Tonight
I was supposed to be in Birmingham at the very first British
Brutality Festival where the mighty Victim Identified were to play their
come back gig.
Unfortunately
that got canceled due to reasons out of control of the organisers.
But
never to fear, Victim Identified played the same night at their 'home
venue' of The Ivy in Sheerness with a just as spectacular, if not
better, line up.
Opening
the evening was a band I've never heard of before
called Greg(o)rian.
They
play atmospheric blackened sludge doom post rock (I think) and they
were absolutely amazing.
If
you don't believe me just ask anyone else that was at the gig. I
don't think there was anyone watching them that didn't have a smile
on their face.
The
awesomeness of sound they produce (a three piece) is somewhat
incredible and one that I really like.
Lou
from Infected Dead described them on stage as his 'new favourite
thing'.
I
really can't praise Greg(o)rian enough especially as they only had
time to play one song that lasted about thirty minutes.
It is
rare that a band you've never heard of before takes you by this much
surprise and tonight Greg(o)rian have done that to me.
I'll
stop now before I'm accused of blowing smoke up their arses!
Next
to play is another band I've never heard of before.
What?
Me not hearing of two bands in the same evening? Unheard of!
They
are Skarthia from North London and again I am overwhelmed by a band
I'm seeing for the first time.
Their
Facebook page describes them as Groove Metal with a mix of melodic
riffs and death vocals.
I
only have one thing to add to that... 'And then some'.
They
are both brutal and beautiful to the ear for any discerning Metal
fan.
But
the winning factor for me as always was that you can see they love
what they are doing and it shows in their stage presence.
Another
band I look forward to seeing again some time.
Those
who are regular readers of this page (I hope there are some) will
know how much I like Cursed As Angels.
So
them being on the bill tonight pleased me somewhat and their
different style of music was a nice addition by The Ivy giving a
break from the thrashier Metal or the calm before the storm if you
like.
They
played the same set as the previous week at The Red Lion which as I
stated in that review was the perfect setlist as they are usually a
headline act.
But
again Cursed As Angels were cursed by equipment fucking up again and
Mac's pedal or something not working properly so he couldn't be
heard.
He
was told of this after a couple of songs so turned his amp up a bit.
Holy
shit!
I
have never heard The Ivy so loud.
It
was still clear enough not to distort which Anthony must be praised
for but it did get a bit painful to be honest.
But,
hey, we're Metal, right?
Another
great performance by Cursed As Angels despite the hiccups and your's
truly was invited to the front to receive a T-Shirt as a 'thankyou'
for doing what I do.
That
was a really nice gesture and I give a heart felt 'Thanks' back to
you guys.
After
a four year hiatus, or whatever you call it, Victim Identified are
back to show the world of Grind how it is done.
I
first saw and recorded them at The Ivy about five years ago
(according to my You Tube records) and they were kind enough to play
my 40th Birthday Bash at The Beacon Court in Gillingham.
So to
see Aaron and Ad back on stage at The Ivy blasting out all new
material for an all new Victim Identified probably meant as much to
me as it did to them.
Ad is
an amazing guitarist however the volume of the guitar at the start
was fairly quiet. Thankfully this was soon rectified and it started
shredding like the old days.
And how the Hell does Aaron sing like that without barfing a lung or some other internal organ into the audience.
Grind
may not be everyone's cup of tea and it isn't my favourite genre. But
when it's two guys with a drum machine who clearly know their stuff
you can only stand and watch in awe.
Victim
Identified are back and are even more brutal than before.
You
have been warned.
They've
come a long way since winning Metal 2 The Masses last year.
For
those that don't know they changed their name from Neon Halo but
hopefully the majority of you reading this will.
They
have a new drummer in Martin Tang (Venomous Outrage) and have
restructured the songs a little making them sound heavier than
before.
This
is the second time I've seen them in this guise and there is a vast
difference between the beginning of February and now.
The
transition and Martin finding his feet is going to take a little time
but the progression is fast and furious just like their songs so all
I'll say is go and watch them to see for yourself.
You
won't be disappointed.
But
what about tonight?
As
always Lou Ede commands the stage and is a great front man and loves
what he does. He is a very sick puppy and the titles of the songs a
proof of that.
“Penetration
Trauma”, “Forensic Pornography” and my favourite title of all
time thus far “She Was Dead When I Got There”.
A
bloody awesome show from Infected Dead again.
Unfortunately
I'm going to end this review on a sour note so I do apologise.
I
wish some of the people who attend The Ivy and don't bother watching
the bands, remaining outside would come in and watch them.
It's
a free entry veune for the majority of gigs so there really is
nothing to lose.
What
makes it worse is they don't even use the bar.
For a
venue such as The Ivy to continue putting on gigs, especially free
entry ones, they rely on people using the bar. Even if it's a diet
Coke it all helps to keeping a great venue going and not closing down
as so many do nowadays and losing another place to go and watch your
bands.
Thanks
Anthony and the team at The Ivy for doing what you do.
Don't forget to check out
and like my Facebook page and subscribe to my YouTube channel where
you can see the videos of this gig.
Support your scene by
going to local gigs and buying merch.
Remember, They're your
bands.
Photos
used with kind permission from Nathan Hammond Photography.