Archive: Reports
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Saor Brings A Unique Aura To London
Black metal is an interesting genre, and not just for the stories and incidents. For many metal fans who weren't around in the eighties, their introduction to the genre is almost certainly the infamous Norwegian scene of the early nineties, which had some great music, but can be a little off putting due to its "necro sound" philosophy. Once one digs a little deeper though, they find all kinds of different approaches to black metal, with atmosphere playing a huge part in the appeal to people all across the world. In recent years, Scotland's Saor has been a highlight of the atmospheric black metal sub-genre and this Summer, the band marked an important anniversary heading to London and Manchester where they would play the "Aura" album in full, with the first of these shows occurring in Camden's Underworld.
Fans in attendance had something of a special treat to begin with, as they were able to witness the London debut of Northern Irish post-black metal band Domhain. Last year, the band released their debut EP, "Nimue," and so it was no surprise that their set contained all three songs from the effort, "The Mourning Star," "A Pile Of Stones Upon Her Grave" and "A Silent Frequency," in addition to a brand new number named "Feather From A Raven's Breast." Immediately, Domhain is able to set the mood perfectly, creating a wonderfully moody atmosphere without it becoming depressing. Instead, they remained focused, steadfast in their music, which already demonstrates enormous talent and promise. Keep an eye on Domhain, they could be making waves very soon. More...
Cradle Of Filth Live In Germany
I have been a Cradle of Filth fan for a long time now—25 years or so. However, I had never seen them live. I thought I was going to see them a time or two in 2020, but of course that didn’t happen.
I didn’t think I was going to Europe this summer, but a trip to Saarbrücken, Germany fell into my lap on short notice. Who should be playing while I was there? None other…
Get the Shot started the night off. Hardcore isn’t really my thing, and they seemed like a strange band to tour with Cradle of Filth, but somehow they were on the same bill.
I once had the chance to see Get the Shot, at 2019 Brutal Assault, but they were playing at the same time as Destruction so that didn’t happen.
Even though Get the Shot isn’t my cup of tea musically, they did put on an energized performance to say the least.
I don’t think I have ever seen more energy come out of a frontman before. Jean-Philippe Lagacé showed the crowd what an extreme workout for 30 minutes or so really looks like.
Between bands, I got some air. Garage is a decent venue in mild weather, but it was a hot and humid day, and there were no fans or AC in the place.
Cradle of Filth was well worth the wait.
Abbath Brings Out Immortal Classics In Camden
It must be a fine line when embarking on a solo career, or at least launching an eponymous band. While as an artist one strives to explore their talent, or simply write music they themselves want to hear, there will always be fans who want to hear material from your previous endeavours. Abbath Doom Occulta, is a prime example of this quandary. On one hand, his three albums under the Abbath name have all been excellent, with plenty to get excited about and new songs that have thrilled fans old and new, but on the other, he made his name, and indeed his image, as the iconic frontman of black metal legends Immortal. This Summer, Abbath launched a tour of Europe with something a little different in mind; "Return To The Raven Realm," sets which consisted entirely of Immortal songs and Metal Underground was there in London to catch this interesting presentation.
Taking place in the Electric Ballroom, probably my favourite of the venues located right near the tube station, fans were queuing up for quite a while in anticipation, swapping stories of other gigs they'd been to and so forth. When the doors opened, the black metal horde poured in where they were soon greeted by perhaps one of the best suited support acts I've ever seen. Much has been made about Hellripper, the blackened speed metal band masterminded by Scottish musician James McBain, but to my shame, this would be my first time really listening to them. Abbath has never shied away from his influences, particularly Motorhead, and so it was very apt that opening the evening there was a band which took as much from the punk aggression of Discharge as they did the blackness of Bathory.
There were plenty of Hellripper fans in attendance, and plenty more after only a song or two, because they were absolutely superb! Kicking off with "All Hail The Goat," (which a latecomer would repeatedly scream for them to play later,) it was clear immediately that they were going to be a lot of fun. The enjoyment continued with songs like "Nekroslut," "Goat Vomit Nightmare" and "From Hell," which all cut through the crowd like a knife through butter. The band are often compared to Midnight for a few reasons and hearing these songs, it's definitely easy to spot their similarities, although both travel similar roads, each arrives at their destination. This was an absolutely exhilarating performance helped all the more by tracks such as "Nunfucking Armageddon 666" and "Bastard Of Hades," before they closed with "Headless Angels," and I can't wait to see them again! More...
High On Fire Sets Islington Alight
Often when it comes to metal gigs in London, we hop on the Northern line and head to Camden for a show at The Underworld, The Black Heart, The Electric Ballroom or if we're being fancy, The Roundhouse. There are other areas in capital's north which frequently host heavier acts though, such as Tufnell Park, Kentish Town or more commonly, Islington, which is where we find ourselves tonight. Only a day after an excellent performance from Crypta in Bristol, it was off to the Smoke to catch another bucket list band of mine, High On Fire, who were set to bring their European tour to the Islington Assembly Hall.
It's a fairly grand venue, with balcony seats, clean hallways and a large stage, which emanates a degree of class, so of course this reporter fit right in with his "Fuck the Tories" badge displayed proudly after being gifted it from the socialists outside the tube station. Following the traditional scramble at the merch booth, it was through to the hall to catch tonight's support, Silverburn, a project from Hark and Taint frontman Jimbob Isaac. Their debut release, "Self Induced Transcendental Annihilation" was unleashed last August and immediately garnered praise, leading to a spot at this year's Desertfest London. It was clear to see that most of the crowd were in agreement. Silverburn offers a meaty sound, very modern metal in its approach and performs with a strong presence, delivering their music in powerful fashion. They're certainly not for everyone, but overall this was a solid performance which would have won them some new fans. More...
Crypta Takes Bristol Under Their Black Wings
Good things come to those who wait, so they say. Ever since Crypta announced their formation in 2019, British fans of Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto's work in Nervosa could hardly wait for them to make their way over to our grey and miserable island. Having been there for Nervosa's first UK show in 2015, when they supported Cryptopsy and Brujeria, as well doing my first in person interview with Ms. Lira, it's been a joy to see her and her former band go from strength to strength because they really do deserve every success that comes their way. Finally, five years after their formation, Crypta were embarking on their first headlining run of eight English cities and towns and the anticipation couldn't be greater, especially when I noticed that they were heading to the intimate and inclusive Exchange in Bristol.
The show kicked off with some local flavour, courtesy of Moon Reaper. Describing themselves as "blackened hardcore doom," it is a little hard to pin down their sound, so let's sum it up with this... They were great! Bristol has long been home to many excellent musicians and it's great to see enough like minded ones come together and pool their talents into creating something exciting and enjoyable. Fronted by the charismatic Sirin Bozkurt, who also possesses an outstanding voice, Moon Reaper connects with the audience in a powerful way, far beyond that of a local band with friends in the audience. They've been going for a little while now and had just put out their latest EP, "Black Sun Sorcery," which was of course represented well tonight. Moon Reaper delivers their music with tremendous precision and has a natural stage presence, both of which will help them climb the ranks of the British metal scene. They've already had some high profile support slots, but it won't be long until they're nationwide favourites. More...
The First Full Day Of Mystic Festival Was Fire!
You couldn’t have asked for better weather on the first full day of this year’s Mystic Festival. The forecast called for zero chance of rain and the temperature was in the middle 60’s Fahrenheit. There was a noticeable increase in the number of attendees at the festival today and there was a reason for it. Today’s lineup was stacked from top to bottom. I had already penciled in eight bands to catch today and there could have been more. There were other bands I wanted to check out, but due to conflicts, the schedule made it all but impossible to do so.
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Mystic Festival’s Entrance
I’ve been wanting to see Gutalax ever since I missed them at their infamous Brutal Assault set in 2019. Just do a search on YouTube for that specific show and you’ll be enlightened., Although there was no Toi Toi crowd surfing (the festival organizers moved the portable toilets farther away from the stages this year, a smart move on their part I must say…), today’s show at Mystic Festival did not disappoint. There were plenty of rolls of toilet paper, inflatable pool toys and balloons flying all over the place throughout their set.
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Gutalax
Gutalax’s sound may not be everyone’s jam, but the atmosphere at their shows can be likened to a circus on crack. I haven’t laughed so much at a concert in years. My wife and I brought some blow-up pool toys from home for the show, and at one point, our giant pink donut with sprinkles ended up on stage with the band. They had some fun with it for a minute before “singer” Martin Matoušek threw it back into the crowd. Gutalax took a crowd photo at the end of their set and you can see our donut clearly within the elated crowd. That donut did us proud.
Can you find the donut???
The next band Nakkeknaekker is so young that I’m pretty sure they’re still in high school. There’s not a lot of information available online about this teenaged Death Metal band, but I can tell you that they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. They play brutal, old school death metal similar to the early Earache Records roster (think Entombed/Morbid Angel) of Death Metal bands. Their energy level was off the charts and they played like they had a chip on their shoulder. If they stick together, they’ll be destined for remarkable things. Check them out.
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NAKKEKNAEKKER
The next band on my list was a last minute, fill in the gap type band before my actual next penciled in band. Black Gold is a Nu Metal band that wasn’t as popular as their contemporaries during the height of the genre’s popularity. I’ll be honest here. I can’t stand Nu Metal and Black Gold didn’t change anything in that regard, but I thought the costuming and their stage look was cool. At least it made for some great photos.
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Black Gold
Sodom was next on the list and even though I’ve seen them three times within a year’s span not including today’s set, I’m still not burned out on them. They played a different set-list for Mystic Festival from the last time I saw them on 70,000 Tons Of Metal, a deeper dig into their forty years’ worth of thrash classics.
What else can I say about Tom Angelripper and Frank “Blackfire” Gosdzik? These two have been keeping Sodom afloat for over forty years. Sodom are at the pinnacle of the German Big Four and only Destruction can rival them in my opinion. If you’ve never seen them live, need I write more to convince you to catch them before it’s too late and they call it a day?
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Tom Angelripper and Frank “Blackfire” Gosdzik of Sodom
The next band, LIK, was slated to play at the smallest indoor venue at the festival (Sabbath Stage) and by the time I arrived, I had to shove my way through the already packed venue towards the photo pit. When this happens, it’s usually a good sign that the band is going to be good. Like Nakkeknaekker, LIK play an old school Death Metal style. LIK are several years older, so there was a certain “battle hardened” feel to them.
This was my first time seeing LIK and I have to say I was impressed. They have a very Swedish Death Metal sound to them and that should come as no surprise due to the fact they’re actually from there. I’ve been listening to Death Metal since its inception, so the fact that I’m impressed by any “newish” band within the genre, is a rarity. I immediately downloaded a couple of their albums after their set.
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LIK More...
Desertfest London 2024: Day 3
Once again, we come to the finale. The last day of a festival is always bittersweet. A time of sadness because you know things go back to normal tomorrow, but also of joy because there's another day full of great music ahead. While attendees didn't have The Roundhouse to enjoy on the last day, the Electric Ballroom was open to us again and boasted a wealth of talent ready to perform. As always though, The Underworld was open for business and that's where we begin today's report.
Heading down the staircase and into the venue, the crowd were welcomed by Noisepicker. The duo, comprised of Orange Goblin bassist Harry Armstrong on guitar & vocals and drummer Kieran Murphy, emit the vibe of a local band one might see down the pub, but the kind that you have to tell your friends about right away. They mix a healthy variety of music, including doom and punk to create something fun and lively, enticing the crowd with a good time. While the music itself is solid and very enjoyable, the tongue does seem to be placed firmly in cheek with Armstrong's delivery and banter with the audience. Honestly speaking, there may not be a huge legacy ahead for Noisepicker itself, despite the brilliant moniker, but they can definitely craft out a good reputation as a live band, one which perfectly opens a show and gets everyone in the right frame of mind. More...
Mystic Festival's Warm Up Day Stayed High And Dry
Mystic Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary during this year’s edition of the Poland based, summer metal festival. This was my third year in a row attending this under the radar metal fest. Just like the beloved Polish dish of pierogi, each one has been slightly different and even better than the previous year’s.
The festival added some bigger names to this year’s warm up day and even though mother nature was threatening to make it a soggy occasion, it didn’t stop it from being the busiest warm up day I’ve been to during the past three years. Mystic Festival is definitely more equipped to handle a rainy day. There is plenty of seating inside the food court area and there are some large, tented merch areas where you can also keep your battle vests dry.
The first band of the day and Mystic Festival was Poland based thrashers, Hellfuck. Hellfuck is fronted by Azarath’s Marcin Sienkiel and I subconsciously expected them to sound like a thrash version of that band. I was pleasantly mistaken. They have their own unique sound with some homage to 1980’s era thrash. There was a nice size crowd there for them I noticed several Hellfuck shirts speckled throughout their audience. It was nice seeing the hometown crowd supporting one of their own.
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Marcin Sienkiel of Hellfuck
Next up was one of the bands I was most looking forward to all of the festival, Fear Factory. I hadn’t seen them since their “Soul of a New Machine” tour in the early 1990’s, so it’s been a minute. This was obviously my first-time seeing Milo Silvestro as the vocalist and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. His vocals had a lot of effects on them, but in my opinion, he has a vocal range very similar to Burton C. Bell. I only got to watch a few songs, but during “Edgecrusher,” I saw an unlucky fan get soaked by their own beer once the chorus kicked in. Pro tip: If you have a full beer, never stand that close to the pit! It’s a good thing that beers are inexpensive at Mystic Festival.
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Milo Silvestro of Fear Factory More...
Desertfest London 2024: Day 2
Fridays are always a good time at Desertfest. Everyone's excited and eager to check bands out, enjoy some of their cult favourites and get the vibe going, but Saturday is often when the real meat and potatoes are served. Last year alone fans were treated to the likes of Corrosion Of Conformity, Crowbar, Weedeater and Slomatics and this year saw some heavy hitters on board, even if they were some surprising ones.
Just like yesterday, things began in the Underworld with a Norwegian band, this time in the form of Kal-El. While I was disappointed that a band named after Superman didn't walk on to the classic John Williams theme, but that was the only thing even close to a low point from this set. Kal-El started really well, but somehow got better and better as the show went on. Fuzzy and furious, the quartet performed both tracks from their latest EP, "Moon People," (namely the title track and "Universe,) in a set which was a perfect blend of crushing metal and fun hard rock. The band gelled together so well and the chemistry was plain to see for all in attendance as they continued to tear through their slot. A fantastic way to get things underway and I can't wait to see them again. More...
Sabertooth Portland 2024 – Night One
Sabertooth Portland 2024 – Night One
The 2024 edition of Sabertooth saw a movement back to more psychedelic offerings (and less metal like last year). Night two certainly had a more metal flavor than Friday night. One thing that remained the same from 2023 was the high percentage of bands that were either all female or had at least one female member.
First up was Fluid Druid, a band I was not familiar with. I should have done more to get to know them beforehand. They were not bad, and I can see myself possibly getting into them at some point.
Death Valley Girls were next, and I really enjoyed their performance. Alana Asha Amram filled in on bass, which was a bit odd given that their former bassist was also in the building.
Black Mountain (from Canada--not the black metal band from Australia) was the most metal band of the evening. I wasn’t familiar with them before the Sabertooth band announcement came out but have been listening to them regularly for the past few months. Their recorded material is great and they didn’t disappoint live.
Black Mountain in the Crystal Ballroom
Friday night’s headliner was Frankie and the Witch Fingers. This was another band that I was unfamiliar with until recently. Influenced by Osees and King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard, FATWF was lots of fun.
Nikki Pickle and Dylan Sizemore of Frankie and the Witch Fingers @ 2024 Sabertooth PDX
After the music of night one was over, I got to chatting with the couple sitting next to me. Turns out they are FATWF's drummer's parents so here is one of Nick Aguilar for them.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers setlist (May 31, 2024)
Desertfest London 2024: Day 1
London, one of the most famous cities in the world, as well as one of the busiest. It has a rich history of everything from engineering to finance, language and of course, music. It may be the furthest thing from a desert one can get without going to Scandinavia or the South Pole, but the Desertfest event has become an essential trip for fans of doom, sludge and stoner metal, as well as heavy blues and naturally, desert rock. It attracts some of the biggest and best names in these fields and makes the busy streets of Camden bearable for a few days. This year, the festival was celebrating its eleventh edition and raised a few eyebrows for hosting some bands that may not spring to mind when one thinks of Desertfest, but nonetheless promised to bang some heads after turning them.
Those lucky enough to attend the first day had some special treats in store for them. Just down the road from Camden tube station lies Raven Records, a small but very cool store dedicated to metal music and today they had none other than Orange Goblin visiting, who were giving fans a first listen of their brand new album, "Science, Not Fiction" (spoiler alert: it rules!) as well as taking photos and signing posters. While not officially part of the Desertfest schedule, the band has played at the event three times, including the very first in 2012, so it was right up attendees' street.
Speaking of which, Desertfest welcomed a very special guest for a Q&A session on Denmark Street, in the Black Heart, one of several venues in use over the weekend; former Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin. Promoting the remasters of the Sabbath records he sang on (with the exception of "The Eternal Idol,") the singer was warm and humble, explaining to eager fans how he joined the band, the surrealism of the band's first show in Moscow and the confusion caused by the involvement of Body Count's Ernie C on the "Forbidden" album. After a thoroughly entertaining talk, he hung around to sign autographs and take pictures with fans, making time for everyone who wanted to speak with him. A phenomenal voice and a lovely person, let's hope he's finally going to get the recognition he deserves with the re-release of these albums. More...
MU Goes To Hell: Incinceration Fest 2024
One of the wonderful things about Camden, a very busy area of north London, is the amount of venues there are. London in general has plenty of live music hosts, but it seems if one has to go to Camden, or a neaby area like Tufnell Park or Kentish Town, if they want to experience some live metal. This is exactly why many flocked to the likes of the Electric Ballroom and The Underworld this past Saturday, as Incinceration Fest returned for its ninth edition to celebrate black and death metal, as well as some other examples of the extreme, from the UK and abroad.
While Ante-Inferno kicked things off in The Underworld, this review begins a short time later at the Electric Ballroom around the corner, where east English veterans Fen took to the stage quickly after the doors opened. Heavily inspired by their home area from where they draw their name, Fen channels the beauty and fury of the natural world through their music, which is epic in scope and offers so much to be enthralled by. Guitarist, The Watcher howled and screamed his way through five numbers, two of which were taken from their latest album, "Monuments To Absence," and those who made their way to the Ballroom for this performance all seemed very impressed, myself included. The trio possess an imposing stage presence which makes the delivery of this absolutely fascinating music all the more powerful. An excellent way to begin the festival! More...
Rotten Sound Ushers In Incineration Fest 2024
From the Rolling Stones to Iron Maiden, sometimes the most exciting gigs take place in a London pub. So it was this past Friday, when in anticipation of Incineration Fest happening the following day, the event put on a pre-party, featuring some of the most ferocious music going. Hosting this fiesta was The Black Heart, an essential pub for all headbangers in Britain to check out, which features a performance space upstairs and has welcomed such bands as Baest, Mastiff, Bulletboys and Electric Eel Shock in recent months.
Kicking off the evening was Skinflint, who has made the journey from Botswana to be here tonight. Indeed, the band were so excited to be performing in England for the first time, that I noticed (and spoke to) two members thanking those in attendance for coming early to see them. Such gratitude will only make people like you even more and so it was that when they took to the stage, metal fans were delighted to welcome them. Playing a style of metal which draws more from the traditional than the tempo and temper of grindcore, they were perhaps a little out of place tonight, but their enthusiasm, as well as genuinely good music made them very endearing. Frontman Giuseppe Sbrana had the decency to explain some of the subjects and words to the audience, who all seemed interested in these topics that are completely new to most of them and when twinned with some great tunes, it becomes all the more intriguing to do some research on Tswana culture afterwards. A really enjoyable set and I think I speak for everyone who witnessed it when I say that Skinflint is welcome back in London anytime. More...
Sessanta's Berkeley Show
Sessanta - A 60th Birthday Celebration for Maynard James Keenan, live in Berkeley, California 4/21/24
Earlier this week at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre, A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer celebrated Maynard James Keenan’s 60th birthday. Labeled “Sessanta” (and for those of you who understand Spanish even less than I, “sesenta” means sixty in Spanish), the birthday celebration tour of seven shows announced in September 2023 became such a buzz that the festivities tripled into 21 concerts, soon to be ending on May 4.
Despite having grown up less than 18 miles from the Greek Theatre (and providing occasional tours of Berkeley for Japanese tourists in the early 1990s), this was my first time at the venue. The top portion of the venue has been redone for 2024 (this was the first show of the year), fixing lawn issues, and allowing for an even more spectacular view of the area including The Campanile and, on this clear day, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. Les Claypool commented on the stunning views that he partook of earlier in the day during one of the Primus sets. Even though I had my camera ready to capture the scene, I was informed that I couldn’t take photos, despite the fact that I had a photo pass, and the show wasn’t even going to begin for over an hour. Oh well.
Every night of the tour features unique posters and other merch for the bands individually and for Sessanta collectively. The lines for merch were so long, though, that like several shows I’ve seen over the past few years, you either had to choose between obtaining merch or seeing the show. I really don’t understand those that opt for the former.
As the promotion material promised, “All 3 Bands Onstage At The Same Time” really took place, not just once but throughout the evening, even if some of the members weren’t actively playing or singing. Lounges were set up in the corners of the platformed stage where the non-performing musicians frequently hung out or came and went. Very unusual and cool. To get to these birthday lounges one could either take the stairs or opt for the stairs chair. As one who recently finished The Sopranos, I laughed out loud the first time Maynard took the “Livia Soprano” route.
At Tool shows I’ve been to, Maynard did not interact with the audience. In fact, I could barely see him at all at one of them. This evening was very different. Not only was Maynard engaged with the audience but Les Claypool was even more interactive than normal. During “My Name Is Mud” Les paused and said something like, “I just realized I came up with that riff in the Greek Theatre’s Green Room thirty-something years ago.”
While performing “Follow the Fool”, Les appeared to be singing to the guy who suddenly appeared next to me with his phone out to take pictures/video. Before the song had even finished, security had taken the intoxicated amateur photographer out of the venue.
Unfortunately, my photos are very limited due to the “no photo” policy which applied to everyone, including those of us with photo passes. The only portion of the show we could shoot was the final song, and I couldn’t even see Les during that brief period of time.
This was the first show with Puscifer's Gunnar Olsen playing drums for A Perfect Circle as well.
I’m looking forward to the Settanta show at the rest home that Maynard and I will be living in come 2034.
Setlist:
A Perfect Circle
The Package
Disillusioned
The Contrarian
Primus
Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers
Too Many Puppies
Sgt. Baker
Follow the Fool
Puscifer
Galileo
Tiny Monsters
Indigo Children
Primus
Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
My Name Is Mud
Tommy the Cat
Puscifer
Flippant
Momma Sed
Bullet Train to Iowa
The Underwhelming
A Perfect Circle
The Hollow
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Weak and Powerless
The Outsider
Puscifer
The Humbling River
The Remedy
A Perfect Circle
Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
Judith
Primus
Southbound Pachyderm
Sessanta E.P.P.P.
Kindred
No Angel
Pablo's Hippos
Primus, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer
Grand Canyon
Blind Guardian Thrills Kentish Town
It's been a while since I've been to the Kentish Town Forum, but it's a venue I've always liked. I often find the staff to be excellent and the ampitheatre itself to be rather grand for a relatively small place. Fortunately, nothing seems to have changed and the welcome is as warm as ever. It's an exciting night in the English capital, with a sell out crowd eagerly awaiting the arrival of one of power metal's most revered bands, Blind Guardian. They're a mainstay at festivals throughout Europe and you're guaranteed to find their shirts at metal markets, but a headline show in Britain feels like a special event, let alone three. Tonight marked the final date of their trip to the island, before they fly out to the United States in a few days for a headlining tour and rest assured American fans, they're bringing their A game.
Filing in were metal fans of all kinds of backgrounds, all united by their shared love of the music and it wasn't long before we got the evening's appetisers, The Night Eternal. Hailing from Essen, Blind Guardian's compatriots may not be the most well known young metal band from Germany, but if this performance is anything to go by then that could change very soon. With two albums under their belts already, The Night Eternal are very much heavy metal in its classic sense. The traditional heavy metal sound with a modern edge to it, fronted by Ricardo Baum, who has an absolutely amazing voice, belting out hard hitting metal very naturally. The group has a solid stage presence too, coming across as very confident while playing to the biggest audience of their growing career. More...
Incantation Casts A Spell Over The Underworld
It feels like a while since we presented a review of a death metal show on Metal Underground. Of course, some bands from the sub-genre have been covered in the 70000 Tons Of Metal recaps, but as a whole, it's been almost two months since the report on the Frozen Soul show at The Underworld in Camden, London. Speaking of which, the topic of this report comes from the same venue, where only two days before, I was lucky enough to witness a great display of power metal courtesy of Firewind. This time, it was full on death metal, as Pennsylvania based death metal squadron Incantation kicked off their headlining run of the UK and Ireland, following a trek of mainland Europe as main support to Decapitated.
Opening the show was local lads Mutagenic Host. Featuring two members of atmospheric black metal band Archierophant, this outfit is a more straight forward death metal affair. While not winning any points for originality, Mutagenic Host are a decent group, offering old school riffing and grisliness which will get your head moving, even if you try to resist. They wear their influences on their sleeves and it seems the mission statement is to replicate the old school death metal they love, something increasingly common nowadays with the likes of Frozen Soul and Baest. Mutagenic Host needs some work to match the quality of those bands, but the potential is there for sure. A solid opening act. More...
70,000 Tons Of Metal 2024 (Day Four)
The last day of any music festival is always bittersweet. In the back of your mind, you know it’s inevitable, but you do your best to distract yourself. Today was our last chance to see as many bands as possible and enjoy every moment like it was our last. Death by 70,000 Tons of Metal was our objective and we were going to meet it at any cost to our bodies.
The final day on 70,000 Tons Of Metal has always been by tradition a mini-Halloween of sorts. Survivors will dress in costumes of all types ranging from funny to crude to basically nude. I noticed some costumes being worn during every day of the festival, but the majority still garbed up on the last day.
There were some great getups this year. One of my favorites was a stormtrooper from the Star Wars movies. We saw him meandering the boat on several occasions but once I saw him checking out the merch selection, I had to tell him/her that I hoped their aim of picking out the correct shirt was better than their marksmanship with their laser gun. They turned towards me and just stared me down. They obviously were not amused by my snarky comment.
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Stormtrooper Is Not Amused
The first band on the list today was Einherjer. Einherjer has been part of a few 70k line-ups, but I’ve never actually stopped and watched them. That changed today. I can honestly say that they were very good for the style they played, old school Viking metal. It’s really not my thing, but at least I could finally check that box of finally seeing them.
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Einherjer
One of the festival’s most looked forward to attractions is the belly flop contest. By the time we arrived at the Solarium Pool, there wasn’t any open spots on the top deck to watch, we had to squeeze in from below. All shapes, sexes and sizes participate in this immensely popular and traditional event. The judges are always members of the bands and it’s a fun time for everyone involved. We were able to watch a few flops before grabbing lunch. It should come as no surprise that the person with the most body mass ended up with the highest score and winning the contest.
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Sunblocked!
Another one of the highlights of the cruise is the Jamming In International Waters All Star Jam. It’s basically members of different bands getting together to cover classic metal songs. Many of the members have never played with each other before so there are some glitches here and there, but it’s worthwhile going to at least once if you’re a 70k newbie.
My Dying Bride was next on the day’s list and this would be our first time seeing this historic English doom band. As the crowd waited for them to take to stage, the fog machines were putting in some overtime. From my vantage point in the photo pit, I couldn’t even make out faces a couple rows behind me because there was so much fog. This is the ambience that great doom metal bands strive for and it worked out beautifully for My Dying Bride. Their gothic style of doom still holds up to this day and vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe is in a class all by himself not only in the classic doom genre, but for all heavy metal itself. More...
Firewind And Fury Rip Through The Underworld
Power metal isn't for everyone, that's for sure, but it definitely needs to be a part of the metal spectrum. There's a lot of people who love heavy music, but don't always want to experience the darkness and negativity of say death or black metal. There needs to be an outlet for head bangers who wouldn't mind feeling happy, and that's where power metal steps in. Undoubtedly one of the brightest names to emerge from the genre in the 21st century is Firewind and for over twenty years now, the band led by guitar virtuoso Gus G. has gone from strength to strength. At the beginning of the month, the Thessaloniki born group unleashed their tenth studio album, "Stand United" and fans were eager to hear these new songs live. They may have saved London for last when it came to their European tour, but the British capital proved to be worth the wait.
Heading down to The Underworld (which we'll be revisiting later this week,) it wasn't long before the crowd were treated to the special guests this evening, Fury. Not to be confused with Fury UK from Manchester way, the Midlands based band combines heavy metal with power, thrash and a little bit of old fashioned rock and roll to create a truly exciting sound. Honestly, the audience seemed almost as happy to see Fury as they were to see Firewind, and with good reason. From the opening notes of "If You Get To Hell First," Fury set the Underworld alight. Almost every song is filled with heart racing beats and wild guitars, complimented perfectly by the vocal partnership of founder Julian Jenkins and Nyah Ifill and the driving bass of Becky Baldwin. More...
70,000 Tons Of Metal 2024 (Day Three)
Day three is always the day when you arrive at your destination port during the 70,000 Tons Of Metal festival. Most survivors (the festival’s nomenclature for festival attendees) choose to debark the ship and enjoy the local beaches, shops, and restaurants. There are also excursions that you can sign up for beforehand that include members of the festival’s bands. These are at an additional cost and consist of activities such as ziplining, snorkeling, boat excursions and even playing with the local monkeys.
Puerto Plata
This year’s destination port city was Puerto Plata located in the northwestern coast of the Dominican Republic. This touristy cruise ship port (Taino Bay) was very modern and chock full of shops, bars, and eateries. Like most Caribbean cruise ship ports, I describe Taino Bay as a sprawling Margaritaville, at least a football field length long. My wife and I are more of the adventurous types so we made our way through the plethora of friendly yet persistent vendors and walked through traffic laden streets for about 5 minutes before arriving in the colonial and cultural heart of Puerto Plata.
Umbrella Street
As far as Caribbean port cities are concerned, I give it a 7 out of 10. There are a couple of photogenic areas like Umbrella Street, and the Pink Alley. If you’re a “grammer” type, these areas are your jam. There were plenty of cute shops and cheap cafes all over the area. However, we had to hunt down a restaurant that serves local Dominican fare. We ended up at a place called Kelvin y Patricia Bar Restaurant. It’s located at the entrance of Umbrella Street and Calle San Felipe. This place rocked. We noticed that the platters were large, so we ordered a couple of beers and a plate of chicharrones de cerdo with some mofongo and platanos on the side. Everything was incredibly delicious. I highly recommend this place if you ever find yourself in Puerto Plata.
Chicharrones and Mofungo
After lunch, we wanted to get a head start back to the ship to take advantage of some quiet time on the ship, i.e., jacuzzi/libations, before the masses of “survivors” returned. After a couple of hours unwinding, it was time to start getting ready for the third night of bands. It was a tricky schedule because we picked to see Warkings, Nanowar of Steel, Saor and Blind Guardian back-to-back at the front part of tonight’s line-up and then we planned to take a nap to catch Infected Rain and Crypta in the early morning hours of the next day. More...
70,000 Tons Of Metal 2024 (Day Two)
Day two of 70,000 Tons Of Metal was an early start, and by early, I mean around noon. The first bands of the day normally start playing around ten in the morning, but only the very hardcore or the still inebriated fans are having metal for breakfast. One of NWOBHM’s elite bands, Tygers of Pan Tang, was the first band on our list that day. They were good, but at this point of their career, they reminded me of your friend’s fathers band playing classic heavy metal at your local bar and grill. Next up was Nervosa. There have been so many line-up changes over the past couple of years, I wasn’t sure who was currently in the band other than Prika Amaral. There were some technical issues at the start of their set, but they were cruising along by their second song.
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Tygers of Pan Tang
With our boat cruising through the Atlantic Ocean towards Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, it was time to enjoy some of the other things on the Freedom Of The Seas other than just metal. There are several restaurants on board the ship that are not included within the price of admission. You pay extra for these restaurants and you must make reservations right away because the spots are limited. My wife and I made reservations at the Izumi Hibachi (Japanese steakhouse) and at Chops Grill (steakhouse) on back-to-back nights.
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Nervosa
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Windjammer Grill or the main dining room, but sometimes you just want to get away from it all and these restaurants are a good option and a not too terribly expensive option. There is also an Italian restaurant and a Johnny Rockets burger grill to choose from.
For late night eats, the standbys have always been Sorrento’s Pizza and the Promenade Café. However, the Windjammer is now offering late night eats from midnight until 4 am. This wasn’t available in 2020 and was much appreciated by the looks of all the metalheads filling up their plates to refuel in the middle of the night. More...
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