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.

#355: PERTURBATOR + GOST & HORSKH - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

First up, big apologies to HORSKH as I ended up missing your set. Sadly I was hit by a whopping double whammy of football AND Justin Bieber traffic, who was performing at the Arena in town. It took me far longer than planned to arrive at Sound Control in Manchester. But go check out their music, very Industrial sounding Electronic duo!

GOST

Texan born GosT (aka Baalberith) is just gearing up for the release of his second full length album "Non Paradisi" on the Finnish home of Synthwave and Extreme music, Blood Music. As the lights went low and the theme song from The Omen started playing, the skullfaced GosT leapt onto the stage and began with some furious beats which sounded especially pounding over the Sound Control speakers.

GosT had a minimal setup with two laptops and an Ableton touchpad. Sometimes he would add live effects and samples to the music, but he was often rocking out, cheering on the crowd and darting about like a madman, moving to the energy of the music. GosT's sound is certainly similar to headliner Perturbator, but a little more stripped back, and a bit more fun and cheesy. Outside of highlights from his two albums was a hilarious remix of Bonnie Tyler's 80s cheese classic "I Need a Hero", combining the original song with one of his original thumping beats underneath that had the crowd going wild.

It was great to see so many Extreme Metal fans out tonight at this Electronic rave, and even the most solemn Black Metal fan couldn't help but dance and bang their heads to GosT's energetic set! 8/10.

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PERTURBATOR

James 'Perturbator' Kent has become known as a hero in the Synthwave scene, recapturing the zeitgeist of Horror Synth that extends from the classic film scores of John Carpenter right upto the recent nostalgic sounds of Drive and Stranger Things. Though not a household name, Perturbator has been integral at establishing this Synth revival of recent times, with 4 majestic concept albums channeling the best parts of 80s Sci-Fi in music form.

Perturbator's setup tonight was much more serious, with two large synthesizers mounted on stands, an intense lightshow and lots of wires on stage! He opened with the pounding Industrial Techno of 'Neo Tokyo', and took us on a journey through much of his latest opus "The Uncanny Valley", with a few older cuts thrown in too. Compared to opener GosT, Perturbator's setlist was built on more complicated rhythmic beats, occasionally glitching and throwing the headbangers in the crowd off guard. Perturbator weaved in his Carpenter-esque synthesizer arpeggios, creating an icy and chilling atmosphere, recalling the greatest retro Horror and Sci-Fi film scores. Of course combining those retro feels with the most modern and pounding Electronic production is what makes him so endearing. He threw in a couple of slower numbers, but mostly it was a display of mammoth, pounding beats and thumping bass that had the crowd moving relentlessly. Perturbator appeals to the young and older crowd in equal measure, and there were just as many Emperor fans as their were Aphex fans in the crowd tonight! This fantastic Electronic show made for a perfect alternative to the hype and trend of the Warehouse Project down the road. Darker, colder, more chilling and sophisticated, tonight was a perfect warm up for Halloween! 9/10.

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October 20th 2016 @ Sound Control, Manchester. 

#325: CONAN + BOSS KELOID & THE BENDAL INTERLUDE - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

CONAN

THE BENDAL INTERLUDE

BOSS KELOID

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BOSS KELOID

Wigan based Psychedelic Prog Sludge Stoner what-have-ye Metal quartet Boss Keloid have just released their second album "Herb Your Enthusiasm" through Black Bow Records, a label ran by none other than Conan's Jon Davis. Having already seen Boss Keloid perform at Bolton's The Alma Inn and at Rebellion Manchester this year, it was interesting to see them play at a different venue. This was arguably the heaviest and loudest I have heard them play yet, with the wide, thin Star & Garter gig room trapping the sound at crazy volumes.

When the opening doomy chords of "Lung Mountain" kicked in, I could hear far more bottom end than any of their previous shows, and it was almost like experiencing them in a new light. Once again the quartet delivered an earth shattering show. Guitarist Paul Swarbrick's twiddly guitar riffs always sound excellent. Boss Keloid deliver lengthy songs full of twists and turns, built on dynamic tempo changes. Vocalist Alex Hurst uses his voice as an instrument to sculpture varying moods and textures. From the paranoid whispers of "Cone", to the all out Captain Caveman yells of "Lung Mountain", his versatility reminded me of mad Metal professor Devin Townsend, with as many funny facial expressions to boot. He sounds almost like no other vocalist in the genre. Boss Keloid have a fantastic mixture of dense, crushing Sludge riffs, expertly carved out by Adam's slamming bass grooves and Ste's technical, jazz leaning drums. Whilst Paul and Alex explore spiritual and cosmic realms. Their music can make you bang your head one moment, and then lose yourself in a hypnotic trance the next. You don't even need to take any substances to feel a high off their music!

Boss Keloid played a concise 30 minute set that left the whole audience wanting more. Still sticking exclusively to their latest album, which has seen an incredible reception in the Metal media. They left us with the anthemic "Axis of Green", perhaps the most direct song off the new album. It hits you with jagged Meshuggah-esque chugging riffs with vibrations that channel into your body. The song builds into a breathtaking finale with a Middle Eastern scale that is so epic, and so intense that I could barely take it! Boss Keloid's heavy spiritualism is one of the most refreshing sounds in modern Metal, and seeing them live has the power to make even the most hardened Metalhead sink to their knees and cry beautiful tears (not that I cry at Metal gigs or anything... It's a metaphor... Don't give me that look!!!) 10/10

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THE BENDAL INTERLUDE

This was only my second time seeing Liverpool quartet The Bendal Interlude (also signed to Black Bow Records) and tonight I felt like I connected with their sound much more. The band are in the midst of touring the UK with Conan on the Majestic Hammer tour. Compared to Boss Keloid before them, The Bendal Interlude stick a little closer to the blueprints of Sludge and Doom, carved out by legends such as Sleep and Down before them. However the quartet find ways to carve out their own niche in their sound through the use of sampling. Their set began with a spoken word sample intro (possibly from a film?) and the samples continued here and there throughout their set, sometimes bridging their songs together.

Because the Star & Garter was so packed tonight, I struggled to even see vocalist Nat, who chose to perform within the crowd at floor level. Though I couldn't really see him, I could certainly hear him, and Nat belted out a ferocious and fiery performance throughout. His vocal tone was raw as fuck, with this vicious, throat scraping tone that add real nastiness to their sound. As for the rest of the band, they more than matched his fire, with a pummelling, low-end heavy sound that matched Boss Keloid before them. The Bendal Interlude certainly have some belting riffs to their name, with a very powerful bass sound. They deliver a mixture of groove, Doom, Stoner, Sludge and the occasional thrashy moments, blending these styles seamlessly. Whilst they didn't explore outside of the genre boundaries as much as Boss Keloid did, they performed the standards superbly well. 8/10.

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CONAN

Conan's guitarist and vocalist Jon Davis announced to the crowd that this was probably the 25th time they have played The Star & Garter! This was my 3rd time seeing them here in less than 2 years, and it feels like Conan have a true affinity with Manchester's iconic venue. Yet considering how much Conan love The Star & Garter, it feels like they have plans to destroy the place, shattering the building brick by brick with their insanely heavy sound! Conan like to play so ridiculously loud that not wearing earplugs at one of their shows is practically a death wish! Their slow, lumbering Doom riffs are truly something to admire.

Conan usually like to bring it slow and heavy as all hell, but by playing songs off their latest album "Revengeance", I heard them add in a few more Thrash riffs than I expected. Of course, we aren't talking Slayer speed Thrash, but a mid tempo Thrash out is about as fast as these warriors get! The title track from the new album was perhaps my favourite song of the night, with a teasing, stuttering riff switching between monolithic Doom and faster tempo Thrash. Jon Davis' psyched out reverbed screams added a cavernous atmosphere to their music, almost as if Jon was trapped in the bottom of a well and screaming in agony! But the moments where bassist Chris Fielding would double up with his raw growling bellows are what really made my hair stand on end. These moments were seriously intense and absolutely flattening! Another thing I love about this band, is that whilst Jon and Chris are content to churn out their riffs as slow as possible, their drummer keeps the momentum going by smashing the shit out of his kit and cymbals. He plays like Animal from The Muppet Show, sneaking in impressive fills and off kilter grooves between the almighty slow heaviness of the guitar and bass. Conan are truly the holy trinity of British Doom Metal, and seeing them live is one of the loudest and most brain punishing experiences you will ever hear! 9/10. 

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April 11th 2016 at The Star & Garter, Manchester.