pelugion

Pentre Fest 2023 – Day 2

Pentre Fest 2023 – Day 2
McLeans, Pentre
25/02/2023
Review by Alun Jones

Day 2 at Pentre fest – you could say I was a bit excited to get going. The ever-reliable Edd Case was performing in the marquee outside as I arrived, so I missed a chunk of his set sadly, as I paid my hard earned coin to get in and neck my first ale. Luckily, Edd did another slot of his excellent acoustic performance later on, so I got to catch him then. I think he was filling in for some band called Trashatouille, who couldn’t be arsed to turn up and attempt to play their own acoustic effort .

Scarfoot

First band on the indoor main stage was Scarfoot, and they made a hell of an impression. A three-piece band, they add an extra edge to their already formidable musicianship with the use of a 12 string guitar or a Dobro. This gives the band a huge, Zep-epic and individual sound. They all play with a convincing passion and were absolutely enthralling. I’d never seen them before, but had caught singer/guitarist Oliver Carins last year doing a solo acoustic set. Next time, these guys need to be higher up the bill! Scarfoot also blazed all over the acoustic stage later on, with a similarly massive sounding set, even without the drums.

https://www.facebook.com/thescarfootband

Frank Williams

Next on the second stage: a World Exclusive Live Debut! Frank Williams in his first official live gig, though sadly not billed as Victim of Damp. Frank is a Pentre Fest die hard, an unsung hero who has supported the event and pitched in with Fozzy and Beany from the beginning. This afternoon, Frank graced us with some acoustic covers (nice bit of Floyd) and banter, then introduced some comrades to help with humorous originals such as ‘Beany’s Car is Full of Shit’. Excellent crowd participation helped Frank’s set gallop home as a pedigree winner.

Lullaby for a Unicorn

It really wouldn’t be Pentre Fest without these guys. With a line-up change – or should I say, addition – in the shape of new vocalist, Gaz (who used to be the drummer. Come on, keep up!). This latest incarnation of Lullaby for a Unicorn was a refreshed and fun stallion, rather than a lame pony. There’s a little work to do to settle the new line-up in, but it was the same boisterous energy as ever as the Unicorn boys turned Pentre into a beautiful rainbow adorned meadow. Or blood-soaked battle field of metal mayhem, you choose.

https://www.facebook.com/rockmyunicorn

Scarfoot was next on the second stage. I’ve already covered that, go back and read it again.

The Human Condition

Despite a tech issue with the bass throwing a wangler with the first song, The Human Condition kept their shit together and provided another surprise. I had done no research whatsoever and didn’t know what to expect. By Odin’s beard, The Human Condition are a megalithic, doom metal colossus! Doom in the vein of Candlemass, or think Geoff Tate screaming for Trouble. Riffs are drip fed, leaving the audience begging for each new note. Add the most powerful live vocals I’ve heard in eons, and you have a force of biblical proportions. I bought a CD. You should check them out NOW.

https://www.facebook.com/TheHumanConditionDoom

Back to the Second stage for an acoustic Pelugion set – but we’ll get to them later.

Portrayal of Ruinn

A melodic deathcore band from Manchester way, Portrayal of Ruinn isn’t quite my thing on paper, but fucking awesome live. Possibly the most energetic band on stage at Pentre Fest all day, their combination of gutsy, nasty metal and bouncy, yet ferocious vocals proved a winner. They also know how to pace their set brilliantly – a few mellow sections lull the crowd into a comfy security blanket, only to have it ripped maliciously away. It’s the audio equivalent of a Video Nasty psycho killer – you’re never safe, Portrayal of Ruinn will never stop – and they will get you in the end!

https://www.facebook.com/portrayalofruinn

Syncolima

Reading back my notes here, and I can’t make a thing out of them. All I can fathom is that I REALLY liked this band: “Syncolima = great!” is about all I’ve got. They were excellent. Some kind of biker/stoner super heavy rock, they have groove aplenty and massive fuzzed out riffs. This three-piece from Mansfield, Notts were unmissable. New album “Wavelengths” is out soon, you’d be wise to watch out for it.

https://www.facebook.com/Syncolimauk

Miserable Sinner

Wait a minute – it’s that bloke from Bad Earth doing an acoustic set! Yes, it’s Steve from one of Pentre Fest’s favourite bands, backed with the other two ‘orrible ‘erberts, Karl and Ben (so semi acoustic, then?). The Bad Earth songs translate surprisingly well to the stripped-down sound, though they can’t compare to the full force fury of the full trio amped up and going for it. But then, what could? A great set that also included some cruel (ie hilarious) comedy signage behind Steve’s head, it also delivered a much needed bongo workout that was otherwise sadly lacking this year.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089767142065

King Kraken

Mind. Blown. Thank the trident of Posiedon, King Kraken travelled up from South Wales (a right old trek) to play Pentre Fest, and I’m so glad they did. The Kraken are a huge, boisterous metal machine with crushing riffs and awash with an almost psychedelic lead guitar. My favourite band of the day, despite fierce competition – I made off with some booty from the merch desk and toasted their performance with a tankard of ale. Please check this band out, you will not regret it. Magnificent!

https://www.facebook.com/kingkrakenuk

Leatherback

Last year, one man electronica fiend Leatherback was first on the Pentre Fest main stage. This year, it’s a second stage headlining slot, which worked well. Nine Inch Nails comparisons are obvious, but relevant when there’s a cover of a Reznor classic included. Leatherback ripped through a roaring set that went down extremely well with the lively crowd, even though it was freezing outside – receiving a well-deserved, enthusiastic reception.

https://www.facebook.com/leatherbackworld

Pelugion

Pelugion had performed an excellent acoustic set on the second stage earlier, which seems to have been a great way for them to warm up for their main stage appearance. I’ve seen these guys before at Pentre Fest and they never disappoint. Skull smashing mega riffs, born from Sabbath and with a dose of Alice in Chains and early Soundgarden – a stoner/alt metal monster – is what you can expect. These guys are super professional, but with grit and determination that keeps the performance compelling.

https://www.facebook.com/pelugion

The K*nts

Headliners on the final day of Pentre Fest, the K*nts, drove over five hours from down Essex way to entertain us. With hits such as that Christmas favourite ‘Boris Johnson is a F*cking C*nt’ and ‘F*ck the Tories’, we knew we were in for a treat. Hilariously, the Green Room reserved for the bands had been double booked with a meeting for a local Masonic Lodge. I wonder how The K*nts and this bunch of blazer-and-badge wearing eighty-year-olds got along back stage. Honestly, you can’t make this shit up. It’s like Phoenix Nights on crack!

A strange choice to headline a metal festival for some, nevertheless The K*nts put on a top show and had the audience on their side before the first song was even finished. Delightfully obscene, but with a political edge that helps retain a tiny bit of highbrow cred too, it’s like Sham 69 with Tourette’s. Most of the song titles are unrepeatable for a family website like Ever Metal, but let’s just say that The K*nts and their filthy brand of punk rock and humour were a mad but genius way to finish Pentre Fest off. And it probably will be finished off, if those old Masonic dudes have anything to say about it.

Oh, and yeah – Fuck the Tories.

https://www.facebook.com/kuntandthegang

Another great festival, and triumph for Fozzy and Beany! Bring on next year.

LINKS:

Venue:

Promoter:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Alun Jones and Ever Metal. 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.

Pelugion – I

I EP Cover

Pelugion – I
Self-Released
Release Date: 04/08/2018
Running Time: 37:26
Review by Dawn King
9/10

On 27th July 2018, Ever Metal had the privilege and the honour to premier Pelugion’s video for the track ‘Bane Of Humanity’ and now we are proud to review their debut EP “I”.
Pelugion are a three-piece rock/metal outfit from Coventry, England and the trio, Andy Sweeney, John Pittaway and Brandon Balou, first met at college in September 2012 while they were studying music performance. They started off by doing Black Sabbath and Metallica covers at college gigs, but once the college days were over, they found new rehearsal rooms and wrote their first original track.
It was then that Pelugion was born!
The threesome gigged heavily around England, they won a slot playing the Godiva Festival, which is the UK’s biggest free family festival, and signed a management deal with FATangel Management and PR, as well as releasing a music video for the track ‘Serpent’s Mistress’. This extensive gigging gained them recognition for their energetic performances and massive sound.
In 2016, they released the song ‘Bide My Time’, which was produced, mixed and mastered at Woodworm Studio by Mike Exeter, who has worked with legends such as Black Sabbath, Dio and Judas Priest, and this grabbed the attention of Wildfire Festival in Scotland, where they performed later that year.
2017 was a busy year for them. They played the sold-out HRH Metal at the O2 Academy in Birmingham, were a special guest performer at the Mosh Against Cancer in Coventry, performed their first acoustic set at Uprising Festival in Leicester (which we also had the pleasure of reviewing) and embarked on a tour with Welsh heavyweights, Lifer!
2018 saw them head back to Wales for the popular Dementia Aware Fest and they once again appeared on the bill at Uprising. They also gained a spot at Bloodstock Festival in Derby after winning the Coventry Metal 2 The Masses and receiving worldwide radio airplay is helping them on their way to becoming an international band!
So, what of this fantastic EP? Well, I think I just said it. It’s fantastic! From the opening basslines of first track ‘Monster’ I knew this was going to be a killer EP. With influences such as Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth, Soundgarden, Alterbridge, Black Label Society, Kyuss and Down, they have added their own unique twist on things to produce what can only be described as a stonking sound. Heavy, sometimes sludgy yet melodic and upbeat, if this EP doesn’t have you banging your head and throwing the horns then nothing will.
The EP is a collection of the band’s recordings to date, put together over a period of three years! Some of it has never been heard before, while some of it had only been available on digital format, but now for the first time it has all come together on CD, and really is a must for fans old and new.
This has everything a great EP should. Groove-laden, chunky riffs, melodic, powerful vocals with just the right amount of grit, funky bass lines and frantic drumming. Pelugion can seemingly turn their hand to anything, from the slow-tempo Sabbathesque type tracks to speedy and more thrash numbers.
We recently set up a page on the Ever Metal site showcasing bands we support and Pelugion were one of the first to be added to the list. This was due to their extreme capabilities, talent and hardworking ethic.
It may have taken three years to get this EP out, but if this is an indication of what is to come from this group of lads, then we all should be very excited about the future of metal.
Just don’t let it take three years for the follow up!
TRACKLIST:
1. Monster
2. Bide My Time
3. Desire
4. Bane Of Humanity
5. Remedy
6. Bury Me
7. Serpent’s Mistress
8. Believe
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/pelugion/
https://pelugion.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBqeFH9qFFkcu35PAQWVXxQ

Tweets by Pelugion

https://www.instagram.com/pelugion/

Promo Pic1

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn King and Ever Metal. 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.

Pelugion – Bane Of Humanity Video/Single Premiered on Ever Metal!

Pelugion – Bane Of Humanity Video/Single Premiered on Ever Metal!
Pelugion – Bane Of Humanity Single/Video
Release Date 27/07/2018

Ever Metal are beyond proud to premiere the brand new video/single ‘Bane Of Humanity’ from Coventry based Hard Rock/Metal band Pelugion. As soon as we first saw them live we knew they were something special and ‘Bane Of Humanity’ only reinforces that feeling!

Having recently won Coventry Metal 2 The Masses, this single is taken from the bands forthcoming EP entitled I (ONE) which is to be released before their appearance at Bloodstock Festival!

Bane Of Humanity was recorded, mixed & mastered by Dan Willett at Univibe Studios. The video was shot at Coventry Rehearsal Rooms and on location by Tim Paling of Lost In The Crowd Media.

Pelugion – ‘Bane Of Humanity

BIOGRAPHY:

Andy Sweeney, John Pittaway and Brandon Balou first met in college September 2012 whilst studying music performance. Starting off at the college rehearsal rooms and playing Metallica and Black Sabbath covers at a couple of college gigs, it wasn’t long before college was over, new rehearsal rooms were found, their first original song was written and Pelugion was born.

Since the beginnings of the band, Pelugion have gigged heavily around England with an arsenal of original songs, won a slot playing the Godiva Festival which is the UK’s biggest free family festival, inked a management deal with UK based FATangel management and PR and released a lyric video for the song ‘Serpents Mistress’. Pelugion are a band gaining national recognition for their energetic live performance and massive sound.

The band released the single ‘Bide My Time’ in 2016, which was produced, mixed and mastered at Woodworm studios by Mike Exeter who has worked with such legends as Black Sabbath, Dio and Judas Priest, this brought them to the attention of Wildfire Festival Scotland where Pelugion performed later in the same year.

2017 saw Pelugion busy writing and recording for their first official EP release recording with Mike Exeter and Dan Willett but also taking time to keep gigging as much as possible, including a performance at the SOLD-OUT HRH Metal at the O2 Academy in Birmingham, a special guest performance at Mosh against Cancer in Coventry, their first and as yet only acoustic performance at Uprising Leicester and a tour with South Wales heavyweights Lifer.

2018 is set to be the busiest year to date for the Coventry three-piece who have already headed back to South Wales to join Lifer once more for the Welsh leg of the popular Dementia Aware Fest at the start of the year and have since gained a slot at Bloodstock Festival after winning the Coventry Metal 2 The Masses and have once again returned to Uprising weekend In Leicester. Their performance at Bloodstock will be pre-empted by the release of their much anticipated EP entitled I (ONE) and a video for their latest recording Bane Of Humanity!

Pelugion are going from strength to strength with dates already in the books for 2019. They are now breaking the boundaries toward becoming an international band thanks to the worldwide radio airplay they are now receiving.

Pelugion describe their main influences as Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth, Soundgarden, Alterbridge, Black Label Society, Kyuss & Down.

LINE-UP:
John Pittaway – Guitar
Andy Sweeney – Vocals / Bass
Brandon Balou – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This article is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this article, unless you have the strict permission of Ever Metal. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Bloodstock ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ North Wales Final – Central Station, Wrexham 15/06/2018

Bloodstock ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ North Wales Final
Central Station, Wrexham 15/06/2018
Review by Beth Jones with pointless bits from Rick Tilley!

After what seemed a very long time, Friday 15th June was the night – The Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses North Wales Final! It was the culmination of months of hard work by both the bands and the organisers, and was set to be a great show, combining competition bands and showcase bands for an evening extravaganza! We, at Ever Metal HQ, were really excited for the event, not least because it was a chance to have a catch up with old friends, but more so because we had been at most of the heats, and the semis, and were excited to see which band would be rewarded for their efforts with the ultimate prize – a spot on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock 2018.

Following the packed nature of the heats, it was good to see a move of venue for the final, from the ‘cosy and bijou’ Atomic, to the much more substantial Central Station Venue. This allowed NEW Metal Productions to have two stages and alternate them – a brave decision, but did it work? We will come to that later!

First up on the main stage, to get us all in the mood, were instrumental trio, Archetype. This was our first experience of them. One word – Proggywoggydoodahh! I don’t think I need to explain any further than that. It was quite funny trying to watch the audience bang their heads to the rhythm, only to be fooled by a random bar of 13/8 instead of a good old 4/4 beat. Watching reasonably sober metal heads collectively trying to look cool when someone steals their solid rhythm is quite amusing! Aside from that, Archetype were clearly very talented musicians and clearly know how to write a good prog tune, but I have to say, after a short while, I found it quite difficult to listen to. It was too much for my brain to take sober, Rick, on the other hand, loved them!

https://www.facebook.com/wearethearchetypeUK/

A quick hop over to the second stage followed to catch Pelugion. We love these guys and it is easy to see why they have had success this year in the M2TM final in Coventry – if their performance that evening was half as good as their performance as guests here, then they were very worthy winners. They make one hell of a sound with just the three of them, and their connection is really strong, which gives their performance a confidence beyond their years. They provide you with classic heavy metal, quite Sabbath like in places, and give everything 100% welly! Love them.

https://www.facebook.com/pelugion/

Next was the first of the competition bands on the main stage, Impavidus. In my last review, I called them ‘female fronted’ and got a bit of stick for it, so this time I shall refer to them as Michelle and her all male backing band!! Joking aside, these guys are all properly talented musicians, and Michelle’s vocal versatility is astounding. We had been massively impressed with them at the Semi Final and felt certain that they would walk it in the final. Sadly, the sound let them down. Central Station is a notorious venue for problematic acoustics, and Impavidus were not helped by this one little bit. I think that the bad sound quality gave them a bit of a knock, and the spark and chemistry we saw in the semis just wasn’t quite there, which in turn affected their overall performance. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was the size of the venue, maybe it was the low – level lighting or the way it sounded on stage, who knows. We were truly gutted for them, but I think it was probably a worthwhile experience – things like that tend to focus your mind on areas that you can improve on.

https://www.facebook.com/impavidusuk/

Moving back to the second stage, we were greeted by local band, IN DEPTHS. Again, another first time for us, but with them hailing from just over the border and having had success recently in the Mammothfest Best Band competition, we were intrigued to check them out. The first thing that caught my attention was the bright white floor lights that they were using on stage. This totally changed the mood of the performance in a very clever way. The effect of it was almost like a bad dream – strange shadows creating distortions in features, which fitted well with their musical style. It was much harsher than I was expecting and quite intricate and complex, a bit Djent, and quite animated. Whilst I’m not a massive fan of the genre, it was really good to see them thinking about the overall look and staging and it was nice to see a bass player, on a six – string bass, actually utilising all the strings – kudos for that!

https://www.facebook.com/InDepths/

Returning once again to the main stage, we were ready and waiting for our next competition band, Cadence Noir. Again, we had really enjoyed these guys from their heat and semi and had high hopes for them. They were very different to everything that had been on so far, with much more of a party feel to them. They were lively, rocky, well-rehearsed, and had the best sound of the evening so far. They too had thought about their image, and the fact that they have a violin player and the bass player switches between standard electric bass and upright semi acoustic double bass gave them more of an edge. They gave a great performance and had the whole crowd bouncing and dancing and really partying. It was certainly a hard act to follow and I was pretty confident that we had just seen a winning performance, although the band themselves where not of the same opinion when we had a chat with them in the smoking area afterwards, during what was a well needed break from proceedings.

https://www.facebook.com/CadenceNoir/

Following the short interval, the next competition band, Redwood Avenue, took to the main stage. As you all know by now, my opinion of these guys has changed a lot from when I first saw them, however I think this is because they have grown in confidence and finesse, and their performance here was no exception to this rule. They always have a good following too, which helps drive their performance along. Front man Aled is very animated, and the skills of the drummer keep everything very tight throughout their complex songs. With their Djent, Modern Metal sound, it was a huge contrast to the previous two bands we had seen in the competition this evening, which was great – variety is the spice of life, and they do what they do well. I sometimes wish their guitarists would be a little more animated though. I think this is made more noticeable by the fact that the bass player and drummer, along with Aled, are animated, so it sticks out like a sore thumb. To coin a phrase I used in my first review about them, they are only young; it will come with time and experience!

https://www.facebook.com/redwoodavenue2014/

Once more back over to the second stage we headed, for the last band of the night on that stage, the fantastic Welsh nutcases, Lifer! Although I have listened to plenty of their music, this was a first time for me seeing them live. What a diamond bunch of lads they are, and what a chemistry they create on stage. They are thrashy, doomy, and heavy, and generally awesome. Scriv has a great presence as a front man and knows how to hold a tune and an audience in the palm of his hand. I really enjoyed their set and will endeavour to see them again soon. It was nice to have them in the mix with all the young bands that we had seen so far, as they are like the voice of experience for them – the ones who have been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, and are still loving it and showing us that they are loving it!

https://www.facebook.com/lifermetal/

The final Competition band was up next – OMV. Hold on to your hats folks, things are about to get a lot more sweary. One thing is for certain – Richie OMV certainly has a lot of fucks to give! Call me a prude, but there was a bit too much fuckery for my liking if I’m honest, which is a shame, as I really like their music, but the over use of our favourite expletive, as well as a few other choice words, was a big turn off for me. That said, they did put on a good show and it was, as ever, tight and well-rehearsed. I love the fact also that they had more than one generation of their family there to support them – as they have had at each of their performances in the M2TM competition. That was really nice and they did do their family proud with their performance – just please lay off the expletives a little – it doesn’t do you any favours!

https://www.facebook.com/omvmetalband/

And that was it for competition bands. Whilst Rob Bannister deliberated on, what was most definitely, a very tough decision, we were treated to some good solid thrash metal in the form of Solitary. They were our guest headliners and they certainly filled that spot brilliantly, even if quite a few of the audience hadn’t got the stamina to stay until the end…lightweights! The people who did stay were treated to a fantastic performance from them, with huge energy and passion and groove laden tunes back to back throughout their set.

https://www.facebook.com/Official.Solitary/

So, to the decision – Rob took to the stage, the room divided into four definite parties! Who would win? I had a feeling I knew but was intrigued to see if Rob would go that way. ‘The winner of this year’s Metal 2 The Masses North Wales Final is ………… CADENCE NOIR!!!!’ Whilst there was obvious disappointment in the room from the fans of the other bands, the general consensus was that it was the correct decision on the night – apart from the Cadence Noir guys, who were completely shocked and thought Redwood Avenue should have won! After obligatory congrats / commiserations / photos, the crowd drifted off, all knowing they had just witnessed a super night of music with a competition of four bands, completely diverse in style, but all equally talented at what they do. It really was anyone’s game. We had an absolute blast, as we have had throughout the competition, and came home happy and content that a good night had most definitely been had. My only criticism was that the night seemed to take a long time to get to the decision. I think the second stage was good, but possibly dragged things out a little too much, however all the bands on there were fantastic. The sound on there was better than the sound on the main stage, which kind of irritated me a bit, but the room which the second stage was in is much easier to set sound in – that is more a fault with the building though – believe me I saw Soulfly in there a good while ago and it was a wall of noise, so even the big bands struggle.

Myself and Rick feel very privileged to have been at all these gigs and would like to express our thanks for the hard work and dedication of all involved, not only the bands, But Fozzy and Beany for having the determination to pull off the events, all of which ran like absolute clockwork. Also, thanks to Rob Bannister for coming all the way to little old Wrexham to judge it, as well as Dani Maguire from ‘Powerzone’ on Calon FM and John Matthews from ‘Totally Tankered’, who cast the judges votes in the heats and semis. Not only have we had a great time at each show, but we have met and become friends with some wonderful people along the way, and that is what music is all about – the universal language that brings people together. It would be lovely to see this as the springboard for more of the same in this town.

Huge congratulations to Cadence Noir – have fun at BOA 2018. LONG LIVE METAL!

LINKS:

North East Wales Metal Productions:

https://www.facebook.com/N.E.WMetalProductions/

The Powerzone Radio Show:

https://www.facebook.com/Powerzonemetal/

Metal 2 The Masses Official Public Group Page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/m2tmofficial/

Bloodstock Festival:

https://www.facebook.com/bloodstock/

Central Station, Wrexham:

https://www.facebook.com/centralstationvenue/

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

All photographs are the property of Beth Jones and PhotograBee – http://www.facebook.com/PhotograBeeImages

Interview with Pelugion – Uprising 2017

Interview with Pelugion – Uprising 2017
27/05/2017
Interview by Richard Tilley

When you are covering an Event such as Uprising, one of the things you’ll invariably be asked to do is interview a band you really aren’t familiar with and that is what happened to me with regards to Pelugion. Luckily we had a couple of weeks beforehand to have a listen to some of their music. This day was to be a very different day for this three piece Heavy Metal / Heavy Rock band from Coventry though, because they were due to play their first ever acoustic gig. This was, to my way of thinking, either a very gutsy thing to do or a very silly thing! What you couldn’t argue with was that all three guys were great fun and, as the weather was so lovely, we sat outside to get their thoughts!

EVER METAL: We are fairly new converts to your music and, I personally, haven’t heard a lot before, so when Angel (Angel Merry of Fat Angel Management, who look after Pelugion, and who was also running the Uprising Press Office with her other half Chris Sams, and might I add they were both superb) got in touch with me and said would you like to do an interview, I had to get up to speed with what you were all about and honestly, I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve heard so far so to those people out there who may not have heard of you tell us about the band and about the name Pelugion as well?

PELUGION: Well, it all started back in College where we all met. We were all sort of shoved together. Originally there were five or six of us in the college band and everyone slowly left and that’s how Pelugion was formed, with just the three of us. As for the name its two Greek words put together but we do not remember what the Greek words are! (As you can imagine there was lots of groaning and laughter at this admission)

EVER METAL: (Still laughing) You can’t say that! I’ve been looking forward to a really deep and meaningful explanation about a great name and it turns out to be two Greek words you can’t remember!

PELUGION: Well we aren’t going to lie to lie to you. It’s really good though because when you Google it we are the only band that comes up

EVER METAL: Okay, so you’ve also got Nicknames/Stage names in the band, which are ‘The Goat’, ‘The Vulture’ and ‘The Quatch’ so what’s this all about?

PELUGION – Andy Sweeney (Bass/Vocals): We’ll start with my nickname. I was given the nickname ‘Sasquatch’ and he (Brandon Balou – Drums) always did this weird face which kind of looked like a vulture! (laughs)

PELUGION – Brandon: Yeah, I’ve been known to pull really seedy faces (lots of laughter)

PELUGION – Andy: And he (John Pittaway – Guitars) just loves goats, and that’s it! (More laughter)

EVER METAL: This is not going well! (Loads of laughter)

PELUGION – Brandon: It basically all came about because Andy was big and hairy and looked like a Sasquatch and it’s just escalated from there!

EVER METAL: So this is your first ever acoustic set .You’re playing somewhere as iconic as this venue and at a large event put together by Simon Yarwood. Why did you choose to do that and how nervous are you to be doing an acoustic set somewhere like this?

PELUGION: Well we were pretty nervous before but now we’ve got here and seen the turnout, I mean there are a lot of people! We are pretty confident it’s going to sound okay, but it’s just different because we are used to the ‘big sound’ and now we are going to be stripped back. It’s going to be strange but hopefully people will like it so go easy on us!

EVER METAL: So is it something you thought about for a while or did you just, off the bat, say we’ll do an acoustic set for this particular gig?

PELUGION: It was offered to us, so we weren’t going to turn something like this down and it was a challenge so we thought we might as well go for it and see what happens! We’ve got one or two surprise covers in the set and some of our own stuff as well so it will hopefully keep people happy and entertained!

EVER METAL: Up to now you’ve released an EP and a single, so is there an album in the works?

PELUGION: Yeah, we’re writing and recording at the moment and have been for the last few months so we should have a release towards the end of this year so keep your eyes peeled! We’ve got four songs recorded for it so far and we aren’t recording all in one go, it’s song by song. We don’t have a title yet, we are going to wait till it’s all done, listen to it and then come up with something!

EVER METAL: So how did the partnership with FATangel Management come about?

PELUGION: We were part of a competition at The Arches in Coventry. Through playing that we gained quite a decent fan-base, that’s how it sort of started for us in Coventry and off the back of that Chris and Angel attended all of the shows and they basically approached us and said “we like what you’re doing and we’d like to help out”. We were only like 17-18 years old at the time and we had never properly played to large audiences and through competing in this competition it gave us the chance to play to more people and from that gained a bit of a following and that’s where Chris and Angel first saw us!

EVER METAL: We’ve mentioned it’s pretty amazing to come somewhere like this and play so after your set who are you going to be interested in watching?

PELUGION: We’ve been listening to a lot of Hærken so will definitely be watching them, Resin and Lawnmower Deth as well and we’ve got a lot of mingling to do!

EVER METAL: We always try and come up with a silly question because what we don’t want is to ask questions you keep getting asked all the time, so if you were a Monty Python film what would the title of that film be?

There was a long pause!

PELUGION: We always come out with random shit so this SHOULD be really easy! (Lots of laughter)

After another pause a light bulb seemed to go off and we got this reply which we really liked!

PELUGION: ‘Monty Python And The Shortest Long Lasting Moment’

EVER METAL: You’re on stage at 5.45pm and we’re going to be coming over and are looking forward to watching you. Is there anything else you want to talk about before we finish?

PELUGION: Yeah, we’ve got Pentre Fest coming up in June (Pentre Fest is at the Mcleans Pentre, Queensferry, Deeside CH5 2DA and is on between 23rd-25th June. Pelugion are playing a full electric set on Saturday 24th June), we’ll probably be a lot better there (lots of laughs)

Mainly we just want everyone to bear with us because we will have new material by the end of the year so keep an eye out and keep listening. We played a new song for the first time last week at Scruffy Murphy’s and the plan is to introduce new songs into the set over the next few months and see what the response to them is like!

With that, ‘The Goat’, ‘The Vulture’ and ‘The Quatch’ were on their way to mingle! These guys are so young, about 21 years old (I’m old enough to, at least, be their Dad) and I can see the wide eyed enthusiasm in them that I had at their age. They’ve done really well for themselves though, their acoustic set was excellent and they got a great response from a good sized crowd. In other words, and to answer my thought in the introduction to this piece, it was a very gutsy thing of them to do and they pulled it off! Their EP “Serpent’s Mistress” is a great listen and I’m very much looking forward to getting the album when it’s completed!

As you can tell from the interview they aren’t a band of many words and revealing answers, they let the music do the talking and when the music is good why shouldn’t they do that? I’d really love to know what those two Greek words are though!

I’d like to thank them for taking the time to chat with Ever Metal and also thank Angel for setting up the interview!

Rick

Check out Pelugion at the following link:

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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Richard Tilley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities