A midweek 'school night' gig, and my first at this intimate 250 capacity venue, for Satan's Songs in Crimson album tour. I arrived at around 7.15pm, 15 minutes before the first band was due to start and the small crowd of roughly 100 was steeped in anticipation.
Support in the form of London power-trio, Parish, who stood in on this date of the tour for Seven Sister who had to pull out. The lights dimmed, a burst of feedback exuded from the cabinets, and they started their seven-song 30-minute set. I didn't know what to expect from them, but what ensued was a slab of classic 70s hard rock/heavy metal with a hint of doom in the vein of Black Sabbath, and a sound that was bigger than three members, bassist Tony Hughes, drummer Joe Bulmer and James Paulley, frontman and guitar. There was a great interplay between the guitar and bass from the beginning of the first track, Apothecary, and the rhythm section drove the songs, as you would expect in a three-piece outfit. There were grooves a plenty, with some bluesy feeling, especially in the second track Cunning Murrell, and a lovely motif on the softer song, In the Shadow of the Hill. Tempo changes were done well even when abrupt, as showcased in Sisters of the Light. Penultimate track, a new composition, Battle Beyond the Veil, came racing out of the blocks with a driving rhythm, powerful vocals and good guitar solos. The finale was Parish, a dynamic song that had a touch of prog to it, and the crowd chanted 'One more song', but alas time was up.
The instruments sounded great, and the vocals were powerful when Paulley was belting it out but were lost a little when softer. They let the songs do the talking and crowd chat was not at the forefront of the performance. I was pleasantly surprised and would gladly catch them again. [Thanks to Tony for typing the setlist into my phone].
The crowd had increased by the end of the support set to around 150-175, the Terminator synth intro heralded Newcastle's Satan onto the stage, and they launched into Trial by Fire. This set the tone of the night, with a powerful vocal performance from Brian Ross, and tight guitar work but with enough leeway in it for it to have that live feeling. They slipped seamlessly into the next song, Blades of Steel, with a great scream and singing that would give 1980s Joey Belladonna a run for his money. It was impressive to see Russ Tippins, one half of the guitar duo with Steve Ramsey, tune his guitar between riffs without missing a beat.
A bit of crowd banter with Ross taking the mickey out of the Newcastle crowd from a few days before, I feel a good-natured Tyneside/Teesside rivalry within the band. Great riffs from Ramsey and Tippins were plentiful with Ascendancy, Sacramental Rites (from the new album), and Twenty-Twenty-Five being testaments to this. Break Free showcased the guitar work, with a tapping solo into, now characteristic dual guitar and then shredding. This is why I love this music. Sean Taylor's drums kick you in the heart continually throughout, but really whacked you during Ophidian, whilst an evil guitar riff took you down the road of environmental destruction. Heaviness, chugging guitars and thrashing were evident in Into the Mouth of Eternity, Turn the Tide (another new album offering) and The Devil's Infantry, with the later embracing progressive tempo and timing changes. A massive roar and chant of 'Satan' greeted the end of the track and atmospheric drumming, and Graeme English's rhythmic bass drove the intro to Testimony.
This is proto thrash at its best. Until now the bass has disappointingly set a bit low, but it is more evident in this track and the next, Alone in the Dock, where the riff is a definite highlight. The encore consists of Siege Mentality, which gallops away, and ultimately, Kiss of Death, which starts with Tippins riffing Voodoo Chile, into a proper NWOBHM song, reminding me of early Maiden. Throughout the vocals, guitars and drums sounded good, but at times the backing vocals were a little low, and bass didn't get the presence it deserved until near the end. Seventeen songs, with a mixture from all albums, and 90 minutes have flown by in, and deserved a bigger crowd.
Review by Rich 'Tricky' Hudson
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment