The Earl Of Morley's Birthday Gig Review

What better way to celebrate your birthday than organising a gig at one of the best, no, the best, venue in the South East of England, no, in England, no, The World and inviting everyone along to have a bloody great time?

Of course I'm talking about The Red Lion in Gravesend and that's exactly what my buddy Liam, The Earl Of Morley did.

Playing was Monumentomb (Their first ever gig), Cursed As Angels, Wretched Soul and Abandon The Faith.

I recently reviewed the Monumentomb EP “Ritual Exhumation” and couldn't praise it highly enough for both the quality of the songs and recording for a debut EP so now it was time to see if they can bring that monstrous sound to the stage.

And they most certainly did.

The sound was as immense as I'd hoped for but, then, sound maestro Vic Wintergreen was at the helm.

They played the EP back to back which suited me just fine with a sweet little surprise for my favourite track “Perpetual Execution Torment” when they were joined on stage by none other than Wretched Soul's Chris Simmons to carry out the vocal duty.

There was, unfortunately, a few technical issues, which were very quickly resolved so I won't mark them down on that front as it was their first gig.

As I said in my EP review, if you like traditional Death Metal then Monumentomb are a band that you really don't want to miss out on.

A great debut show and I must say, I really can't wait to see them again.

View more Monumentomb photos by clicking here!

I've said before how much I like Cursed As Angels and tonight was no exception.

They are usually a headline act at The Red Lion so tonight they played a shorter set of seven songs but they are seven carefully chosen songs which made it great nonetheless.

A new drummer (or rather loaned for a year from Warhorse) makes a huge difference. Dan Cole is an awesome drummer, don't get me wrong, but Richard Still has a classic drummer ego which raises the feel good factor to another level.

Paul McIntosh had a huge problem with his guitar which I'm not quite sure what it was but ended with him making an emergency repair and kneeling on the stage whilst playing.

As always Cursed As Angels were impressive to watch and listen to. Just a shame about the guitar problem.

But Paul Mac played the last song in his boxers – So they're forgiven.

View more Cursed As Angels photos by clicking here!

I've seen Wretched Soul numerous times and they always deliver the goods with tonight being no exception.

And we're treated to a six song set instead of the usual five.

A quick line check and they're off.

Starting with “Where Shadows Ride” and “Summon The Hunter” the openers for their awesome debut album “Veronica” one can only stand in awe at the ferociousness they slay upon you.

They, of course, play “Veronica” which I reckon is a classic song and the meaning behind it somewhat scarey. Do your homework if you don't know already.

And what's a Wretched Soul gig without “Dash To Destruction”? Three words. That's all there is to the singalong. So shout it back when commanded to.

Chris Simmons is such an amazing vocalist who still sends shivers down my spine. His mix of guttural Death Metal growls and high end screams just improve every time I see them making my poor spine feel more and more twisted. A bit like Wretched Soul, really.

And with The Clifford Brothers slogging it out on guitar and drums and bassist Luke Mayell swinging his head and windmilling as though it'll land in the crowd any minute this finely tuned machine should be on everyones playlist.

View more Wretched Soul photos by clicking here!

Abandon The Faith played this gig as a reunion show for a good friend and ex band member, Liam's birthday.

They were everything I remember.

Very Heavy. Very Loud. Very Death. And A Lot Of Fun.

When I say Fun I mean that they really enjoy themselves on stage. Lots of smiles. Lots of making fun of each other. And Mike Crampton the keyboardist jumping about like who knows what and generally having a good time.

They play all their old songs from “Bloodtised” and “The Onslaught” right through to “Sede Vacante” with a nice little cover of Napalm Death's “You Suffer”, played twice in case you missed it the first time and an absolutely magnificent version of “Holy Diver” with Chris Simmons taking to the stage once again making my spine even worse than it was before.

Abandon The Faith played a really good, long set. They may not be everyones cup of tea but if you like Death / Black Metal then be sure to check them out.

During the gig I heard rumblings that they are going ahead with a reformation after this gig which can only be a good thing.

Let The Onslaught start again.

Nice one Liam.

View More Abandon The Faith Photos by clicking here!

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.

When Luke met Howard

At a Death Angel gig last year I was standing in the bar area at The Underworld in Camden with my good friend and Wretched Soul bass player Luke Mayell, his girlfriend Claire and one of my oldest mates Craig.

The Camden Underworld

I was approached and greeted by another old friend of mine named Howard.

I did the obligatory introductions, with Craig knowing Howard of old too.

Luke commented on the tshirt Howard was wearing - an Acid Reign "Obnoxious" one.

Here's a link to the Acid Reign Facebook Page!

 Howard replied, "Thanks!"

So I decided to add a little more to the introductions by saying to Luke that Howard was the Acid Reign singer.

Image lifted from All About The Rock. Be sure to check them out.

You could have knocked Luke over with a feather in the few seconds that followed whilst that statement sunk into him, and his face was an absolute picture.

Luke was influenced in his youth by early UK thrash bands with Acid Reign being one of his favourites but he never had the chance to see them play live.

I hope this introduction has remedied this.

And that both he and Howard like this blog!

Monumentomb: "Ritual Exhumation" EP Review

Wow!

Can I just leave it at that?

Unfortunately not.

I got an invite to like Monumentomb on Facebook a while back.

And being as they're Metal it's rude not to, isn't it?

The Facebook page reads

“Forged from fire, death and alcohol in May 2013. Hailing from Maidstone in Kent.”

And

“Being huge fans of Old-School British and Scandinavian Death Metal such as Grave, Dismember, early Entombed, Carnage, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower and Carcass. This defines the modern take with an Old-School formula.”

What's not to like?

So the wait began to hear them...

Finally it was announced that their EP “Ritual Exhumation” was available to download on Bandcamp for £3.00 which is a bloody bargain for what you are about to hear!

Consisting of Byron Braidwood (B. Iron) - Lead guitars/Vocals, Alex Brown - Lead guitars and Lee Charlton - Drums “Ritual Exhumation” is one of the best first releases I've heard in a very long time.

A bell ringing chanting intro that we all love on classic Death Metal records leads into the title track with pure ferocity and a statement which clearly says, “We're here. Listen to us.”

The EP continues in this vein with “In The Crypt Devoured” and “Perennial Interment” with no let up whatsoever in the quality of the songs with only a slight break in “Perpetual Execution Torment” where you are treated some backing vocals making it possibly my favourite track on the album.

But then the bombastic intro of the final track “Citadel Of The Living Dead” hits you taking the EP to the final level of execution.

Monumentomb is a huge name and they certainly have a huge sound.

All I need now is to see them do this live and I'll be a very happy man.

Is that allowed in Death Metal? You bet it is!

Additional Info:

The drums were recorded at Emeline Studios in Whitstable, and the rest was recorded at 'The Mix Cave' in Gillingham.

All recorded and engineered by Graham Waller and produced by Graham and Byron. Byron Played bass on the recording due to having no permanent member at the time.

They have recently recruited someone who will be formally announced soon after their first promo photo shoot and he will be playing live with them.

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As always, please support your local scene. Attend gigs, buy merch. They are YOUR bands.

Gig Review: Callous, Infected Dead, Vulgate, Hours To Destroy. The Lady Luck, Canterbury. 4th February 2013

I did not have time to do a review of this gig myself so I have asked GIGgle Pics if I could pinch theirs and add a few of my videos of the gig so many thanks to them for allowing this.
The gig was reviewed by George Panchenko.

Hours To Destroy
Many times I have secretly wanted quite strongly to review this band’s performances because of their immense live improvement. First time I saw them was also at the Luck but nearly 2 years ago, supporting Silas. This particular time I think they had sound issues but their performance made it sound like some demon had for some reason confiscated their instruments from them for a while and just handed them back to them. Plus, I really didn’t understand the style they were going for.
The second time I saw them, I still didn’t understand what type of music they were attempting to play, but I say hand-on-heart they did it significantly better! This was at the Blind Dog (which is no longer called the Blind Dog) at a gig they themselves organised. They played with immense passion, and you could easily tell they were putting proper effort into everything. Special hails to frontman Richi Lewis on that night, who was going noticeably red in the face from ripping his throat out! I really thought he failed the first time but on that night he nailed all sorts of vocal styles and sounded absolutely brilliant! Thanks to this, all their radically different musical influences and all their weird effects came through and made them sound tight, heavy yet unique.
At this particular Luck gig, it sounded like for some reason the sound wasn’t doing them any favours but they were good. The band played rather well, their abilities coming through rather nicely. I did get the impression that they might have not practiced too recently because of minor timekeeping issues, but the synth effects and the vocals were sufficiently colourful, although nowhere near as powerful as they were at the Blind Dog show. Mind you, the crowd weren’t exactly co-operating, which is something opening acts have to put up with all the time I guess.
The long and the short of this is that while I don’t directly “get” (not saying that’s necessary) HTD’s music and am normally not massively into that kind of style, I respect them because I can tell they are passionate and they have the ability to deliver a powerful performance, and they don’t want to be put in a box style-wise. They combine many influences. Occasionally it’s a case of good ingredients being put together wrong but I admire their dedication and I hope all goes well for them.

 

Hours To Destroy

"Yet We All Dissolve"

Vulgate
I’d heard many great things about this band, and they were very fun indeed! They are evidently influenced by things like Cynic but they are definitely more Thrash than Death (which was what I expected) with a good coating of Municipal Waste jokeyness going on. Actually, I don’t quite get Municipal Waste either but good mosh pits, including a wheelchair crowd surf at BOA 2013. Anyway…
These chaps were quite consistent and enjoyable, with good flow of music. No clear end point or start point of songs, good technique but sometimes confusing, and I needed to finish eating, so would have felt rude leaving halfway through a song aha. Maybe I’m turning British?
These chaps are a good heavy metal band who know how to entertain you, throwing in “gay intros” as the frontman put it, and they use a headless guitar! Ooh! And the other guitarist was wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. What the f*** is there to complain about?!

 Vulgate

"Rape Of A Nation"

Infected Dead
Yes, stop being confused, this is indeed Neon Halo's new name. This was the band I was mainly here for. It was indeed their first show with the new moniker. I heard that they were slightly nervous prior to this one! This is NeonHalo but with slight line-up changes. They particularly lucked out on the new man they have behind the kit. Master Drummer Martin Tang from Venomous Outrage. Probably the most talented man of the entire night. Mind you, Neonh… Err, Infected Dead also have a fretless bass. How the Hell do you even play those things?!
I know than this band are known for their pits and I had a strong moshing / general head transcspinning itch which was more than satisfied! People went flying around all over the place just as I expected. Better even! Unfortunately there was a certain chap who might have been on something, who was just annoying everyone and dragging anyone and everyone into the pit, but that made decision-making easy. We eventually moshed into him mostly. Beer and cider (or in my case, water) went flying everywhere, the band blasted out their death/grind and were obviously having fun. Vocals insane yet varied nicely between low growls and spews. Fretless bass man filled me with awe and jealousy. He also had a Cynic shirt. I wonder if Obscura played any part in the influence too hehehe.
Martin f****** Tang obliterated the night. Nailing every single beat of songs he didn’t even write at terrifying speeds! He really is like a machine. Evident influence from George Kollias himself. Although, he looked remarkably calm and almost expressionless while drumming. Not sure if he’s like Terminator or Hannibal Lecter, but I’m sure his heart rate was lower than most drummers if they were in his seat! In fact, before the show, I was impressed to find out he was drumming for Infected Dead and expressed how much I was looking forward to the show and his machine-like drumming, to which he replied “I’ll try to make sure it’s not a Windows-based machine that blue-screens every song” d’aww.
Now that I think about it, despite being sober and despite this being the band I was there for, I really struggle to comment on the playing since the whole time I was moshing, being moshed or windmill-headbanging as fast as possible. I know they were great though, since I got 3 moderate injuries and did not notice any until after. It was only when I went to tie my hair back in the bathroom mirror I noticed my elbow area was covered in blood!

 Infected Dead

"She Was Dead When I Got There"

Callous
As everyone already knows, Callous’ set was cut ridiculously short. Quite unfortunate since they were playing last replacing Transcending The Flesh, who lost their frontman and therefore had to pull out. I mean I don’t think he’s dead but it sounded like he quit. Transcending the Flesh are Death with deathcore influences so they would have fitted slightly better.
Callous are melodic metal and I saw them at RockSoc at the Attic on campus many years ago too. I’d say they’re quite good if you’re into Killswitch Engage or Trivium type of things. They should play with Seven Deadly oh wait they have…
Callous are a very enthusiastic band, and I remember quite enjoying them when I last saw them a couple of years ago, but I think they suffered that night due to obvious timing issues, plus the fact that their style didn’t directly fit the theme of the night, especially after all the Mayhem that Infected Dead caused. Again, the crowd weren’t exactly co-operating either.
Callous aren’t a bad booking, but they weren’t quite right for this night, not sure if it was their choice or not but I feel quite sorry for them considering everything that went wrong for them on the night.
Well, some reviews have to end on a downer?

Callous

"Dry Earth"

Callous

"As Martyr's May"

There you go!

Once again I can't thank GIGgle Pics enough for allowing this.

For their review page please click HERE.

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As always, please support your local scene. Attend gigs, buy merch. They are YOUR bands.

In My Car: Merciless Terror

I'd never heard of Merciless Terror until I was on my way to the Hell Inside Festival in Wurzburg, Germany in October 2012.
I was making my way to the departure gate at Gatwick Airport and saw a group of lads that were Metal. 
I approached them and asked if they were going to Hell Inside.
The response I got was not one I would ever have expected, "No, we're going to Japan to play a festival. We have to go to Germany and get a connecting flight."
Needless to say the conversation from then on was somewhat of a success.
I mean, come on, a Metal band, me, and, well...
Coming from Nottingham, I asked if they knew a good friend of mine, Mick Devlin.
"Who doesn't?" Was the response, stating what a great guy he is.
I can only agree with that statement.

Well, I got in touch with them upon my return from Hell Inside and finally upheld my promise that I would get round to seeing them play sometime when I made a trip from North Yorkshire to Nottingham to see them supporting the mighty Warlord UK at The Old Sal on the 25th May 2013 with my Best Bud Phil Smith.
Needless to say we met up with the aforementioned Mr Devlin and his wife Keri and some of their friends and had a blast!
Also playing this gig was Wretched Soul and Masochist.

The sound wasn't brilliant that night resulting in both Merciless Terror and Warlord UK asking me to take down the videos from my You Tube channel so, unfortunately, there is no footage 'out there' of these two immense bands giving it their all in such a small and intimate venue.
Wretched Soul's set and three from Masochist are there if you want to go a looking for them!

Merciless Terror released their album "Vile Extinction" on the 7th October 2013.
I've been listening to it in my car for quite some time now and all I can say is, "WOW!"
It's a fair length at about 35 minutes with some cracking, perhaps innovative, intros and endings to the songs which is what a lot of bands lack nowadays.
The titles are, however, what you'd expect from a Death Metal band.
I don't wish for that to sound detrimental in any way whatsoever as Death Metal is my thing.
So bring on "Baptized In Blood" and "Imminent Death", and while there are some noticeable influences this should not deter you from the overall originality of this album.
It is extreme, yes, but there are a few surprises that are well placed in the album giving you the minute break that is often required on an album instead of being relentless throughout.
(I hope it's not just an age thing!)
If you haven't got this album yet do yourself, and Merciless Terror, a favour and get yourself a copy.
All I can say is you will not regret the purchase.
Hopefully this can persuade you!

In My Car!

I thought as a, hopefully, regular blog I'd say a little something about what I've been listening to in my car to and from work for a set of shifts.

This is the most time I get to listen to music as I have two kids which, as any parent will tell you (or ought to), take precedent over everything.

I'll try to make it as interesting as possible so don't worry, it won't be “This week I've been listening to (insert here) and it is really good!”

I'll be looking at doing a little review of what I've been listening to with a personal twist to it, even if it is twenty years old.

After all, that's less than half my age!

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Cursed As Angels - "And As The Orchestra Plays" Album Release Gig and Review

Foreword:
I sent this review to a magazine in Germany and it got rejected due to Cursed As Angels not playing the material they are after. So I have decided to post it on here. Heavy Metal covers a plethora of genres and I am not prejudiced against them!

Saturday October 5^th 2013

Cursed As Angels

Album Release Gig

The Red Lion, Gravesend

Support: Silas, Unforeseen Prophecy, Darkeye

The Red Lion, Gravesend

Part 1 - The Interview

The evening started early as I arrived during sound check and knew immediately I was in for a very loud evening at The Lion.

But then that's nothing new for this world famous venue stuck in the middle of a, now demolished, industrial site with new build homes and an Ikea being erected.

This place has truly stood the tests of time with the Landlord, Terry, being there for some thirty years now. He is a true lover of live music which makes it such a pleasure to have been going there for almost as long and see bands come and go and come back again.

After the sound check I managed to grab Stephen Jeffery and Paul McIntosh, the guitarists, from Cursed As Angels for a quick chat.

I asked them how they felt about finally getting the album out.

“Feeling good!” Was the response from both, smiling and stating they are relieved and happy it is finally out.

And it's easy to understand why.

“It's been a long struggle,” says Steve while they both go on to explain why there has been a five year gap between their last album and their new offering to the Metal World, titled 'And As The Orchestra Plays'.

Following the release of the last album in 2008 there were several line up changes which ended up with the band splitting up.

Some members continued as Above Ceres (some of their songs are included on this album) and eventually reformed as Cursed As Angels with Owen (Omen to his friends) returning to make the line up complete.

Then Steve decided to cut the top off one of his fingers on his fretting hand which caused inevitable delays while this was sorted.

Still, the final product is here with us now.

Are they happy with it?

“Yes,” they agree.

“The production is so much better than the last album. There's been a big learning curve since then,” says Paul with Steve interjecting, “We managed to get all the effects this time which makes a huge difference.”

Part 2 - The Gig

The first band on is Darkeye.

I've not seen them before but the bassist is Jeff Barber who also plays in Khthon. And if Jeff is on the stage you know it's going to be HEAVY!

And heavy it is indeed.

A five track set which delivers nicely with some nice time changes and the occasional blow to the chest.

One thing I've always liked about seeing bands play is when they are having fun, don't take things too seriously and interact with the crowd.

With Darkeye you get all of this.

“This next one is called 'Portent'. It's about poor tents.”

Classic!

And it'll be interesting to see if Moth Man becomes a theme for Dead Eye as Pig Boy did for Violation Complex.

Did I mention there's ex members of The Complex in them?

I certainly look forward to seeing Darkeye again.

Darkeye

Next up is Unforeseen Prophecy.

I'm a big fan of UP and have seen them many times where the set has been pretty damned amazing.

Unfortunately this was not to be one of those times.

Whilst they gave it their all, the sound was pretty awful and the vocals were barely audible which is a real shame because when they have the right sound they are awesome but this is, after all, a review of the night in question.

This is their new guitarist Aaron Jones' second (I think) gig with them. He appears a little cautious in his playing at present but I'm sure this will pass in time when he settles in a bit more.

I can't honestly say much more about UP tonight which is a shame. Although they did play 'Placebo Effect' which is a brand new song and a few favourites such as 'Oblivion' (“That's the slowest you'll hear from us!”), 'Silent Voice' and 'Fractured'.

Unforeseen Prophecy

Silas take to the stage and everyone seems to be outside smoking or in the adjacent bar nattering.

Once it's realised they are playing the hall soon fills up and Silas do what they do best... ROCK LIKE HELL!

They play all the tracks off their self released 'World Of Colour' EP.

It's so clear to see that Silas love doing what they do and why they do it.

Not only do they rock. They groove, they funk, they jazz and rock some more mixing all the elements to give a sound that is somewhat unique and hard to place into a genre, which suits me just fine, but if I have to I'd say Classic Alternative Rock.

Silas

When I first saw Cursed As Angels – before they split up - I didn't think they were much to write home about. Whether it was just me being more of a Death Metal fan or the sound or the end of a very long day I'll never know but you can rest assured that I have completely changed my mind now!

Since getting back together they have done nothing but impress me and tonight is no exception.

The stage presence of all the band is one of sheer enjoyment to be playing to a crowd that clearly like what they are doing.

One thing that I always like to see is a band enjoying themselves on stage. This is always a winner for me so take heed if I'm reviewing your show!

As this is the album release party for CAA they play the album in its entirety. This has proved risky business for bigger bands when they first release an album but not for CAA.

They take it in their stride and take no prisoners.

The sound is finally sorted for the night which pleases me and they steam through the set with Owen up to his usual antics!

He has a fantastic voice which compliments the style they play.

The guitarists work together perfectly, Stephen Jeffery's crowd interaction is immense (jumping in and playing and posing for photo opportunities is awesome!) and the bass and drums are heavy as fuck!

I really enjoyed CAA this evening and I hope this album gets noticed somewhere and the next one gets wider distribution.

Cursed As Angels

All in all a great night with only a few minor issues with the sound earlier on. I look forward to seeing all the bands again in the very near future.

Part 3 - The Album Review

The first thing about reviewing an album is to recognise the song content along with the music. 

There's no point in having a really great sounding metal song then finding out the lyrics are about fluffy bunnies! 

It's just not metal. 

So I asked the band for a précis of the lyrical content to help me with this review. No point in bullshitting that I figured it out myself eh?!

An instrumental intro 'Above Ceres' leads into 'Control', a song about autism and the everyday struggle and differences of being autistic. 

It fires off the album nicely and it continues to knock out great song after great song with varying content dealing with things such as depression ('The Absence Of Light'), how shit humans are towards each other ('For Destruction'), Vampires ('Becoming') and being at a funeral and realising that it is really the end ('And As The Orchestra Plays').

I'm not the type of person that strips down and analyses every song when I do a review of an album as I don't see the point.

All in all this is a very solid sounding metal album with only one criticism. The volume could have a been set a hell of a lot louder.

That's to say when listening to it on the same volume settings as other recent albums I needed to turn the volume up.

A lot!

I'm also not the type of person to give a mark out of whatever for an album.

I can only recommend or not that an album is worth your purchase and this is one that I strongly recommend.

Official Cursed As Angels Site for Downloading Album etc.

As usual the whole gig can be found on my YouTube page and for more Heavy Metal shenanigans check out my Facebook page!