LIVE REVIEW: MORASS OF MOLASSES + BATTALIONS, SIGIRIYA & GAUL

MORASS OF MOLASSES
BATTALIONS
SIGIRIYA
GAUL

Live at The Star & Garter Manchester. May 20th 2017. Presented by Up From Under.

GAUL

Opening a night of Stoner Rock was Manchester's own Gaul. I've seen this band already last year but they had a different vocalist, so it was interesting to hear them again with a shifted line-up. Current vocalist Chris Whitehouse stepped up to the plate with an exquisite gravelly tone in his voice and plenty of power and enthusiasm. His reverberated growls and wails were very reminiscent of Kyuss frontman John Garcia. At times though the reverb was a bit too strong and his voice occasionally disappeared into the ether. 

Unfortunately Gaul had a bit of a cock up on the second song and had to start it again. I feel like this knocked their confidence a bit during the performance, although they did get back into their stride towards the end of their set. The performance was entertaining enough, but musically it was quite by the numbers Stoner Rock, with the kind of riffs I've already heard performed similarly and bettered by many other bands that play Metal shows in Manchester. I feel like Gaul need to chuck in a few more surprises and find a unique sound in order to deliver something really memorable in the future. 6/10.

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SIGIRIYA

This was my first time seeing and hearing Sigiriya who have traveled from Swansea to play here tonight. Though they expressed a similar sound and style to openers Gaul, they took it up a level by playing with much more power, passion and urgency. Their self described "Mountain Rock" certainly livened up the crowd and the band were very tight and confident on stage. They tried out some new songs from a forthcoming release with plenty of gusto. Sigiriya ended their set with a song that is apparently adapted from Welsh folklore, but to me it sounds like a storming and stomping Stoner gem. Again, not a particularly unique or memorable set of songs, but certainly a strong performance. 7/10.

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BATTALIONS

Replacing Barbarian Hermit at the last minute was Battalions from Hull. Battalions stood out the most on tonight's bill. Whilst they did churn out some bluesy and groovy Stoner riffs like the other bands, their sound was much more diverse. Their wild frontman was fascinating to watch on stage, moving about with so much energy. He had a really extreme vocal style, belting out indecipherable shrieks reminiscent of Jacob Bannon from Converge. The way that Battalions mixed up their tempos made them really exciting and unpredictable on stage. They were able to transition slow, crushing riffs, head nodding grooves and even more unforgiving Hardcore riffs, all seamlessly. In particular, 'Shitstormtroopers' got a huge reaction from the crowd with a massive riff that kept slowing down, getting heavier and heavier each time. 8/10.

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MORASS OF MOLASSES

Tonight's headliners have just released their brand new album 'These Paths We Tread' a day beforehand so it was an exciting time to catch the trio live. MOM set the dark and moody Star & Garter stage alight with a colourful performance that oozed confidence and finesse. The trio pounded us with slow and swampy riffs that sounded huge. Self described as "Disco Doom", their songs were deceptively simple with nods to classic Stoner bands such as Sleep and Electric Wizard, but with a more cheerful and upbeat mood. Vocalist Bones' prominently clean wailing vocals were refreshing and were on pitch perfect form tonight.

For me, there was far too much yapping in between the songs, with crude stories between each song that all revolved around the male genitals, but it was cool that they got the crowd involved, and the punters certainly were enjoying themselves throughout. The banter did seem to eat into the set time quite a bit though! Regardless, MOM were very enjoyable to watch and that thick, fuzzy sound of theirs hit the sweet spot. In particular the opening track of their latest album 'My Leviathan' really enticed the crowd tonight. All the best to Morass of Molasses with their album release tour! 8/10.

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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.

#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.

#320: NIGHTMARE CITY + SUPPORT - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

AGGRESSIVE PERFECTOR
SHEER ATTACK
EXXXEKUTIONER
NIGHTMARE CITY

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AGGRESSIVE PERFECTOR

 
Opening a night of Thrash and Hardcore at the Star & Garter was Aggressive Perfector, dressed in leather and black eyeliner. It was great to see a strong crowd right off the bat. This trio featured half the line-up of Black Metal group Wode. However these guys delivered a full on 80s style Thrash onslaught. Vocalist Dan Shaw had an aggressive bark to him, but occasionally screamed for vengeance with some high pitched Rob Halford style screams! Aggressive Perfector brought a raw and Punky half hour set and were a sheer joy throughout, getting everyone banging their heads. Their drummer Mike kept up a consistently fast and furious pace, bashing the shit out of his snare and cymbals in particular. Their humour was on point too, with Dan enticing the crowd with his quip "That last song was about SATAN! This next song is about... SATAN!" The standout tracks for me were "Certain Death", and "Vengeful One", which was the fastest of the lot. Aggressive Perfector have an obvious early Slayer vibe, but they also had a pinch of classic Judas Priest here and there too! 8/10.

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SHEER ATTACK

This 4 piece from Liverpool were a force to be reckoned with. Their sound existed somewhere between the Punky Garage Rock of The Stooges and the Speed Metal of Motorhead. Their enigmatic frontman Russ stole the show, with his strange energy and definitely channelled an Iggy Pop style snarl. He performed all over the stage, and sometimes in the crowd too. "Back of the Barrel" (I don't even know if that was the song name, but I'm going with it anyway) was a pure Punk attack where Russ switched to more of a Hardcore style scream. The riffs came hard and fast, with quite a noisy and dirty tone. The band managed to cover well during a guitar malfunction. Sheer Attack climaxed with an incredible racket suitably titled "No Peace", and you could probably hear it from nearby Piccadilly Station. Sheer Attack certainly lived upto their name and kept up the high energy set by Aggressive Perfector. A highly passionate bunch of lads! 8/10.

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EXXXEKUTIONER

This quartet from the miserable abyss of Salford brought a pinch of Black Metal and Scandinavian ethos to the evening. Though they are still Thrash at the core, they reminded me of Thrash/Black Metal crossover acts from Dissection to Toxic Holocaust. Sunglasses wearing Kung Fury lookalike Cliff delivered an ice cold, reverb drenched rasp that gave the crowd frostbite. Guitarist Mike had some impressive, meaty riffs and drummer Liam added some doses of blasting here and there. The band got a moshpit going through their set which was lovely to see. Exxxekutioner ended their set with a fantastic one two punch covering Celtic Frost's "Into the Crypt of Rays" and "Black Witchery", a nod to the band of the same name. Members of the crowd even jumped on stage to scream along! 8/10.

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NIGHTMARE CITY

Our headliners Nightmare City are a trio from Gothenburg, Sweden, bringing a mixture of d-beat Hardcore and Thrash madness! The band have gone the old school route, releasing tape cassette demos and a vinyl LP. The group have Horror inspired lyrics and song titles, and their band name may even derive from obscure Zombie flick Nightmare City (AKA City of the Walking Dead). Their entire set showed a melodic thrash mastery, with dual attack vocals. "Bloodsucker" was a great standout that had a dirty twanging bass and Punky riffs. By this point of the night my neck was really sore, but the whole crowd kept headbanging and moshing away. Nightmare City finished with their badass anthem "Do You Wanna Die?" 8/10.

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With Manchester's Metal scene being dominated mostly be the slower sounds of Doom and Sludge, it was nice to see a lightning fast Thrash evening for a change. The sound was great, the show went off without a hitch and the packed out, energetic crowd gave the place an amazing atmosphere!