Reaper

Beyond Your Design, Hellfekted, Reaper, Born Pariah – The Hairy Dog, Derby – 22/10/22

Beyond Your Design, Hellfekted, Reaper, Born Pariah
The Hairy Dog, Derby
22/10/22
Review by Rob Sutton
Photos by Klare Sherwood

Derby isn’t a place I go to often for gigs, this in fact being only my second time in the city but when an offer comes to review an EP launch at the Hairy Dog, I can’t really refuse. Now the venue itself is one of my personal favourites, we have a covered smoking area with a food van at the front, a main bar room with really good toilets, a main event room with a huge stage, plenty of space and a bar. Although the toilets in here are not to the same standard as in the pub. Oh and a games room as well, honestly what more do you want from a venue? Oh, cheap beer, check. £4 a pint… Winner!

So, moving on from the venue and to our opening band for the evening Born Pariah, who start things off as they mean to go on – Thrashy. Now as we know, Thrash really isn’t my first choice when it comes to Metal subgenres, but these guys describe themselves as more Groove than Thrash. To me they do still have an awful lot of Thrash elements to them, but certainly the riffs on display here really highlight a more groovy side and I do really dig this, as they really get the crowd’s heads bobbing along. This is amplified by the heavy hitter behind the drums. He really is hammering that kit and provides a real thud to the grooves. Another special mention has to be to the bassist, who actually gets time to shine on multiple occasions, yes boys and girls we have bass solos!!! Joking aside these fitted beautifully within their songs and was a really nice change from the usual guitar intros.

While the music is solid and performed to a high standard, the stage show, not so much. I like a band that engages with the crowd and Born Pariah barely even announce a song. Not only that, but for the most part they are just stood on stage with a slight Bob, aside from the drummer who was actually going full beans and completely stole my attention. Born Pariah looked like they were bored on stage and sadly that left me a little bored too, luckily the music was good though.

https://www.facebook.com/BornPariahUK

Reaper are a band that Ever Metal are all too familiar with and are one of Editor Beth’s personal favourites, though this is the first time I have actually reviewed them. So where do I stand? Well first off there is way more stage presence, in fact Reaper don’t stand still and this is made more impressive by the speed they are playing at. Now the quote from Dan (vocals / guitar) used for tonight was ‘Thrash, Rock and Prog, 3 dead genres for the price of one’ now I’ll be honest Reaper are way more Thrash than Rock or Prog, but those influences are clear to see and do give them a nice USP, but I wouldn’t stray too far from the Thrash side as they do it bloody well. I mean the solos are frankly mind-blowing, the drumbeats are blisteringly good, the bass holds the low end to perfection and just everything fits together so beautifully. Not to mention the great interactions with the crowd and the excellent use of the masses of space on stage (although the merch plug was really cringy) but for me Reaper highlight what Thrash is all about, fantastic showmanship, fast music, a lot of energy and really good fun. Dare I say it… one of the top Thrash bands in the underground scene right now.

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialReaperUK

Hellfekted are up next filling the main support slot on this tour with Beyond Your Design. Now last time there were a few things I wasn’t that keen on from Hellfekted, but since then they have had some mega shows and an appearance at Bloodstock. All this seems to have given the band a real boost, which means tonight’s performance is on another level of good. As with Reaper, these guys use every inch of the stage to their advantage which makes for very entertaining watching as well as sheer admiration as once again, the speed these guys play at is just mind boggling. All this on display really does get the crowd nodding away happily but the cries for circle pits are a little off putting. OK attempt one got a solitary participant and attempt 2 got another, but for me after the first go, maybe shout for a pit instead. To be fair to Hellfekted, their take on Blackened Thrash really is a sight to behold and I haven’t seen a band like these perform with such precision and speed. Honestly, if you haven’t watched them or heard them… do it!

https://www.facebook.com/Hellfekted

Although the support bands have been absolutely on point tonight there really is only one reason this gig is taking place and that is the release of Beyond Your Design’s latest EP. First off, they have a stand-in drummer for this show from Reaper and this is a very welcome addition, even if it is only for this show as the last few shows have been without and while the backing tracks are good, nothing beats the real thing. While the rest of the bands this evening have sounded predominantly Thrash, Beyond Your Design are way more Metalcore sounding, though I won’t mention the band they sound like (please see my roast of these guys)(Wasn’t TRIVIUM by any chance was it, Hyperactive Metal Pixie ™? – Dark Juan). This has meant that there are way more parts that you can happily sing along to and boy is their material catchy! Seriously ‘United we Fall’ was stuck in my head for days after this gig! This is really helped by the quality of the clean singing being crisp and very understandable.

Now as before, BYD really do own the stage filling every space they can and couple this with a very commanding front man, the crowd are in the palm of their hand, and yes, this time we do get pits, we get shouts back and we get headbanging. There were a couple of guests throughout the set, firstly Liam from Hellfekted comes back on and adds a very nice level of Thrash to their sound but had to mention the dreaded phrase ‘circle pit’ at least this was third time lucky. Also joining on stage was Dan from Reaper taking over from Rob on guitar, while Dan did a mighty job on the guitar, releasing Rob to be just a vocalist was fucking amazing! The man is like a caged animal! He just flipped and completely dominated the stage, got right into the crowds faces and just put on an almighty show. I wish he would do this more as I loved it! BYD played a phenomenally engaging, stupidly tight and just an all-round incredible set, I honestly can’t fault this show… Best set of the year? Maybe so…

https://www.facebook.com/bydbanduk

This may have been a fair way to travel and with a lot of thrash on the bill, I didn’t expect to enjoy the gig this much but my god the bands smashed it. I would highly recommend any of the bands as well as the venue! What a night!

LINKS:

Venue:

Promoter:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dark Juan and Ever Metal. All photographs property of Klare Sherwood – KS Photography. 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.

Pentre Fest 2022

Pentre Fest 2022
McLeans, Pentre
25/26.02.22
Review by Beth Jones and Alun Jones
Photography by Beth Jones

Day 1 – 25^th February

Well, this one had been a long time coming. The last big gig we’d attended before what I’m now lovingly referring to as ‘The Clusterfuck’ was Pentre Fest 2020. February 2020 – remember those days? Before the whole world simultaneously stopped, complained, went a bit mad, then fell out with each other… So bloody hell was I ready for this gig. And it was somewhat of a reunion of part of team Ever Metal – with Roving Reporter Rob and North Wales’ finest, Platinum Al joining the merry trio! And here are our collective thoughts on the first day of what was set to be an absolute barnstormer of a weekend! (Well, mine and Al’s anyway – Rob was busy networking and interviewing!)

Navnlos – Alun Jones

The first band this year was Navnlos and I love these guys, so that was a pretty good start! They deliver some heavy Groove Metal, that’s powerful and relentless. I also detected something of a nasty Grunge element, like Tad jamming Pantera songs in Venom’s garage. Navnlos feature evil riffs, primal rhythms and ogre like vocals – it’s the sound of a rampaging army of berserkers storming your tea party. Bloody great way to kick things off!

https://www.facebook.com/Navnlosband

Ryuko – Beth Jones

Opening the outdoor ‘Unleashed’ acoustic stage were local garage rockers, Ryuko. They play a brand of Grungy Rock, with a Pop Punk edge, that takes me right back to the 90’s – my formative years, starting a band in my mate’s garage, with my little bro on drums, me on bass and my mate on guitars. Clad in lumberjack shirts and spurious haircuts, we spent many a Saturday afternoon making a cacophonous racket and irritating neighbours. Ahh… the good old days… Anyway, I digress. This duo have something, but they haven’t quiet worked out what that something is yet. They have the sound down, but the delivery isn’t quiet keeping up. That said, it was a cold night, on a stage that was dimly lit, so I’ll cut them a bit of slack.

https://www.facebook.com/RyukoBand

Dan Moran – Beth Jones

Due to an attack of the omnipresent ‘rona, Lullaby for a Unicorn weren’t able to play this festival – we all did a collective ‘boooooo’ because we wouldn’t get to see a scowling Beany, with a broom, cleaning up the mess afterwards! BUT!! Replacing them was a last-minute stand in set from the ridiculously talented Dan Moran, front man of Reaper and now Shrapnel as well, who stepped once more into the breach with a half hour of acoustic joy. As always with this fine young gent from Liverpool, his talent absolutely brims out by the bucket load. I have never seen him give a bad performance yet and I will eat my hat if one day he does. Everything oozes with passion and pure musicianship, from the tone and execution of his guitar skills to the pinpoint dynamics in his vocals. I could wax lyrical about this chap for hours, but there’s more to get through, so I’ll simply say it was a bit good!

https://www.facebook.com/DanielMoranMusic/

Hellfire Devilles – Alun Jones

Some may have wondered how a Psychobilly band would go down at a Metal festival. Well, it turns out that Hellfire Devilles fitted in snugger than Tommy Lee’s underpants. A raucous, Rock ’n’ Roll three-piece trading in high energy, foot on the gas music – these guys wrought crazy voodoo all over the outside stage. Thumping drums, frantic guitar and slapping upright bass – along with monster movie lyrics – the set was an absolute joy. This was freaky tiki, cocktail chaos a go-go: Killerbilly has arrived! Do not miss Hellfire Devilles if you get a chance to see them. Main stage next time, please. (Beth here – I completely second this. Absolutely one of my bands of the weekend!)

https://www.facebook.com/HELLFIREDEVILLES

IN DEPTHS – Beth Jones

Back over on the main stage, and one of my favourite young Modern Metal bands were preparing to give us another blinding set. Tonight though, the IN DEPTHS boys were minus a drummer and using samples to make up for it. But they did it with such professionalism that, if you closed your eyes, you wouldn’t even have known that they were a man down. Front man Callum has such an electrifying stage presence, and the freakiest eyes I’ve ever seen when he’s growling! These guys will go very far, I can feel it in my waters!

https://www.facebook.com/InDepths

Adam Robinson Acoustic – Beth Jones

Back out on the now very cold and very dark acoustic stage, the redcoat of Metal, Adam Robinson gave us a lovely little acoustic set, standing in for the very missed Edd Case, who’d also been imprisoned by the ‘rona, again! Adam is just so much fun to watch, and audience participation is the name of the game. This was to be the first of 3 sets he did at Pentre Fest 2022. So, I won’t bang on too much now – catch part two of the review to find out more!

Raised By Owls – Beth Jones

Our Friday headliners were the sublimely ridiculous comedy Death Metal / Grindcore masters, Raised By Owls. While I still haven’t yet forgiven them for their most recent Christmas single (although it was for charity so I supposed I’ll let them off), this set was the absolute tonic that everyone needed following the couple of years we’d just had. It was silly, madcap, and full of a set list that was about 100 songs long (admittedly a lot of them were only a second or so long)! We also got treated to a singing competition, where the Raised By Owls guys learnt a very important lesson – If Jordan Bridges is at a gig, do not invite him onto a stage! It was hilarious. I don’t think I have ever laughed so heartily at a complete set in my life. But I should also point out that not only are these guys funny to the core, they’re also very competent musicians. Everything was completely tight and together, and the total crazy xen of their performance made their allotted time fly by. And every single person in that room left there with a smile on their face at the end of it. And that, my learned friends, is the healing power of music…

And there it was gone, as they say here in the Wales. The first day of Pentre Fest 2022 was done and dusted. A great time was had by all, and we were all very much looking forward to getting back to McLeans for day 2…

https://www.facebook.com/RaisedByOwls

Day 2 – 26^th February

After what had been a cracking first day, we all eagerly headed back to our now second home, McLeans Pentre, ready and willing for Pentre Fest 2022 to be unleashed on us (I honestly didn’t do that as a good lead in to the first act being on the Unleashed Acoustic stage, it just tripped off the tongue nicely).

Adam Robinson (Again!) – Beth Jones

First up on the Unleashed stage was the ever happy Adam Robinson again! In true Hi-De-Hi fashion, he got the slightly hungover bunch of happy campers going in style, with bags of charm and a wicked sense of humour, portrayed through his lyrics, and sly one-liners when introducing tracks. He’s a breath of fresh air, and was a great way to start the fun!

Leatherback – Beth Jones

Opening the main stage was one man Industrial Electronica Noise machine, Leatherback. This is an artist who has gone from pole to pole in my tastes. I started off really not liking it when I first saw him, but now I get it, and I like it! So much so I even bought a patch! His use of lighting as part of the music, and a show that include no speaking or singing at all, makes everything that little bit more mysterious and menacing, and the combination of crushing guitar with Synthwave sounds really does work ridiculously well.

https://www.facebook.com/leatherbackworld

Ellena – Beth Jones

Back over on the acoustic stage, we were in for something a little different. Local busker, Ellena, who delivered a beautiful solo set. Her voice is mesmeric, full of beautiful Mezzo / Alto richness, with a mighty range, and real power. In honesty, it was a shame that she was just singing to backing tapes, because she is a wasted talent doing that. She needs to be fronting an awesome Symphonic Metal band, as she has the tone, the power, and the stage presence to do that with ease!

‘Saur – Beth Jones

Adam Robinson was a busy chappy this weekend, as he was next up on the main stage, but this time with his band, ‘Saur. They’re a 90’s-esque Pop-Punk trio who just love to have fun. And they peddled the old favourites out here – ‘Unsolicited Dick Pics’ being my personal pick of the audience participation numbers. The pleasing thing about these guys is, while they’re all about parody and fun, musically they’re really tight, and they always look like they’re having a fun time. By this point, too, everyone has pretty much drunk their hangovers away, so the audience part of the audience participation was delivered with more gusto than it had been at the beginning of the day too! Awesome fun.

https://www.facebook.com/Saur-103682872118906

Oliver Carins – Beth Jones

Nu Metal regulars, Scarfoot, had been down on the bill for Pentre Fest 2022, but unfortunately had to pull out last minute following a health scare for their bass player, Rhys, which saw him in hospital on the day of the gig. But front man Oli still came along and gave us a very mellow and chilled out acoustic set, which really displayed his vocal talent, and guitar mastery really well. There’s something magical about the sound of a 12 string acoustic, and it has the power to take you off to happy place, especially in the middle of the afternoon on an unusually sunny February day! Great set.

Bad Earth – Alun Jones

Although happily installed as Pentre Fest regulars, Bad Earth have had anything but a comfortable couple of years. With the band reduced to just founder member Geordie at one point, the addition of new members Karl and Ben has reinvigorated this band beyond belief. Big, fast, dirty, non-stop Biker Rock that would make my old mate Lemmy very proud indeed, Bad Earth played brilliantly and performed a highlight set. The term “power trio” does not do justice here: more like “annihilation trio”. I wore my Bad Earth T-shirt ‘cos I’m a fanboy and you can fuck objective journalism sky high. (Beth here – Bad Earth’s set was hands down my most ‘wow’ performance of the weekend. This was the first time I’d seen them with the new line up and holy hell was it good!)

https://www.facebook.com/BADEARTH

Mad Spanner’s Michael Randall Stand Up Show – Beth Jones

Back over on the Unleashed stage, it was time for something completely different! And yes, that is a reference to Monty Python, who I have no doubt are influences of Mad Spanner’s Michael Randall, who was here to give us a hefty dose of stand-up comedy. This was his first ever half hour slot, and he had no idea how it was going to go down, if it was funny, or if he would just die on his arse. Well, dear readers, I can tell you that it was probably one of the funniest half hours I have spent in many, many years. I laughed so much my face ached and my ribs stung. It was explicit, dirty, and raucous, but God this man is funny to his bones!

https://www.facebook.com/MadSpanner

Wrath of Man – Alun Jones

On the main stage next was Wrath Of Man. My first experience of these guys and they were intense, with a capital “fucking hell mate, who just punched my teeth out?” Originally slated to appear earlier, Wrath of Man were delayed due to a horde of Visigoths on the A55 (Bad Earth moved their own set to accommodate). The Wrath encapsulate a steaming Metal cauldron of brutal riff and Thrashy ferocity, topped with growling vocals that suddenly bloom into melodically sung choruses. Uncompromising, surprising and you should check them out, like now.

https://www.facebook.com/wrathofman

Master Charger – Alun Jones

The next act to tear up the main stage was Master Charger. RIFF OVERLOAD! Quick, pals – jump on Al’s Master Charger fun bus, we’re starting a club for MC fanboys and I’ve saved you all a seat! I’d listened to Master Charger before, but never seen them live – and oh, what beauty I did behold. Sludgier than a dirty bath, doomier than the Goat of Mendes, we sold our souls for Master Charger and they gave us a blinding set of fuzzy, scuzzy rock. Seriously supreme, this trio destroyed all before them – afterward, I destroyed their merch table because yes, I bought bloody everything! I’m not pissing about; Master Charger were AMAZING.

https://www.facebook.com/mastercharger

Luke Appleton Acoustic – Beth Jones

Luke Appleton, the youngest of the Appleton brothers, who are some of the hardest working guys Heavy Metal that you will find, has become somewhat of a N.E.W Metal Productions institution! And I for one have no qualms about that. This performance was his first of three at Pentre Fest 2022, and it saw him gracing the now very dark Unleashed stage. He took us through some of his acoustic repertoire, and was even joined on stage by big brother Chris or a couple of songs. There’s something electric that happens when they both get up together on stage – a true bond of brothers. But Luke is also the consummate performer, and this was a great set to help keep us warm on what was turning into a pretty nippy evening!

https://www.facebook.com/lukeappletonofficial

Reaper – Beth Jones

I don’t think I can say much about these guys that I haven’t said before. I have run out of superlatives countless times trying to describe just how bloody good they are. And this set was no exception to that. Blistering pace and energy, enormous stage presence, plus genius level technicality and musicianship. Their brand of Progressive Thrash is in your face, tripping it’s tits off, fucking unbelievably exciting, and I just love them, the talented young blighters! If you looked at anyone’s face in that room, it was filled with joy and excitement at the vision of Reaper tearing Pentre a new one. If you haven’t yet come across these guys, I implore you to change that right now!

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialReaperUK

Cadence Noir – Beth Jones

Apart from a raging inferno and a few litres of Rum, nothing will keep you warmer on a chilly February evening than everyone’s favourite gothic Folk ‘n’ Rollers, Cadence Noir. And that’s exactly what they did here, as headliners on the Unleashed stage. As we huddled round to keep warm, they huddled together on stage… mainly because it was only a small stage, and with 5 members and a certain need for elbow room along with the potential to have someone’s eye out with a pointed stick, otherwise known as Fiddle player, Emma’s bow, that small stage was tight. But not to be deterred, Frontman Ade simply took to the floor, his mic stand adorned with pretty puce butterfly lights. And this set became the camp, leather clad raucous Kaleigh that we all needed. Smashing show, and a great closer for the Unleashed sage.

https://www.facebook.com/CadenceNoir

Absolva – Beth Jones

The main support for Pentre Fest 2022 were one of the UK’s finest Heavy Metal outfits, Absolva! Fronted by the older Appleton, Chris, with Luke as his wingman, drummer John Bonham, and bass player Karl Schramm completing the line-up, this was a performance of the highest calibre. The professionalism and showmanship of these guys takes things to another level, and they had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand within seconds. It was thunderous, fast paced, (and to use a phrase that is done to death, but perfect) pedal to the metal Heavy Metal that made it impossible not move and be caught up in the excitement. This was by far the biggest attended Pentre Fest yet, and the room was on fire throughout the entirety of Absolva’s set. Brilliant!

https://www.facebook.com/absolva

Blaze Bayley – Beth Jones

Blaze Bayley is a name that everyone knows. So to have him do a show here at our little venue in Pentre is possibly the most astonishing thing I’ve come across in a long time. I think there’s one word to describe Maestro Beany’s feelings about it… And that is ‘Moist’!!! And, by a stroke of luck, his backing band were already there, in the shape of the Absolva boys, so it couldn’t have been more perfect really – anyone would think it had been planned that way 😉!

One thing that you are always guaranteed with Blaze is showmanship. The powerful voice, the crazed eyes and elaborate facial expressions, the big hand gestures and power grabs. It’s just the Metal world’s most brilliant and endearing cliché, and we flipping loved it in that room! From start to finish, this was a show of greatness that filled every person in there with joy. And compared to the couple of times I’ve seen Blaze before, this show felt different. It felt intimate, and real. The yarns he spun, the time he took to speak to the gathered fans, even after the set, as he did a signing. It was really the perfect end to a perfect return for Pentre Fest. God I was so happy to be alive in that moment. It’s one that will live on in my memory for a long time to come.

https://www.facebook.com/officialblazebayley

And so that wrapped up another year. And this one was so very special. Our scene round here might not be as huge and vibrant as the major cities across the border, but what we have here is special. It’s passionate and caring, and the love that we’ve all missed for the last two years poured out into that room. And I feel very privileged to have been there. Once again, a great event, and thanks must, as ever, go to the hard work and dedications of Beany and Fozzy for putting their heart and soul into putting this event on. Until next year mes amis… Beth X.

LINKS:

N.E.W METAL PRODUCTIONS:

McLeans, Pentre:

Goodfor Audio:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Jones, Alun Jones and Ever Metal. All photographic images are the property of Beth Jones. 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.

Reaper – Rebirth Of Chaos

Reaper – Rebirth Of Chaos
Self-Released
Release Date: 29/10/2021
Running Time: 48:20
Review by Beth Jones
10/10

I love success stories. Seeing other people hitting that sweet spot where they find something they love, and it brings joy into their lives. There’s not enough joy in the world right now, so we should always appreciate it when it happens. And when it happens to someone who you know personally, it makes it even sweeter. Reaper, and in particular, front man Dan Moran, are pretty high up on my list of ‘People who are fucking awesome’, and so when they do something new, and it’s superb, it fills me with a lot of joy. Their latest album, “Rebirth Of Chaos” was released at the end of October, and it’s a shining example of what hard work, dedication, and passion for their art looks like. It’s a reimagining of their 2018 album “Birth Of Chaos”, which troubled the band at the time of release, for many reasons. And with this rebirth, Reaper have shown that they’re beginning to mature, like a fine wine.

The album starts with ‘Possessor Of Evil’, opening with a solo guitar melody, then launching into furious classic Thrash, which serves as a perfect wake-up call. The vocal work of frontman Dan Moran is massive, with crisp clean vocals, and superb growling Thrash tones, which add a sense of urgency and punch to the delivery, which is echoed by the powerful rhythms and riffs provided by the rest of the band. A great way to start an album.

Power and punch are the name of the game throughout this album really. It’s exciting and in your face throughout, and oozes talent and skill. Reaper never shy away from trying things and pushing boundaries either, dabbling with Groove and Progressive sounds and ideas all the time. It’s scarily exciting.

A perfect example of this is ‘Entropy’. Blistering Progressive Thrash, that’s laden with heavy riffs, and thunderous bass, along with machine gun drumming, and Dan’s superb vocals. It feels like that point when you go down the first drop on a rollercoaster – exhilarating and daring. It’s also got some properly sexy guitar solos, too. Just a big old pot of everything epic really.

It’s almost impossible to pick stand out tracks from this album, because they’re all so good, but ‘Wings Of Darkness’ is a blinder! This opens with a spoken introduction, then drops into heavy and dark riffs, akin to Sabbath, just with more anger about them. Progressing into more classic Thrash realms, this piece demonstrates the sheer brilliance of every single musician in Reaper, and I will challenge anyone not to move to this tune, because personally I don’t think it’s possible. And then, just when you think it can’t ramp up anymore, it does. The ‘bloody hell!!’ scale of all things good, that lives inside my head, is going off the chart with this tune, I can tell you!

The penultimate album track, ‘Sixth Circle Of Hell’ is a superb track. It starts off with moody acoustic guitar, joined by a sumptuous lead guitar solo, which has smacks of Pink Floyd about it. From there, the track explodes into (brilliantly mixed) ‘in your face’ thrash, and I bloody love it! And that leads into a 6 minute Herculean bucket of everything, ‘The Way Of Shinobi’, to close out the album. This has got blistering Thrash, Oozing prog, and some quite frankly brilliant guitar work towards the end.

Get your faces into this trough bucket of epic NOW, everyone!! You need this in your life, and if you don’t think you do, then you are wrong. Seriously ludicrous how good these guys are.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Possessor of Evil
02. Wartorn
03. World at Redemption
04. The Crypt
05. Entropy
06. Wings of Darkness
07. Checkmate
08. Area 51
09. Sixth Circle of Hell
10. The Way of the Shinobi

LINE-UP:
Daniel Moran – Vocals/ Guitar
Anthony Dalton – Guitar/ Backing Vocals
Kayne Watson – Bass/ Backing Vocals
James McDermott – Drums

LINKS:

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 adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Reaper – Sigil (Single)

Reaper – Sigil (Single)
Release Date: 01/04/2020
Review by Rick Tilley

Hello to you all, Rick here.

Yes, I know we don’t usually do single reviews, but hey, it’s my website so I can always change the rules, plus, if you didn’t see my Facebook post about this earlier and, thanks to their ridiculous algorithms only about 3 of our nearly 6,000 followers do, then I thought I would put this up on the website as well. It’s not the longest or most in depth review ever but the proof is in the pudding so read what I have written and go and check out an awesome track from an awesome band!!

Those most Metal of Gentleman at Reaper UK have released a new single ‘Sigil’ and it’s an absolute ripper!

If you’ve seen us go on recently about the voice of Daniel Moran and want to know what you’ve been missing then look no further because this will, more than adequately, give you the answers. Reaper aren’t just a voice though and both the musicianship and songwriting are excellent. This is a band going places!

Check it out at the link below and head over to their Bandcamp page where you can download the track for free.

You can also find it on the Ever Metal YouTube and Spotify Playlists because that’s how we roll!!

Reaper – Sigil ft. David Dyson

Bandcamp:

https://officialreaperuk.bandcamp.com/

LINE-UP:

Daniel Moran: Guitarist and Lead Vocalist
Anthony Dalton: Lead Guitarist and Backing Vocalist
Elliott Kyriakides: Bass Guitarist
Anthony Longworth: Drummer

LINKS:

www.facebook.com/OfficialReaperUK/
www.twitter.com/BandReaper
www.instagram.com/officialreaperuk/
www.spotify.com/artist/3zVaHl5zxzESbCDs9qZIDs
www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlbi9HDsuta1bn8x1rhFBQ

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rick 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 adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s with Reaper

EMQ’s with Reaper

Hi Everyone. Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Liverpool based Metal band Reaper! Huge thanks to Vocalist, Guitarist and, apparently, punch bag Daniel Moran for taking part!
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Dan here! I’m the Lead Vocalist, one of the guitarists, and the designated comedic punch bag of the group. I do the latter brilliantly and the two former probably above average!
We started in 2011 with our first show being March 22nd. Anthony (Dalton) and I have known each other since we can remember and started learning Metallica tunes in my attic in our early teens. We’ve very slowly started to understand what it takes to call yourself a “serious project” and, in the first few years of fumbling about, we learned that the hard way. We were just dumb kids writing thrash head songs for the first time without any real clue of how the industry worked.
With the line-up we have now, we genuinely think that time spent understanding ourselves creatively will pay off in the long haul. Here’s to another 10!
How did you come up with your band name?
Ant said it one night and our eyes lit up and that was that! No major story there unfortunately, but, as the years have gone by, we’ve started to really relate to the name creatively aside from it being a catchy, one word name.
What country are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We’re from the UK, despite our bassist, Elliott, being part Greek, and Dalton being half Sicillian. Couldn’t tell you what the scenes are like there but the scene in England is bizarre. There are spaces like Plymouth, Manchester, and Glasgow that have treated us amazingly and have sourced some of the best crowds we’ve ever played for. On the other hand, our hometown is super hit and miss! We’re fortunate in that we have a very dedicated core fan base at home, but the venues are very few and far between and there are some nights where it can be pretty barren. We’ve seen some bands play to 100 people one gig and 6 months later play the same place with a serious PR push and barely break even. It’s very strange!
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single or Video)
Our latest single, as of now, is ‘Death Games’ (available on all major streaming services!!!). We recorded in the Motor Museum with Loïc Gaillard and the man is a godsend. We have never worked with such a forward thinking and productive engineer before and he is our go to for our eventual second release. We love you Loïc!!!
https://open.spotify.com/album/24UIv9qr9Yudif9NZXwWTQ
Who have been your greatest influences?
Over the years, the Testament, Megadeth, old school Metallica, and Iron Maiden influences have been plentiful. That said, this new line-up we have; it’s changed our scope a great deal in terms of what we’re coming up with to push the envelope. We’d say we are leaning WAY more into the progressive elements. We take inspiration from almost anywhere.
Elliott is a huge black metal fan, but equally loves Type O Negative, Scouse Dave is a modern metal fiend but is also an Elton John fanatic, Ant’s three favourite artists are Thin Lizzy, Megadeth and fuckin Eminem, and I’m a colossal Prog head but will equally scream along to The Pointer Sisters. It’s very eclectic but that’s what makes the creative energy in the room so freeing. There are absolutely ZERO boundaries.
What first got you into music?
My Dad found some old cassette tapes from the attic when I was a kid and got me to take a car ride with him one night to show me some stuff. Foreigner’s Urgent came on first and I enjoyed that but then Jukebox Hero came on and I was just entranced. All I can remember was saying to my Dad “I want to do that”. Never looked back!
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Jesus, we can only pick one!? I mean, the dream would be supporting someone like Metallica or Judas Priest; the classic names. I’d obviously be ecstatic to work with Devin Townsend personally. However, if we’re talking someone we could see happening soon? I’d personally love to call out for Caligula’s Horse to come over to the UK and have us support them! If you haven’t heard them, get their album “Bloom” immediately, it is a must.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
BLOODSTOCK! BLOODSTOCK! BLOODSTOCK! I’ve said it once and I will say it again. There is no place in the gigging area ANYWHERE in the UK that feels more like home. We’d play there every year if they’d have us. We’re really pushing ourselves after Simon Hall saw us at our M2TM Grand Final as the guest headliners and gave us some much appreciated, critical advice.
If anyone at the BOA camp sees this, you have our sword for as long as Catton Hill stands. Hellfest would be amazing too!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Well we’ve not received a gift from a fan but thank you dearly for making us so insecure RICHARD!! (we love you really)
The strangest thing that happened to us as the result of a fan was a dude who had literally spent 3 years waiting to catch us live and, as soon as we finished our first song, before the crowd even had the chance to applaud, he just screamed “I HAVE BEEN WAITING ALMOST HALF A DECADE TO SEE YOU AND IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENED THANK YOU CHRIST!” Guess he was into it?
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
WE HAVE A SHOW DECEMBER 15TH AT REBELLION AND WE’RE PLAYING LOADS OF NEW SHIT SO BUY STUFF AND COME DOWN.
Also thank you all for your continued support we love you long time <3
If you could bring one Metal/Rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Dio! Without hesitation! He left an enormous hole that isn’t getting filled any time soon. Hearing about him having passed was absolutely devastating. To have had him around just a little bit longer to tell him how much he has influenced us would have meant the world.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
For the band, I’d say what we love is experimentation. Metal elitism is something we absolutely loathe. The idea that being boxed into one position is how to be “a true metal band” is just asinine. We purposefully do our best to push the envelope and try different things so that we can find what makes us really tick as a unit. That’s what has made writing with this project so fulfilling for me.
The worst thing? The uncertainty! Let me make something clear to anyone reading this that isn’t aiming for a career in the music industry. This isn’t a fucking hobby. Musicians find themselves spilling their hearts out into their written works as well as needing the practical know-how to keep it running like a business. Planning tours, new merch, sending EPKs, recording albums, financing the whole thing; it’s all seriously hard work. To have the indoctrinated idea of luck being your arbiter in the back of your head, if you REALLY want to make a living doing this, is scary as all hell.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
The politics! We couldn’t care less what band likes who, who had problems with what project, whatever else. This job is hard enough without the bullshit bickering. Drama obviously brings eyes towards you but the stress of keeping that facade up is tangible, man. I don’t know how anyone could do it. Cancel culture online has a lot to do with it. We’ve got a lot to say on this next disc we’re working on regarding all that.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
To shed some light on a stellar local disc, “Legion” by Scare Tactics is an absolute triumph of an album. It is criminal that ST haven’t been picked up yet. Recommend them to the moon and back!!
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
It kind of depends on what you’re using it for and the convenience of it really! If we’re talking strictly about the sound of each, I’d say vinyl. There’s an imperfect warmness to them that I just cannot fault. A belter sound system, a top notch player and a night in! Cannae beat it pal!!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
With this line up, I’d say Glasgow. That crowd was just absolutely insane. They were by far the rowdiest bunch of guys we’ve ever played to and they’re super welcoming. We would absolutely love to come back.
All together though, I’d say BOA2017! The tent was packed to the rafters, even Theresa from Metaprism said it’s one of the biggest New Blood Stage crowds she had ever seen! And to send off our pal Chris Lillie properly there just felt fitting. It wasn’t the best we’ve ever played, but it was the best we’ve felt in front of a crowd.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Truthfully, no idea! I have a lot of interests outside of music for sure but nothing that would fulfil me the same way. I’d like to consider being a therapist of some form, or maybe a chef? Tough question really! Short answer: something that wouldn’t leave me in a state of existential crisis on the reg.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
I’d get Boris Johnson and have four cardboard cut outs of Trump surrounding him with “you never called” stapled to their chin.
I’d cook gammon.
What’s next for the band?
Finding shows for 2020, working MUCH harder on our YouTube page so you guys can get a little closer with us, a kickstarter for our second album, new single, more artwork and merch from our wonderful endorser, Crossfade Graphics, tighter live shows, some special occasion shows and HOPEFULLY getting ourselves around the festival circuit!
Next year is our year man, we can feel it in our bones.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
We are on ALL major streaming platforms and we are super active on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter SHAMELESS PLUGS!!
https://www.instagram.com/officialreaperuk/
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialReaperUK/
https://twitter.com/BandReaper
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
If you call Jaffa Cakes biscuits, you pronounce the J in fajita.
Cakes go hard when you leave them out. Biscuits go soft. Jaffas go hard, ergo they’re a fucking cake.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Our best wishes to the Ever Metal family and a huge thanks to you guys for having us!

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

Solitary, Reaper & Thrashatouille, Atomic, Wrexham, 23/11/2018

Solitary, Reaper & Thrashatouille
Atomic, Wrexham
23/11/2018
Review by Dani Maguire

Hi everyone – Rick here
I was due to be covering this gig but unfortunately my deformed spine had other ideas so I am indebted to POWERZONE Radio Show host Dani Maguire for stepping up to the plate and writing an excellent review of proceedings. Please make sure you tune in to his awesome radio show every Monday from 9-11pm on Calon FM (Links are at the bottom of the review). I shall now hand you over to Mr Maguire!

It was a cold November night in Wrexham town, but luckily those fine fellows at N.E.W. Metal Productions really turned the heat up with a line-up of head-swingin’ balls out thrash metal over at our favourite little venue, Atomic. A short foray into the streets on a mission to get some beer tokens took us to a cash machine some streets away, and the still air and empty town carried the sweet sound of sound checking, it could be heard loud and clearly even at that distance and it was like a siren-song, calling us closer…

…anyway, enough of that gubbins. We hurried to Atomic, ready for a night of good, old-fashioned heavy metal. Atomic is quite the place for it- a bottle bar downstairs (which I speedily emptied out of Hobgoblin) and a small room above with a stage, an excellent sound engineer and room for about 50ish burly metalheads to mosh in. It was the last show of the year here in Wrexham, so we were really up this one!

First up to whet our appetites were a band new to me and with a gimmick the thrash metal scene has been crying out for: THRASHATOUILLE! This young band were formed last year, they hail from Cheshire and play what they like to call ‘chef-based metal’ but in reality, it’s more like raw thrash with a touch of groove and some interesting lyrical concepts. It’s quite unusual to have recipes and songs about fry-up’s blasted out at you with ripping furiousity (it’s not a word, but you know what I mean!), accompanied by some riffs that gave a considerable contribution to my terrible neck pain when I woke the next day. A character was introduced- a psychotic spaghetti called ‘Bludgeonnaise’ who is kind of the bands’ mascot. The band certainly look the part too, wearing their chefs’ whites and chequered keks which does help to make it a little more surreal. The diminutive frontman got out and about into the crowd often and ended up with a hilarious classic cake in the face to close the set (after singing it a love song, naturally).

Now, this whole thing might sound a little silly- and that’s really the point. Thrashatouille are another British band that doesn’t take themselves too seriously, following in the footsteps (or should that be footprints) of Footprints in the Custard, Raised by Owls or Evil Scarecrow and for me, that’s great. Maybe not one for traditionalists (unless they lightened up!) but I’d certainly recommend going to see them. I certainly will be next time they’re near!

Thrashatouille, Atomic Live Clip

https://www.facebook.com/Thrashatouille/

After a brief recess, Liverpool-based thrashers REAPER were pumped and ready to go! These guys came highly recommended from a metal peer and all-round good egg Paul- and I know from experience that when he recommends a band for me, I’ll enjoy them, and this proved to be true once again. They were tight, intense & quite frankly, fast as fook! Lead guitarist Anthony had me slack-jawed with awe at several times throughout their set and the crowd loved it. Frontman Daniel was on top of his game throughout, clinical with his guitar work too, and bassist Elliott plays that finger-picking style that Cliff Burton used to favour- looks cool and sounds superb. It was drummer Anthony’s first gig with Reaper but he slotted into his new role brilliantly, providing the background blast beats to complete their soundtrack of a warzone. A bruising set- I just wish they were able to stick around afterwards as I was planning to buy a patch from them to add to my cut. Ah well!

Reaper, Atomic Live Clip

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialReaperUK

To round out a great night of thrash, veterans SOLITARY hit the stage and they hit hard. Having seen Solitary a couple of times before, I knew what to expect; sheer brutality. I think these guys have it all- a solid back catalogue, fantastic stage presence, cool merch, and more importantly, songs that make you want to bang your head, repeatedly. It’s a crying shame that they aren’t as recognised in the scene as, say, Evile, when they are clearly on par at least (and don’t tell Evile I said this, but they MIGHT even be a touch better!). They have the brutality of Slayer, the memorable licks of Testament and an aggression all of their own. The Lancashire four piece are sticking to their promise to thrash forever and for that, we salute you. Everybody present was blown away, and personally, I especially enjoyed jumping in the pit with the guys from Thrashatouille throughout the set to those crushing riffs.

Solitary, Atomic Live Clip

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

I’m lucky enough to have been to many local gigs this year and have seen more than my fair share of stand-out performances. But on this ‘Thrash Friday’ I could not separate the bands. Every single one of them was spot on and gave us all some serious entertainment. Thank you to them for a night to remember and thank you to Fozzy and Beanie from N.E.W. Metal Productions for putting on yet another show. Here’s to another brutal year ahead!

LINKS:
North East Wales Metal Productions

Powerzone Radio Show

Goodfor Audio Entertainment

Atomic, Wrexham

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dani Maguire 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.