The Black Dahlia Murder - 11 Jan 2012 (The Underworld)

First gig of 2012, for the majority of the metal community in London, with a very interesting line-up. Headlining the show and 21 dates UK tour, the American death-metalers: The Black Dahlia Murder supported by Skeletonwitch and Fleshgod Apocalypse. The now familiar to the UK scene Fleshgod Apocalypse were first on stage and delivered a very entertaining show which definitely gave out a very spooky and horror-like atmosphere, which was very enjoyable. The band was very, very tight and it’s not surprising considering the genre they play. On the other hand however, I’ve constantly moaned about the sound of the Underworld and I will do so again! Fleshgod Apocalypse had a sound which was equally “terrifying” as was their show. I never blame the bands who play the at the Underworld for their sound and I will not do so this time, but the fact that the band uses many backing tracks with strings and other orchestral instruments definitely didn’t help to make things better. On a positive note though, the tuxedo touch was really, really good and it definitely added to the whole image that the band wants to create. Up next were Skeletonwitch, who came on stage with a better sound than Fleshgod Apocalypse and with a very good energy which warmed up the crowd really nicely. Combining the aggressiveness and  bulkiness of their sound, Skeletonwitch are really a great band to watch live and their songs have the exact amount of heaviness which is needed to bring down a venue. But the real heaviness was just about to start with The Black Dahlia Murder. The Americans had an impressive sound, for the Underworld, and really blasted the roof off from song number one. They managed to create an awesome atmosphere and the stage-divers started to flow real quick while “decapitating” more than a few in the front rows. Trevor Strnad (Vocals) gave out a really good show and has proven that he knows how to be a frontman, which is a breed of people that we are starting to miss in the metal scene.  Overall an interesting gig which will hopefully mean that there are many more of those to come in 2012. Happy new year!

The Black Dahlia Murder: 19/20

Sound: 4/5

Ambience: 5/5

Presentation: 5/5

Performance: 5/5

Skeletonwitch: 18/20

Sound: 4/5

Ambience: 5/5

Presentation: 4/5

Performance: 5/5

Fleshgod Apocalypse: 16/20

Sound: 2/5

Ambience: 4/5

Presentation: 5/5

Performance: 5/5

Posted by Nick 

Arthemis - 18 Nov 2011 (The Underworld)

 The Italian metalers are back, and thank god this time they’re not wearing skirts! Arthemis, the Italian power metalers, were in London to start their first ever UK tour along with Neonfly and Freedom Call at the Underworld in Camden, London.  The heavy metal quartet delivered a very energetic set and rocked the house. By playing a selection of their best compositions, the band filled the support slot for Freedom Call in a great way. With a very Maiden-like sound, Arthemis have a sound which is familiar to many and which never disappoints. In conjunction with the amazing technicality that the Arthemis members have on their instruments, they definitely made it clear that they are a band which came here to stay and they won’t stop till they get to the top.  On the night, Arthemis also performed an excellent cover of Deep Purple’s Burn which fitted really nicely with their own compositions. Sound wise however it wasn’t great, and this wasn’t because the band didn’t have a nice sound but because as usual, the Underworld is not a great venue when it comes down to sound. Unfortunately the sound is a very important factor to create the atmosphere needed to make a great gig and the atmosphere of the gig was affected by the sound. Nevertheless a great set by Arthemis which made a very promising tour debut on the London stage!

Arthemis: 18/20

Sound: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Presentation: 5/5
Performance: 5/5

Posted by Nick 

Pagan's Mind - 20 May 2011 (Underworld)

It was only four years ago when, while I was going through my local CD shop in Paris, I came across God's Equation by Pagan's Mind. While I have to admit that I only bought the CD because of the artwork, I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied when I heard the music. And now, four years later, here they are, performing at the Underworld for the second time in their career. Supporting them: progressive power metalers Neonfly. With the news of, them signing a record deal with Rising Records being still fresh, Neonfly performed an amazing set containing songs from their first album due to be released on the 29^th of August. Willy Norton(Vocals) proved once again that he is a perfect fit for Neonfly, with his powerful vocals and stage presence. Despite some technical difficulties affecting the wireless system of Freferick Thunder(Guitar) half way through the set, the band still delivered a great show full of energy and power. Neonfly are now tighter than ever and the album should be anticipated by all! Pagan's Mind kept the same pace and delivered a very powerful and energetic set. The Norwegian made it clear that they are back to rock the UK and they definitely rocked London! The crowd, although not huge in numbers, was completely into it and everybody seemed to have a great time, which created a superb atmosphere. Pagan's Mind are one of the few bands that actually enjoy being on stage and you can clearly see it! The always impressive Jørn Viggo Lofstad(Guitar) along with the amazing vocals of Nils K. Rue(Vocals), who performed with a broken hip, along with the rest of the band really created a great feeling and left the best impressions to the London crowd. Their new album named Heavenly Ecstasy is out now via SPV Steamhammer. And if you missed the show for any reason, make sure not to miss it the next time this boys will be around!

Pagan's Mind: 19/20

Sound: 5/5

Ambience: 5/5

Presentation: 4/5

Performance: 5/5

Neonfly: 18/20

Sound: 4/5

Ambience: 5/5

Presentation: 5/5

Performance: 4/5

Posted by Nick

 

Evile - 13 Feb 2011 (Underworld)

The Thrash revival in the UK has had an amazing response from the fan base as well as the bands involved, taking it to new levels. Tonight's show proved just that.

Any young artist opening for Evile must surely be quaking in their boots pre-show, but Mutant took it in their stride and managed to pull off a great set and really got the almost full crowd in the mood for cracking some skulls. Fast, tight, and with a good sound, they not only performed well, but showed themselves in a manner of the 80's legends with the front man fitting the persona perfectly in his relationship with the audience. Effects on the main vocals were a little over done for the first track, but as soon as Tom Luchtenstein(Vocals, Guitar) began to talk to them, the effects issue was soon resolved and there was an all together excellent set.

Second up were Ipswich thrash outfit Elimination. Mutant had set the expectancy of the crowd to a high level and the energy was there ready to explode, but the audience seemed disappointed for the first few tracks as the music was a little slower and more epic melodies were coming from the stage and not the hard hitting, no nonsense thrash that the crowd desired so many began to head off to the bar area of the Underworld. A good sound and a tight set lead to the audience responding well towards the end which enabled Elimination to really get into gear and revive the show, leading to the final act.

Evile have come a very long way and they have been at the very forefront of this recent thrash revival, and tonight they showed exactly why. With riff after crushing riff at lightning speed and with machine gun percussion to boot, the audience was in the palm of their hands throughout the entire set, especially during Into the Pit, during which the pillar in the middle of the crowd area became a pivot of a huge pit that would make one dizzy to watch for an extended period of time. To close the show, an excellent performance of Killer from the Deep pushed the punters to their limits, and left Evile still in the eyes of many thrash fan as the number one UK thrash band. With no clear problems, there is no telling how far, and how fast, they will relentlessly rise.

Evile: 20/20

Elimination: 14/20

Mutant: 18/20

Posted by Tom

The interview with Ben from Evile is coming up very soon!

Crowbar - 20 Jan 2011 (Underworld)

So once again back to, perhaps my favourite venue in London: the Underworld, but this time to witness the heaviness and “amaz-ness” of Crowbar. However before I talk about Crowbar there is an other band that was on the bill that needs to be mention. Opening up for Crowbar tonight were Hammer of the Gods and Shaped by Fate. I, unfortunately, didn’t catch the whole Hammer of the Gods set so I'm not able to give you a full review of that. However I have to admit that the uniforms were very nice and like Paul Fortescue (Vocals) from Shaped by Fate said: ”Anyone who can dress up like this and get away with it earns my respect”. So Hammer of the Gods: definitely a band to check again in the future. Now, as for Shaped by Fate, these guys came on stage with a huge energy and lots of attitude. Everyone in the band really gave 110% of their capabilities and they delivered a very satisfying set that definitely warmed up everyone for Crowbar. The sound of the band was not bad for a supporting act and the stage presence, as I said, was just enormous. If you are into the metal-core scene and you are looking for something new then give these guys a listen and I'm sure you wont be disappointed. And then was the time that we were all awaiting: Crowbar! The New Orleans sludge metalers really did it for everyone tonight. They delivered a great, heavy set and really satisfied everyone in the Underworld which was packed since this show was sold out. The crowd was very energetic and participated in every song while the pit on All I Had (I Gave) went absolutely mental and the crowd at the front of the stage really felt what heavy means! Crowbar is definitely one of the heaviest bands out there and they proved it with Planets Collide which was just HUGE! Crowbar also gave us a little taste from the new album that is coming out on Valentines day (14^th of February for those of you who don't take showers) with Cemetery Angels which you can check out on Crowbar's website here. Overall: a great gig with a hell lot of noise, beer and metal!

Crowbar: 20/20

Shaped by Fate: 16/20

Big thank you to Adam Sagir!

Posted by Nick

 

Malefice - 14 Jan 2011 (Underworld)

Despite the fact that Malefice performed in London only 2 months ago, with Arch Enemy, they were back for more and I'm glad they did. Malefice is a band that has the ability to make the back of your neck sore for a week after their gig and tonight wasn't any different. With some really enjoyable pits tonight, we had the privilege to hear some of the tracks coming from the new album, due to be released sometime before the summer of 2011, and honestly they were GOOD! The crowd seem to enjoy the tracks and like Dale Butler(Vocals) said: “People killed themselves to our new stuff tonight” so definitely keep an eye open for this album because it looks like it is going to be a killer one. Of course songs from Dawn of Reprisal and Entities couldn't be absent and songs such as An Architect of your Demise really made it for everybody in the venue. An other great thing about this gig was definitely the choice of venue. The Underworld is just the perfect venue for bands like that to get close to the public and deliver some kick ass shows. The way the Underworld is built just makes it a great underground venue and with bands such as Malefice you can only be sure it will be a great night! The guitars of Ben Symons(Guitar) and Alex Vuskans(Guitar) blended really well together and were delivering that hammer-feel blow to the crowd. Chris Allan-Whyte(Drums) and Tom Hynes(Bass) really brought the groove to the gig and really displayed some high-level technique on their instruments. In general Malefice: great band! Very tight, heavy riffs, great vocals and really cool guys. I think we have a winner here and their future definitely looks very bright so good luck to them and I know that I will be eagerly awaiting for that new album and so are the other 300 persons that were down at the Underworld tonight!

For more info on the new album and Malefice check out the interview with Dale Butler below!

Malefice: 19/20

Posted by Nick

This Will Destroy You - 30 Sep 2010 (Underworld)

I was lucky enough to discover this band earlier this year and even more lucky to find out that they would be playing in London. Despite the fact that I believed that the gig wouldn't get much attendance it was fully packed. The first band to come up was East/Strike/West which delivered a very pleasant set. Nice melodic and harmonic ideas, a very powerful voice and an appropriate stage presence made me want to listen to more from this band. Up next was Talons. The band line up looked very appealing with two violins, two guitars, drums and bass. However I did find the whole thing a bit too “messy”. The sound wasn't really good and the stage presence was extremely imposing. Musically the band delivered a nice mix of heavy riffs and violin melodies. I do believe that this band has a lot of potential but they really need to work on their sound and their presence. Then it was This Will Destroy You's turn. If you haven't heard of this band please go find one of their songs on Youtube, Spotify, iTunes or what ever you like and play it NOW! This band delivered an amazing set. They really transmitted the feeling of floating in space. The smoothness and energy of their sound can really make anyone travel in their own minds. The band started their set with Black Dunes and went through some older songs as well as songs from their upcoming CD. The encore brought back the band to deliver another two songs before the end of the gig and just blew everyone away when I Believe in Your Victory was played making it a perfect ending song. If you ever get the chance to see this band live please do so. You wont be disappointed.

This Will Destroy You: 20/20
Talons: 13/20
East/Strike/West: 16/20

Posted by Nick