Sodomized Cadaver w/ Colpocleisis, Exhumation, and Navnlos The Live Rooms, Chester – 14/11/2021 Review by Rob Sutton
It’s not very often you see gigs on in Chester, which is a shame, as the Live Rooms is a fantastic venue, boasting 2 stages. The main stage is huge, and gives a feel of Manchester’s academy, although for this gig we were in the smaller front room. This gives punters more seating without losing too much space, and the stage is smaller, but doesn’t offer any less of the experience.
First up were local boys Navnlos, a band I have seen before, but these days it’s a completely different line up, with only one original member remaining. This was their first gig after the pandemic, and they have shown massive amounts of improvement. Their Death Metal sound feels so much more refined than before. Unfortunately, I only managed to catch 2 songs, and one of those I was at the bar, so I can’t say much on their set. But from what I heard they have improved a lot and I shall have to check them out properly.
Second on was Liverpool Metal 2 the Masses winners, Exhumation. These guys I hadn’t seen since they won their competition, and I hadn’t seen their name about too much either. Their sound consists of influences mainly from the Death Metal genre, I heard a lot of Cannibal Corpse in the music, but vocally, while we had a lot of the familiar grunts, we also had an addition of pig squeals. This all added to a more modern feel than a lot of Death Metal out at the moment. Exhumation also managed to pull in possibly the biggest crowd of the evening, which helped them perform what was a deliciously brutal set; however it still sounded very much the same as last time I saw them. In saying this, I will definitely be on the look out to watch them again.
When listening to slam on recording I find it difficult to get into the style. The humour seems lost in the indistinguishable grunts and squeals. But live is a completely different story. Colpoclesis, from both Manchester and Liverpool, took to the stage and immediately brought even more heaviness to an already heavy gig. While the grunts from the vocalist remain fairly indistinguishable, it was much easier to appreciate them. I still am unsure if these sounds are actually human. Couple this with some breakneck slam beats, and ruthless drums, and you end up with a barrage of sheer brutality. The humour I mentioned earlier comes out more between songs, where you actually hear the song names, and in some cases a bit of a story. There is something rather amusing hearing song titles such as ‘Back, Sack and Smack’ and ‘Brokesmack Mountain.’ This was coupled with some utterly bizarre intro samples, most notably the Chuckle Brothers engaging in a sexual act with each other. Throwing all this together leaves you with a set you either want to headbang ferociously to, or throw down! It was a fantastic bit of escapism and sets like this really keeps me interested in this genre.
Sodomized Cadaver have made a name for themselves recently with their intense speed and precision. This show was no exception. While the band has been reduced to a mere 2 members, sound wise you really can’t tell. I am utterly amazed that a band can sound this heavy with only 1 guitar and no bassist. Not only this but he is on vocal duties as well. This is truly a sight to behold, and anyone who says men can’t multi-task need to see this. The drummer also added a massive amount to the sound; he is not only rapid on the double kick, but really adds the groovy feel to the riffs. The whole set felt beautifully structured and brilliantly executed, which leaves me hardly surprised that they’re ending up playing the second stage at Bloodstock, along with numerous other festivals across the UK. These guys are an absolute must see for any Death Metal fan.
For a Sunday night gig this was fairly well attended. While places like Manchester or Birmingham may bring more people in to a similar event, for a small city, this was a promising steppingstone in bringing a Metal scene back to Chester. North East Wales Metal Productions should have their heads held high with this one, as they managed to put together a disgustingly beautiful and brutal line up of Death Metal, and have a quality venue in their arsenal.
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rob Sutton 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.
Severenth, In Depths & Lullaby For A Unicorn The Live Rooms Chester – 05/07/2019 Review by Beth Jones
I have to be honest; I don’t really remember Severenth in their original incarnation, which ended six years ago, but I do remember the name (I know, I’m sorry). I was looking forward to discovering what they were all about and was also looking forward to seeing one of our Ever Metal favourites, Lullaby For A Unicorn, and catching the formidable In Depths again. OMV had also been on the bill, but they pulled out at the last minute, so it meant we got a little bit extra from Lullaby and In Depths, which is always welcome. Lullaby For A Unicorn
Last time we saw these guys was at the M2TM Final. On that night, they overthought their performance way too much, and it stole some of the endearing unicorn magic that we are used to. However, here they were back to their old selves, but minus all the mess! They looked comfortable on the stage and sounded fantastic, there was a good-sized crowd gathering and they all seemed to enjoy the unhinged sounds of the Unicorn, even chanting ‘SHED, SHED, SHED!’ at one point!
The acoustics in the big room at the Live Rooms are really good, and the sound man had got it spot on, making every note crystal clear for the performance – this was something that continued for the whole night – big love to the sound guy!
https://www.facebook.com/rockmyunicorn/
In Depths
Wow! These guys were fired up for this gig, and it came through in their performance. It was brilliant! They are modern metal, with a djenty sound, but lots of nods to classic metal. They are all superbly talented musicians, and vocalist Callum Smith cut a striking figure as he roared, and absolutely owned the crowd, which was now the biggest crowd I have seen at a local gig for a long time.
They played with a terrific pace and ferocity, all kept in check by drummer Aaron Furnival, who is absolutely superb. This was the best we have seen them, very definitely, and I can’t wait to see them again.
https://www.facebook.com/InDepths/
Severenth
Playing to an almost sell-out crowd is how you want a comeback gig to be, but not something you see often, so Severenth have to be applauded for pulling that off to start with – the room was absolutely packed, and for a local band that takes some doing, but this was their first outing for six years! They built up the atmosphere with some dark entrance music, and then hammered straight into their first song.
What a sound! Made up of Ben Jones on Bass, Jack Somers and Adam Sidor on Guitar, Dave Roberts on Drums and Front Man Peet Bailey, they ripped into a thrashing show of 90’s inspired modern metal, which was completely flawless. They all looked like they were having so much fun – like being back was the best feeling in the world. With skilled guitar work, insanely tight drumming, rumbling bass riffs and an all-round vocal powerhouse, it begs the question why they haven’t come back sooner?! Peet also has potentially world record breaking dreadlocks, which amazed me! I reckon the longest one was a good five foot!! It has taken me forty years to be that tall!!
The whole crowd was loving every minute of the performance and were dancing and pitting all over the place. Sadly, Rick took an elbow to the back as a pit started up near him, which wasn’t great, and we had to cut our night slightly short to get him home to his pain meds. I have no doubt that those who stayed until the end of the set were treated to more of the same great, commanding performance we had already seen. That is how to do a show everybody! Storming, enthralling and utterly brilliant! I am so glad that they are now a thing again, as it meant I got to find out what I was missing the first time. We are really looking forward to seeing them again very soon, at the Alma Inn in Bolton on 20th July.
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSeverenth/
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/theliverooms/
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.
Klavium, Killer Hurts & Scars Of Remembrance The Live Rooms, Chester – 27/06/2019 Review by Beth Jones
It had been a couple of weeks since we had been to a live show, and this was a gig that we had earmarked when it was announced, even though it was on a school night! It was a chance to catch up with the guys in Scars Of Remembrance before their Bloodstock adventure, and also to see a couple of new names for us, Classic Thrashers Killer Hurts and a new name to the scene, all the way from Trinidad and Tobago, Klavium.
The gig was in the smaller room at the Live Rooms, which we have never been in before. It is still a good sized room and perfect for this type of gig. Scars Of Remembrance
Fresh from their M2TM finals win, SOR opened the show in great fashion. They still continue to improve each time we see them, and this performance was no exception. Their brand of 90’s inspired riffs with death metal vocals, and punchy grooves really got the gathered crowd going and in the mood for some heavy tunes.
Front man Mike Edwards really likes to get in with the crowd and paced like a man possessed throughout the set, which motivated the audience to move along with him. The sound was awesome and the whole band looked more than ready for their trip to Catton Park in August.
https://www.facebook.com/scarsofremembrance/
Killer Hurts
Norwich based Killer Hurts do their thing very well, and their thing is classic, no nonsense Thrash. They were a man down for this performance, with their lead guitarist unable to make the gig, so they were performing as a three piece.
Whilst I’m not a massive fan of classic Thrash, what I will say is that they were super tight, and obviously well versed in the business, because their performance was spot on. It did lack the guitar solos that I am assuming would have been there if the lead guitarist had been available. Rick absolutely loved them, as it is one of his favourite genres, but musically, despite being very tight, they weren’t really for me if I’m honest. Each to their own though isn’t it!
(Rick Here: Yes I did love them. I understand why some might say they are a bit samey, but for me Killer Hurts are all the things I love about an old-school Thrash band. Think of Slayer crashing head on into Destruction and Exodus and you might be somewhere close although you’ll probably hear your own influences)!
Klavium
Its not every day you get a metal band from Trinidad & Tobago playing on your doorstep! Add to that the fact that they are only a two-piece band, and it becomes rarer still. They are Kahdil Beharry Singh on Vocals and Guitar, and Dylan Beharry Singh on Drums.
We were intrigued to see what sort of noise they made. The answer to that was BIG! Unbelievably big considering their lineup! But it wasn’t just big, it was tight, it was chunky, and it was heavy as hell. They were superb! This was Thrash that I could get onboard with. It was fast paced, with fantastic rhythms, and immensely powerful vocals. They sounded like a band that had at least five members, and after the gig we asked Kahdil how he managed to make it sound so big – was he putting his guitar through a bass amp, or using some crazy effects pedals? The answer was no – Just a regular guitar cab, and one pedal! It just goes to show that sometimes less is more, and all the technology in the world doesn’t necessarily make you any better. Although I do now suspect that these guys are wizards, as that sound should not have been possible with that set up!!! Brilliant, and terrifically nice and humble blokes too. If you get a chance to check these guys out, and you like early Metallica, great musicianship, catchy songs and HEAVY Metal then do it!
What a quality night we had, as did the small crowd who had made the effort to be there. That is my only gripe about the night – that more people didn’t make the effort to come out. Yes, it was a school night, yes it was the day before payday, but still. These guys had come on a shoestring from Trinidad & Tobago to play their first UK Tour – everyone should be getting off their asses and encouraging them, they definitely deserve it! I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones, having seen them here, and would like to say a big thank you to them, and to North East Wales Metal Productions for putting on the show.
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.
Disclaimer: This photo album is solely the property of Beth Jones and PhotograBee Images – https://www.facebook.com/PhotograBeeImages/ .It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of these images, 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.
Massive Wagons + Those Damn Crows & Mad Haven Full Nelson Tour The Live Rooms Wrexham 17/11/2018 Review by Beth Jones & Richard Tilley
Following the recent signs of life in what appears to be the resurgence of the Rock and Metal scene in our little town, we were very happy to see that one of the dates on the Massive Wagons ‘Full Nelson’ tour was to take place in our newly revamped Live Rooms Venue. It was the ideal opportunity for us to get out of the house and see what the motley crew from Lancaster were all about. We had seen part of their set at Amplified 2017, and at RockWich 2017, so were eager to catch a bit more of them and see what all the fuss was about.
When we arrived, the doors hadn’t quite opened, but there was a small queue forming, which is pretty unheard of now in Wrexham! This boded well for the audience numbers, and indeed, once the doors were open, people kept on coming.
The first band were a relatively local band, Mad Haven. They were very young and vibrant, with a good Blues /Hard Rock sound. Their songs were catchy and they were getting the audience warmed up nicely. The overall sound was very good too, and the tin roof on the venue didn’t seem to be interfering too much with the quality. Everything was crisp and clear and the guitar had a lovely tone, especially in the solos. For a young band, they did a brilliant job of opening the show, but my only criticism of them would be that their songs ended weirdly – they just, sort of, stopped! It seemed like they had got really good ideas for the intros and main bodies of their songs, but they couldn’t work out how to finish them. This I am sure will be something they will fine tune as they get more experience behind them, and truly master the craft of song writing.
Our main support for the night was Bridgend hard rockers, Those Damn Crows. I had heard a lot about these guys and was looking forward to seeing them for the first time. Experience showed instantly here as there was an immediate step up in quality when they started. The growing crowd was loving it too, and were joining in with full voice. They oozed charisma and stage presence, and had a whole host of good catchy songs. Some were very hard rock, some were like a heavy Stereophonics but it worked really well. They were having great fun on the stage, and it was creating a really brilliant atmosphere, which was so pleasing to see. With them being that bit heavier, however, the tin roof immediately played its part and distorted the sound somewhat, which is a shame. NOTE TO THE VENUE – PLEASE DO SOMETHING WITH THAT ROOF!!!! Apart from that little niggle though, this set was absolutely cracking, with just the right amount of everything in, and I was very impressed. I look forward to seeing them again soon. To be honest I was now thinking that they would be a pretty hard act to follow, they played as if it was a headline slot.
And so, it was time for Massive Waggons. I (stupidly) hadn’t got a photo pass for the night, as I didn’t expect the sort of audience that was, even now, still turning up. I tried to position myself at a reasonable vantage point to be able to get some shots, however once the band came on, it quickly became apparent that my miniature stature was to be my nemesis once more! I spent the next 30 minutes or so cursing and huffing until I finally had a big old artist hissy fit and angrily put my camera away! I don’t lose my shit often, but tonight was one of those rare occasions, so at this point in the review, I will hand you over to the thoughts of Richard Tilley!
Rick’s thoughts: Respect to Massive Wagons for pulling a huge crowd into The Live Rooms Wrexham, and for coming to our town on their Full Nelson tour. Beth commented it was comparable to when she saw Skindred at the venue in 2013. However, considering how ‘in’ and popular the Wagons are at present, I may not make myself popular with this review.
They are great musicians, there is no doubt, and they whipped said crowd into an apoplectic frenzy, BUT, this is the third time I’ve seen them live now and I cannot, as yet, understand why they are becoming so popular. Perhaps I’m missing something, or perhaps the luck you always need has played its part, or perhaps they know the right people, but I’m simply unmoved when I watch them. They do all the right things with their instruments and make all the right moves on stage, but I found myself thinking of all the bands I have seen who should be at this level but never got the breaks, and that’s not what should be happening when I’m watching a band live.
I know I’m in the minority and I really don’t mean to sound this negative but I have to say it as I see it; they just don’t give me that exciting, hair standing on end, pit of stomach feeling that many other bands do. In fact, their 2017 Amplified and RockWich sets were better than this showing and, on the night, Those Damn Crows were, for me, the better band. I wish Massive Wagons all the success in the world, they are nice guys, have worked very hard and I will still follow their progress and listen to new material to see if I eventually ‘get it’, but it’s fair to say that I’ve already spent 5 years trying to do that and it hasn’t happened yet!
My qualms aside plus the fact that the tin roof, very definitely, hampers the sound quality of the bands the heavier the music gets and Beth’s annoyance at not being able to get any good photos of Massive Wagons we both had a fabulous evening. It really is great to see Rock and Metal coming back to Wrexham, it is the biggest town in North Wales, and based on the huge crowd that turned up at the venue I’m very much hoping that many more bands will begin to see that Wales isn’t just Cardiff and Swansea!
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Jones, Richard Tilley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of all parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
N.E.W. Metal Productions All-Dayer The Live Rooms, Wrexham 20/10/2018 Review by Beth Jones
If there is one thing that I will say about Wrexham, it is that it has always had a good live music scene, however, in recent years that has been heavily dominated by the Indie scene, and whilst there is nothing wrong with that, it just isn’t quite metal enough for me! In recent months however, Ian ‘Beany’ North and Ian ‘Fozzy’ Forrester have been trying to change that, by putting on as many gigs as possible in genre, via their promotion company, N.E.W. Metal Productions, the ‘N.E.W.’ being North East Wales. We were super pleased when they told us that they were taking it one step further and proposing to put on a metal all dayer, not only because this is what has been missing round here, but also because it meant we got to check out the newly refurbished Central Station, which is now called The Live Rooms Wrexham. To add to our excitement, we also had a visitor with us – none other than Rick’s partner in crime on the website, Dawn, who had managed to navigate the rail network from London to get up and see us!
We arrived at the venue a little before kick-off, so that we could check out the adjustments. First impressions were good. The rooms which before had been open plan, were now split, and a small ‘green room’ had been added – and it was quite literally green, complete with astro turf flooring and a woodland scene on the wall! The main stage area was essentially the same and the roof still, in my opinion, requires lagging to get the most out of the acoustics, but it certainly had a more thought out feel about it. In the second area, there was a huge, table shaped, elephant in the room. Now, a table is always a good idea in a venue where it is pretty much all standing, as you need somewhere to put your drinks, but when said table takes up almost a third of the available space, and is pretty much un-movable, it becomes less of a useful thing and more of a thing of mind-blowing annoyance! However, a team of 15 strong gents managed to push it 3 feet to the side, so at least there was a little more room for watching the bands!
So, without further ado, to the bands! Opening the day for us were a new to the scene local band, Scarfoot. They were a good way to start the day, and it was a refreshing change to see a drummer taking on lead vocals too. They are a little bit proggy and a little bit whacky, and a small crowd had already gathered to watch them, which is never a given for all day gigs at the moment! They certainly had a good sound, but for me the songs sounded a little samey. I wanted them to take it a little further and explore a bit more. This will come though I am sure, as they get more experience under their belt. On occasion some of the harmonies were not quite there, and the rhythms were a little shaky, but with more practice and live experiences like this, they will develop that sixth sense that you get from spending a lot of time with the same people!
Next, over on the second stage, Bad Earth were ready to do their thing. Last time we saw them was at the Pentrefest Summer Sessions. Thankfully this time, they had a lot more clothes on than they did that day!! They are damn good! They are three guys who really know how to make a song groove. The power of Stephen Coxon’s vocals is excellent, and the sound on the day made them crystal clear. They always put on a brilliant show too, with the whole band being totally in to it. They are just great, solid, ‘meat and two veg’ hard rock, and had the whole room grooving with them. Enough said.
We went back to the main stage next, to be in the presence of the aptly named Mad Spanner. In a total contrast to Bad Earth, these guys serve up a huge does of crazy! Their fast paced, heavy as hell, schizophrenic songs are all full of humour and observations on life which completely endeared them to the gathered crowd. They really do look like they have been plugged into the mains, especially front man Michael Randall, who has more energy than all the Duracell bunnies! Ok, they might not be the most technically rehearsed musicians you will ever see, but they are fun, they are mad, and they are a great bunch of guys, who make you feel happy, and I love this.
Scars Of Remembrance where our fourth act up. We saw these guys the first time at Wrexfest in July. We thought they were ok then, they all looked a bit nervous, especially their new front man Mike Edwards, as that was his first gig. Well, what a difference a few months makes! They were tight and all looked a lot more relaxed and gig ready, and Mike was on fire!!! He was up on the big table; he was bouncing about in front of the monitors, and on the stage itself, and looked like a man on a mission! It was definitely mission accomplished by the end of their set. It is so great to see a Wrexham based Metal / Metalcore band and I can’t wait to see them grow and progress further. Nice work lads!
Carrying on with the heavy theme over on the main stage were Abominate. They really do hit you in the face with heavy. Lead singer, Dave Ballantyne, looked like he was baying for blood! They didn’t seem quite ‘on point’ on the night, although talking to Dave afterwards, I think a heavy few days may have contributed to this. That said, they were still really good and they do what they do really solidly. Their drummer also pulls some quality drum faces!!
Next up were a band that we hadn’t seen before, Ragnarok. They are a good, old fashioned, dirty hard rock band and they are now definitely on our ‘must see again’ list. Their set was laden with powerful riffs and good solid numbers that everyone was moving too. Guitarist Matthew Foulkes did it all with a very cheeky glint in his eye, and they all have an obvious passion for music. If you like bands such as Witch Tripper or The Senton Bombs, you would love these guys. They left us with a political number which was pretty raw and hard hitting given the current climate, and I was very impressed by them, both in their live performance and their song writing skills.
The day so far had been superb, and we were now heading into the final three bands, with main stage support, All Consumed, up next and ready to take the heavy up another notch! Blooming heck they are heavy! They are a mix of death and thrash, but with the odd hint of prog – a random combination – a bit like a cheese and jam sandwich! But they are so tight and so well – rehearsed that everything slots together brilliantly. Their drummer, Dave Kenyon, is also insanely good, pulling off some amazingly fast and powerful beats. They had a good group of crazy moshers going hell for leather down the front too! They were perfect main support material.
The second stage headliners were M2TM North Wales winners, Gothic Folk ‘n’ Rollers, and all – round top people, Cadence Noir. What can we say about these guys that hasn’t already be said! They had a bit of a shaky start, when the electrics blew and they lost all power for a few minutes. But this only made for a brief pause, and didn’t knock them off their stride one little bit. They are totally different and that is why I love them so much. They have a bag of folk elements in there, with Emma Bennett’s violin, but they are still heavy, groovy and super lively, making for a proper party atmosphere. This was sustained throughout their whole set. The atmosphere was absolutely on fire by the time they got to their last song, where they stepped it up one final gear to give us an amazing cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘Fear Of The Dark’! WOW! Superb! A couple of clowns in the crowd got a little over excited during this and became a little vigorous for mine, and a fair few others’ liking. There’s always one isn’t there! Hey ho, that aside, what a set this was. It just reaffirmed that they were totally deserving of their M2TM win, and that I, and Rick, will never get bored of watching them perform!
And so, the end was nigh, and we had reached the final mosh pit! Our headliners for what had been an awesome day were seasoned pros, Hecate Enthroned. I was excited to see these guys for two reasons. Firstly, who can say no to a bit of banshee like screaming backed up by some awesome blackened death metal riffs; and secondly because my old college buddy and fellow member of ‘The Phreax Table’ gang, Pete White, plays keys for them! If you like your death on the Cradle Of Filth side of things, these are the band for you. Powerful rhythms and pumping bass below manic and technical guitars, with a symphonic element of strings and ethereal choirs provided by the keys and the immense screams of lead vocalist Joe Stamps. Now in their 25th year, Hecate have built up a worldwide following, and it is easy to see why. They have the knowledge and professionalism that matures with age, like a fine wine, and it was an absolute privilege for me to be able to see them playing a hometown gig. For Rick and Dawn, there were a little too many blast beats, for me it was brilliant! When you can feel the beat in your ribcage, and you think your ears may bleed, you know you are having a good time!
What a day! All the acts were great, and the passion that every one of them played with was tangible. It is, by far, the best day of metal that has happened in Wrexham for a long time, and it is fabulous to see things starting to happen here again on the metal side. This is down, largely, to Ian ‘Fozzy’ Forrester and Ian ‘Beany’ North, who have dedicated their time, experience and their own passion of the music to relaunch the scene. Huge thanks must go to them for doing this, and also for the bands who entertained us superbly. Long may it continue! The metal scene in Wrexham is, once again, open for business!
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.
https://www.facebook.com/scarsofremembrance/
https://www.facebook.com/Killer-Hurts-308343311010/
https://www.facebook.com/klavium/
