The Ivy Presents - 8th March 2014. Infected Dead, Victim Identified, Cursed As Angels, Skarthia and Greg(o)rian

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!

Click Here For More Photos Of Greg(o)rian.

  

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.

Click Here For More Photos Of Skarthia.

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.

Click Here For More Photos Of Cursed As Angels.

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 40^th 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.

Clich Here For More Photos Of Victim Identified.

Ending tonights proceedings is Infected Dead.

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.

 

Click Here For More Photos Of Infected Dead.

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.

Metal 2 The Masses 2014: Heat 1

It's that time of year again when there are lots of gigs in succession and lots of 'thankyous' to be said to my forever suffering partner for being so understanding of my mission to bring you the best coverage of local and further afield Metal bands.

I am, of course, talking about the annual Metal 2 The Masses competition. This year I'm able to make all except one of the heats and the semi final due to being out of town so I'm really looking forward to reviewing them and bringing you the videos so you can watch for yourself and see if you agree with the judges' decisions.

2014's South East Region is being held at The Ivy in Sheerness. This is the second year they've held the event.

Heat 1 is started off with a band called Abyss.

They play traditional Metal which is really nice to hear nowadays as it was not what I was expecting from a bunch of lads whose age group usually play Nu-Metal or screamy stuff.

They had a really solid sound with strong vocals and some cracking riffs and they certainly set the standard for the evening and, in fact, the competition.

They're song titles are fairly traditional too with the likes of “All Seeing Eye” and “Burn The Witch”.

But the top title which is not very traditional has to be “Trains”. Dedicated to how crap the public transport system is.

I really enjoyed watching Abyss and look forward to seeing them again.

Incidentally the vocalist also plays drums in Spyder Byte. So if you like Abyss, be sure to check them out too.

Abyss

I first saw Mantora at Herofest 2013 at The Red Lion in Gravesend where they impressed me somewhat.

It's hard to describe their sound other than old school Metal with extra riffage and harder vocals.

They are a band that certainly know their stuff and are a pleasure to watch with the vocalist moving back and forth at crowd level rather than on stage which adds to the crowd interaction.

Only a couple of issues, one is taking a bit too long between songs tuning. The other I'd like to hear a little more polished endings. Sort this guys and as far as competitions go you'll be well away.

Another enjoyable set and “Craving Conspiracy” is the nuts!

 

 Mantora

Vulgate played last years Metal 2 The Masses and reached the semi final. They hooked up with winners Neon Halo (now Infected Dead) and have played quite a few gigs in Kent earning a respectable following.

I've seen them a few times since last year and this year they have certainly upped the anti.

Some of their songs have been slightly restructured and they've thrown in a new one entitled “The One Who Knocks”.

They are a very solid sounding band now and their stage presence has evolved nicely making it a pleasure to watch them.

Vulgate

Hunter Killer are a new band to me and I was really looking forward to a headline act that would blast the other bands of the evening out of the water.

Unfortunately this was not to be the case.

Whilst being able to play, their inexperience showed and you could almost feel the nerves coming from the stage.

Still, they are the ones on the stage and not me so I will always praise that.

They play a five song set which included two covers which is fine with me in ordinary circumstances but not in the M2TM competition.

This is where I want to hear as much original material as I can in a set so maybe another year before entering would not have gone amiss although their enthusiasm shone through.

I know this sounds harsh guys but please keep at it and surprise me next time I see you.

Hunter Killer

With the bands finished it was time to wait for the winner of the heat.

Unsurprisingly it was Vulgate this evening.

A well deserved place in this years final for a band who have really shown commitment and effort over the last year to get there.

Well done lads.

As you're Death fans you'll appreciate this...

Perseverence Pays.

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.

Thanks to my mate Debbie Davies for the photos on this blog.

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!