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First thing that
strikes on having descended into ‘The Underworld’ is that there’s a pit....which
I had never seen before at this venue. The absence of a pit tended to foster a
special band/crowd rapport. But I quickly brush these thoughts aside to ponder
on the two bands set to hit the stage.
You have the
headliner that made its first recordings when the members of the support band
hadn’t even been born. So will fan loyalty and recognition of fledgling talent
be enough to fill the venue and animate the audience?
Read on to find
out.....
Divine Chaos
(www.facebook.com/divinechaosband)
Divine Chaos is
a band from the outskirts of London with just one album to their credit. That
album - “A New Dawn in the Age of War” - is a sort of amalgam of Thrash, Death
and Hardcore but tonight it’s only Thrash Metal that lashes at my ears.
I’m
immediately impressed by what I hear and see - Divine Chaos’ performance was
tight and exciting and the band seemed to
grab the crowd with confidence much like the talons of an eagle grabs its prey
and frenzily shakes the life out of it. Vocalist Benny F. was manically
hyperactive on stage, drummer James Stewart was quick and precise and I found
myself drawn to the versatility of guitarist Matt Gilmour. Divine Chaos’ music
had both melody and aggression...lots of the latter in fact.....and, I must say,
it was all quite enjoyable. Obviously the set
centred on the band’s album but, with some slight adaptations, the material felt
quite good in a live setting.
All in all
Divine Chaos gave a performance that should fuel the band’s potential in earning
wider respect.
Set-list:
Last Confession
Death Toll Rising
The Myth Of Human Progress
Shadow Of God
Ignorance Everlasting
Rivers Of Blood
Fields Of The Fallen
Rating: 85/100
Sodom
(www.sodomized.info)
Like a rabid
bloodthirsty mob, the crowd chanted the names of Sodom and band mainman Tom
Angelripper until the trio stepped on stage at which point the said audience
went berserk....and pretty much remained so until the gig ended. The German trio
played a lot of recent(ish) material but it was the classic repertoire that, as
one might have predicted, got the strongest crowd response. I’m talking about
numbers such as ‘Agent Orange’ and ‘Christ Passion’. Set closer ‘Ausgebombt’,
from the “Agent Orange” album of 1989, was particularly amazing and rekindled
fond memories of what I consider to be golden age of German Thrash.
Tom Angelripper
engaged in some humorous banter with the audience before proceeding to
acknowledge the influence of Motörhead. He seemed genuinely chuffed at the
supportive vibes the crowd was heaping upon the band. In fact, so unrelentless
was the crowd with all its moshpits that I realised that having pit+barriers in
front of the stage might not have been that overcautious after all.
It’s not
that I ever doubted Sodom’s Metal credentials but, with their particular brand
of abrasive, powerful and very tight-sounding Thrash, tonight the band still
managed to leave me in awe. And although the set seemed to have been shortened
slightly due to a strict curfew, I still went
home pleased that one of my favourite Thrash Metal
bands did not let me down.
Set-list:
Final Bullet
Sacred Warpaths
Outbreak Of Evil
Bird/The Saw Is The Law
Christ Passion
Sodomy And Lust
Stigmatized
An Eye For An Eye
Napalm In The Morning
Blasphemer
Tired And Red
City Of God
Into The Skies Of War
Burst Command
The Art Of Killing Poetry
Proselytism Real
Agent Orange
Fuck The Police
I Am The War
Remember The Fallen
Ausgebombt
Rating: 94/100
Attending:
Chris |
