Kill All the Gentlemen + Metaprism and The Florentine Camarata - Exeter Cavern
Another night of Monday metal in the Cavern. Or as I call it now, the "three-quarter length combat short emporium". Seriously, Berghaus must have been making a hell of a profit off of the metal community. But this wasn't a fashion contest. We were here for one thing. Bone-breaking metal. That, of course, and Kill All The Gentlemen's new video for their band anthem, Rebellion - which was being exhibited at this "official premiere", no less. It's certainly a good video. Albeit not for the faint-hearted if you've an aversion to people eating maggots or being slowly hung. Which I don't. Thank heavens for that, eh? It was lovely to see the local scene out in force for this one. After the slightly poor crowd showing last time out, it was lovely to see some familiar faces.
Up first were THE FLORENTINE CAMERATA (7). With lead vocalist Jamie Baillie-Hamilton's rather solid attempts at some ballroom dancing with a member of the audience, he immediately endeared himself to me and the rest of the crowd, who were appreciative of the Camerata's own brand of what I described at the time as "dancefloor deathcore". Believe it or not, dancefloor is a compliment - I'm not sure much more made me want to dance than the vicious brand of breakdown that Camerata brought that night. It was during these breakdowns in which the band came into their own - with little space to move on the tiny Cavern stage, the five piece couldn't help being a bit static, but their music spoke for itself. With a better sound system and a larger stage, perhaps we could have seen what the Camerata were really capable of, as some of the more technical elements that you hear on the record were lost in the sea of noise. Which was a shame, but you've got to work with what you've got in the smaller venues. Nevertheless, you couldn't help but admire the musicianship, talent and genuine enthusiasm of the group - they were incredibly-well drilled, enjoyable and I look forward to any follow-up to their 2012 opus Encryption:paralysis.
If it's one thing I took from last night, it's that METAPRISM (9) now hold the record for the number of times that I've gone "fuck" in amazement at one gig. It is incredibly refreshing to see a female vocalist in metal - you could count Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil and Skin of Skunk Anansie I suppose, but I can't think of many more. It is even more interesting to see a dual-lead vocal group of such contrasting styles. On one hand, you had Jut Tabor, an absolute behemoth of a man and FuryBorn vocalist whose growls were attention-commanding and utterly, delightfully brutal, but whose cleans were the highlight. There was a clarity in those vocals, which was brilliant. On the other, you had Theresa Smith, whose repertoire of clean vocals were hardly off point all night. What really took me aback was the chemistry between the two of them, and the rest of the band. The combination of the two soaring vocalists with the backdrop of the (tight as a duck's backside, I might add) band was a wonderful experience. It was as if Paramore had taken some-kind of cocaine-speedball cocktail whilst listening to Suffokate, except with far more inventive and musically interesting riffs than Suffokate could ever come up with. The results speak for themselves. Belligerent, talented and thoroughly entertaining.
You know what to expect from KILL ALL THE GENTLEMEN (7.5 PROVISIONAL) now. Crushing vocals and riffs that can fell a horse at twenty paces. Now, let me explain the problem with this review. The last portion of the set I missed, due to having to catch a train. Unprofessional, I know - but as much as I love all of the KATG Mob, the train waits for no man. As anyone who has missed a train will testify, I suppose. Hence this review will be a three-and-a-half song review. Apologies in advance. Perhaps I should set up a Crowdfunded campaign in order to pay for taxi fares home so you can have more complete reviews.
Anyway, the group were typically thunderous, especially with Jason Down (who recently had a face reconstruction, I shit you not) back in tow on bass. Leading into pre-rebrand anthem Midnight In Eden, the crew showed how much they've evolved in the past six months to a year. The older material is battle-hardened and gig tested, but in my view the show really kicked off when Rebellion (this time without maggot-eating, thankfully). If anything, what I caught of the performance affirmed what I previously thought. The material is above and beyond what Kill All The Gentlemen have ever produced, and tunes like Rebellion and Deepest Depth put the band among the best in the South West.
That's where it ends, unfortunately. Blame the 23:01.
Both Metaprism and Kill All The Gentlemen play Bloodstock Open Air next week in Derby. Big up to The Florentine Camerata too!
Up first were THE FLORENTINE CAMERATA (7). With lead vocalist Jamie Baillie-Hamilton's rather solid attempts at some ballroom dancing with a member of the audience, he immediately endeared himself to me and the rest of the crowd, who were appreciative of the Camerata's own brand of what I described at the time as "dancefloor deathcore". Believe it or not, dancefloor is a compliment - I'm not sure much more made me want to dance than the vicious brand of breakdown that Camerata brought that night. It was during these breakdowns in which the band came into their own - with little space to move on the tiny Cavern stage, the five piece couldn't help being a bit static, but their music spoke for itself. With a better sound system and a larger stage, perhaps we could have seen what the Camerata were really capable of, as some of the more technical elements that you hear on the record were lost in the sea of noise. Which was a shame, but you've got to work with what you've got in the smaller venues. Nevertheless, you couldn't help but admire the musicianship, talent and genuine enthusiasm of the group - they were incredibly-well drilled, enjoyable and I look forward to any follow-up to their 2012 opus Encryption:paralysis.
If it's one thing I took from last night, it's that METAPRISM (9) now hold the record for the number of times that I've gone "fuck" in amazement at one gig. It is incredibly refreshing to see a female vocalist in metal - you could count Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil and Skin of Skunk Anansie I suppose, but I can't think of many more. It is even more interesting to see a dual-lead vocal group of such contrasting styles. On one hand, you had Jut Tabor, an absolute behemoth of a man and FuryBorn vocalist whose growls were attention-commanding and utterly, delightfully brutal, but whose cleans were the highlight. There was a clarity in those vocals, which was brilliant. On the other, you had Theresa Smith, whose repertoire of clean vocals were hardly off point all night. What really took me aback was the chemistry between the two of them, and the rest of the band. The combination of the two soaring vocalists with the backdrop of the (tight as a duck's backside, I might add) band was a wonderful experience. It was as if Paramore had taken some-kind of cocaine-speedball cocktail whilst listening to Suffokate, except with far more inventive and musically interesting riffs than Suffokate could ever come up with. The results speak for themselves. Belligerent, talented and thoroughly entertaining.
You know what to expect from KILL ALL THE GENTLEMEN (7.5 PROVISIONAL) now. Crushing vocals and riffs that can fell a horse at twenty paces. Now, let me explain the problem with this review. The last portion of the set I missed, due to having to catch a train. Unprofessional, I know - but as much as I love all of the KATG Mob, the train waits for no man. As anyone who has missed a train will testify, I suppose. Hence this review will be a three-and-a-half song review. Apologies in advance. Perhaps I should set up a Crowdfunded campaign in order to pay for taxi fares home so you can have more complete reviews.
Anyway, the group were typically thunderous, especially with Jason Down (who recently had a face reconstruction, I shit you not) back in tow on bass. Leading into pre-rebrand anthem Midnight In Eden, the crew showed how much they've evolved in the past six months to a year. The older material is battle-hardened and gig tested, but in my view the show really kicked off when Rebellion (this time without maggot-eating, thankfully). If anything, what I caught of the performance affirmed what I previously thought. The material is above and beyond what Kill All The Gentlemen have ever produced, and tunes like Rebellion and Deepest Depth put the band among the best in the South West.
That's where it ends, unfortunately. Blame the 23:01.
Both Metaprism and Kill All The Gentlemen play Bloodstock Open Air next week in Derby. Big up to The Florentine Camerata too!
Wretched Soul + Kill All The Gentlemen and King Creature - Exeter Cavern
The last time I had been to the Cavern Club for a metal gig in Exeter, it had been a mixed bag. The night swayed between cataclysmic and excellent, with the evening luckily being rounded off by creative up-and-comers Cambion. This time, it was the turn of Wretched Soul from Kent, alongside one of my favourite bands, Kill All The Gentlemen and groove outfit King Creature. I had high hopes for this one. I found the Cavern as it had always been. Smoky, dim and loud. Perfect for a Monday night of metal, then.
Up first were KING CREATURE (8.5). Halfway through the set, the lead singer quipped:
"We may not be the heaviest band in the world, but we do have big dicks"
Be that as it may, Creature's rock credentials weren't up for debate as they lashed through a monster set of groove-driven rock songs, with a panache and quality that really took me by surprise. The riffs were as meaty as the Marks and Spencer steak section, and the singer had a hell of a set of pipes on him, despite looking somewhat like a bedraggled, even heavier-metal Bill Bailey. His vocals complimented the riffs with some gusto, and to my pleasant surprise his vocals were matched by another guitarist. They, between them, barely put a foot wrong on the vocal front, my only possibly criticism being that the vocals could have been a tad louder - I did feel that the vocals could have been more prominent, perhaps less insidious than they were. They made an impact, nevertheless. Creature's brand of rock music took an almost metal, cavalier attitude to the genre, complete with metal-style breakdowns that hit you like a freight train. They also showed their more sensitive side towards the end of the set, with fingerpicking that had me thinking of Maiden's "Revelations" with the intricate fingerpicking. Make no mistake, big-ballsed, groove-driven rock is alive and well, and will continue to be so with bands like King Creature on the circuit.
Next up were KILL ALL THE GENTLEMEN (8). In short, the older stuff was good. The new material absolutely slayed. The musicianship that I had come to expect from the band was there in buckets. despite a stand-in bassist due to the current bassist's adventures with height leaving him unable to perform due to a recently reconstructed face. The vibe was completely different to King Creature but equally soul-rattling. In honesty, the most impact for me was made during the fingerpicked sections of songs, including a borrowed fingerpicked riff (from Metallica I believe) that worked incredibly well. Tamer sections in Deepest Depth also led to impact being made as the track made its Cavern debut. One would also note that new "anthem" Rebellion will take gigs by storm in the future. It's a great track. I say, with a heavy heart that it would have taken a bloody miracle to beat last time out, but the band solidified their reputation as up-and-comers with the performance and proved why they're still as good as any in the local scene.
Last to the stage were headliners WRETCHED SOUL (6.5). They were brutal and definitely up for it, but the bite just wasn't there. Several tracks were well done and I can't fault the energy of any of the band, who, particularly the vocalist exhibited the spirit of metal that drove this genre into one of the most passionate and friendly around. The overall sound was just a little muddy (I did check with a friend who understands sound on a more particular level than myself and he agreed), and I felt the music could have had a little more punch. In spite of this, the vocalist gets my full compliments for being an incredibly active and involving frontman, compliments I'd also extend to the full band. The crowd had noticeably thinned out (which was a strange experience), but the band came on and had a great time, and gave a good show which has to be commended. Perhaps with better sound or a bigger stage they could have the potential to dominate a crowd. I wait for that day expectantly. As it was, the depleted crowd still had a good time by all accounts, which is what live music is about. Never mind 80,000 at Wembley. Try twenty-or-so people headbanging furiously to music they love. That's the beating heart of this industry.
You can find King Creature's site here. Kill All The Gentlemen can be found on Facebook here. Wretched Soul's site is here
Up first were KING CREATURE (8.5). Halfway through the set, the lead singer quipped:
"We may not be the heaviest band in the world, but we do have big dicks"
Be that as it may, Creature's rock credentials weren't up for debate as they lashed through a monster set of groove-driven rock songs, with a panache and quality that really took me by surprise. The riffs were as meaty as the Marks and Spencer steak section, and the singer had a hell of a set of pipes on him, despite looking somewhat like a bedraggled, even heavier-metal Bill Bailey. His vocals complimented the riffs with some gusto, and to my pleasant surprise his vocals were matched by another guitarist. They, between them, barely put a foot wrong on the vocal front, my only possibly criticism being that the vocals could have been a tad louder - I did feel that the vocals could have been more prominent, perhaps less insidious than they were. They made an impact, nevertheless. Creature's brand of rock music took an almost metal, cavalier attitude to the genre, complete with metal-style breakdowns that hit you like a freight train. They also showed their more sensitive side towards the end of the set, with fingerpicking that had me thinking of Maiden's "Revelations" with the intricate fingerpicking. Make no mistake, big-ballsed, groove-driven rock is alive and well, and will continue to be so with bands like King Creature on the circuit.
Next up were KILL ALL THE GENTLEMEN (8). In short, the older stuff was good. The new material absolutely slayed. The musicianship that I had come to expect from the band was there in buckets. despite a stand-in bassist due to the current bassist's adventures with height leaving him unable to perform due to a recently reconstructed face. The vibe was completely different to King Creature but equally soul-rattling. In honesty, the most impact for me was made during the fingerpicked sections of songs, including a borrowed fingerpicked riff (from Metallica I believe) that worked incredibly well. Tamer sections in Deepest Depth also led to impact being made as the track made its Cavern debut. One would also note that new "anthem" Rebellion will take gigs by storm in the future. It's a great track. I say, with a heavy heart that it would have taken a bloody miracle to beat last time out, but the band solidified their reputation as up-and-comers with the performance and proved why they're still as good as any in the local scene.
Last to the stage were headliners WRETCHED SOUL (6.5). They were brutal and definitely up for it, but the bite just wasn't there. Several tracks were well done and I can't fault the energy of any of the band, who, particularly the vocalist exhibited the spirit of metal that drove this genre into one of the most passionate and friendly around. The overall sound was just a little muddy (I did check with a friend who understands sound on a more particular level than myself and he agreed), and I felt the music could have had a little more punch. In spite of this, the vocalist gets my full compliments for being an incredibly active and involving frontman, compliments I'd also extend to the full band. The crowd had noticeably thinned out (which was a strange experience), but the band came on and had a great time, and gave a good show which has to be commended. Perhaps with better sound or a bigger stage they could have the potential to dominate a crowd. I wait for that day expectantly. As it was, the depleted crowd still had a good time by all accounts, which is what live music is about. Never mind 80,000 at Wembley. Try twenty-or-so people headbanging furiously to music they love. That's the beating heart of this industry.
You can find King Creature's site here. Kill All The Gentlemen can be found on Facebook here. Wretched Soul's site is here