One Machine – Sound Control, Manchester, 6th April 2016.

Posted by Fraggle on April 10, 2016

Thank Lemmy for consistency… Yes, I am fully aware that the saying is thank God, but if films have taught me one thing, it is that Lemmy IS God, so yeah!

Anyway, back to the review… Very few bands these days can keep the same intensity and approach as they have done when they first started out these days, it is a natural fact that all things will deteriorate over time. Thankfully it seems that East Coast Thrash veterans Overkill seem to be immune to the effects of time with each year that passes. Their sound has remained as intense as always and this was proved by 2014’s White Devil Armory which stands up there along with Years Of Decay in terms of classic Overkill releases.

Joining Overkill are Polish metal titans Vader who have a relentless approach to delivering full on, high quality death metal and One Machine who are comprised of musicians who have featured at some point in Testament, Forbidden, Savage Messiah, Nevermore, Endeavour and Biomechanical. Given the quality on this line up, it looks to be a fairly promising, fast paced evening where heads will be banging and spinning and bodies will be moving.

Initially the doors were supposed to open up at 6 and the first band, One Machine taking to the stage shortly after that, but for some reason, gig things happened and everything got shunted back a little which meant the evening was spent wondering whether I could catch the full Overkill set or not due to last train home and the like..

Eventually, the ball was rolling and the night had begun. One Machine were first up and after the initial exotic sounding intro sample, we were treated to some raw, classic styled thrash. Clean vocals were the mainstay, delivered by a real powerhouse of a vocalist and there were some slips into more rawer and harsher sounding territory, but it was a welcome approach. The instrumental component of the band was solid – a fully cohesive, precise and heavy unit which delivered the goods magnificently – the rhythm section was thunderously heavy whilst the guitars were full on in their approach to riffs and soloing. Tracks like “New Motive Power” were thunderous in their delivery, packing a real raw slice of thrash based aggression into their delivery whilst the closing track “Summoning Of The Soul” could be likened to a thrash version of the Rime Of The Ancient Mariner with its epic story telling feel, long length and slightly nautical themed delivery at times. Real melodic and heavy, it had a real atmospheric delivery and it acted as a great advertisement for the band. It’s a shame their set had to be cut due to the timing mishaps but these guys are one to watch in the future!

Vader were up next and after some sound tech issues initially, things finally got underway. Now, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Vader as a real force in the death metal scene. The way they deliver both in the studio and on stage in terms of the musical quality is fantastic but (you knew this was coming…) seeing them live just does nothing for me. I can’t quite see the spark which other death metal bands usually have with me, but it still doesn’t stop me appreciating it. Technically sound and intense, delivering their trademark crushing musical attack, the fourpiece hit hard with tracks like “Dark Age” and “Come See My Sacrifice” but despite a good portion of the crowd really getting into it and the rest nodding along, all I could keep thinking was ‘square Peg, Round Hole’ for their place on the line up.

Finally, we got to the main point of the night, Overkill!

With the dramatic and tension building “XDM” leading into the relentlessly heavy “Armorist”, the crowd went wild and were in full voice. Bodies were flying and the riffs were flowing as Bobby and the boys were in full swing. Following up quickly was the classic, “Rotten To The Core” and the thunderously powerful “Electric Rattlesnake” and from there on, it just went on like any Overkill show. Bobby worked the crowd the way he always does and the rest of the guys brought the music. “Nice Day For A Funeral” got even more crowd participation and somewhere in the midst of the chaos as I was hurling myself around, I managed to go up and over the rail, getting a fist bump from Bobby in the process which pretty much validated my whole reason for buying tickets for the gig! The groove laden delivery of “Thanks For Nothin’ ” tore the venue a new one and things just kept going great, even if they had to cut two songs from their set due to the timing issues.

Bringing a close to the night, the triple blow of “Ironbound”, “Elimination” and the Subhuman’s cover and arguably Overkill’s trademark song, “Fuck You” capped off a fantastic evening and left Sound Control in pretty much the same state Overkill left it last time they swung by for a night – bodies battered, broken, drenched in sweat and screaming Fuck You at each other. As always, it was a top night and a fantastic thrash party and one can only wonder what it would have been like had the band got the full time allowance.

Still, Overkill came to Shred, In Union we were standing and afterwards, we all felt Rotten to the Core!

(Fraggle)

*Sadly, I was unable to get any pictures or footage from this gig. If anyone who attended has pictures they would like to share, I will give you credit and put them in here*

Exodus, Lost Society, Deified (O2 Academy, Liverpool, 3rd March 2016)

Posted by Fraggle on March 9, 2016

Liverpool is very hit and miss when it comes to gigs. It’s metal scene cries out for action but when the action comes, those who are most vocal about it are reluctant to show up and support it. Massive attendances only seem to be for higher profile bands, thus starving the underground scene which despite the lack of opportunities in its home, is still thriving somehow… But for how long?

With the fall of Facemelting Entertainment due to gig apathy, Deathwave Promotions have stepped up to the mark to try and breathe life into a dying scene which is plagued by indifference, an inflated sense of self entitlement from a percentage of the punters and the council destroying the musical heritage of the city, one venue at a time.

But enough of the ranting, like many people, I find Thrash metal a great outlet for blowing off some steam, and when two thrash bands and one thrashy groove band are all on one bill, you know its going to be wild!

Opening the stage were Merseyside 2015 Metal To The Masses winners Deified. Before they even came on, the venue was filling up nicely, giving the local based band a damn good crowd to warm up and maybe to get some new fans from. Granted, before they came on, the venue was pitch black, almost as if someone hadn’t paid the ‘leccy bill with the only lighting coming from the stage, but when the five piece appeared, the lights came on a little and we could see. What we saw was a well oiled groove metal unit with a real thrashy edge to their sound. Rumbling feedback gave way to a pounding heavy groove with some real harsh and venomously delivered vocals. Tight as fuck with the relentless groove, the band sounded fantastic. Thunderous low end, a fantastic drummer and the energy of the crowd made for a perfect combination and when they played “Wetwork”, the crowd lapped it up. Sounding like a more thrash orientated Lamb Of God, Deified pounded away at the crowd who were begging for more groove and in this small venue, they sounded even bigger than they already did. Closing with “Ascend”, which ironically went down well (see what I did there ha!), the crowd loved every second of their punishing assault and the heartfelt thanks of the band for the turnout and participation really spurred everyone on. These guys are one to watch out for!

Following this up was Finish thrash fourpiece Lost Society who have just released their third album “Braindead”. Normally, you would associate Finland and the bands it often spawns being of the doomier, blackened, symphonic or power metal varieties, but these turbo charged metalheads are thrash through and through which makes for a pleasant change. Full of energy from the off, you cannot deny they love being on stage. Old school sounds laid waste to the O2 and it was beautiful to witness.

Air raid siren vocals, frantic paced riffs and some serious speed really put the European representation on this tour down as a firm favorite of the crowd, and with the energy of the frontman, bouncing across the stage, hyping the crowd up even more who in turn drove him to be even more energetic was brilliant. Granted, they weren’t all about playing fast as fuck because they could. “Hollow Eyes” hit like a sledgehammer with a real powerful sound and solid steady thrash groove whilst “Terror” kicked things back up a few gears and really upped the pace of the evening once more whilst “I Am The Antidote” had the mandatory crowd participation sections which the majority of thrash acts utilise with the empowering ‘Oi! Oi!’ section with fists pounding rhythmically in the air. These guys were fantastic from start to finish and they really got everyone ready for Exodus.

Now, 31 years in Thrash is a pretty long time and let’s face it, line up changes will happen in this time and the guitarist shaped elephant in the room was of course the big issue for many (Personally, for me it was the fact that Dukes still hadn’t returned to vocal duties but Zetro was sufficient to say the least!).

Exodus took to the stage and it was pretty much like the last time I saw them indoors. In June 2015, they played Manchester Academy 3, a small room in the middle of a heatwave. March 3rd 2016, they played Liverpool O2 Academy 2, a small room but in the middle of a cold snap. Either way, extreme temperatures and thrash were involved but the cold matter little as the bay area veterans came out.

No fucks given and no prisoners taken, it was a maelstrom of chaos from the off with bodies flying left and right. Wild, classic sounding and raw as hell, the guys delivered exactly what everyone wanted. Jumping from their classic works to the most recent releases without a single beat missed, the old and the new went down exactly the same – flawlessly delivered. The lack of Gary was addressed on stage again but by now, no one really cares anymore, we get he’s going to pick Slayer over Exodus nine times out of ten and the way Exodus have simply carried on proves that one man doesn’t define a band with the legacy that the Bay Area titans have.

“A Lesson In Violence” was dedicated to Lemmy after they addressed how this was a fantastic night that they were having and after paying compliments of the highest order to Lost Society, they paid their own respects to the generation which came before them. Other favorites like “Blacklist”, “War Is My Shepherd” and the seldom played “Vlad The Impaler” were well received and the ending double shot of “Toxic Waltz” and “Strike Of The Beast” which signalled the obligatory build up wall of death spot closed the set, allowing the newer generation, the millennial metal kids to see just what the previous guard had to show them and it was a true lesson in violence.

By the end of it, there were few down in the action zone who weren’t going to be feeling it in the morning. For a wet and cold Wednesday night, the metal scene of Liverpool rallied and came out in force to attend a gig which this city should be capable of attracting but the same old will happen – people will moan that there is nothing on and the average gig attendance will drop back to 30-60 people tops. Still, negativity aside on that point, this was a fantastic night, a tremendous turn out and it did offer hope for those who love the live scene in Liverpool and maybe the efforts of Andy, the mastermind behind DeathWave Promotions who managed to get this gig going will be recognized and rewarded as the scene pull together to support each other once again.

Not wanting to sidetrack this any further, it was a phenomenal night and I highly recommend all three bands.

(Fraggle)

‘Of Ghosts and Gods Tour, 2016’: Kataklysm, Septic Flesh, Aborted. Manchester Soundcontrol 18-02-2016

Posted by Fraggle on February 21, 2016

kataklysm-tour2016

When a tour like this rolls round, you’d be foolish not to grab a ticket and get along to it. Two of Death Metal’s most titanic bands in the past decade or so along with another Symphonic Mediterranean based Death Metal band in a small venue which has great acoustics and is easily accessible is a night you do not want to miss out on and the fact that Aborted were on the bill sealed the deal for me.

My first encounter with Aborted and Kataklysm was back in 2007 when they played Damnation Festival 2007 up in Leeds and needless to say, it was fantastic! Since then, I have always tried to catch Aborted whenever I can and it seems like when they are in town, Kataklysm aren’t usually far behind or they play the following year.

Getting to the venue for doors at 6:30, the first stop was the merch table manned by Sven, the charismatic and commanding frontman for Aborted and after forking over some of my cash for a new shirt and then hitting the bar for Red Stripe, I was all set. I was still amazed with the fact that they were the opening act (personally, I saw them as a headliner but ah well!) but when the opening music from the film “Hellraiser” was used for their walk out, a quick look around the venue, seeing it fairly packed out for the opening act, all that went out the window – only brutality mattered.

And brutal it was. The grindcore tainted death metal slammed into you like a jackhammer and didn’t stop. Pummeling with harsh vocals, blasting drums and intense guitar and bass, everything was spot on as you would expect from the long standing five piece. Recent works such as Necrotic Manifesto and Termination Redux went down a storm with the crowd, as did the relentless onslaught of brutal riffery and sublime lead work but the most well received part was the talk of a new album either coming in April, or work beginning on it in April. Either way, I am eagerly anticipating this.

Up next after a brief changeover were Greece’s Septic Flesh. Greece has a rich history for extreme metal bands, the most notable riding the wave of interest being Rotting Christ and a lot of people were eagerly anticipating this act.

Opening up their set, you could tell the symphonic element was a key component to their sound as it really augmented the death metal beneath it. With a grand feel about them and a decent tone too, they delivered the goods. I don’t know much about them so I cannot really say which tracks went down a storm and so on, but the crowd loved it. Interacting well with the crowd, the frontman had a good stage presence and the music was filled with blasts and solid death metal grooves under the dramatic and sinister symphonic overtures, the latter of which I found enjoyable and found myself wondering if a venue with better suited acoustics to this kind of music would make them sound phenomenal. Their final song, “Prometheus” really sparked the crowd after the dedication to the bands and those in attendance and it did have a real epic feel to it and maybe it may be worth investigating this group more, but to me, as good as they were in the live setting, they didn’t sit right on the bill for me and personally, I feel they should have opened.

With those down and more booze in me, it was time for the headliners. Kataklysm, hailing from the United States of Canada (according to Septic Flesh’s frontman) are a band who really need no introduction.

From the off, the solid groove driven brutal death metal hit hard and didn’t relent in the slightest. Tight and precise, it was excellently delivered and the band the majority of those in attendance were there to see were received as expected. Breaching the Asylum opened the proceedings and from there, it just rolled through. With tracks spanning their discography for the most part, there wasn’t a song which wasn’t happily lapped up. Rarely played Open Scar’s went down a storm whilst crowd favorite Crippled and Broken tore the place a new one setting up an encore of Iron Will and Elevate to round off a storming live performance.

By the end of the night I was a bit bruised but not as crippled and broken as I would have expected to be, but one can only put that down to Aborted opening the show and not closing it!

The ‘Of Ghosts And Gods Tour’ is one of those special tours which comes by every now and then and it is well worth trying to catch it, after all, where else can you find three of the most in form Death Metal bands of the moment on the same bill? Symphonic, Groove, pounding, brutal… It was an enjoyable night for all who went!

(Fraggle)