Well, this was one that couldn't be missed. Just a short trip down the road from university in Canterbury to Margate and the Westcoast Bar. Having got a lift there from a friend coming down for it and forgotten completely to book transport, after the gig the night was spent sleeping in the front of his car in the freezing cold on Margate seafront. Rock 'n' Roll if ever I've seen it. It was horrifically cold, but totally worth it.
Walking down the hill towards the Westcoast Bar equipped with a few cans of the cheapest non-urine flavoured lager Asda do (Bavaria, from Holland, acceptable) I was struck around the face with the smell of something rotten. As in, literally rotten. I suspect it was those wooden bits that you see on beaches that run into the sea. I forget their name, but I suspect it was those, sodden from high tide and by then rotting away. Either that or Margate is just a very, very smelly place.
Finally we got to the venue, and found that rather a lot of people had got there before us. I'm not sure what the capacity of the place is, but it's not a small place. When you consider that they have had Decapitated and Aborted play there, it's perhaps not surprising. We still have 20 minutes until Wretched Soul take to the stage, so time for a drink. £3.90 for a pint of Kronenbourg!? Grudgingly, I paid the money, and went downstairs, as it was just about Wretched o'clock.
I've seen Wretched Soul an awful lot, and God knows I go on about them on here a fair bit, but this time it seems like a milestone, with them providing support to Orange Goblin. They did, of course, already support Vreid earlier in the month, but as I didn't make it to that one, this really strikes home how far this band has come over the past year or so. Wretched, as usual, absolutely slay it. Those of the band who have the freedom to move around gallop around the stage with colossal energy, and Andy, the drummer, throws the horns to the crowd, which is fair enough, drumming doesn't really lend itself to running around the stage like a maniac. Moshpits galore through the set, and even some attention for the guys from a female audience member, who gets as close as she possibly can to the chaps, and even attempts to play the bass, before being escorted away by who I can only assume was the boyfriend. The Westcoast Bar is also possibly the best sound I've ever heard Wretched Soul have, and it really shows throughout the set. A killer start to a brilliant night.
Up next are Seven Deadly. Featuring ex-Panic Cell members, Seven Deadly are probably great if you like Killswitch Engage. I personally think Killswitch Engage are a big pile of cack, so the less said about that, the better.
To round off the night, Orange Goblin come out with one of the best shows I've seen for a long, long time. I forgot just how much I like these guys, having last seen them in around 2009 on the 'Healing Through Fire' tour and having missed them at Bloodstock this year, it surprised me how much of their stuff I knew. I can't find the entire setlist online, and my memory of the evening by this point is a little hazy, but bear with me. They came onto the stage with the mighty new single 'Red Tide Rising' from the latest album 'A Eulogy For The Damned', put simply, it's a cracker, and gets the entire place (which by this point is absolutely packed) banging their heads and moving their bodies. Moshpits all over the place. Goblin frontman Ben Ward does that thing singers do when they come to the front of the stage and shakes hands with fans whilst leaning over them. Fantastic, what a top guy. Except, I was right in the front row, and only very narrowly avoided getting a faceful of sweaty crotch on the numerous times he came to the front. It was tense, as I didn't want to cop a penis in the face, and he presumably wasn't going to be keen on being headbanged in the balls. Fortunately for both of us, no contact was made. Anyway, back to the set. My personal favourite song 'The Ballad of Solomon Eagle' came up early on, and goodness me, it's been a long time since I've lost myself quite like that. It's a similar story for 'The Filthy and The Few', 'The Fog', 'They Come Back' and 'Quincy The Pigboy'. One of the songs I seem to have missed hearing before is 'Scorpionica', but the room almost literally explodes are Orange Goblin plough their way through that one. Having been on the front row, I was knocked onto the stage, which was only about knee high, by a pit behind me. No room to get back to where I was, so only one way off the stage. Stagedive. Unfortunately the pit was very close to the stage, so I got turned upside-down fairly quickly and fell to the floor. But it was bloody glorious.
After that, it's onto more booze and an incredibly uncomfortable night in the front seat of a car on Margate seafront. I'd do it again for another night like this one.
Find Wretched Soul, and download their free single 'Veronica' from here
Seven Deadly can be found here
Check out the mighty Orange Goblin right here!
Also, I'm on Twitter! Follow @BigMetalBastard.
Wednesday 21 November 2012
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Best of Bandcamp
Something a bit different for you all this week, and something that I suspect will become a regular feature. For those who don't know, Bandcamp is a website that allows bands to publish their music online for people to stream or download - sometimes for free, sometimes charging money. I'm a student, and a bit of a tight bastard, so have only streamed these free ones. Anyway, here are my top three artists discovered this week.
Seprevation - Ritual Abuse E.P
From the South West of England, Seprevation seem to be turning heads since their performance at Bloodstock this year, and it's easy to see why their debut E.P entitled 'Ritual Abuse' - it's a killer record. Their brand of thrash is lined with death metal and the combination makes this release a really strong piece of work. Ritual Abuse is full of galloping guitar lines, blistering solos with vocals reminiscent of the likes of Sodom, and is every bit as good. Their intensity and brutality doesn't wane for a single second of the 15 minute record. It may be short, but it's certainly sweet. Keep an eye on these guys, they're going places.
Click here for Seprevation at Bandcamp - Ritual Abuse available for download for £2.50
'Like' Seprevation on Facebook here
Xul - Malignance
In the far off land of Canada there sleeps an absolute monolith of blackened death metal. A bit of research tells me that this lot have shared the stage with Exhumed, Macabre, Cephalic Carnage and Vreid amongst others. These aren't just some small fry band from the middle of nowhere, they mean business, and honestly, I can see them blowing some of those bands off the stage. The perfect combination of black and death metal, even with a particularly thrashy sounding guitar line in places on 'Mastication of Putrescent Empyrean Remains' really comes together on this album. And perhaps best of all, it's currently available for free. (However, if you can afford to pay money for it, please do, these chaps deserve it).
Click here for Xul at Bandcamp - Malignance available for free download
'Like' Xul on Facebook here
More bloggery coming soon for you fine chaps! Until then, keep supporting underground metal!
I'm also on Twitter! Come along and follow @BigMetalBastard
Seprevation - Ritual Abuse E.P
From the South West of England, Seprevation seem to be turning heads since their performance at Bloodstock this year, and it's easy to see why their debut E.P entitled 'Ritual Abuse' - it's a killer record. Their brand of thrash is lined with death metal and the combination makes this release a really strong piece of work. Ritual Abuse is full of galloping guitar lines, blistering solos with vocals reminiscent of the likes of Sodom, and is every bit as good. Their intensity and brutality doesn't wane for a single second of the 15 minute record. It may be short, but it's certainly sweet. Keep an eye on these guys, they're going places.
Click here for Seprevation at Bandcamp - Ritual Abuse available for download for £2.50
'Like' Seprevation on Facebook here
Xul - Malignance
In the far off land of Canada there sleeps an absolute monolith of blackened death metal. A bit of research tells me that this lot have shared the stage with Exhumed, Macabre, Cephalic Carnage and Vreid amongst others. These aren't just some small fry band from the middle of nowhere, they mean business, and honestly, I can see them blowing some of those bands off the stage. The perfect combination of black and death metal, even with a particularly thrashy sounding guitar line in places on 'Mastication of Putrescent Empyrean Remains' really comes together on this album. And perhaps best of all, it's currently available for free. (However, if you can afford to pay money for it, please do, these chaps deserve it).
Click here for Xul at Bandcamp - Malignance available for free download
'Like' Xul on Facebook here
More bloggery coming soon for you fine chaps! Until then, keep supporting underground metal!
I'm also on Twitter! Come along and follow @BigMetalBastard
Tuesday 6 November 2012
Gravesend - November 3rd - Rezinwolf, Kthon, The Furious Horde, Wretched Soul and The Iron Knights!
Kthon almost seem a little left out on this lineup, which attracted my attention personally for it's link to Beermageddon, which I have written about before. With The Iron Knights confirmed for the 2013 festival and The Furious Horde, Wretched Soul and Rezinwolf having been favourites of mine from this year's edition. Still, who knows, Kthon could well show up there next time. I'd certainly welcome it.
It was my first time at the Red Lion, or indeed in Gravesend at all, but the lineup certainly looked promising. The organisers - The Pandemonium Club - have been putting on gigs for a while now and this is the first one I've managed to get to. Unfortunately, presumably through a combination of it being Bonfire night weekend and a bitterly cold night, people stayed away on this occasion, whilst not taking away from the event itself, there is a bit of disappointment from the organisers that more people didn't show up. I know I'm just some idiot on the internet, but guys, if you have a local metal promoter near you who puts on shows, get along to them. These people put blood, sweat and tears into putting on the bands we love to play for us.
Anyway, bitching aside, I pay my £8 to get in for a lineup I'd happily have paid double that to see, escape from the freezing cold of the outside world and grab myself a drink. £3 for a Desperados isn't too shabby I suppose. After a while of soundchecking, Rezinwolf take the stage. These guys seriously impressed me at Beermageddon and absolutely did the same tonight. Whilst I maintain that their drummer looks like Jay from the Inbetweeners and their guitarist is a younger Corpsegrinder with a nice voice and good at guitar, Rezinwolf are exactly what you would want from a thrash metal band, they're full of energy and confidence and tighter than a very, very tight thing. Oh, and they threw in a cover of Pantera's 'Fucking Hostile'. Which was brilliant.
Rezinwolf over, time for another beer or two. It's at this point that I ended up chatting to some of the regulars of the pub, as opposed to the Pandemonium Club, about how to survive a zombie apocalypse. Since they only just met me, they decide that I'd have to be killed first if they had to resort to cannibalism, or if they needed to sacrifice someone to escape. Thanks guys.
Next are Kthon. I had seen them before a year or two ago as part of the Bloodstock 'Metal To The Masses' battle of the bands, where I was very impressed with them. It's slightly odd seeing them on a bill filled with very fast paced bands, but their crushing, chugging doom riffs complement the other bands very well. They're the kind of thing you want to listen to if you're in need of punching a wall, at a very slow pace. They are, by their own admission, a little sloppy, but their songs just have that massive feel to them. Plenty of headbanging, plenty of Lee Dorian-esque doom dancing.
Beer time.
The Furious Horde are up next, a band that I thoroughly enjoyed at Beermageddon and who I raved about on here and have been yammering on about to my friends for the entire time since then. I was very excited to be seeing them again. This time, the keyboard player and his pink shiny onesie is missing, but accompanied by a keyboard backing track the Horde absolutely slay it. Seeing them again now that I know their songs really makes the experience quite pleasantly different, still just as intense, but with that unrelenting urge to scream the lyrics back at them. For my shame, I held back, as nobody else was singing and I didn't want to look like a bit of a wally, not even for 'Possession', my favourite track. Next time I'll be the irritating guy screaming in your ears so you can't hear their music properly. Good lord though, I'm very glad I discovered these chaps.
Alcohol pit stop.
Thrash o'clock again next as Wretched Soul take to the stage for five tracks of limitless energy. With their debut album due to be released early next year, it's well worth looking out for these chaps. One of my favourite bands on the underground circuit, there are exciting times ahead once the album hits. Despite vocalist Chris's throat giving him a bit of grief, it doesn't show and Wretched Soul once again bring their best to the stage with them.
Beer.
Next is a little confusing. I had arrived expecting to see Stuka Squadron, but instead am watching the first ever Iron Knights gig, due to complicated issues between the band and an ex-member. They smash through their set with full force, showing that they are just as strong and good as the Iron Knights as they were as Stuka Squadron. A fantastic way to close a brilliant night.
The night is only slightly dampened a day or so later, when the Pandemonium Club release a statement saying that due to lack of numbers coming through the doors, they can not afford to put on any more events for the forseeable future. Please guys, support your local promoters, we can't let these excellent groups of people fall away due to lack of support.
New blog coming up soon. Cheers for reading!
It was my first time at the Red Lion, or indeed in Gravesend at all, but the lineup certainly looked promising. The organisers - The Pandemonium Club - have been putting on gigs for a while now and this is the first one I've managed to get to. Unfortunately, presumably through a combination of it being Bonfire night weekend and a bitterly cold night, people stayed away on this occasion, whilst not taking away from the event itself, there is a bit of disappointment from the organisers that more people didn't show up. I know I'm just some idiot on the internet, but guys, if you have a local metal promoter near you who puts on shows, get along to them. These people put blood, sweat and tears into putting on the bands we love to play for us.
Anyway, bitching aside, I pay my £8 to get in for a lineup I'd happily have paid double that to see, escape from the freezing cold of the outside world and grab myself a drink. £3 for a Desperados isn't too shabby I suppose. After a while of soundchecking, Rezinwolf take the stage. These guys seriously impressed me at Beermageddon and absolutely did the same tonight. Whilst I maintain that their drummer looks like Jay from the Inbetweeners and their guitarist is a younger Corpsegrinder with a nice voice and good at guitar, Rezinwolf are exactly what you would want from a thrash metal band, they're full of energy and confidence and tighter than a very, very tight thing. Oh, and they threw in a cover of Pantera's 'Fucking Hostile'. Which was brilliant.
Rezinwolf over, time for another beer or two. It's at this point that I ended up chatting to some of the regulars of the pub, as opposed to the Pandemonium Club, about how to survive a zombie apocalypse. Since they only just met me, they decide that I'd have to be killed first if they had to resort to cannibalism, or if they needed to sacrifice someone to escape. Thanks guys.
Next are Kthon. I had seen them before a year or two ago as part of the Bloodstock 'Metal To The Masses' battle of the bands, where I was very impressed with them. It's slightly odd seeing them on a bill filled with very fast paced bands, but their crushing, chugging doom riffs complement the other bands very well. They're the kind of thing you want to listen to if you're in need of punching a wall, at a very slow pace. They are, by their own admission, a little sloppy, but their songs just have that massive feel to them. Plenty of headbanging, plenty of Lee Dorian-esque doom dancing.
Beer time.
The Furious Horde are up next, a band that I thoroughly enjoyed at Beermageddon and who I raved about on here and have been yammering on about to my friends for the entire time since then. I was very excited to be seeing them again. This time, the keyboard player and his pink shiny onesie is missing, but accompanied by a keyboard backing track the Horde absolutely slay it. Seeing them again now that I know their songs really makes the experience quite pleasantly different, still just as intense, but with that unrelenting urge to scream the lyrics back at them. For my shame, I held back, as nobody else was singing and I didn't want to look like a bit of a wally, not even for 'Possession', my favourite track. Next time I'll be the irritating guy screaming in your ears so you can't hear their music properly. Good lord though, I'm very glad I discovered these chaps.
Alcohol pit stop.
Thrash o'clock again next as Wretched Soul take to the stage for five tracks of limitless energy. With their debut album due to be released early next year, it's well worth looking out for these chaps. One of my favourite bands on the underground circuit, there are exciting times ahead once the album hits. Despite vocalist Chris's throat giving him a bit of grief, it doesn't show and Wretched Soul once again bring their best to the stage with them.
Beer.
Next is a little confusing. I had arrived expecting to see Stuka Squadron, but instead am watching the first ever Iron Knights gig, due to complicated issues between the band and an ex-member. They smash through their set with full force, showing that they are just as strong and good as the Iron Knights as they were as Stuka Squadron. A fantastic way to close a brilliant night.
The night is only slightly dampened a day or so later, when the Pandemonium Club release a statement saying that due to lack of numbers coming through the doors, they can not afford to put on any more events for the forseeable future. Please guys, support your local promoters, we can't let these excellent groups of people fall away due to lack of support.
New blog coming up soon. Cheers for reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)