M.A.R.S Alternative Freshers Festival @ The Firehouse, Southampton 3.10.2014 - 4.10.2014

Words:  Charlotte Whittingham  Photography:  Pedro Alves

It had come to that time of year; new students flowing into a new city to start a new chapter of their life. For those looking for a more alternative outing M.A.R.S (Metal and Rock Society) at Southampton Solent University were more than happy to accommodate them with a Rock and Metal festival at their local hotspot The Firehouse. This festival was split into to two days; Friday 3^rd October being suited more to Hard Rock and Groove Metal fans, on the other hand Saturday 4^th October providing a more brutal side to the Metal spectrum.

Friday 3^rd October

This fateful evening kicked off with some local flavor in the form of Southampton Progressive Soul outfit SPYTFYRE. It was still early on the evening as people were still arriving as they played us a set consisting of fantastic guitar solos and riffs; I also heard some great melodies. As much as I enjoyed their set musically, I noticed it wasn’t really keeping the crowd interested as patrons continued their conversations, going out for their much-needed cigarette or getting a drink. Overall a pretty decent set, just a shame the crowd didn’t seem to take notice.

Next to take to the stage on this fateful occasion was Brighton Hard Rock piece BY DEFINTION; judging from the moment when they walked onto the stage they had a more active crowd. As they played their set I was reminded of Southern Rock legends Black Stone Cherry with their excellently dirty distorted solos and top-notch vocals. Also the fact I did a lot more head banging than note taking is a sign that I am highly enjoying a set.

Ballsy Hard Rock outfit TRICORN were next to show The Firehouse what they were made of; I had witnessed this hairy cluster of rockers about a few years ago in the same city and was highly impressed with their manly stage presence. When say I masculine stage presence I mean lots of hair and lots of attitude that showed Southampton they meant business. All of that plus some excellent music meant they were able to pull off the perfect set and impress Southampton’s metal heads.

MARCH THE DESERT provided us with the chance to take a break from all the rapid moshing and headbanging to give Southampton’s metal community a chance to re-gather their energy before headliners XII Boar. Musically they were rather enjoyable with their groovy guitar riffs/solos and rough vocals, although the comment I heard most from the crowd about MARCH THE DESERT was how much one of the band members looked uncannily like John Lennon that I wholeheartedly agree with. They certainly got me warmed up ready for the headliners.

After having spoken to XII BOAR and listened to their stuff earlier I was incredibly excited to see what they had to offer live. I must say I was highly impressed with their no-nonsense stage presence, hard rock tunage and the ability to get the crowds going; basically the whole package of a perfect headliner. The crowd went absolutely crazy for them; mosh pits, stage diving and head banging showing us so much glossy hair that would make Pantene bow before the metal community. I honestly did a lot more head banging than note taking during this band meaning I was enjoying XII BOAR a lot.

So this concluded the first night of hard rock, groove metal from Southampton’s very own MARS. I was only anxious to know what the next evening had to offer.

Saturday 4^th October

Due to some blunders before leaving to go I was very disappointed to arrive after first act LAID WASTED had finished. From what I remember from their previous shows they often give the crowd a treat; their comical stage presence via Sean Walsh and their music would have been the perfect way to open up the evening of brutality that The Firehouse was about to receive.

The first band I actually got to see that evening were Progressive/Black Metal oufit REIGN OF PERDITION. Now before arriving to the event I was feeling quite stressed so their mellow music actually calmed me down in time before any more bands took to the stage. They also seemed to gain a positive reception from the crowd, which is often good for the first or second band into the evening.

Bristolian Progressive Metal ENDEAVOUR outfit were up next; during this was when the first bout of head banging started to take place. What I really enjoyed about their set was their amazing merge of Progressive and Melodic Metal that in in my opinion created some excellent songs for the The Firehouse’s patrons to enjoy. I was also taken with their lively stage presence, which appeared to be infectious as the crowds seem to do the same.

Black Metal force VEHEMENT were next cast a dark cloud over The Firehouse; I first saw these Eastbourne metal heads a few months ago at the exact same venue, I enjoyed their set then. Now over the past few months I am beginning to have a better appreciation and understanding of any kind of extreme metal and watching them with this new found gratefulness I found I enjoyed VEHEMENT’s set a lot more. Especially when they had the crowd at the palms of their hands from the first death growl; rapid head banging and fist pumping reinforced this. This curse Vehement seemed to have was so powerful that even people at the bar were showing their appreciation in a true metal head fashion. So it’s safe to say Vehement tore the roof off that evening.

Extreme Metal cluster AGHAST stepped into the shoes of main support with true metal fashion. They basically brought brutality to The Firehouse on a silver platter with their lively stage presence, perfect brutal metal tunes and a more than active crowd. I was particularly taken by their set when front man James stood on top of the speakers. This seemed to be the point where The Firehouse got fuller meaning the carnage just increased. After that bout of carnage I was anxious when BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS were due to take the stage as Aghast were a tough act to follow.

Headliners BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS describe themselves as Murder Metal on their Facebook page and after witnessing their live set it is easy to see why. As the opening song, which was something quite innocent that lured us into a false sense of security. Next minute you see a band that appear to have blood on their hands quite literally as they dominated the stage in their blood stained attire. Their infectious energy passed on into the crowd like the Olympic torch being distributed on. Even though this headliner weren’t quite my cup of tea I definitely thought they were the ideal choice to close the festival of Rock and Metal.

So from this report I am sure you have gathered I enjoyed this local festival of brutality and carnage. This whole festival provided a huge reminder for me as a music journalist why I continue to support underground metal music in any way I can.

Metal Night @ Bar Blue, Eastbourne 05.06.2014

Arriving into Eastbourne on this fateful day I was quite surprised how it’s rural surroundings and quiet town center could be associated with any kind of metal. Attending this Metal Night held at Bar Blue however I was pleased to see that the spirit of metal was being kept alive with a host of bands and a loyal community.

To open up this night of chaos were Brighton based HOLE IN THE SKY. I have seen this band several times and have been impressed with their excellent stage presence.  This night was no exception; given the small crowd that did not stop the Brighton Technical Death Metal outfit from giving it all they’ve got. A capital choice to commence the night of Metal.

Hailing from Manchester Death Metal band ISOLATED were next up to give us a night of hell; in this case that is compliment. As the venue got fuller and the crowds got more chaotic ISOLATED certainly had Eastbourne at the palm of their hands with their phenomenal interaction with the metal head community.  The sort of band I can see playing at festivals; encouraging everyone to let loose and have a great time.

Headlined by London Extreme Metal heads SCUTUM CRUX, no inhibitions were being held this evening when they took to the stage. Their description ‘a no holds-barred extreme  metal maelstrom’ as displayed on the event’s Facebook page seemed evident in their performance of bedlam and pandemonium. Again these being compliments in this case. For me personally this band failed to keep my attention but as for the rest of Bar Blue it seemed to be the vital conclusion to close the bands section of this metal night.

So overall my first experience of an Eastbourne Metal Night has been a excellent one; if you wish to head for a night where you may sacrifice your liver to some vicious yet satisfying Extreme Metal than clearly this is the night for you! Just to note this is coming from a novice Extreme Metal listener.

Words by Charlotte Whittingham

Live Review: Eden's Curse @ The Underworld, London 25.05.2014

EDEN'S CURSE

TAINTED NATION AND DENDERA

THE UNDERWORLD, LONDON 25.05.2014

Words by Charlotte Whittingham

As much as I love Melodic Metal it can often be a hit and miss; the miss being that the tunes can all sound similar, with no real variety, so it becomes boring. This was not the case however when I was treated to a mind-blowing night of it headlined by the almighty EDEN’S CURSE with equally brilliant support from TAINTED NATION and DENDERA.

I first arrived at the venue appropriately named The Underworld for the very first time to find people already queuing before the doors opened so they could secure that much needed spot to see their idols. There was certainly excitement and eagerness in the air as I was taken away to interview EDEN’S CURSE.

Upcoming Portsmouth Metal outfit DENDERA had just started playing whilst I was interviewing the headliners. I had seen DENDERA a few times in the past and I must admit I was never overly keen on them before, often likening them to a long boring version of IRON MAIDEN. I was however impressed with their performance on Sunday night; they certainly improved their sound and stage presence this time. They provided us with fantastic melodic metal containing killer guitar solos and riff.  Ashley Edison’s vocals also shone through tremendously. DENDERA were overall the perfect choice to kick off this enticing evening of Melodic Metal.

TAINTED NATION were up next to show London what they were made of. From what I understand vocalist Pete Newdeck is the former drummer of EDEN’S CURSE but I was glad to see that didn’t affect the choice to pick them as the main support. They proved to be the impeccable choice for the main support as they pretty much had the crowds at their feet from the word go. Their amazing melodies featuring some excellent guitar work and powerful vocals brought fellow Metal band DRAGONFORCE to mind. I admired Pete Newdeck’s charismatic stage prescence immensely as he kept his crowds entertained throughout the set, even when there were technical difficulties he carried on like a true metal showman. With a variety of metal tunes that made me smile, they certainly proved to be my perfect kind of Melodic Metal.

With the appearance of headliners EDEN’S CURSE looming I was anxious; TAINTED NATION were a tough act to follow. My anxieties however were swept away when “Symphony Of Sin” was performed with such passion, they provided the introduction I certainly won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

The set EDEN’S CURSE provided encompassed many emphasises that made the performance all worthwhile. These included the infectious energy that had the crowds under their thumbs; their energy was so evident that they even had some fans rocking out at the back of the venue, which was certainly a first. Another highlight being guitarist Thorsten Koehne entering my list of top guitarists in Metal after witnessing his skills as he shredded unique solos and riffs that were completely out of this world. Judging from members of the crowd practising air guitar I am adamant in thinking that these guitar riffs and solos will be becoming Metal classics. Vocalist Nikola Mijic really did himself proud as he belted those singing chords that filled the venue, this live show certainly showed off how versatile his range was and this left me mesmerised.

The set list consisted of an eclectic selection of songs from the beautiful, enchanting single ‘Evil & Divine’ to the liberating ‘Wings To Fly’ this show had everything you could possibly have wanted to make the perfect live performance.

'Angels & Demons' allowed the devoted fans one last mosh before marking the end of an astonishing show.

Talking to fans after the show I was very surprised and delighted to hear that some people travelled thousands of miles to catch their idols play. These included fans from South Korea, Canada and Japan; it was touching to see how much seeing and meeting your idols meant to them. It also reassured me that the Metal scene would certainly be kept alive and kicking by its loyal and dedicated fans.

Live Review: Southampton Annihilation Festival @ The Firehouse, Southampton 26.04.2014

Words by Charlotte Whittingham  Photos by Tomasz Wrobel

Bands and metal heads from all corners of southern England united as one in order to show their undying support and love for metal. This fateful occasion took place at Southampton Annihilation Festival accommodated by Southampton Solent University’s rock and metal society M.A.R.S and their favourite hotspot The Firehouse.

As I arrived at The Firehouse after just managing to get out of lunchtime traffic, Brighton Extreme Metallers WYRDFORGE had just started their set. Influenced by metal legends such as NAPALM DEATH and REPULSION, they showed a lot of energy when performing songs about manga related subjects such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Metroid. The Brighton metal heads had The Firehouse under their thumb; this was demonstrated through the crowd’s head banging and moshing for the first band. WYRDFORGE were a worthy choice to instigate the day of metal.

Next to conquer the stage were Southampton based Thrash/Death Metal five piece LAID WASTED. Their set got off to quite an obscure start where aggressive Death Metal will be played for it then to stop quite abruptly to interject spoken words that didn’t necessarily have any relevance to the song. This provided a comical side to the band’s personality, particularly when one of their main influences is every metal head’s favourite fictional Metal band DETHKLOK. This was reinforced by frontman Sean Walsh’s natural showmanship when growling those Death Metal notes; I would compare it to watching a Death Metal version of either Freddie Mercury or The Joker from Batman. I also heard him being compared to favourite know it all Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory”. The passion and energy was clearly visible and infectious as the crowd were certainly taken by their stage presence. Sean’s Batman song allowed Southampton one last mosh before concluding their set.

Hailing from Eastbourne, Black Metal four piece VEHEMENT were next to show Southampton what they were made of. The first thing I noticed was that their shadowy stage presence gave you chills from the word go; this presence reminded me of Black Metal legends DIMMU BORGIR. VEHEMENT offered up absolutely everything that you could ever expect from a Black Metal show on a silver platter; theatrical stage presence, aggressive up-tempo music, sombre guitar riffs and solos whilst keeping a dark atmosphere.  Their set certainly had Southampton metal heads in the palm of their hands and I do very much hope they come to Southampton again soon.

Now there are not a lot of Folk Metal bands in the UK but it was fantastic to see one taking part in this festival. Home-grown from Weymouth, GYMIR did exceedingly well to fill the shoes of the only Folk Metal band to take part. As they swept onto the stage dressed in their kilts and leather waistcoats with the folklore décor in tow GYMIR’s stage presence had the audience captivated from start to finish. The sweeping melodies on the synthesisers and the harsh vocals are two of the key things you’d expect from Folk Metal. Considering they had a bass player absent they did remarkably well to carry on like true warriors.

With a band name like SPAWNED FROM HATE and the first song on their set list “Filth” it doesn’t really take a genius to figure out kind of metal this band showcase. I personally didn’t get along with the pig squealing vocals within their music, which eventually meant I went upstairs to the ‘chill out’ bar. In terms of their set the crowd did seem interested and for fans of that kind of brutal metal I do think it was a spectacle.

Local Thrash Metal three-piece DESOLATOR had The Firehouse at their command from start to finish. Even with a little crowd they were the first band cause chaos via mosh pits and stage dives. Their melodic choruses’ and their aggressive music reminded me very much of EVILE. For me personally their songs sounded similar, which is what you expect from a Thrash Metal band but the fact they had a more than engaged and eager group of metal heads going crazy showed that they would be walking away with new fans. I could hear spoken words about the band within the crowd such as “I like DESOLATOR”.

For Thrash Metallers OVERTHROW it was the last time bassist Ted Bridges was playing with them, he certainly got a farewell metal style as this performance will be one he’ll be proud of before embarking on a new adventure. They got the whole of The Firehouse pumping with their melodic riffs and slick guitar solos, did I mention they even got people at the bar singing along and raising their rock horns? Definitely a last show that Ted can be proud of.

The last band I managed to catch before I had to dash off due to other commitments was the almighty upcoming Technical Doom Metal band HOLE IN THE SKY. I had the pleasure of catching them at Brighton’s Falmerfest last month and was very taken with their performance despite not being a huge fan of Doom Metal. Their set could have everything you expect from a metal show; moshpits, stage diving, crowdsurfing and of course headbanging. Frontman Monty McDoom is certainly becoming a favourite vocalist of mine and I think in the south of England; his deep growls, his charismatic stage presence and not to mention his iconic dreadlocks, that will make AMORPHIS frontman Tomi Jousten bow before him, will certainly open doors for HOLE IN THE SKY. Keep an eye out for him and drummer Sam Chase in solo project JEREMY LAWLER’S WINTER’S EDGE.

My only regret was missing the last few acts due to other commitments but I can hand on my heart honestly say that I certainly enjoyed this amazing day of local metal! My advice would be keep supporting it and keep it alive!

Find Wyrdforge here
Find Laid Wasted here
Find Vehement here
Find Gymir here
Find Spawned From Hate here
Find Desolator here
Find Overthrow here
Find Hole In The Sky here

Live Review: Within Temptation @ Wembley Arena, London 12.04.2014

WITHIN TEMPTATION

DELAIN

WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON 12.04.2014

Words by Charlotte Whittingham

One of the most anticipated metal shows of 2014 occurred this weekend that left many individuals blown away from the word go! This event I am speaking about is when Dutch symphonic metallers Within Temptation and Delain conquered Wembley Arena for the very first time.

It was definitely one of the most awaited shows of 2014 as many dedicated fans queued up at least five hours before opening time so they could secure the perfect spot to watch their idols. My friends and I arrived just after the doors opened and I could feel excitement from all corners of the venue; from the crowded merchandise stand where you had to think fast or you’d loose your place in the queue to the packed arena where fans eagerly awaited for the show to start, it was an amazing atmosphere to be part of. Between a couple of friends and I, it was our first time seeing both bands live where we all shared our feelings of excitement and anticipation.

Suddenly the lights went down and the venue echoed with excited cheers as support band Delain took to the stage quite naturally. Opening up with Go Away and Get The Devil Out Of Me had the crowds jumping up and down, clapping and head banging from the word go. There was a very eclectic selection of songs from across their albums including new songs Army Of Dolls and single Stardust from their latest album The Human Contradiction. The highlight of their set for me was when they performed my personal favourite song The Gathering, this I think was their arena anthem which was welcomed by the whole venue with open arms. Closing with We Are The Others marked the end of a fantastic set. Speaking to some fans after the show they enjoyed Delain’s set very much, the only criticism I heard was they would have liked to have heard Delain perform more songs.

After Delain thanked their fans and left the stage roadies started getting the stage ready for headliners Within Temptation. It was all kept in secret however when a huge flag with the cover of their latest album Hydra was displayed and the cheers indicated the fan's love for it. Leading up to the show, my friends and I all spoke about what we thought the set would consist of.  Questions included how they were going to fit the dragon on stage, whether there was going to be pyrotechnics and what songs we wanted to hear. All of that was going to be answered in a matter of minutes and as the set up was being completed the venue got fuller and more packed.

The lights started to slowly dim, the intro music was heard on the system and the flag dropped to reveal a grand set featuring dragons, a huge video screen and the instruments. Starting the set with new song Let Us Burn the cheers got louder as the band made their way onto the stage with lead vocalist Sharon den Adel in tow, during the dramatic chorus we got our first taste of the pyrotechnics which the crowd were blown away by. There was a balanced selection of songs from all their different albums, which I admired; from the up-tempo In The Middle Of The Night to a soft acoustic rendition of Whole World Is Watching this set contained excellent arena type songs to suit every mood under the sun. What I really loved about their set was that included those sort of songs you sing along to as loud as you can. Those songs for me were Paradise (What About Us?), Angels, Mother Earth and What Have You Done.

As well as the fantastic live performances of the songs you also got great visuals to go with a live show. These included the videos going on behind them, pyrotechnics, Sharon’s costume changes and the lighting. The videos were very effective; particularly during songs that featured guest singers such as Paradise (What About Us?) and What Have You Done where you could see the guest singer in the video singing their part.

Closing with classic anthem Ice Queen allowed the fans one more sing along and mosh before marking the end of a spectacular show.

So as you could tell from this review, I thought their live show was absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. You don’t just get a live show from Within Temptatiion, you get a theatrical masterpiece that I hope will return to London soon.

Find Within Temptation on Facebook, Twitter and their official website

Find Delain on Facebook, Twitter and their official website