Live review, Feb 2010 - Overkill - Wolverhampton, UK

Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, Weds 24.2.10 plus supports : Suicidal Angels (GR), Savage Messiah (UK), Cripper (GER)

With great excitement a mate and I hit the road for my fourth Overkill gig since first seeing them back in 1990 on the Years of Decay tour. Known for their high-octane stage shows, they never disappoint. First up though are the supports and it’s due to the usual travel related issues that we unfortunately miss the rather Power Metal sounding Savage Messiah, who I’m not familiar with, and the German band Cripper whom I have seen rock the Metalcamp stage in years gone by. The latter are a very powerful, beautiful-female fronted Thrash/Death Metal style band with grooves a plenty. Gutted! So onto Suicidal Angels who plow a kind of early Sepultura meets Krisiun trough with, we decide, riffs stolen from Dark Angel, Sinister and Destruction amongst others. Basically they dark-thrash like hell and are pretty impressive if rather workmanlike. The ‘Angels guitar slinging frontman comes on like he’s fronting Metallica, constantly exhorting the crowd to punch the air and chant, which was a little overbearing, though to his credit it eventually worked as a few young thrashers started going off. It must be the strong Greek character, as he approached my travel buddy Mic (from Desecration) after the set and said ‘I know you! And you know me!’. Took Mic a few bemused minutes to remember they’d got up to some drunken Metal adventure at their gig in Athens once!

After a while, a few chats with old faces and a couple of ciders, the stage started rumbling. Having been downgraded from the Wulfrun Hall to the smallest of the great Wulfrun venues, due to lack of tickets sold, the hall was disappointingly smaller but full nevertheless, and anticipation very high. Coming on stage to the strains of The Green and Black, from latest album and seriously awesome return to form, Ironbound, there was no doubt Overkill meant business. Immediately the moshpit went off, and though restricted by a third due to space taken by an unfortunate paralyzed fan on a stretcher, the pit did not let up. Overkill charged through all the classics with yours truly’s shit eating grin only matched by those around me, rolled out in quick time we had Hello From The Gutter, Wrecking Crew, Rotten To The Core, In Union We Stand and Feel The Fire. Of the two ‘new guy’ guitarists, both having been in the band for 10 years, Dave Linsk seemed to having the bigger ball, smiling throughout, Derek Tailer finally breaking a satisfied smile later on. DD Verni was his usual serious but solid self, crunching through every bassline like only a Metal pro of his stature can and Bobby Blitz the quintessential frontman nailing every song and compeering hilariously and righteously between tracks. This is how it should be done. Having bludgeoned the increasingly riotous audience and having thrown myself into the melee for main set finisher Elimination, Overkill left the stage to much chanting and footstomping. Returning after a short break Overkill played a more varied set ending with a few, to me, lesser known tracks; Necroshine, Old School, then the now de rigeur Fuck You and the Dead Boys cover Sonic Reducer, before leaving the stage a job well done and a crowd covered in sweat and beer! While I’d argue that the end of the set seemed a little less sturdy due to covers and lesser known, punkier tracks, Overkill still played a nearly 2 hour set, 110% and everyone left satisfied and exhausted. Besides, arguing with Blitz would be ill advised, as he only half jokingly remarked to a dumbass water thrower, though just as well might have aimed at any detractors of other such vintage thrash masters… ‘I may be old, but I’ll still knock you down!’. No doubt!!

CD review, Jan 10. Crowbar - Odd Fellows Rest (Metal Mind Productions)

Going back in time to 1998 and what was Crowbar’s fifth release, Odd Fellows Rest, and with respect to it’s lauded predecessor, Broken Glass, this was when Crowbar really hit the mark for me. This album is simply crushing. It’s just full of killer tone, smooth as hell and dense as, well, planets. The flow does not give up, guitar interplay is perfect and understated and again Windstein adds the icing to the cake with some awesome sludgy but soulful singing. This is Blues in Metal. Honourable mentions for the rhythm section who power and groove through the songs adding accents at the right time and never overstating the case. No point choosing tracks on this as each one rips, but you won’t find much better than examples of NOLA doom than And Suffer As On. Fast forward to the last 30 seconds of To Carry The Load and you just might find yourself throwing out half of your Metal now that you’ve seen the truth. And so you should, because Crowbar is where it’s at. Not just recommended, but essential.

CD review, Jan 10. Crowbar – Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form (Metal Mind Productions)

To the initiated Metalhead, New Orleans, Louisiana’s Crowbar have achieved anointed status usually reserved for the likes of Motorhead and Iron Maiden. Yes, they really are that respected, revered and… that good. Now that stoner, doom and sludge are commonplace themes in underground rock music, Crowbar have become the elder statesmen of the genre. Here Poland’s Metal Mind Productions have seen fit to release two of the best examples of the ‘Bar’s works. Neither can really be chosen amongst or separated as they are both superlative examples of a genre and a band it is finest.

In non-cronological order, Crowbar’s seventh studio release, 2001’s Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form sees the band taking a very slightly more melodic approach to their already measured and assured style. A subtle and almost ambient twin guitar like introduces the now semi-classic The Lasting Dose, a lovely rolling dirge punctuated with percussive drum stabs overlaid with Windstein’s instantly recognisable rasp. Verses melt into chorus and back again. Riffs abound. Track three, Thru The Ashes, is another majestic sweep through the techniques Crowbar have perfected, sludge but soulful and soaring. And so it continues with ebbs and flows, light and shade. A very powerful and enjoyable sonic experience. This album really does wash over you and needs to be enjoyed as a whole.

CD review, Jan 10. The Argent Dawn - A Blank Eternity (Rising Records UK)

Five piece The Argent Dawn having only been together since 2006 and offer a refreshing prospect in these times of dire emo-metalcore, identikit death metal widdlers and post-stoner miserablists. These guys focus on one thing; crushing. This is the kind of Death Metal grinding I like, no let up and straight to the point. Jamie Harrison tends towards the aggressive lower register demonic growl technique while the band grind around him in a tightly controlled yet frenetic fashion. There is plenty of breakdown type riffing but not in the tired metalcore vein, more a real understanding of dynamics and power. There’s also a smattering of 808 style bass drops peppered around which accentuate the slamming nature of some of the time changes, giving it a little flavour of the likes of say, Cephalic Carnage. If pushed I’d say this sounded like Cryptopsy from None So Vile era trying to play sludge! I can’t say that is accurate, but if you like the idea, you’ll like this. It’s great to see that there are British youngsters out there expanding the genre and seemingly having a good time doing it!

CD review, Jan 10. Siegfried – Nibelung (Napalm Records)

These Austrian Battle Metal nutters, all dressed up as extras from Monty Python’s The Holy Grail, specialise in a fairly typical mixture of well played, apparently epic, goth Metal that seems to be so popular these days. They’ve been going since 1998 and sing about apparently sing about the Norse mythology called Nibelung. Themes aside, musically speaking I find that as soon as the Rammstein type Germanic vocals come in, the clichéd female operatic emoting, or the widdly keyboard breaks, any lyrical depth is lost. Being in German doesn’t help my understanding much either, but that’s no criticism. The vague air of sweeping Metal isn’t too bad, but the general feel of Monty Python-esque European mentalism is just a little too theatrical for my liking. These guys do this stuff very well and maybe it’d make more sense to an aficionado of the style, or a German speaker, but it all seems like a mishmash of different sections and styles, moving from one to the next. I can’t find any continuity outside of constant change. I guess it’s cool if people like this stuff, but I can’t find much I like in it, and plenty I don’t.

CD review, Jan 10. Everything Burns – Home (Rising Records UK)

I’ve tried listening to this a few times and can’t much get past half way. It’s just too poppy, not to mention eight years too late. The first track starts off with the absolutely atypical metalcore breakdown chug riff, as if a thousand bands haven’t already used it before, and so the pattern continues. I have to at least respect that there isn’t a lot of growling, pretending to be Metal, rather we’re straight into some pleasant melodic singing, this could be Journey… damn, I might even be getting to like it! I guess I shouldn’t be such a curmudgeon, but then I’m a rock guy, and this is quite simply pop music masquerading as some kind of rock beast… don’t get me started on the lyrics. You get the picture. I guess for what it is, it is good; catchy choruses and bouncy riffing. If it turns on some young teenagers to Iron Maiden further down the road, it can’t be bad. I wish them luck, I really do, but if I want to hear pop music I’ll listen to Duran Duran.

CD review, Jan 10. Aetherius Obscuritas - Fekete Orsvossac - Black Medicine (Paragon Records)

With bands like this I always feel like I should call a friend… it’s not that I’m not very familiar with the genre it’s just that I’m not au fait with the intricacies and so may well not give it a fair shake. That said, there is a Marduk cover in here, so I know I’m on safe territory when I describe this as your fairly typical evil swords in the woods type atmospheric and frenetic Black Metal. This is the real shit, all rasping and snappy snare dryunone of that airy, fairy keyboard stuff. Well, not if it isn’t tr00 or kvlt. This is actually rather good, it’s not really early Mayhem or Marduk style blasting, but does have it’s feet planted in that aesthetic, ripping along as it does, then slowing for more measured sections. The bass is strangely noticeable in the mix, lo-fi as these things used to be, and adds an interesting counterpoint. That aside it’s a fair mix of the main players in the genre, Thorns, Mayhem, Burzum… and while not quite classic nowadays, should certainly please the dressed-in-black hordes I see sulking round Slovenian and German Metal festivals every year.

CD review, Oct 09. Siege To Power - Siege To Power (Self Released) Demo CD

Siege To Power are an Italian four piece, formed in late 2008 and essentially tread a well worn musical path. While perfectly enjoyable, well played and good fun, there’s no escaping that the 10 minutes on offer here are incredibly derivative of Sick Of It All and Agnostic Front, especially in Riccardo’s vocals. It is what it is and I don’t think the band will argue with it. Simplistic old school hardcore influenced heavily by the heavy hitters of that NYC scene will always have it’s place. It is great music, but it’s aside from a cheeky bit of blast beating at the end, this is nothing new.

CD review, Oct 09. Saviours – Accelerated Living (Kemado Records) CD

Oakland Metalheads, Saviours, are one of those bands that really split me down the middle. In essence I love them because they are everything that’s great about heads down, fast riffing, hard driving, pounding rock’n’roll. Yet they miss the mark with me because they just seem to be full tilt 100% of the time. Is that a bad thing? Certainly not in theory, but it just seems there’s little respite and so almost no light to accentuate the dark. I’ll be specific and say that it may well be Austin Barber’s constant atonal shouting or maybe it’s the relentless drum barrage? There is plenty to enjoy here though, from the general biker bar brawl sound to the occasional twin guitar moments. I’ve seen these guys live and they are ‘die for Metal’ rockers, covered in tattoos and they thrash as hard as Accelerated Living does. It would be easy to say ‘yeah these guys rock, buy it now’ and I wouldn’t be wrong, but it’s just that, for me, in my romantic old age, I need that something extra that’s gonna make it more than a fun and dirty one night stand.

CD review, Oct 09. Limozine – El Presidente (Open Plan Records) CD

This is quite a funny little single in that the first track of the two sounds rather familiar to The Sex Pistols tracks Pretty Vacant and Problems. It’s funny that the Pistols aren’t mentioned in the biography with this single though The Ramones and The Stooges are. I guess a lot of young lo-fi indie punk rock bands start off sounding far too much like their elders and betters, youthful exuberance I suppose. Still, neither the first or second track sound to me like anything more than throwaway indie pub-punk. A full album might glean a little more character, but I doubt it. Limozine may entrance the NME and it’s ilk in a few years, but I never cared about Babyshambles and I likely won’t care about Limozine either. Good luck with it though.