Possessed, Vapor, 10 Plagues, Stoic Suffering, Matt Miller, Prestige – Live at The Underworld
Possessed, Vapor, 10 Plagues, Stoic Suffering, Matt Miller, Prestige
The Underworld, London
30/07/2023
Live Review and Photography by Chris Galea
I first heard Possessed in the late 1980’s when their debut album ”Seven Churches” redefined the boundaries that confined dark sonic aggression. Of course Metal has evolved in multiform directions since then but the band still commands a loyal following, so tonight should be a wild night.
As I wait outside the gates of the Underworld in cold drizzling rain, my mind goes back to the scene of “The Exorcist” film, when Father Merrin enters the possessed’s house in similarly murky climatic conditions. I notice that no less than five bands are scheduled to play before Possessed hit the stage, all five are unfamiliar names to me. Are the headliners planning a condensed set? We’ll see.
Prestige
Prestige, who opened the gig, are from Finland but their Thrash sounded more like Bay Area bands such as Nuclear Assault or S.O.D.. Not entirely original but tight and entertaining, the band played with lots of passion. I thought I heard their singer / bassist introduce ‘Exit’, a song from their most recent album “Reveal The Ravage” and which the band also made into a promotional video. Shame about the sparse crowd because it was quite a good performance.
https://www.facebook.com/Prestigemetalband
Matt Miller
U.S.A. guitarist Matt Miller was next and delivered an instrumental set accompanied only by a drummer. I felt the material would have sounded better with a real bassist, but Mr Miller can definitely shred like his fingers are on fire. I later found out that Matt is also guitar tech for Possessed. In any case I was destined to hear more of his skills before the night was done…..
https://www.facebook.com/matt.miller.96995238
Stoic Suffering
…And sure enough Matt Miller changed guitar and was back on stage as guitarist of Stoic Suffering, which are a very different kettle of fish. The band started slightly late so they had to cut their set short but nevertheless it was clear what the band stood for. The lead vocals are best described as demented… sort of Gollum on drugs. For those unfamiliar with Stoic Suffering, the band with which I can best compare Stoic Suffering, stylistically speaking, is probably Akercocke.
The Industrial Metal of Stoic Suffering is not my favourite type of Metal if I have to be honest but kudos to the band for a frenzied show.
https://www.facebook.com/stoicsuffering
10 Plagues
Once more the music takes a very different turn. 10 Plagues are a Brutal Death Metal band with Black Metal influences. Crowd numbers started increasing and there were the first few attempts of the night at creating a mosh pit. The music of 10 Plagues makes one do that.
The songs of 10 Plagues are mainly concerned with the undead and this is reflected in the band’s image (see photos). Amongst other songs 10 Plagues also played a brand new number called ’Shadows’ which I felt had some great riffs. I don’t know if it was due to the mask he was wearing but the lead vocalist sounded muffled at times. All in all, however, this was an interesting band.
https://www.facebook.com/10Plagues
Vapor
Next on were Vapor, who were in a class of their own. The band came all the way from U.S.of A. and play a Thrash Metal bordering with Death Metal style. Vapor were as tight as fuck, with some great drumming and a well-oiled stage-act. As I suggested earlier, I was unfamiliar with the band so I’m unable to cite anything off their set-list. But that might be about to change. An eye-opening show.
https://www.facebook.com/vaporthrashofficial/
Possessed
It’s hard to believe that a band credited with inventing Death Metal only has 3 studio-albums to its name. Tonight’s performance was a comprehensive overview of those albums without missing any classic material which the crowd was surely expecting to hear.
The punters that thronged the venue were boisterously supportive of the band and went ballistic when they heard the pre-recorded intro to ‘Exorcist’ as well as the classic ‘Death Metal’, both numbers from their “Seven Churches” album. Vocalist/founding member Jeff Becerra seemed very pleased with the audience’s warmth and happily high-fived or fist-bumped any audience member he could reach.
Like a rabid beast let loose, tonight Possessed felt unstoppable.
https://www.facebook.com/possessedofficial
LINKS:
Venue
Promoter
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Chris Galea and Ever Metal. Photography the property of Cheis Galea. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
