ALBUM REVIEW: Accept, “Symphonic Terror: Live at Wacken 2017”

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/11/2018

Label: Nuclear Blast

 

Taken for what this is, though, I can say that “Symphonic Terror” is immensely enjoyable and entertaining.  The album represents a unique performance and demonstrates a band at the top of their game

 

“Symphonic Terror: Live at Wacken 2017” CD//DD//LP track listing:

CD 1:
1. Die by the Sword
2. Restless and Wild
3. Koolaid
4. Pandemic
5. Final Journey
6. Night on Bald Mountain
7. Scherzo
8. Romeo and Juliet
9. Pathétique
10. Double Cello Concerto in G Minor
11. Symphony NO. 40 inG Minor

CD 2:
1. Princess of the Dawn
2. Stalingrad
3. Dark Side of My Heart
4. Breaker
5. Shadow Soldiers
6. Dying Breed
7. Fast as a Shark
8. Metal Heart
9. Teutonic Terror
10. Balls to the Wall

The Review:

Accept, as of last week, are now down to one original member- Wolf Hoffman. However, for this unique 2017 concert at Wacken, Peter Baltes was still there on bass- even if Hermann Frank had departed as rhythm guitarist. As has been documented in past reviews, I feel that Mark Tornillo is every bit as good as Udo Dirkschneider and he has now headed up the band for ten years. As the title suggests, this is a full live gig with a difference- the central portion of the performance marries Acceptup with a symphony orchestra- which then stays for the latter half of the gig! The first section of the release is a straight ahead metal performance, the middle section features Hoffman with orchestra- utilising his “Headbangers Symphony” solo album as the basis- and the latter half of the record treats the audience to classic Accept songs accompanied by the orchestra.

So, how essential is this? Well, not essential at all. It's a live album with an orchestra attached to two thirds of it. However, that view may be doing this record a disservice. To be sure, the central section is very stirring indeed and is actually successful in combining metal with classical. Its leagues ahead of Metallica's“S & M” effort of nearly 20 (!?) years ago and much more interesting than Deep Purple's misfiring “Concerto for Group and Orchestra”. The latter part of the release is also an interesting experiment- but much more in the vein of Metallica'saforementioned effort.

I could not claim that “Princess of the Dawn” is enhanced by the presence of the orchestra, beyond it being... different and more grandiose. The band wisely chose some of its more theatrical and grand material for the latter half of the gig and it is a thrill to hear “Stalingrad” with classical backing. I think the thing here is that if you like Accept, you will like this record.

I love Acceptand they are one of the best live bands I have ever seen. Hearing their songs with a new twist is interesting and a diverting listen. Will this take over on regular rotation from the superb “Restless and Live” record from a year or two back? No. While “Symphonic Terror” does boast the chance to hear some of the tracks from “The Rise of Chaos” in a live setting it is too much of an oddity to usurp a straight ahead live record.

Taken for what this is, though, I can say that “Symphonic Terror” is immensely enjoyable and entertaining. The central orchestral section really works and is testament to Hoffman's ability as a writer and player that it sounds so grand and cinematic. The album represents a unique performance and demonstrates a band at the top of their game. Having released a straight ahead live compendium recently, the band can play around with its sound and put out this album- why not? Recommended to all Accept fans and fans of classical music. For those new to the band, start elsewhere.

“Symphonic Terror: Live At Wacken 2017” is available now



Band info: official || facebook

6 LIVE REVIEWS: THE SLUDGELORD'S 666 PACK REVIEW (Psycho Las Vegas Special 2018)

Words & Photos: Nikos Mixas

It’s a special edition for the 666 PACK REVIEW this month!  THE SLUDGELORD attended Psycho Las Vegas recently, so this month we’re going to rate 6 bands that played the festival. Between the non-stop shenanigans and Instagram takeover, we found time to actually watch the bands. For future potential victims that submit material to THE SLUDGELORD for review, here’s some advice: This festival is where you want to be someday! If you’re new to this, each and every month we handpick 6 review submissions (this month six bands that played Psycho Las Vegas) and critique them by only using 6 words, then we rate them on a scale from 1 to 666!  Check out our Las Vegas themed rating scale below: 

1– It would have nicer if their tour bus got lost in the desert on the way to the festival.       

2– One of the Psycho Las Vegas guest DJs was Andrew W.K., he actually stirred up more excitement than the performance this band put on.      

3– It was kinda average, just like staying at The Excalibur Hotel and Casino these days…

4 – You know the feeling that you get free drinks while your gambling?  Yeahhhhh….       

5– This band deserves to have a Las Vegas casino named after them and they should be the house band. 

666– They hit the progressive jackpot (Enter ching! ching! ching! ching! money sounds here…)!  Viva Psycho Las Vegas and THE SLUDGELORD!

Caveat:  Even though the 666 PACK REVIEW is meant to offer humorous critique, there are no safe spaces here and your gripes will only make you sound like a bellyacher.  THE SLUDGELORD is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions….

Goblin - Rating: 1

Horror soundtracks never sound so bad.

Sunn0))) – Rating: 4

No groove, no problem.  Drone on.

Danzig – Rating: 5

Playing “She Rides” earned this rating.

Elder – Rating: 666!

Most underrated band at this fest.

Indian – Rating: 5

This reunion was meant to be.

Batushka - Rating: 666!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Fuck yeah!!!

Live Review: Amenra: "A Post-Metal Ritual" @ Doornroosje, Nijmegen (NL 20/01/2018)

By: Victor Van Ommen

    

At three o’clock in the afternoon, I rolled into the parking lot of Doornroosje in Nijmegen. Nestled up against the German border, folks like me, coming out of Amsterdam, consider Nijmegen to be pretty far away. Yeah, we don’t get out much. But for bands like Amenra, who were scheduled to close out the day's program, we make the sacrifice to travel from the comfort of our own home.

A different vibe was felt at the Doornroosje. In my neck of the woods, a concert is a place to go and get tanked while you catch up with friends. I'm genralizing, of course, but in Amsterdam and surrounding cities, little attention is paid to the band. Here in Nijmegen, it seems the crowd is more laid back, friendlier and actually shows respect to the bands that perform. Drunken banter? That’s what you do in the restaurant outside of the venue. The venue proper is where one goes to be consumed by the music. This is my type of crowd.

My first band of the day was Throane. For the most part, Throane’ssound is pretty raw. One guitarist handled the slower riffing, the other powered through as fast as he could. Bass and drums kept the pace slow, and the band’s intensity came from their singer, whose screams set the mood not only for Throane’s set, but also the rest of the day. This cold, rainy January day never saw the sun rise outside and that might have had something to do with what was going on inside Doornroosje.

After Throane, Sembler Deah filled the venue with their bass heavy drone. Man, the venue was so dark, the only thing that lit the way was the fire on stage. And I mean that quite literally, Sembler Deah had a fire pit on stage, flames about two meters high. The three- piece situated themselves around the flames in a semi-circle as they made their way through a piece of music – this was not a song – that was tonally deep and incredibly textured. The guitar was played with a bow and the singer – who I believe might have been Colin himself, from Amenra – remained subdued in his delivery, projecting vocal drones from deep within. This set was consuming, it froze me right where I stood. The visuals behind the band matched the drones perfectly. For music that isn’t necessarily exciting, there sure was a lot going on. So much so, in fact, that by the time the band finished playing it felt like they had only just started.

Please forgive me when I say that the next band, VVOVNDS, didn’t do a thing for me. Certainly not after Sembler Deah’s powerful performance. That was fine by me, though, time to grab some grub.

An hour later, I returned to Doornroosje for yet another unique performance. Aluk Todolo is a three-piece that started their set without any introduction. They got up and played, and played, and played and played. They reminded me of Earthless in a way; but darker, heavier and certainly more European. Their drummer played with the precision of a jazz drummer, but much harder. The bassist looped around the drummer’s rhythms, together playing circular rhythms that never ended. The guitarist knew not only how to riff like his life depended on it but was also able to use his effect board as an instrument. So much so, in fact, that at one point, he put down his guitar and picked up his effect board, held it like he held his guitar, and twisted knobs, banged on pedals and whatever else was necessary to fill the Doornroosje with all kinds of heavily distorted sounds.

And then, Amenra.

Amenra brought a show with them. With nothing more than a spotlight shining down on singer Colin van Eeckhout - who sat on his haunches, back to the audience - Amenra’s set began. Colin clanged two metal bars together to mark the start of "Boden." Then the band made their entrance, playing in complete darkness. This ritualistic, post-metal onslaught that Amenra presented did nothing to lighten the mood. Behind the band were visuals of sparse landscapes, castles and other rock formations, which always matched exactly the mood of the music.

Now, I can’t claim to be a connoisseur when it comes to Amenra. I’m new to Amenrafor the most part. "Mass VI"was my starting point, and since then I’ve checked out a random song here and there. The one thing that I’ve learned from my exposure to Amenra is that they are one helluva powerful band. Their show only further confirmed what I have learned.

Compared to the confines of the Compact Disc, live, Amenra’s sound is thicker. Their performance spot on, and the emotion is palpable. Colin’s screams pierce through the darkness even though his back is turned to the audience for the entirety of the set. I stood in the back, next to the soundboard, and even there I was reached by the sonic emersion that is Amenra. I can only imagine how it would have been had I stood all the way up front.

Amenra is no stranger to tempo changes as well as shifts from hard to soft. They do these shifts impeccably and play everything with the same conviction. As a result, Amenra demands attention. The crowd gave them this attention. The crowd was quiet, listening attentively and gave the band the space to do their thing. Almost two hours after the initial calling of "Boden," the set ended with the drop of the microphone. Colin stormed off the stage, the band followed. Not a word was muttered, the lights in the venue came up, and everyone kind of looked lost.

For me, there was no way I was going straight to the car and hit the highway. I had to hit the bar and take a seat. Come down. Calm down. My friends and I chatted for a few hours, about this and that, and every so often someone would say, "man, Amenra was incredible." Everyone would nod in approval, another round of drinks would come by, and the conversation continued. One thing was clear, Amenra left their mark on us.

LIVE REVIEW: SOS Festival, Manchester, July15th 2017 Blaze Bayley Headlining

By: Richard Maw

As many readers of the blog will know, Blaze Bayley has featured twice recently; first for a review of his two latest (superb) albums and again for an interesting and detailed interview about his creative process and touring plans. As Blazewas headlining the tenth anniversary of the independent SOS Festival in Manchester, I thought I would go along and complete our series of features with a live review. With a day ticket at only £10, and three days for only £15, the festival represents serious value for money. Unfortunately I could only make the middle date- so it was off to Manchester once family commitments were completed to catch as many bands as I could.

After I had bought my ticket and completed the interview with Blaze I was offered a press pass to complete some interviews to really get a flavour of the festival from both a fan and band perspective. Blaze's manager Mark Appleton is the head honcho at Rocksector Records and he and the team had put together a strong and cohesive bill for each day.

Housed this year at The Longfield Suite in Prestwich, Manchester, travel was easy; straight off the motorway and free parking! The venue itself was excellent- great sound, decent bar, good food, a selection of merch stalls... all boxes ticked. Even the toilets were clean. The atmosphere and vibe was friendly- clearly there were a lot of folks who knew each other, but that is not a bad thing; no trouble here, that was for sure.

Well, on to the music: I arrived just in time to watch Primitai after being given my press pass by the very hard working Heather, who was running interview slots and generally shepherding people around. Primitai delivered- new rhythm section in place- a tight and focused set which was not dissimilar to the energetic performance I watched the band turn in at High Voltage Festival in London, 2011. Front man Guy Miller worked the crowd with aplomb, a muscular vocal and physical presence. Three albums in, the band are back and revitalised. I spoke to Primitai'sTipton/Downing (or in this case Srjdan and Sergio) team about where the band have been and where they are headed to now, along with their thoughts on the day:

What's your experience been like of SOS Festival today?

Srdjan: Yeah, it's been excellent. We always appreciate playing a festival which gives bands a chance to play. There are some big guns headlining and it has been a great experience so far: really well run, really good sound guys and stage hands. It's world class!

With three albums under your belts, how do you choose the set list?!

Srdjan: When you have released an album you establish pretty quickly the sort of “hits” if you like. We throw in album tracks, sometimes. At a festival, we try to hand out the hits- I say that in inverted commas! We're an underground band.

Sergio: A good thing is most of the songs, the audience really liked, so...

Album number four, can you give us a glimmer of when it might get here?

Sergio: Well, one thing we have realised over the years is that you have to keep up the momentum. We have booked the mastering for January, so we have a pretty tight deadline. If all goes to plan it should be out in May next year.

Last time I saw you guys was at High Voltage in 2011.  What are the difference between playing a big commercial festival like that and an underground festival like this?

Srdjan: It has been top notch here. This is no difference in terms of efficiency of running things. The sound was actually better here! The only difference was that it was bigger and we had to get taken to the stage in golf buggies.

Sergio: For me this has been the best time!

What are your touring  plans for next year?

Sergio: We are going to try to get on bills like this a couple of times a month. It's hard to schedule a week long tour.

Any bands left to play with who you haven't? A wish list is fine!

Sergio: For me, Symphony X

Srdjan: The legends: Accept, Saxon, well we have already played with them but I'd love to do it again!

Highlight gigs of this year?

Srdjan: We did a headline gig in Reading where I grew up. A pretty full venue and the crowd were great. Coming back ten years later was great. SOS festival has been great too.
Sergio: I really like festivals. I think for me, when we released the album the crowd was close- really close to us and I really liked it. After what the band had been through- we made the album!

 

Next up was Die No More, straight out of the metal Mecca of... Cumbria. I enjoyed their set hugely; turning is as they did a set of thrash/trad metal; mid-way between Priestand early Metallica/Testament. The band played hard and really won the crowd over, whose volume increased as their set went on. I must admit to never having heard the band prior to this gig, but I was impressed. Their closing self titled anthem was a festival highlight for me as the band got the crowd going and fully involved. Band's like Die No More are around in the UK underground- you just have to hear about them and a festival is the perfect way of doing so.

I caught up with bass player Martyn Simpson and lead guitarist Kev Smith after their set about the band's journey:

What has your experience been like!

KS: Hot. Hot and awesome!

MS: Very good crowd. Very receptive- a lot of fun.

KS: We played two years ago and we got a great response. This one was a great show. I think it got better as it went along.

Explain a bit about what the band is about, what genre you are operating in and what your inspiration is for doing it?

KS: A lot of people have labelled us thrash, but we are kind of between...

MS: Not everything is full tilt. There is a lot of stuff in between. With the EP we did there is a lot of melody and choruses.

KS: We got into the melodic side of it. Now we still have that thrash side, but we always had in the back of our mind to have catchy parts.

MS: It went away from “right we have a riff” to “How do we build around this?”

KS: We have the heavy side and the melodic edge.

What is next for the band?

KS: Well it's funny you should say that, because this is our last gig for a while! We have been at this for five years non stop and we need a break from the band. There have been times... how many times have holidays with family and this and that been put aside?!

MS: It's one of those never say never things. We're not going to stop playing music.

KS: We think we have written some great songs with the band and we don't want to lose that. We have built up over years of hard work. We just need some time to re-charge the batteries. We can count on one hand how many times we have cancelled a gig- really!

How did you move out of Cumbria to playing elsewhere?

KS: Well, Cumbria is one of the places where we least play! We went to Manchester a lot. We have been all over the place; Europe, down south, Wales, Scotland. If you can meet another band that likes you- we met Absolva. They took us under their wing and took us to Europe. Getting help like that is a massive boost.

MS: Great bunch of guys. Had a lot of good times.

Dream gigs: who would you play with?

KS: It could never happen for obvious reasons, but Pantera! I used to love that band and I still do.

MS: For me it would be Maiden!

Tough support gig there!

KS/MS: Oh yeah!

Are there any bands out there that you could recommend to readers of SLUDGELORD?

MS: Hellion Rising from Newcastle. Groove based, but a lot of Sabbathin there. They are on it every gig.

KS: A Jokers Rage and Massive Wagons.

Thanks guys.

Next up were Pythia, who I missed  most of  due to interviewing (from what I saw, they were professional and theatrical symphonic metal), so it was time for food and a patient wait for Northern Ireland's Screaming Eagles. Bearing in mind that Blaze Bayleywas headlining and Primitai and Die No More are at the, shall we say, start of  the harder edge of the metal spectrum it was an excellent change of sound to hear these Norn Iron lads crank out some no frills hard rock. Coming on string with a mix of AC/DCand G 'n' R, these boys played an energetic set of world class sounding songs. From opener “Ready For The Fall” to the excerpt of “It's a Long Way To The Top”, they didn't put a foot wrong. Why they aren't up there with countrymen The Answerand the likes of Airbourne, I have no idea.

In between bands the festival has a second stage at the back of the hall, featuring acoustic acts only. What a great idea! I caught Gemma Fox and Bad Pollyannawho turned in entertaining short sets and kept the crowd's attention, armed with nothing more than acoustic guitar and voice. Credit to them.

 

Finally, the headliner was set to take the stage. Come 9.30pm, Blaze's side men (made up of members of Absolva) blasted into the title track from “Endure and Survive”. Blaze made a dramatic entrance, announcing his intentions to kill with metal in menacing style, before working the crowd with all the energy of a man who has fronted the greatest band in metal. From there, there was no let up; “Escape Velocity”, “Fight Back” and “Dark Energy” all featured. Blaze's era of Maiden was very well represented by “Futurereal”, “The Clansman”, “Man on the Edge” and “Lord of The Flies” (which closed the show). The band played the songs with bags of energy and quickened the tempos here and there to keep the momentum of the show going. Martin Mcnee played an engaging drum solo, while Karl Schramm handled bass parts very solidly indeed. Chris Appleton, the band's not so secret weapon shredded for all he was worth and was joined by brother Luke (also of Iced Earth) for the show's final songs.

Blaze himself was in full voice, entertaining the crowd and offering up some very heartfelt thank yous in between songs. Wolfsbane's“Manhunt” even made its way into the set. With thirty years of songs under his belt, the set list was very well paced and cherry picked much of the best of his work; “Silicon Messiah” was represented, but notable for its absence was anything from “The Man Who Would Not Die”(one of his finest records). Frankly, though, to nit pick about a set list for a one and a half hour headline show would be ridiculous. The set was a triumph and I did not hear one word of dissent from people after- all enthusiastically agreeing that that it had been a triumph. Blaze immediately came out to the merch booth after playing- not so much as a breather- and began signing records, taking photos with fans and generally being an all around nice guy.

To sum up then, for £10 I got to see four and a bit bands, two acoustic acts and had a great day out. I was actually very kindly placed on the guest list for all three days, but I just could not do the Friday or Sunday; it's my loss, as I would love to have soaked up more of what the festival had to offer. This was undoubtedly the best independent festival I have attended in the UK and represented absolutely superb value for money.

If you fancy a metal fest next year and you don't fancy paying silly money to get piss wet through in a field in the Midlands, then get yourself to Manchester and try out bands in a friendly setting for true fans. Highly recommended.

Official page: http://www.mwaweb.com/sos_home_2017.html

Live Review: Oxbow, SUMAC @ Brudenell Social Club. 26/04/2017 Leeds, UK

By: Aaron Pickford & Charlie Butler

Few could argue that Aaron Turner has been one of the strongest advocates for the promotion and composition of heavy music over the last 20 years. Musician, artist and founder of the highly regarded Hydra Head Records, Turner has played a pivotal role in the release of countless classic albums, but it seemed that with the demise of the revered band ISIS (band),perhaps Turner’s appetite for producing suffocating heaviness would end too.

Whilst Tuner was far from inactive in music since ISIS (band), Turner would re-emerge on his own terms alongside drummer Nick Yacyshyn with a new project and they set about creating some of the heaviest music they had ever written, indeed over the course of two albums, their debut “The Deal”and 2016’s “What One Becomes” SUMAC'smusic seamlessly weaves between periods of crushing heaviness, fragile calm, hypnotic repetition and mind-bending mathematical chaos, taking all of their previous achievements as a foundation and building something even bigger in its own right.

SUMAC have indeed found their voice and with their following growing exponentially, they returned to our shores for the second time in 12 months and on April 26^th in Leeds, my appetite to see them was impossible to quantify. 

Now with a career spanning nearly 30 years, it was a view in some quarters that it was somewhat of an injustice that San Francisco exepermentials Oxbowwould act as second fiddle to tonight’s headliner, however the band were consummate pros tonight and their talent was clear to see, showcasing their truly unique sound.  Trying to categorise their music, is the equivalent of putting a square peg through a round hole, it’s like musical algebra, but impossible to quantify by way of rationale mind.  For me the commonalities of their music is indicative of Nick Cave esque post punk circa The Birthday Party, songs laden with staccato guitar and flagrant discordant keys, giving the listener a sense of nausea, whilst front man Eugene Robinson in a typically rambunctious manner spits out his laments, stalking the stage like a prowling cat.  Given that Oxbow was entirely new to me, to my ears their music evokes the quirkiness of The Butthole Surfers, whilst not entirely draped in acid, the songs are of kilter , unconventional and the antithesis of anti pop.  This is a band who don’t play by the rulebook indeed their din of exultant noise leaves you queasy green like a 5 years first boat journey.  With a promise to return next time in under ten years, the final track opens with layers of feedback like the swell of an ocean enveloping your senses, guitars , bass, drums coming at you even more cacophonous than what has come before it and their set is over and my anticipation for SUMAC has literally reached fever pitch. 

It is hard to frame concerts without resorting to the clichéd response of “man it was awesome”, in fact the use of a simple adjectives to describe an experience cannot truly encapsulate that experience and yet here I am attempting to do just that, however truth be told, words fail me for what I witnessed with SUMAC.  Given the dense nature of their recorded material, SUMACbrilliantly translated their music from record to the live arena, shimmering between pummeling heaviness, and more free spirited jam movements.  “Blackout”, “Rigid Man”, “Thorn in Lion’s Paw”, “Image of Control” all were aired tonight, at times the music is as subtle as a brick to the face, with the bass at times overriding the guitar, but SUMAC are more than just a vessel of heaviness, live there is a genuine symbiosis between Turner and Yacyshyn, so much so in fact that if you didn’t know the songs, you could be forgiven for thinking they were improvised jams, Turner flipping between dense riffs to master noise manipulator, allowing the feedback to ring out then we’re awash with psychedelic passages, Turner producing a drumstick to tap the strings, Yacyshyn pulling off impossible drum beats and at times giving the impression this is a man built at a cost of six million dollars, given his apparent bionic abilities.  This was not perhaps a gig that everyone would enjoy, yes at times you're banging your head , but live these compositions are more about feel, dynamic shifts, the manipulation of sound and for me it was an absolute pleasure to witness.  It was a lesson in absolute power.  

Band info: Facebook 

LIVE REVIEW: This Feels Like Never Ending: A farewell To Dillinger Escape Plan

By: Philip Weller



“Farewell, fair cruelty.”

William Shakespeare

“It's just kind of known in the music industry that a farewell tour means 'for now.’”

Nikki Sixx

 

The Dillinger Escape Plan are a violent, Molotov Cocktail of aggressively designed soundscapes. From the rhinoceros charge of hardcore to their chaotic and angular mathcore inhibitions, as strobe lights flash and flicker like a warzone in a thunderstorm in Manchestertonight, it is clear that they are leaving behind a lasting legacy. As of July 2017, The Dillinger Escape Plan’s indefinite hiatus is initialised, and one in which uncertainty hovers over it like a vulture circling its prey. With Greg Puciato moving into poppy, electronic territories with former Nine Inch Nailsman Joshua Eustis – albeit ones shrouded in a dark ambience – and with Ben Weinman focusing upon his own label, Party Smasher Inc., nobody knows whether this staggeringly unique band will grace us with their presence again. Yet, tonight feels like anything but a funeral.

 

Bodies packed in tight, a sticky sense of anticipation clogging up the air; an intensity ready to burst. Tonight has the feel of a proper gig, tonight is going to be sweaty. Then, as the band burst, exploding like a hand grenade, into ‘Limerent Death’s’ opening grooves, which resemble the sound of metal scraping on concrete, it begins. Only the day before had Swedish tech metal giants Meshuggah laid waste to the city across town at The Ritz.That was catastrophically heavy, leaving you breathless, motionless, their perfectly timed lights show as mesmerising as the abundance of face distorting riffs. But here, while still being heavier than an elephant’s turd, their music has a different effect. As their lightshow does its upmost to blind you, you watch the band’s silhouettes throw themselves across the stage as if battling an itch that will not be scratched, the urge to do likewise surges inside you. This is heavy, but this is fun.

And their songs have so much character to boot. ‘Black Bubblegum’ is anthemic, it sounds fictionally massive and the whole room gets caught in its web. ‘When I Lost My Bet’ is inhumanly tight, with its off-beat, blitzing attack opening up the mosh pit as if it were the mouth of hell. ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’ is heart and gut wrenching in equal measure; haunted and beautiful, like a wolf dressed in Granma’s clothes, it is a pop single with deadly and sinister intentions.

 

Alongside earlier material, like the sheer musical obliteration of ‘Farewell, Mona Lisa’ – and one where Weinman really flaunts his technical guitar wizardry – ‘Sympton of Terminal Illness’, taken from their aptly titled final record ‘Dissociation’, represents their growth is beholden in all its glory. The latter builds on eerie broken guitar chords, infused with occasional thrust of metallic impotence and capped with a searing chorus. The heaviness and the insanity is still there, but the song writing is sharper, smarter and more dynamic. For all the decibel plundering however, there is so much personality which colours and brightens their songs. ‘Milk Lizard’ however, will always be the true party smasher.

 

Having seen Puciato in The Black Queen, a band where he can really explore the depth and quality of his singing abilities, to see him here in a more rabid setting is a delight. It is credence too, to a special talent.

 

‘Mouth Of Ghosts’ is one of the most incredibly surreal and hypnotising songs to witness in the flesh. That galloping beat, which waltzes with a gorgeous, emotionally distraught piano line brings a kaleidoscope of images to your head. From vast open plains to the red deserts of Cydonia, it is the kind of song which stirs the soul and heightens inner contemplation. It introduces an encore cut unfortunately short. Halfway through ‘Sunshine Werewolf’ they cut the music and raise the lights. Someone in the crowd is having a seizure. Puciato encourages the crowd to give the individual room and calls for medical attention. The atmosphere in the room changes, a real concern blankets us all. It dampens the spirit and indeed the power of the band’s farewell to a city that has supported them for a long time.  But it also accentuates the band’s humility. They sound like animals, play like animals, but have hearts that betray that visage: A heart that will be sorely missed when it stops beating this July.

 

LIVE REVIEW: "Celebrating 30 Years" Neurosis @ Koko - London, 7th November 2016

By: Richard Lennon

 

I’m a bit obsessed with Neurosis. I was given the “Souls at Zero/Enemy of the Sun” bundled digipack on release about 20 years ago (by my Gran, of all people) and have been  a fan ever since. In all that time I’ve never managed to catch them live, so when they announced two shows at Koko to celebrate 30 years as a band - supported by instrumental USdrone-mongers Earthon the Monday night and British anarcho-punks Subhumans and Dischargeon the Tuesday - I snapped up tickets immediately and have spent the last few months salivating in excitement.

Having initially bought tickets for the Tuesday show I was pretty disappointed when work got in the way and I had to switch to going on the Monday night – I’ve been a Dischargefan for yonks but had never really listened to Earth past a cursory spin of “The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull” which left me a bit unsure what all the fuss was about. Turns out I was wrong.


After a few pints over the road, we arrived a couple of minutes before Earthcame on and just had time for a run to the merch stand and the bar before Dylan Carlson and co wandered onto the stage of Koko. Their set was hypnotic ally brilliant, as Carlson - backed by Adrienne Davies on drums and a baritone guitarist whose name I’m not sure of – ground out a succession of long, mesmerising instrumental pieces full of ultra-slow, head-nodding grooves and bluesy guitar riffs that were big, slow and heavy enough to have been written by dinosaurs. Music I’d found difficult to pay attention to on record was suddenly all-encompassing and completely gripping. I’m sure a proper fan could give you a much more thorough review, but I’ll just say that I was grinning from ear to ear by the end of the set and leave it at that.

And so, having been thoroughly re-educated about Earth, it was time for one of the most influential acts in modern heavy music to unleash the apocalypse on Camden. What followed wasn’t quite what I was expecting. In an interview with Overblown in the run-up to these shows, Steve Von Till mentioned that Neurosis “[wanted] to celebrate our 30th anniversary by going back in the catalogue, trying to find some songs that would work, and trying to acknowledge each phase of our band” and that comment had me excited about the possibility of them raiding “Souls at Zero”, “Enemy of the Sun”, “Through Silver in Blood” and “Times of Grace”, in turn bringing out a crowd-pleasing set of classics. In the end the set list leans much more heavily on recent albums than I was hoping. “Lost”, from “Enemy of the Sun”, gets a huge cheer from the crowd about halfway through and they close with the incomparable “Locust Star”, which is one of my all-time favourite songs by any artist, but the rest of the ten-song set is drawn from their last four albums, including three of the five tracks on new release “Fires Within Fires.” 

But if that sounds like a complaint, it isn’t. Neurosis are majestic. They don’t chat. The visuals are long gone. What we get is visceral, intense, totally alive heavy music, and the fact that I don’t know the new stuff that well doesn’t get in the way at all. There aren’t many bands who can take music that didn’t really set the world on fire for you on record and make it feel like a vital listening experience live, but Neurosis does precisely that. They pound out almost two hours of non-stop riffage, load it with waves of electronica from Noah Landis's sample/keyboard/theremin station on the side of the stage and offer more dynamics and subtlety in ten songs than many modern metal acts manage in an entire career. 30 years of making music hasn't slowed the juggernaut of sludge that is Neurosis down one iota and on this form you wouldn't bet against seeing the 40th anniversary shows come around. Maybe they'll finally cave in and play the greatest hits set in 2026.

Setlist:

1). Stones from the Sky
2). Given to the Rising
3). Bending Light
4). Lost
5). Broken Ground
6). Casting of the Ages
7). Fire is the End Lesson
8). Distill (Watching The Swarm)
9). At the Well
10). Locust Star