LIVE REVIEW: OATHBREAKER + SVALBARD & PIJN - MANCHESTER

Oathbreaker's latest album 'Rheia' landed itself in the #1 spot on my best albums of 2016 list (which you can read here) so it's safe to say I was very excited about seeing their sold out show in one of Manchester's very finest gig venues, The Star & Garter!

PIJN

Pijn (I previously thought it was pronounced like "pigeon", but apparently it is actually pronounced "pine"... Hope I've got that right) are one of the latest signings to an already stellar Holy Roar Records roster. The new band have been building up a lot of momentum over the past six months and since I last saw them perform as a trio with Pelican, their live show has added two extra members, playing violin and lap guitar/electronics respectfully. Considering over ten people performed on their debut EP 'Floodlit' (which was released on this very day), perhaps the Pijn live experience could end up expanding even more in the future?!

Their show tonight was belting, with pounding and rumbling drums that gave the lengthier compositions fantastic energy and transitions. The guitars were suitably sludgy and swampy tonight, with an array of dark and textured chords that were heavy and dreamy at the same time. Pijn performed some new material that felt darker, slower and at times really menacing, with elements of hardcore and sparingly used screaming vocals seemingly left over from their previous incarnation Old Skin. It was EP opener 'Dumbstruck & Floodlit' that left the biggest impression on me, journeying from major key Post Rock and chugging riffs in the vein of Pelican, and gradually transitioning into something more akin to Neurosis at their most raging. The addition of the violins and the lap steel guitar only enhanced the impact of their songs tonight, with massive crescendos that nearly reached Godspeed levels of epic! Pijn are a band that are growing and moving forward and I feel like the best is yet to come! 8/10.

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SVALBARD

"WE'RE FUCKING SVALBARD FROM BRISTOL!!!" Guitarist and vocalist Serena Cherry shouted before ripping apart the Manchester crowd with their ferocious and emotionally charged blackened Hardcore. The Bristolians play hard and fast, suitably taking the epic shoegazey tremolo guitars recently favoured by headliners Oathbreaker and combining them with an insane display of pounding thrashy drums and blastbeats, giving the quartet a pinch of crusty Punk attitude. 

Svalbard came at the crowd fiercely, with their breakneck speed and dual screaming vocal trade offs reminiscent of Circle Takes the Square, but their songs also evoke some achingly beautiful moments too, whether it is in the epic Post Rock inspired melodies of opener 'Perspective', or the sheer earnest honesty of their lyrics and vocal delivery. Svalbard are a band whose music cuts through your soul. They not only have the ability to pack a mighty punch with their blistering force, but their melancholic chord progressions and the sheer impact of their collective sound is enough to leave a lone tear streaking down your face. 9/10.

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OATHBREAKER

Unfortunately all of Oathbreaker had come down with a nasty case of flu whilst touring the UK, but you would never have even guessed it based on tonight's performance. A sold out crowd waited silently and awestruck as frontwoman Caro Tanghe snuck onto the stage, draped in long black robes, her face obscured by her hood and long hair. She began singing all on her own as the opening siren of '10:56/Second Son of R.' began their set. Atmospheric clean guitars soon sprang to life building up to one of the most impressive openings to any show I've seen. The band erupted into glorious thundering tremolo riffs, insane blasts and vicious, primal screams that open their stunning album 'Rheia'. The sold out crowd were instantly drawn into a hypnotic headbanging frenzy, and chills went down my spine just witnessing such magnificence.

Oathbreaker mainly performed songs from their latest album, and rightly so. Their sound has really evolved and transitioned from their Sludgy Hardcore upbringing, and it was amazing to hear their mixture of intense Black Metal and dreamy, shoegazy, atmospheric guitar parts in full force. Even through illness, the band gave it 110%, pouring so much emotion, energy and sheer intensity into their performance, as if the world would end tomorrow. As Oathbreaker have gone on, they have just got better and better at their craft, perfecting and tightening... In particular Caro Tanghe has never sounded as good as she does right now. Her screams tore the Star & Garter apart as if a malevolent force was haunting the old building, and her clean vocals rang out like an alluring siren.

After a selection of some of 'Rheia''s heaviest and most powerful songs, including 'Needles in My Skin', 'Being Able to Feel Nothing', 'Where I Live/Where I Leave' and 'Immortals', the quintet left us with a classic from their first album, 'Glimpse of the Unseen'. When THAT riff kicked in, the crowd just lost their shit, erupting into manic headbanging and circle pitting. This blackened Doom epic recalled Darkthrone's 'In the Shadow of the Horns', leaving us with a monument as dark and gritty as the Star & Garter itself. 9/10. 

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January 27th 2017 @ The Star & Garter, Manchester.

PLEASE NOTE: Because of the very dark conditions in the Star & Garter, the photographs used have been taken by me at different shows at Gullivers, Manchester and Brudnell Social Club, Leeds, taken on the 26th and 29th of January respectively.

DOUBLE LIVE REVIEW: MESHUGGAH + THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

In a rare alignment of the planets, Manchester was treated to a back to back visit from the two masters and pioneers of Tech/Math Metal as we know it. On the 19th of January 2017, Meshuggah performed at the 02 Ritz, with The Dillinger Escape Plan performing the day after at Academy 2 on what is likely to be their last ever show here. It was fantastic to see many of the same faces attending both shows in this irresistible double bill.

THE HAUNTED

(02 Ritz)

Opening for Meshuggah were fellow Swedish legends The Haunted, a band with just as much collective experience if you take into account them being an offshoot of Melodic Death Metal pioneers At the Gates. The Haunted frontman Marco Aro even joked that they aren't so bad for a bunch of old men! On paper, The Haunted did everything right tonight: They showed a true passion for their craft on stage, with plenty of high energy, which got the circle pit swirling. However their setlist tonight felt far too much like Thrash by numbers... They played plenty of tracks from their "classic" 2000 album 'The Haunted Made Me Do It', including fan favourites 'Bury Your Dead', 'Hollow Ground' and 'Trespass'... Songs I used to happily bang my head to as a teenager!

Perhaps it was because of the anticipation of Meshuggah delivering supreme brain twitching tech mastery, but The Haunted felt more like a leave your brain at the door act tonight. The endless barrage of chugging riffs, and melodic grooves soon became monotonous, and rather than feeling a hit of nostalgia, their riffs just sounded dated and old hat. 6/10.

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PRIMITIVE WEAPONS

(Academy 2)

Kicking off the night at Academy 2 was New York Post Hardcore band Primitive Weapons, signed to Dillinger's own Party Smasher Inc. label. Primitive Weapons had a strong energy and presence on stage tonight, with their lead vocalist lamenting on the woes of having Trump as president. Their sound clearly had a Dillinger influence, but was much more relaxed and less jagged. Their sound also mixed in some Stoner Metal influenced tones, at times recalling the high energy stomp of Clutch on 'Ashes or Paradise'. Primitive Weapons didn't particularly come across as anything vitally original or new, but had enough solid riffs, screams and raw energy to provide an entertaining warm up slot, leaving with a stirring and noisy finale. 7/10.

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Ho99o9

(Academy 2)

Now here was a surprise and a half! Where do I even begin to describe Ho99o9 (pronounced "Horror" I assume)???! So this New Jersey trio consisted of a live drummer, a tattooed dreadlocked man wearing a dress and a balaclava (yes really!) triggering samples and electronics as well as doing vocals, and another tattooed dude on lead vocals. Ho99o9 were seriously unpredictable and hard to pin down. They could go from a slow, eerie, bass heavy Hip Hop track one moment, to lightning fast Bad Brains inspired Hardcore Punk the next! Their setup as well as their crazy attitude definitely showed a strong Death Grips influence, with the use of noisy samples, ominous synths and half-rapped half-shouting vocals. Their drummer also reminded me of Zach Hill, as he absolutely battered the kit with a mixture of slow Hip Hop influenced grooves, and ferocious blasting hardcore!

Ho99o9 very much delivered that insane, deranged live energy that Dillinger Escape Plan fans crave, but also felt incredibly fresh and surprising. They also managed to get a raging circle pit going, with their frontman often coming into the pit to cause chaos whilst hurling open boxes of cereal into the crowd (YES REALLY!) Ho99o9 will go far with their chaotic antics and I forsee that this band will soon be getting hyped up by more popular reviewing publications than myself! ;D 8/10.

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MESHUGGAH

(02 Ritz)

The Ritz was plunged into darkness as an ominous piercing rumble of noise gradually escalated. Five silhouetted figures took the stage with their many stringed guitars, as mad applause threatened to drown out the electronic noise. From the moment Meshuggah launched into 'Clockworks' the crowd ripped into a headbanging fury and I had chills down my spine. There are certainly other fine Tech Metal (or Djent) bands doing the rounds, but when Meshuggah are before your eyes, they leave all of their peers in the dust!

Meshuggah could be accused of being a little static on stage, but compared to the insane antics of The Dillinger Escape Plan, they bring an entirely different type of intensity. Whilst the members largely stay still during their performance, it's the sheer precision of their playing that manages to mesmerise the crowd. Every single note is not only pitch perfect in delivery but utterly mindblowing. People in the crowd struggle to headbang in time to their constantly shifting odd time signature grooves, but their music leaves more of a hypnotic, trance-like feel on the fans. Some of their eerie, disonant quiet breakdowns like in 'Lethargica' summoned awkwardly placed walls of death amongst the more blood hungry in the crowd, but this is a band that left me standing in awe (and perhaps a little bit of drool).

Meshuggah's setlist tonight favoured their last three studio albums, aside from jaw dropping renditions of 'Stengah', 'Perpetual Black Second' and their Thrashy finale of 'Future Breed Machine'. As someone who has been listening to Meshuggah for over ten years now, I was slightly disappointed not to hear as many of their golden era tunes (their more experimental works from 'Chaosphere' to 'Catch Thirty Three' being their peak period for me), but I still walked away with my mind blown and goosebumps. Meshuggah are not only the masters of their own craft, but pioneers of an entire Metal subgenre, and to witness them work their magic in the flesh was an unforgettable experience! One of the tightest live bands I will ever see! 9/10.

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THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN

(Academy 2)

Shortly before the release of their latest album 'Dissociation', The Dillinger Escape Plan announced that they would be disbanding, but thankfully not before rolling out one last world tour. Naturally the tickets for this show sold out very fast after the news broke, and rightly so as Dillinger are built on a reputation of being one of the most exciting live acts to ever grace a stage (as well as gracing the crowd as well!) This would be my fourth time in a row seeing the Matchcore pioneers play Manchester and a show I had been highly anticipating.

From the second Dillinger hit the stage, the crowd erupted into a whirpool of chaos. As the madness of new single 'Limerent Death' ensued, out of nowhere I found myself being flung about and smashing into strangers, as the harsh strobe lighting made it difficult to even tell which way the stage was! By the time they launched into one of their ultimate tunes 'Panasonic Youth', crowd surfers were already flying over my head. This is the sheer beauty of a Dillinger show because nothing can stop that huge ball of energy from igniting. The band themselves rush all over the stage, climb over amps and walls and dive into the pit, somehow still managing to play those mind-boggling staccato riffs and jagged rhythms. A complete stranger grabbed me and kissed me on the forehead, donning the biggest smile I've ever seen, because that is the sheer rush of feelings and energy that a Dillinger show manages to evoke. Even during the most raging circle pits, everybody is connected and looking out for each other.

Dillinger raged through what was basically a "best of" setlist, playing material from all the albums (sadly I've never got to hear 'Unretrofied' or much of 'Irony Is a Dead Scene' live). A huge highlight for the older fans was an absolutely brutal rendition of 'Sugar Coated Sour'. It wasn't just the insanely brutal songs that slayed tonight though, as some of their more accessible songs with clean vocals, such as 'Black Bubblegum' and 'Milk Lizard' were equally as magical. Fans in the crowd had their arms reaching for the sky singing along at the top of their lungs. It reminded me just how eclectic Dillinger's music is, not just aimed at ultimate carnage, but they had the ability to write catchy hits too!

Dillinger didn't bring it quite as hard as on previous occasions I've seen them, but they really are suited to playing smaller venues where they can truly cause havoc. But the setlist was fantastic, and they still stand as one of the greatest live acts you will ever witness, even 20 years on. Their thirst for chaos has never relinquished and attending a Dillinger show is a life affirming experience. 9/10.

In a sad end to Dillinger's final Manchester show, the encore had to be halted during a pivotal moment of 'Sunshine the Werewolf' as a fan reportedly fell ill to some kind of seizure or fit. The music was cut off instantly and all the lights came on, as Greg Puciato let the crowd know what was going on. The response from the band, the crowd and the Academy staff was exemplary. People in the pit cleared a space and there was a rapturous round of applause as the medical staff arrived. Eager fans waited silently for at least fifteen minutes in the hopes that Dillinger would be able to finish the show (probably playing their anthem '43% Burnt'), but unfortunately because the curfew had been exceeded, the rest of the show had to be abandoned. During these tense moments I heard nobody moan and barely anyone wanted to leave. Everybody in that room knew that nothing was more important than making sure the well being of the fallen fan was taken care of, and reports suggest that he was conscious by the time he made it to the ambulance. The band came out and apologised for not being able to finish the show, saying that they love the fans and it means the world to them. The night ended with a thunderous applause in what was a truly emotional send off...

...BUT WHO WAS THE BETTER BAND I HEAR YOU ASK!? Well there really wasn't a lot in this one as both headliners are pioneers of their craft, yet also quite different in their approach too. I enjoyed the overall Dillinger show more if you count in the support acts, but Meshuggah for me just had that slight extra touch of magic that left me in awe and I genuinely had chills for much of the show. Dillinger was also a hell of an experience, but I can honestly say it's not the best I have seen them (their Club Academy shows in 2010 and 2013 stuck in my heart even more than this one). I actually wasn't quite as hyped for Meshuggah beforehand, but they delivered something mindblowing, but it's splitting hairs really. Seeing two of my favourite bands back to back will go down as one of my finest moments as a gig addict! And whilst many fine Mathcore bands have emerged taking Dillinger's influence, the fact that they are going away is going to be hard to take!

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Meshuggah - January 19th 2017 @ 02 Ritz, Manchester.
The Dillinger Escape Plan - January 20th 2017 @ Manchester Academy 2.
Photography by F & M.

FILM REVIEW: ASSASSIN'S CREED

2017

Directed by Justin Kurzel

Video Game Adaptation, Action, Sci-Fi.

There are some movies that are so bad they are good, so inept at getting the simplest things right that they can't even suspend the audience's disbelief that the characters and settings aren't just cheap cardboard cut outs. Films like the now legendary The Room and Troll 2 may serve as a guide on how NOT to make a film, but at least they are memorable, enjoyable and something that books and documentaries have been made about...

Assassin's Creed is the latest in a series of mediocre video game film adaptations. Funnily enough, this ISN'T a film that is completely inept and laughably constructed. The visuals, set pieces and script are all competent... Acceptable... Maybe even pleasant?! The cast is ace! Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson and Michael K Williams have all done some fine work in their careers. 

The biggest problem with Assassin's Creed is that is absolutely fucking vaporous!!! The whole film is like watching dust particles shimmer in the air. It's rare I have seen a film that lacks so much in ambition, creativity and any kind of hook or punchline. Everything about this film is the most painfully (below) average that they could have made it. The biggest problems are that none of the characters are properly fleshed out. I can't remember any of their names, or one meaningful word of dialogue any of them spoke. I had no care whether these characters lived or died, succeeded or failed, because they were all generic stock characters who mumbled their way through the 2 hour + running time. A total waste of a good cast. The action scenes are so forgettable, I couldn't even tell you who was fighting who, it all just flashed by in a blur. The action scenes here just lacked any passion, excitement or decent choreography. I've seen films 30 years older that had a better understanding of how to make good action scenes.

Anything else that happened in this film, I'm genuinely struggling to remember. The whole experience just flew over my shoulder. And it's not like I was trying to find flaws in the film. Even a brainless action/martial arts Matrix clone with a bit of humour and daft personality would have been preferable to what made it into this final cut. I genuinely would have had more fun being asleep, or in a coma! But the proof is in the pudding that it's way better to watch a hilarious inept film that it is to watch the most painfully average and boring film in existence. I'm amazed I managed to find this much to say about it. I hope one day I will live to see a GOOD video game adaptation film! 3/10.