be overly dramatic operatic metal, which to me, is about as appealing as watching a ‘Songs of Praise’ omnibus. However, Shadowside neatly eschew this trend by not being too overblown, and by having enough riffs and crowd participation to keep the audience interested; no mean feat considering that 99.9% of the people in the room seemingly weren’t that interested before they started…
 
To the tune of a cacophonous montage of their old classics, WASP head out on stage and fly straight into their set, which, well, is pretty much exactly the same as last time round, if not a little shorter.  This isn’t a complaint; in fact, being less than well-versed in the lesser-known WASP tunes, a ‘greatest hits’ set, including ‘L.O.V.E. Machine’, ‘Wild Child’, ‘Chainsaw Charlie’ and ‘On Your Knees’ was fine by me.

Their once-infamous stage show may now have been reduced to videos of the band back in the day, which, projected onto the back wall of the hardly arena-sized Academy 2 perhaps highlights that they’re sadly no longer at their peak, but on the other hand, this goes to show that behind all the showmanship, there’s actually some solid rock music: there’s substance beneath all that style (and fireworks, and scantily-clad women and circular saw codpieces). Not only that, from where I was stood, I had a better view of the videos than of what was going on stage, so at least I could lean back and watch some gloriously and unashamedly 80s videos of the band in their heyday.

The songs might have been the same, the set-up might have been the same, but something about tonight’s show seemed far more entertaining, far more compelling to watch than last year. I doubt they’ll be back again so soon next time, but when they do, I’ll be there, along with, I’d imagine, the majority of the people in the room here tonight.

coliseum/bison bc/kvelertak_leeds the well_201110

First published: Push to Fire, November 23, 2010 http://met.al/dqy

After a brief reccy across the Pennines for Damnation Festival earlier in November, it’s back to Leeds for the second time in as many weeks for a gig that, on paper, promised to be a great night. Norwegians Kvelertak, the current darlings of the UK metal press; Bison BC (or simply Bison, if you’d prefer) from Vancouver, whose latest album, ‘Dark Ages’, is surely one of the heaviest things committed to CD all year; and Coliseum, who, despite their headliner status, were, for me at least, a bit of an unknown quantity. Still a compelling proposition nonetheless.

Hopped up on Red Bull (spot the designated driver…), I head into the notably empty main room at the Well just as Kvelertak are poised to start, with a look about them that suggests they’re ready to tear the venue a new one. For those of you who may have missed out on this band so far (where have you been?), these guys literally came out of nowhere this summer, with an insanely good self-titled debut that combines rock n’ roll, hardcore punk and black metal, that, for my money at least, just screams ‘Album of the Year’.

What’s more, they’ve already carved out a reputation for being a great live band, and tonight is no exception. Frontman Erlend screams every syllable with such intensity that it’s a minor miracle he hasn’t permanently buggered his throat already, while Vidar, Bjarte and Maciek on guitars masterfully trade riff after infectiously catchy riff, whilst Marvin and Kjetil on bass and drums, respectively, keep the band remarkably tight and together, all the while going suitably nuts on stage themselves. After bringing their set to a close with the ‘Mjød’ single from their self-titled debut album, to a man, the band leave the stage exhausted and dripping with sweat, safe in the knowledge that they’ve left a hard act to follow.

Bison, however, are more than capable of picking up the gauntlet thrown down by Kvelertak. As with their Norwegian predecessors, Bison have also released a truly brilliant album in 2010. Their release, Dark Ages, juxtaposes crushing riffs and guttural vocals with some sweet guitar melodies and, well, slightly less guttural vocals, to create a cacophonous and doom-laden yet infinitely listenable record. That said, the band’s previous album, ‘Quiet Earth’, is an absolute stormer too and, thankfully, both of them get a good airing, much to the delight of both your humble reviewer and the Bison faithful draped over the front of the stage.

Co-frontmen Dan and James take turns to either scream the place down or pull lead guitar duties, which at the drop of a hat can switch from noodly stoner/blues to a primeval chug which leaves you feeling as though you’ve been punched in the gut. Repeatedly. By a rhino. Bassist Masa flails wildly behind the two, keeping the low rumble of the band’s brooding sound coming, made all the more impressive by the fact that he only has three strings on his guitar (at least, that’s how many he had left by the time he’d finished with it), while drummer Brad pounds his kit so hard it’s as though he’s got a personal vendetta against his snare.

A performance like Bison’s was worthy of a headline slot, but before the night is out, there’s the small matter of Coliseum. However, judging by the smaller crowd, it seems as though a lot of people actually came just for Kvelertak and Bison. A number of people opt to hit the bar, check out the merch, go for a smoke or play some pool, which is a real shame, as Coliseum put on a great show.

They may have shot themselves in the foot a little by bringing such strong bands on tour with them, as compared to the livewire antics of Kvelertak and the overwhelming heaviness of Bison, Coliseum’s set does seem a little tame, but I don’t want to devalue it in any way. they still prove they’ve got the tunes and the muscle to go toe-to-toe with their tour buddies, which comes through in droves in their energetic performance.

Unfazed by the diminished crowd (according to singer/guitarist Ryan, previous nights on the tour have drawn as few as 10 people), the three-piece throw themselves into their set of raucous punk rock with real intent, most notably bassist Mike, who bounds around the stage as though no-one’s watching, accompanied by Ryan’s impressive guitar work and Scott Kelly- esque wails.

They seem to truly love what they do, a fact emphasised by the impassioned speech Ryan delivers at the end of their set, in which he thanks the bands on tour and everybody in the room for letting Coliseum do what they do best for just that little bit longer.

As anticipated, tonight’s show was nothing short of amazing. Each band impressed in equal measures: Kvelertak were on fire as always, it was great to finally see Bison BC in the flesh, and Coliseum were also undeniably great fun to watch. It really was a fitting showcase for three bands that are surely destined for greater things; it’s just a shame that more people weren’t around to see it.

That said, on the strength of tonight’s show, I’m in no doubt that the next time these bands hit the UK, a low attendance won’t be a problem.

Photos from this show: http://pushtofire.com/photos/Coliseum201110/index.html

damnation festival_leeds university union_061110

First published: High Voltage, November 15, 2010 http://met.al/d6m

Now in its sixth year, Damnation Festival returned to Leeds last weekend, with a frankly amazing line-up that ran the gamut from ‘classic’ metal, to thrash, to grindcore and everything in between. It promised to be a great day out, and I’m pleased to say that it delivered on all accounts.

Opening the festival is Mutant, a London-based thrash band whose cause I’ve been championing ever since I first saw them at a rugby club in deepest North London about three years ago. They’re a great opening act for a festival; their pitch-perfect thrash revival sound is the kind of stuff you can’t help but bang your head to, and within the first 30 seconds of their opening song, the dancefloor  is already pretty packed; even the people that thought they might sit the first band or two out at the bar can’t help but come on down and get in the thick of it. These guys really deserve to be much bigger than they are, and on the strength of today’s performance, it can surely only be a matter of time.

Over on the Terrorizer stage is Colonel Blast, who, on their MySpace, cite the three Cs of Converge, Carcass and Cryptopsy as their main influences, all of which come through in droves as they make their way through their set. Frontman Darryl seems to have perfected his mischievous wide-eyed Jacob-Bannon-esque persona as he spits his lyrics with real venom, while the rest of the band offer up a seriously intense and technical mix of hardcore, death metal and grindcore that suggest that in future, they won’t be so low down on the billing.

Back on the main stage, Rolo Tomassi are just about finished with their warm-ups and ready to fly into another high-energy set. If you’ve read any of my previous write-ups about this band, you’ll know that I’m already a fan, but without a hint of bias (OK, maybe a little), I can honestly say that they put on one of the best performances of the whole day. I have literally run out of superlatives to describe how good this band is in the live setting; every time I see them, they just get better, and that includes in the space of seven days since I last saw them. What’s most impressive is that, considering their less-than-traditional approach to metal, I was expecting them to face quite a tough crowd, but instead, they got one of the best receptions of the night.

Next up on the main stage is Lawnmower Deth, who are similarly deserving of such high praise. Having reformed in 2008 after a 15-year hiatus, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they might have lost some of their energy from back in the day, but instead, they put on a show that would put a lot of the bands on the bill half their age to shame. They’re certainly in the running for the most entertaining band of the day; there’s plenty of crowd interaction, including a trampolining Satan and a crowd surfing race between an anonymous redhead and what looked like King Diamond in a sombrero/poncho combo. However, what makes it all the better is the fact that they’ve got some cracking songs to back up all the on-stage shenanigans.

I then head over to check out Scouse crossover thrash band SSS on the Terrorizer stage, but from where I was stood at least, something seemed to be seriously wrong with the sound, which would explain why their giant frontman Foxy looked about ready to seriously hurt someone, most likely the unassuming sound guy at the mixing desk. Because of this, I decide to take the opportunity to get some food (beer is a food…) before the arrival of Fukpig, a Birmingham-based grindcore band who are so explosively volatile that they make bands like Napalm Death look ‘a bit soft’ (no offence, Barney and Co; I still love you really!). Adorned in balaclavas-cum-Mexican-wrestling-masks and other such facial get-up, the band stroll out menacingly and proceed to absolutely tear the place apart with the help of an eagerly obliging crowd, the majority of whom frenziedly stomp around the second stage with maniacal glee.

After missing them support Dillinger Escape Plan last week, I had promised myself that I would check out The Ocean, but once again, things conspire against me. In this case, it’s the presence of Anaal Nathrakh, whose live performances are rare to say the least, and who were one of the bands that I was most looking forward to seeing. However, as much as it pains me to say it, their set was a little bit disappointing; on record, the band sound like what you might imagine the depths of hell to sound like (this is a good thing, by the way…), but live, something just didn’t quite come across. It’s certainly not a bad set, and the crowd go suitably crazy for it, but something just seemed to be lacking. Because of this, I try to catch the last bit of The Ocean, but no sooner had I squeezed into the Rock Sound stage than they had played the last few bars of their final song. One of these days, The Ocean; one of these days… 

For the whole day, the Rock Sound stage was essentially a sea of bodies, which meant unfortunately, catching French shoegaze-meets-black-metal outfit Alcest was nigh on impossible, likewise for hardcore punk legends Discharge on the Terrorizer stage, which meant hovering by the bar while Paradise Lost make their way through their set. It’s not that they’re bad, it’s just that there’s only so much doom and gloom one man can take, especially when the majority of the other bands on the line-up are a hell of a lot more active and interesting to watch.

However, the waiting around was all worth it, as after a brief interlude, Dillinger Escape Plan take to the stage and put on what can only be described as an incendiary performance. The setlist was pretty much the same as last week’s Manchester show, but this didn’t matter one bit. Their songs stand up to repeat listening anyway, and just to see the band go nuts on stage is a sight to behold, especially when you consider the level of technicality that their music involves. Tonight’s show signalled the end of DEP’s European tour, and if this particular tour didn’t galvanize their reputation as one of the most exciting bands to watch, not just in metal but in music in general, then I really don’t know what will.

With the final strains of ‘43% Burnt’ ringing out across the venue, the festival comes to an end, and everyone either heads for the exits or to the club night laid on next door. Besides a couple of sound mishaps and the fact that Leeds University may be home to the most expensive student union bar I’ve ever been in, I really can’t fault the festival. The line-up, the organization, the venue, the price; they were all just spot on. Roll on Damnation 2011…

(Source: met.al)