The Klash Of The Titans Tour Thrashed Phoenix, AZ

It’s been a minute since I’ve seen a concert in my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve been spending most of my time in Europe these past years and I’ve somewhat assimilated into the European metal culture. One of the things I’ve noticed is that there are some stark differences between the United States and European crowds at shows. For example, with a billing like tonight (Klash Of The Titans Tour with Testament, Kreator and Possessed), it would more than likely be a sold-out show if you matched the venue size (The Van Buren). Second, there would be a line of people going around the block to get into the venue to be on time for the first band to start. I’m not writing this to disparage American metal crowds, I’m simply pointing out the differences. Regardless of my observations, I loved the Klash Of The Titans lineup and I was excited to see every band play tonight.

The Van Buren has the capacity to fit 1,800 rabid and horn throwing metal heads inside. When Possessed started, my guess was that there were just a couple of hundred people milling around and maybe half of those were actually paying attention to them. The Death Metal legends started their set with “Pentagram” from their initial masterpiece, Seven Churches. Covered in a blanket of red light and fog, Jeff Becerra called on the crowd to come closer to the stage. Possessed was allotted a 35-minute set, so I expected their set-list would consist of only the classics, which was fine by me.

I felt that other than those in front headbanging against the security barriers, most of the crowd was aloof. In fact, the only time I saw any sort of life from the rest of the crowd was when the fabled intro for “The Exorcist” started and that was halfway through their set. Jeff Becerra kept egging the crowd on and eventually by the end of their allotted set time, I would say there was some slight improvement. They wrapped up their brief, yet dominant set with “Death Metal.” They were THE Death Metal band on this tour’s roster, so they couldn’t have picked a better finisher. I loved their set, but I was let down with the crowd’s blasé attitude. I’m sure that if it was an actual Death Metal band line-up, things would have been different.

I have a love/hate relationship with Kreator. I used to love Kreator when I was in my teens, but I’m not a fan of what they’ve matured into present time. The 80’s Kreator was raw unadulterated German thrash. There’s a reason why they’re part of the German Big Four, they’re Teutonic titans. They’re still relevant after four decades of metal metamorphoses. That’s where my “hate relationship” comes into play. I hate that they changed their sound to keep up with the contemporary sound of the “metalverse.” I completely respect them as a band, I just can’t stand listening to any of their releases post “Extreme Aggression.”

The crowd increased in girth and decibels by the time Kreator took to the stage, and by their second song, there were some crowd surfers riding towards the front the stage. In fact, the band coaxed the crowd into making a wall of death! The sleepwalking that took place during Possessed’s set was all but distant memory now. Both Possessed and Kreator have been around for just about the same amount of time, but Kreator has put out fifteen full-length studio albums compared to just three from Possessed. Yet, both are legendary, underground favorites. It still bothered me that there wasn’t more love shown for Possessed.

Hey look! It's a wall of death! More...

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Lacuna Coil Ends Their Tour In Style In Bristol

How do I loathe Bristol Academy? Let me count the ways. Across the street from The Hatchet Inn, Bristol's oldest pub, having opened in 1606, lies the 02 Academy, one of many in the UK and host to several rock and metal shows over the years. While having a fairly large capacity (around 1600,) it's very cramped and if you're not at the front of the stage or the balcony, you'll be watching the show with a limited view throughout. Nevertheless, when a band of Lacuna Coil's magnitude comes to town, it's something not to be missed. Having recently announced their next album, "Sleepless Empire," their first in six years, fans were eager to hear these new songs live and experience the classics, and so it was that West Country metalheads, Goths and alternatives united to witness the Milano metallers.

Opening the show tonight was Finnish nu metal revivalists, Blind Channel. There's been a lot of hype around the Oulu sextet and with a hiatus and documentary coming soon, it was an interesting time to see them live. It was a busy night in Bristol and a good number of the crowd appeared to be fans of their work, welcoming the 2021 Eurovision contestants with open arms. It needs to be pointed out immediately that if you don't like nu metal, you won't enjoy Blind Channel. Their music is straight from the "Hybrid Theory" playbook, but there's a lot of people who like early Linkin Park so they fill that void for people searching for something to fill it. No one can deny that they possess tremendous energy and make use of it throughout their set, much to the delight of the fans in attendance, and the onlookers which they'd won over. There were some surprising choices, including a cover of System Of A Down's "B.Y.O.B." and a rendition of the Backstreet Boys hit, "Backsteet's Back," which proved very divisive; dancers to the left of me, complainers to the right. Personally, I didn't enjoy the set whatsoever, but it's hard to argue with a room where 90% of the people are having a great time. More...

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The Final Day Of Brutal Assault 2024? Perfection.

After the 10-band marathon from the previous day, today’s manageable list of 7 bands felt more like a five-kilometer race in terms of running from stage to stage. It was sunny and noticeably warmer than all the previous days. The soggy weather that the festival began with was now a distant memory. There was a different energy in the air today due to the ideal outdoor festival conditions. The final day of Brutal Assault 2024 already had the feeling that it was going to be a memorable one for the Brutal Assault archives.

The first band of the afternoon was technical Death Metal legends, Pestilence. I haven’t seen them since Martin Van Drunen left the band and if you’re doing the math, that’s a really fucking long time ago. I tried listening to “Testimony of the Ancients” post Martin leaving, but the brutality that the previous albums had was non-existent. I didn’t like it and basically wrote them off after that. During today’s set, Pestilence played Dehydrated from my favorite album “Consuming Impulse,” but I just couldn’t get into it. The vocals were weak and forced. Martin Van Drunen was Pestilence. I’ll just stick to Asphyx from here on out.

Pestilence

I was excited to finally see Sadus, another legendary Thrash Metal band from the Bay Area. Brutal Assault was chock full of them this year. Sadus is another band that has been around forever and it took a festival in Europe for me to finally see them. I noticed that one of the guitarists was Claudeous Creamer from the current Possessed line-up. It’s nice to see Bay Area Thrash bands helping each other out by lending members for tours and shows. After my 3-song photo set, I’d be lying if I said they were anything more than “just good” live. The crowd was into it though, and that’s all that probably mattered to Sadus.

Darren Travis of Sadus

In general, I’m a huge fan of Polish Black Metal and that doesn’t translate to just Behemoth. Poland has a treasure trove of Black Metal bands and my next band, Totenmesse, is one of those that deserves your attention. I missed their set due to a scheduling conflicts at Mystic Festival a couple of months prior, but I was able to right that wrong today.

Piotr Wujkowiecki of Totenmesse

There was already a decent sized crowd waiting at the claustrophobia inducing Octagon Stage for Totenmesse when I arrived. By the time they started, you could no longer maneuver freely through the crowd without spilling beers and getting swaths of other people’s sweat on you. Overall, I really enjoyed their set. Their vocalist, Piotr Wujkowiecki, is the visual focus for the band. He makes these faces that you don’t know if he’s getting ready to stab you in the face or vomit on you. If you don’t believe me, just check out this video from their set here. More...

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Cannibal Corpse Brutalises The Bristol Beacon

When it comes to death metal, there are thousands of imitators and generic clones, but there are those who sit upon its thrones, daring anyone to take their place. Since their first album, "Eaten Back To Life," was released in 1990, Cannibal Corpse has been standing tall, achieving commercial and critical success for three and over four decades, despite bans, censorship and smear campaigns. In 2024, this is as true as ever and the Buffalo born quintet are as determined as ever to keep their crown and are currently proving this with a huge tour of Europe, that includes fellow veterans and the young & hungry. On September 25th, they brought the tour to the beautiful Beacon venue (formerly the Colston Hall) in Bristol.

It may have been an early kick off, but there was certainly no lack of excitement for those who arrived early, as Belgian death metallers Schizophrenia opened proceedings. Having released their debut album in 2022, they're still relative newcomers, though they perform with the precision and cohesiveness of veterans. It's an interesting time to see Schizophrenia, as they've just released a live album, so comparing the release to the real thing is quite fun, in particular when it comes to their cover of Slayer's "Necrophiliac," which is included on the live record. There seems to be something of a resurgence in the popularity of old school death metal among younger bands, which is cool to see, and Schizophrenia take that formula and like many of their best contemporaries, modernise it just enough to make it fresh. A great way to start the show. More...

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Dark Tranquillity Plays Portland

Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis, and Fires in the Distance @ Hawthorne Theatre (Portland, Oregon)

Back in 2001, I was mostly out of the musical loop. I had very young kids at the time and was starting a new job. Fortunately, I had a good friend who would turn me on to music I wouldn’t have found on my own.
He sent me Dimmu Borgir’s “Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia”, Opeth’s “Blackwater Park”, and Dark Tranquillity’s “Haven”. In the following year, I received In Flames’ “Reroute to Remain” from him. Those four CDs received a ton of listens from me and changed my musical listening ever since rather significantly.

Five years later, I saw Dark Tranquillity live for the first time, opening for Opeth, in Eugene, Oregon. This past Friday night, I was fortunate to see them for the fifth time (but the first time in the USA since 2006). Between those shows, I saw DT a couple of times in Sweden and once in Denmark.

The location for Friday’s show was Portland’s Hawthorne Theatre. I went to a show there once before—more than 10 years prior—and vowed never to return. I’ve skipped traveling to Portland and seeing many bands over the years because they were playing at the Hawthorne and my first experience there was so bad. However, this was Dark Tranquillity, and I was in town anyway so I broke my vow.

Turns out, the Hawthorne Theatre is not so bad anymore. The people working at the Hawthorne that I dealt with in 2013 were horrible. Everyone in 2024 was fantastic! There are still certainly issues (small and low stage, poor acoustics, movement bottlenecks, etc.), but many improvements have been made. The lighting is not great, but it is improved. There is now a photo pit! Water is accessible. The venue is officially off of my “not-going-there” list.

First band up on this evening was Fires in the Distance. Another friend, with similar music tastes to my own, turned me on to their 2023 album, “Air Not Meant For Us”, late last year. Great band and album. I would love to see them get big—big enough to play live on a much larger stage that includes a grand piano and space for the other instruments/musicians (violin, cello) featured on the album that were prerecorded on this evening.

Amorphis and Dark Tranquillity are “co-headlining” on this tour—switching off the closer on alternate nights. In Portland, Amorphis went first.

For whatever reason, I’ve never been a huge fan. However, I warmed to them in the preceding weeks after adding the songs they would likely play to my regular playlist.

I dug a couple of the t-shirts they sported on this evening (Mastodon and Windhand).

Amorphis went with mostly strobes during the first couple songs which is not good for photography or my head (as strobe lighting usually gives me a headache). I bounced out of the photo pit at that point thinking the strobes would continue, but after getting far enough away from the photo pit that I couldn’t get back to it easily, the strobes stopped. Murphy’s Law I guess.

The show wasn’t announced as being “sold out”, but it must have been as it was difficult to move during the Amorphis set. That goes not only for those at the front but the back and sides were packed as well. To get to the balcony you had to wait in a line that only moved when someone exited as it too was at capacity.

Amorphis setlist - September 20, 2024

The bar had some fun with the drink names (titles of new Dark Tranquillity songs). I've seen this done at European metal festivals, but this was a first for me in the USA.

Different lighting issues arose for Dark Tranquillity. With a video screen behind the band, other stage lights were mostly off (to see what was being projected better I suppose). Hence, unless a band member was being hit with the light from the projector, they were in the dark. Some weak white spotlights on the front of the stage area would have been nice and wouldn’t have spoiled the projected visuals.

Dark Tranquillity has dropped “The Wonders at Your Feet” from their setlist which was disappointing to me. In fact, they didn’t play anything off of Haven. Two off of “Damage Done”, two from "Character", and three songs from “Fiction” were nice to have in the set though.

DT setlist:

Shivers and Voids
Hours Passed in Exile
Forward Momentum
Unforgivable
Atoma
The Last Imagination
Nothing to No One
Neuronal Fire
One Thought (hadn't been played live in the USA since 2005)
Cathode Ray Sunshine
Not Nothing
Empty Me
Phantom Days
Lost to Apathy
Misery's Crown

Overall, this was a wonderful evening. I left with a big smile on my face.

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Cirith Ungol Bids Farewell To London

Goodbyes are never easy. It's been a hell of a road for Cirith Ungol, having formed in 1971, they released their first album ten years later, with three more following before disbanding in 1992. For a long time, they were hailed by many metal bands as an influence and by fans as an underrated gem, before finally returning in 2015 and unleashing two more studio albums. The band are now putting an end to full time touring but before they finish, they made sure to come over to London and perform their final British show, which was originally scheduled to take place at the Islington Academy but was moved to The Underworld in Camden.

The show got underway in ferocious fashion thanks to Manchester metal monsters Heavy Sentence. The band bears the traditional metal flag, but lean more on the grittier side, a la Motorhead than the Iron Maiden worship that rules the modern take on the style. Honestly, I can't remember the last time an opening act went down so well, as by the time the second song, "Age Of Fire" got going, people were already crowd surfing and singing along. Obviously some of these audience members are fans of Heavy Sentence, but it all worked together so well that those who were unfamiliar with the group were soon heavily impressed, with songs like "Medusa" and "Protector" being received really warmly. Heavy Sentence demonstrated tonight that they're one of the most exciting heavy metal bands going in the UK and they've got the charisma and talent to go far. More...

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Push Ups And A Orchestra. Brutal Assault Day 3.

If any of you happened to read my Road Report of Brutal Assault Day 2, I pointed out that today (Day 3) was going to be extremely busy day. I wasn’t lying. By the end of the night, I had stage hopped 10 bands and it was exhausting. Not in an I couldn’t take it anymore sort of way but more of feeling that I survived the day. If you were expecting to read about all ten bands in detail, well, I have some bad news...that’s not going to happen. I wouldn’t be doing the bands justice with a two-sentence report on each one. However, what I’m going to write about is who the most memorable bands from Day 3 were and what made them stand out from the rest that played that day.

I have never been motivated to see any band that plays during the hours of breakfast. That is just asinine. Today, that all changed. After only getting 3 hours of sleep (we arrived back at our hotel room around 2:30 a.m.) my wife and I woke up at 6 a.m. and I somehow inexplicably convinced her to skip breakfast, grab a coffee to-go for the one-hour train ride to Brutal Assault. I absolutely had to be there for the start of the Scottish Death Metal Party Slammers,
Party Cannon.

I normally skip the early start bands because I value my limited and precious sleep more. This was different. The day before their show at Brutal Assault, Party Cannon posted on their socials that they wanted to break a “world record” for the largest push-up pit (Yup, you read that right) ever recorded at a concert. The only way to find out if it happened was to be there. I’m a sucker for shit like this and fuck my life that I was going to do it.

Party Cannon fans ready to get their exercise on!

The sun was already blinding and was a tad bit warm by the time we arrived at the festival grounds. To my surprise, there was already a large crowd gathering around the stage where Party Cannon was set to play. I guess they were excited to get their work-out on that would include copious amounts of moshing, head banging and push-ups. I observed dozens of early risers chugging Pilsners waiting for Party Cannon to take stage. My best guess is that they were most likely carb-loading, pre-workout. This crowd was obviously laden with fitness freaks.

Skeletor egging on the Party Cannon crowd

A short time later, someone wearing a bright green Skeletor mask and draped in the Scottish flag started prancing around the stage with a neon-colored cardboard craft sign that simply said, “Party.” That’s all it took for the crowd to into full workout mode. Party Cannon entered the stage and then the only way I can describe the energy was likening it to a hurricane making landfall sans water and winds. This was at least a category four event.

Stony of Party Cannon

What I love about Party Cannon is they egg on their pits non-stop. That’s just their MO and I think the music is secondary. That’s just how they roll. There were plenty of blow-up pool toys flying about, maybe not as many as you might see at a Gutalax show, but enough to at least fill an Olympic sized pool. There were also plenty of crowd surfers and beers flying all over the place. What really caught my eye was a large dude being cradled in a yellow blow-up pool raft. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a fuzzy green bear headpiece and headbanging the whole time while the pitsters (Is that a word?) underneath him carried him around the pit like he was the emperor of Party Cannon shenanigans.

Proof that Party Cannon plays music

As advertised, the push up pit happened during their final song. I’m not sure if it broke any “record” per se, but I guesstimated that there were almost 100 or so getting their Party Cannon push up work-out on. There was even a wrestling match that took place for a wayward drumstick after the show. That side-show lasted about two minutes without a single injury to either competitor. Party Cannon couldn’t be any prouder of the amount of calories burned that day. And for us? It was a great start to a brutal day of stage hopping that awaited us.

Amateur wrestling match after Party Cannon More...

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Satan Reigns Over London

The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is both an extremely important movement and a disputed term. While some bands embrace being a part of it, others prefer to think of their journey as something self-made, which is fair enough. Whatever your view, it was unquestionably an era which gave us some incredible albums and one of the classics was delivered by one of the North East's best bands of the time (which is saying something,) in the form of "Court In The Act" by Satan. Though after the release they would undergo lineup and even name changes, since their return in 2011, Satan has been making their claim as one of the most active and strong bands from the NWOBHM period with consistently excellent material. So how are they live? We attended the London stop on their British and Irish tour to find out.

Support on the tour was originally going to come from Seven Sisters, however due to health concerns, they were forced to pull out of the trek and instead, local bands would be opening each date. In London, this honour was given to Parish, who released their solid eponymous debut in 2022. They proved to be a great pick, as their style is very much rooted in seventies heavy metal, leaning on the doom side. Parish are very much a trio that lets their music do the talking, though not ignoring the crowd by any means. The music is very easy to get lost in, with slow grooves echoing around the room, which counteracts the more subdued stage presence, though there were a few people in attendance wearing Parish shirts so clearly that isn't much of an issue. A good way to begin the night. More...

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Nile Causes Havoc By The Avon

If you're on this site, it's safe to assume you have at least a basic knowledge of death metal. From the early days of Possessed and Death, it's a genre that has spawned numerous sub-genres of its own and continues to be one of the most popular forms of metal. Like all branches of metal, it has its legends by now and undoubtedly one of those is Nile. Nile has always made their own path, focusing on the history and mythology that guitarist Karl Sanders has always been fascinated by while creating music which is both intelligence and intense. This year, they unleashed their tenth album, "The Underworld Awaits Us All," their first in five years and already it promises to go down as one of their best yet. So as always, with a new album comes a new tour and tonight it was Bristol's turn to welcome the Carolina crushers.

Kicking things off this evening was Belgian death metal squad Pestifer. It's a shame that there weren't more people here for this set because these Walloons have crafted a very fine take on the genre, one where the heaviness flows very freely while still writing well crafted songs. Science fiction is the main focus of the lyrics, with vocalist Jérôme Bernard joking to fans at one point, "This is another song about aliens," but it's a cool angle to approach the music from, setting them apart from the usual misery and chaos that dominate death metal themes. Pestifer has been around for a while now and in that time they've perfected their stage presence, coming across very professional and operating like a well oiled machine. Their time may have been quite short but they really made the most of it, winning over neutrals in the crowd and ensuring that there'll be a stronger response when they return to the UK. More...

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Depravation Fest 2024: Day 3

As most reports on the final day of a festival say, all good things must come to an end. Depravation Festival, held in the south west England town Swindon opened very well on Friday, was a massive success the following day and the Sunday promised to be every bit as special. Today would see a healthy mix of rock and metal sub-genres coming together to cap off the weekend, which began with Birmingham outfit, Second Cities. While their home may be the birthplace of heavy metal, Second Cities were something a little different, feeling more like an emo revival act. I can remember seeing 2000s emo bands in the same venue back when the music was relevant, and I didn't like it then, but I'm always willing to give a group a chance. Unfortunately, my personal tastes haven't changed quite enough since those days to enjoy the music and while I encourage them to continue and develop a sound of their own, this didn't do much to get the early crowd interested, with the Adele cover feeling particularly off.

Second up, Bournemouth based progressive metal band Drallion. It may be asking a lot from an audience still reeling from a Saturday night to take in progressive metal but Drallion really knew how to hook them in. Their music is intelligent and fascinating, but also catchy and heavy, making them appealing to all kinds of metal fans. It helps that they have a solid stage presence too, so really, Drallion has everything going for them. Checking them out again after the show, "Bloodshot" and especially "New Machine," which was also a highlight of their set at Levels, are particularly highlights. A very good band with a hell of a lot to offer. Don't miss out!

Unfortunately, there were a few late cancellations today which caused some changes in the times and positions, and since Thrasherwolf couldn't make it due to a member having a Thrasherpup, Webb, who were scheduled to be the penultimate band in The Rolleston, took their place on the main stage. Like several, if not most bands on the bill over the weekend, I went into their set completely blind, or deaf as the case may be and sometimes that's the best way to go about it, because you'll be even more impressed if a band turns out to be good, which is exactly what happened here. Webb are unashamedly heavy metal, taking influence from the genre's 80s heyday, though leaning on the meaner side in the vein of say Exciter or Sacrifice than Iron Maiden or Saxon. The trio is a well oiled, good time, metal machine and I loved every second of them! Songs like "You're Going Down" and "Spread Your Wings" went down a storm and really kicked the crowd into a higher gear. Frontman Ryan Webb is cool as can be, donning the sunglasses and outfit that helps set them apart from other bands on the bill and he's got a hell of a voice to boot. There's a lot more going on than just the old school influence but if you want a band that still carries that attitude from the old days, Webb is the band for you. Superb! More...

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Rain Was No Match For Brutal Assault's Second Day

The schedule for the second day of Brutal Assault was going to be more relaxed than the previous day’s. I had only penciled in seven bands to see, so there would be plenty more time to enjoy the other festivities the festival has to offer other than just stage hopping all day/night long. The weather was still unsettled by the time we arrived at the grounds during the early afternoon, but according to the forecast, the only chance of rain for the duration of the festival would be for today.

Cool stuff lurking about the festival grounds

Year after year, there are always newer bands that go viral as popularity. One of those bands, Escuela Grind, has been on my radar but I haven’t got to check them out until this year’s Brutal Assault. Before leaving for the Czech Republic, I did a little homework and listened to them during the flight. I do like Grindcore, thus I was interested in seeing how Escuela Grind would translate onto a Brutal Assault main stage.

When Escuela Grind took to the stage, I can only liken it to a simultaneous and timed grenade detonations. There were explosions of energy in every direction with the majority coming from their lead vocalist, Katerina Economou. I can only compare her to Barney Greenway of Napalm Death fame when it comes to stage presence. During one of the breaks between songs, she stated that Brutal Assault was the largest stage that Escuela Grind had ever played on. With the excitement I saw, without any doubt, I believed her. They were so pumped to be on a main festival stage and took full advantage of it.

Katerina Economou of Escuela Grind

After Escuela Grind, the soggy weather had returned and I had a difficult decision to make. Do I run the risk of checking out thrashers Havok knowing that it was definitely going to rain during their set? After the last night’s catastrophe during Abbath, it was a pretty easy decision. I'm sorry but I’ll have to catch you another time Havok.

The rain arrived as predicted but it weened to a drizzle by the time I had to leave to see the next band, Dopethrone. I threw on my flimsy emergency rain poncho and covered my camera with a sort of “camera condom” that’s “supposed to” keep moisture away from the camera body and lens. However, I didn’t trust the condom for use during a constant downpour like what happened during Abbath and Havok.

During the moments leading up to start of Dopethrone, there was still a bit of sound checking going on. The slender, dreadlock draped vocalist, Vincent Houde, was conversing with the soundboard engineer in a voice mimicking Butthead of Beavis and Butthead fame. Everyone that was waiting for the band to start really didn’t mind that the unplanned comedy skit was spilling onto Dopethrone’s allotted playing time.

If you haven’t figured it out already by just band’s name alone, Dopethrone is a stoner/doom metal band. If marijuana were legal in the Czech Republic, I am absolutely certain I would have gotten a contact high during their show. Dopethrone’s set consisted of plenty fuzzed out, doomelicious riffs, however Vincent Houde has another career outside of stoner/doom waiting for him in standup comedy if he ever so desires.

Vincent Houde of Dopethrone

I have been waiting 34 years to see the next band on my list. That band was Bay Area Thrash Metal titans, Forbidden. The first time I saw them, they played on a stage that could accommodate a three-piece local band. Was today’s set worth the thirty-four-year interlude? It was a resounding YES, a thousand times over. Only two of the original members were on stage today, but it sounded just like the band I remembered from so many years ago. Even Chuck Billy from Testament was spotted headbanging from the side of the stage during their set.

The new vocalist, Norman Skinner, effortlessly nailed every one of Russ Anderson’s vocal lines. I could barely tell the difference between the two at times. Daniel Mongrain, the guitarist on loan from Voivod, was an excellent fill in choice for the second guitarist role. I heard a rumor that he might join Forbidden on a permanent basis. What does that mean for Voivod if that happens? Enough of the rumor mill. Overall, this was one of my favorite sets from this year’s Brutal Assault.

Matt Camacho and Craig Locicero of Forbidden More...

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Depravation Fest 2024: Day 2

This year, Depravation Festival in Swindon marked its first run as a three day event and following a successful and fun filled opening, the Saturday promised to be every bit as good. Things began a little earlier than I'd anticipated, with Dog Tired, who were originally scheduled to perform the previous day getting proceedings underway. Unfortunately, this meant that I missed what was no doubt a solid set, however I did arrive just in time for a taste of rave in the form of Nox Pulso.

Just reading about them before the show grabbed my interest, as the Manchester duo combine industrial metal with the dance culture of their home city that helped make Manchester the home of British cool in the nineties. It's a combination that sounds good on paper and works even better on stage. The two perform with the energy of The Prodigy and the ferocity of Sepultura and it really helps bring out the exciting music that they've created. It does seem rare to see new industrial metal these days, especially in the UK, but with tunes that one can just as easily dance to as mosh, Nox Pulso possesses both crossover appeal and raw talent and appeal just as much to people seeking fresh new music as those nostalgic for the pulsating rhythms of electronic music's heyday. Don't miss them.

Up next, we move south, with Essex alternative metal outfit Chemiqueen. The band has been touring in the country as one of the support acts for Project Renegade (who we'll discuss later,) and today marked the last day of the trek. Appropriately given their moniker, singer Victoria Walker shone very brightly throughout the set, showcasing an impressive vocal range which was unafraid to become mean in addition to being melodic. The same can be said of the music itself, which is heavy for the most part and definitely falls into the "modern metal" category which has been used in recent years. Walker's vocals fit the music very well, though to be honest, I found the harsher singing from guitarist Gareth Brimley to be distracting, even unnecessary at times. He's not bad at them, they just didn't seem to compliment the songs themselves. Aside from that, a very good band who have real potential. More...

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Brutal Assault's First Day Was Almost Perfection

Brutal Assault. Have you heard of it? It’s one of the largest summer metal festivals in all of Europe. There are upwards of 150 bands that play touching on just about every heavy genre imaginable. It normally takes place during the first weekend of August and it always occurs on the grounds of an 18th century Czech military fortress located in Jaromer, Czech Republic.

Similar to Wacken, Hellfest and Graspop Metal Meeting, Brutal Assault has a very loyal contingent of fans that attend year after year from all over the globe. This was my fourth Brutal Assault and I don’t foresee myself taking a break from it anytime soon. This year’s line-up was fucking incredible. All my favorite genres were represented well and there were plenty of bands that I’ve never seen before that I was finally going to get to “check that box.”

I had nine bands marked for the first day of the four-day marathon and it began with the grindcore OGs, Terrorizer. I’ve seen them a couple of times before in different line-up variations but today’s with Pete Sandoval and David Vincent making up half of the original lineup was the best one yet. What made this set even better was they only played material from their classic masterpiece, “World Downfall.” If you were to ask me to describe what grindcore is with a single album, this would be it. Peering over at David Vincent from time to time, it’s apparent that he loves playing these songs. He just grooved to them the whole time I was there. I loved this current version of the band and I hope it continues to be a thing (R.I.P. Jesse Pintado).

David Vincent of Terrorizer

Next up was legendary Los Angeles thrashers, Hirax. I’ll preface this next part with that I’m kind of old. Not AARP old, but I think older than most of you that will read this report. There’s probably been no less than fifteen or so times that I could have seen Hirax during a span of 30 years and for whatever reason, I just never got around to it. That was embarrassing to write.

Today, I hated myself even more for taking that long. They were everything that I thought they would be, but so much better. Vocalist Katon De Pena truly enjoys being on stage and he is constantly engaging the audience. The crowd that was there during their set were hardcore fans and already knew their songs by heart. This was one of several “Wow!” moments for me during the entire festival. I’m so glad I got to finally experience Hirax and it won’t be thirty years before I see them next time!

Hirax

The next band on my list would play on the same stage after Hirax, but first it was time to refuel. Brutal Assault probably has the largest variety of victuals to choose from of any festival I’ve ever attended. There is something for everyone. Every dietary restriction imaginable is not an issue at Brutal Assault, you are covered. For my meal, I chose to go with what I call “Greek Lo Mein” but in actuality, it was gyro meat and noodles. However I describe it, it was carbs and meat. Just what I needed to get through the rest of the day/night.

The band Finntroll is an acquired taste. Their quirky take on blackened folk metal sets them apart from other bands that side on black or folk metal exclusively. Maybe it’s the prosthetic troll ears? Or, maybe it’s the upbeat, happy sounding riffing paired with scowling vocals? Finntroll’s sound skirts right down the middle of the two genres and it’s awesome. I’ve seen them twice before but this was my favorite set out of all of them. This stage (Obscure Stage) was too small for them in my opinion. There were people stretched out all the way to the where the festival grounds open up for the vending, portable bathrooms, and merch tents.

Mathias Lillmåns of Finntroll More...

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Depravation Fest 2024: Day 1

When you live in a town where not much happens, you often have to travel outside to see the bands you love. Fortunately for metal fans in Swindon, we're not far away from London, Bristol or Cardiff, so it's not as much of a problem as for fans in say Grimsby or the Scottish Highlands. Still though, one dreams of something special happening in their hometown and this past weekend, that's exactly what happened, as the team behind Depravation Promotions put in a hell of a lot of work to give Swindon something to be proud of, Depravation Fest.

The first edition occured last year as a one day event, but this year it expanded across the whole weekend, including Friday evening, taking place at a club named Levels, which has previously gone by such names as Level 3, The Furnace and Underground and is now a drum and bass club, though the new owners were gracious enough to allow the already booked metal festival to take place this year.

As one might expect from a small festival taking place in a club and the pub next door, many of the bands performing this weekend either had a small but loyal fan base or were complete unknowns to the local audience, but that's part of the fun, being exposed to new bands. First to bat at this exciting venture was Atarka, from Birmingham. Though not as busy as it would become later in the evening, the band still put in a hell of a shift to entertain those who had arrived early, treating them to their groovy brand of death metal. Unfortunately, Atarka also had to contend with some sound issues, including a lot of feedback and a microphone which broke, so it's a little hard to judge their music, but they should definitely be commended for working through the problems.

It will become apparent when reading these reports that for a lot of the bands, there won't be a huge amount of detail, and that's because the average set time was half an hour. Thirty minutes was all that was needed for the next band however, as Scotland founded, Worcester based technical death metal outfit Desecrator took to the stage. Despite having a few issues with the sound themselves, their music really shined during their set, offering attendees a clever, but catchy approach to the genre where one could just as easily mosh as stand back and respect the stellar musicianship on display. Frontman Mark Dubanowski, who started Desecrator as a solo project in 2007, has a natural talent for chatting away to the crowd and it helps make the band all the more endearing. Definitely seek out this band if you're a fan of technical death metal, or songs about video games, because they have real talent. More...

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Armored Saint Reigns Supreme In London

One of the most commonly used phrases among metal fans is, "They should have been bigger." Despite metal fans' contradictory attitude towards commercial success, Armored Saint always had the tunes and the talent to go far and while they never reached the heights they deserved, their legacy is undisputed as one of the greatest exponents of American heavy metal. "Symbol Of Salvation" is a bona fide classic and there are several other albums that could be considered legendary too. Forty two years on from their formation, Armored Saint were back in London to perform at The Dome in Tufnell Park and fans were eager to welcome them back to The Old Smoke.

The evening kicked off in tremendous fashion thanks to English traditional heavy metal flag bearers Tailgunner. Since the release of their debut album, "Guns For Hire" last July, the quintet has received a lot of praise and rightfully so. Traditional heavy metal is a hard thing to pull off in the modern day, but Tailgunner is bloody superb at it. It was a surprise, albeit a fun one to see them walk on stage the classic Mikis Theodorakis composition, "Zorba The Greek," but it set the tone for the fun that was to come, which soon arrived via opening number, "Guns For Hire." The title track is a great representation of what to expect from the band; Maiden and Priest worship at its finest.

Guitarists Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson were on fire throughout the whole set, particularly during the guitar battle mid-way through their performance. Like Thompson, there's another recent addition to the lineup in the form of ex Asomvel drummer Jani Pasanen, who was just as exciting to watch, while vocalist Craig Cairns (also of Induction and Titan Blood) was in excellent voice. In addition to excellent originals like "White Death," "Warhead" and "Revolution Scream," there was a couple of covers thrown in like "Beast In The Night" by Randy, and the closing song, "Painkiller," which of course is a Judas Priest classic. It's easy to see what the hype around Tailgunner is all about because they're so energetic and so much fun. Fans of classic heavy metal need to add them to their listening rotation because they'll restore your faith in the music you love. More...

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Sigh Haunts The Oslo In Hackney

Black metal is a genre whose reputation precedes it. Most metal historians will tell you that it started in the eighties with Venom, Hellhammer, Bathory and Mercyful Fate, but the notorious Norwegian scene of the early nineties built not only a legacy, but tropes which continue to nip at the genre's heels to this day. A little bit of digging will prove that it's so much more than what people think it is however, it's a global phenomenon. Case in point, shortly before his death, Mayhem founder Euronymous was in the process of signing a band to his Deathlike Silence label from Japan, one who has gone on to become one of the greatest and most experimental groups from their homeland; Sigh. Having released their first album, "Scorn Defeat" in 1993 through said label, they've been able to channel their influences into something original and highly respectable ever since. Thirty one years on from their debut, the band are as strong as ever and spending a Summer in Europe, including four nights in the United Kingdom, beginning with a show in London at a rather pleasant bar named Oslo, located in Hackney.

Opening festivities tonight was English black metal outfit The Infernal Sea, and "outfit" is definitely a key word. Clad in robes, masks and hoods, the band are immediately very striking via their appearance, not unlike Batushka. Fortunately for those in the crowd who had never actually listened to them before, their clothing is only a part of their performance and the music is really good. While many black metal bands tend to take themselves a bit too seriously, The Infernal Sea understands that they're putting on a show, not a ritual or a black mass or whatever other pretentious name such bands like to use for their gigs, and they put on a damn good show.

The Infernal Sea kicked off their set with, "Lord Abhorrent," the first track from their latest album, "Hellfenlic," which was released at the beginning of the year through Candlelight Records. As one might expect from a band with a new record to promote, it featured quite prominently in the setlist, with "Shadow Of the Beast" and "Witchfinder" also given an airing, as was "Bastard Of The East," which was saved for the finale. They got through six songs in total, with "Agents Of Satan" and "Way Of The Wolf" being the other two numbers blasted towards the crowd, who were up for every second of it. The Infernal Sea gets mentioned a lot in the British underground and based on tonight's showing, I can see why. They're like a good roller coaster, in that they're so thrilling you immediately want to experience them again. A great representation of British black metal. More...

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Exodus, Exumer & Hirax Invade Islington

When it comes to metal's many sub-genres, thrash metal may well be the most exciting. Inspired by punk, it took the speed and aggression of the genre and mixed it with the intricacies of metal, becoming something which could switch between serious and fun easily, and with the energy contained in the music, it's almost a sonic fountain of youth. If ever there was a band that took the aggression and fun of thrash to the extreme, it was the Bay Area's own Exodus. Founded back in 1979 by guitarist Kirk Hammett and drummer Tom Hunting, along with Keith Stewart and Tim Agnello, the band became legendary in the iconic California thrash scene and their debut, "Bonded By Blood," is an unquestionable classic. They've released a further ten albums since then, along with live releases and lineup shake ups but in 2024, they're as strong as ever. With the release of their new live record, "British Disaster: The Battle of '89 (Live at the Astoria)," it seemed like the perfect time to see them once more in London, this time with some very special guests.

Opening the show tonight was fellow Bay Area thrashers Hirax. On a personal note, I've waited literally half of my life to see Hirax, so expectations were high. I'm glad to report that expectations weren't just met, they were exceeded. Still led by vocalist Katon de Pena (although fans of both bands will know that there was a brief period where former Exodus vocalist Paul Baloff fronted the group,) the singer is still in magnificent form, belting out old favourites such as "The Plague" and "Warlords Command" with sheer ferocity. The rest of the band are playing to their fullest too, keeping the songs sounding fresh and fierce and the crowd were into every minute of it.

Katon endeared himself to the London faithful, continuously engaging with them, while also trying to get as many songs in as possible since the doors opened later than scheduled. New songs "Drill Into The Brain," "Drowned Bodies" and "Faster Than Death" all sounded excellent and easily on par with the best tracks of their career. Hirax promised to come back to London with a longer set and I can't wait for them to do so, because this was so much fun from start to finish and maybe if I'm really lucky, they'll play "Unleash The Dogs Of War" then too. More...

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Deicide Decimates The Dome In Tufnell Park

Sometimes, to understand what makes something so beloved, you need to go back to the roots. Nowadays, death metal bands are ten a penny, very few of which offer anything worth listening to, much less anything original. There's definitely some good younger bands out there like Baest and Frozen Soul, but few will disagree; You can't beat the classics. In the grip of sunshine and hot weather, two things Britain is very unfamiliar with, London welcomed a band who was born in the heat and became one of death metal's true icons; Deicide. Having just released their latest album, "Banished By Sin," the Florida quartet were in town, fresh off of their performance at Bloodstock to bring their rabid fan base a healthy dose of blasphemy, antitheism and crushing tunes.

Unfortunately, a myriad of transport problems prevented me from getting to the venue when doors opened and checking out the first band Corpsing. I've no idea what they sound like, but it would have been nice to find out in person. However I did arrive shortly before the second band of the night, Burner, took to the stage, which was an interesting set in a way. Like a lot of bands in the modern scene, they're billed as "death metal/hardcore" but honestly, they're a deathcore band, like many other groups who use the double genre tag.

It has to be said that they do have a bit more going on than the standard deathcore fare however, with some cool grooves and riffs and there was certainly an audience for them at this show, enough to generate a decent mosh pit anyway. Sadly, there was also more than a few people in attendance who just took the piss out of them, sarcastically mimicking the vocalist's mannerisms throughout the set, while the rest of the crowd seemed pretty nonplussed. They're worth checking out if you're into deathcore and they probably would have gone down better supporting a different legend like Suffocation or Broken Hope, but when life gives you an opportunity you take it, so fair play to them. More...

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The Final Day Of Mystic 2024, Satyricon Was KING

Sadly, the final day of the 25th edition of Mystic Festival had arrived. It was to be the busiest day of the festival but we were rested and ready to take on whatever the day may bring. Earlier, the day featured many “Core” and screamo type bands but the late afternoon and evening schedule would consist of mostly of Black, Doom and Death Metal.

There’s always plenty of seating at Mystic Festival

I was talked into checking out Lord of the Lost by a fellow photographer friend a few weeks ago. I didn’t really know much about them and I didn’t bother to preview them before the festival like I normally do. When I arrived at the photo pit area, it sounded like a Ghost concert was getting ready to begin with all the mostly teen-aged crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. Well, I can say that are definitely not my cup of tea. I was impressed with their stage look and energy level, but they were a shoot my three obligatory songs and on to the next stage sort of band for me.

Chris "The Lord" Harms of Lord of the Lost

Next up was Greece’s 1000mods. They are unequivocally the Kyuss of Greece and perhaps all of Europe. There was a lot of excitement brewing around the Desert Stage when I arrived. How could I tell? I lost count of how many times I heard the word “Malaka” being shouted while waiting for them to take to the sun-drenched stage. The band was prepared on this bright and sunny day, sporting sunglasses when began their set with “Electric Carve.” This was my 2nd time seeing them and their formula is a simple one. Keep it simple and keep it grooving. It’s a simple yet effective formula, but it works for them. Maybe that’s why they’ve been a Stoner Metal fan favorite at every show they play since their formation in 2006.

1000mods

When Kerry King released his first solo band album earlier this year, there were a lot of mixed reviews about it. The most prevalent opinion that I read was that it sounded like leftover Slayer material that never made it onto their last recorded album. I felt that was a fair assessment. I only listened to about half of the album and what I heard wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t exciting either. The question now was, how would it his solo material translate to a live performance?

Kerry King

Overall, I was impressed with the set. Kerry King has a star laden backing band so that helped. Mark Osegueda’s vocal stylings for this band definitely have a Tom Araya-ish tone to them and personally, I like that. There was plenty of Slayer like pyrotechnics happening throughout the set and of course there were not one…not two…but THREE Slayer songs included in the setlist! I can’t tell you how impressed I was that they played “Black Magic.” I guess subconsciously, I really do miss Slayer. I’ll bet at some point they’ll reform and play a few special, one-off shows. I can almost guarantee it.

Phil Demmel and Mark Osegueda

Dark Funeral was next on the Park Stage. It was already late afternoon so a Black Metal band wearing corpse paint in daylight hours outdoors just appears a little strange visually. Dark Funeral has always been a little dramatic live so it wasn’t too much of a surprise that vocalist Heljarmadr was playing the part of Nosferatu throughout the band’s intro music. Dark Funeral are very good live, but they are known to use a lot of pyro. Today, there was none of that but they were still one of the better bands that I saw for the entire day.

Heljarmadr of Dark Funeral More...

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Mystic Festival Day Two Was All About Megadeth

The second day of Mystic Festival 2024 featured the festival’s main attraction band, Thrash Metal’s Big Four legends, Megadeth. There were already more people here than the previous two days and Megadeth wouldn’t take the stage for another eight hours. There was a slight chance for rain later on, but I would bet that even if the forecast called for torrential tsunami rain, that it wouldn’t deter any “Droogie” today.

Mystic Festival Cthulhu Skull

Lousiana’s sludge titans, Crowbar, was the first band on my list today. The sky was little dark when they took the stage but that only added some realistic atmosphere to their New Orleans laden vibe. This was their first show in Poland ever so the crowd was a little fervid to say the least. Kirk Windstein was his usual southern gentleman self, but I think his accent might have been a little too much for the Polish heavy crowd to understand at times. Either way, it was a great start to the day.

Kirk Windstein of Crowbar

The Shits were probably the only true punk band on the Mystic Festival billing. Their songs didn’t consist of your typical punk rock formula, they’re longer and slower, but the punk attitude is front and center. For example, vocalist Callum Howe stole at least two beers from the crowd and then spat those said beers onto them. At one point, he reached into his pants, appeared to pull some hair from a specific area of his groin and then put those hairs into his mouth. HE THEN SWALLOWED THEM. Ehhh…. I guess he wanted to make a statement that punk is more about attitude than song formula? I don’t get why you have to be disgusting to be punk.

The Shits

After The Shits, another British band (this one not so gross) took to the same DNA laden stage. Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs AKA Pigsx7. I saw them open up for the Melvins last summer and loved their show. I became an instant fan right away. Their set at this year’s Mystic Festival was absolute fire. Their energy level was through the roof and was reciprocated tenfold by the crowd throughout their 45-minute-long set. The barefooted Muay Thai gear sporting vocalist, Matthew Baty, is a fucking inferno onstage. In my opinion, his live show energy level is only second to Barney Greenway of Napalm Death.

Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs

At some point during their set, a pair of some very used looking tennis shoes ended up on stage. When the band attempted to return them to the now presumed barefooted owner, no one claimed them. Maybe it was a gesture of gratitude by the shoeless fan? Maybe they evaporated by spontaneous combustion? We’ll never know what actually happened. But one thing is for certain…when a band creates a fever pitch anything is possible and that’s exactly what Pigsx7 did that day.

German heavy metal legends Accept’s set started at sunset on the large outdoor Park Stage. I was a little surprised by this since I’ve seen Accept command much larger stages in the past. The crowd didn’t seem to notice the smaller stage at all with fan favorites such as “Restless and Wild,” “Fast as a Shark,” and “Balls to the Wall” being included in their setlist. Accept looked spry and genuinely happy to still be playing the summer metal festival circuit. I think in every photo that I took of lead guitarist Wolf Hoffmann; he’s grinning from ear to ear. I’m pretty sure the same look was planted on every face within the crowd behind me.

Mark Tornillo and Wolf Hoffmann of Accept

I had to make a difficult decision for my next band to see due to another schedule conflict. Do I see grind metal gods Terrorizer? Or, Swedish stoner rock legends, Graveyard? Ultimately, I picked Graveyard just because they don’t tour the United States often. Unfortunately, I ended up regretting that decision afterwards.

As I drew closer towards the smallish outdoor Desert Stage, I could see everyone waiting for Graveyard were squished together like sardines near the stage. I managed to worm my way through that mess to an already crowded photo pit. I’ve seen Graveyard before, but it’s been a while. I can honestly say I was a bit bored during the time I was there. Unless you’re a superfan and you love all their material, you might understand my critique. There wasn’t a whole lot happening on stage neither. I’ll just leave it at this. Graveyard are super talented and play well live but compared to the majority of the bands at the festival, their set was a snoozer for me.

Graveyard More...

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