December 22, 2005
Jumping in at the last minute to a changed running order tonight were Insidious. Their songs were based around complex and fast, distorted metal guitar riffs and huge, crashing drumbeats with a vocalist who not only looked pretty weird but had a slightly insane edge to his voice, mixing deep, brutal growls with sharp and crazy screams. His vocal reminded me at times of System Of A Down, it was all in your face aggression. The electro-drumming was very tight and moved at a fast pace, keeping their energy at a high and frantic level. without a bass, the drummer did pretty well, keeping a base for the guitarist and vocalist to work over. This was metal with energy and a fun and interesting feel with the crazy and changing vocal patterns and lines. With the instrumental flow interlocking with the blunt attacks of vocal power, it did have an edge. A bass would probably add some stability and give it a deeper metal growl, but if you want it fast loud and heavy, these guys will provide for your needs well.
Second to tonight's stage were I Decay. As the drums boom down and the guitars power in with building and soaring classic metal riffs, it's more than obvious that I Decay are here to kick some serious ass. The songs work on guitar and bass riffs that overlap and build up on each other, they mix some classic metal influences with a more dark and almost gothic edge and it has a really interesting and emotional side to it. The drums and bass are very tight and also quite diverse, slipping into the background at times and letting the guitars and vocals do the talking and then at other moments coming to the forefront and a blitz of booming rhythmic power. The guitars and bass play off each other really well as well, building energy and tension. With a vocalist who can also mix up his growls and screams and some odd backing it really does have a different feel. I Decay also seem to be at ease playing their songs and had good energy and movement on stage, throwing themselves about and interacting with the crowd well. In short these young guys were completely heavy as hell and rocked The Old Angel's socks off tonight. Check em out!
So after that, Urban Nightmare have to pull out all the stops, on this their debut gig. These lads take the night in a slightly different direction with a heavy punk edge to their metal. Using fast, blistering yet fairly simple riffs with huge distortion and masses of energy to build their songs around, this is about as heavy as punk can get. The bass and drums smash down and the guitarist mixes a bombardment of chaotic riffs with a handful of sharp breaks to give Urban Nightmare a army of fast, angry and punchy tunes. The vocals are full on power and add to the metal side more, with long draw out screams that seem to push the vocalist's lungs to breaking point. It is a really energetic and brutal ride through the first couple of numbers and the crowd are really digging it. Sadly midway through their set they broke a string and had no spares, so spent 10 minutes rumaging around for a guitar, this broke the set up a bit and some of the crowd wandered off but Urban Nightmare continued with plenty of confidence and energy. They seemed pretty tight with songs that were to the point and high in emotion. They also have a different feel to most metal bands around on the scene with the major punk influence.
Finally to finsh a night that would have scared major parts of the population, we have Ape Of Death. Kicking straight in with massive, stomping guitar riffs and full-on gut wrenching screams, Ape Of Death are possibly the heaviest, yet in a weird way most melodic band of the night. The riffs are consistantly hard and power down on your ears, but with regular imaginative changes and a ever moving dynamic, they have a really flow in this drak and crunching metal. The drumming is very diverse and with the bass provides a dark and solid platform for the 3 guitarists to mix and interlock their heavy riffs and melodies over. The vocalist runs around letting out vicious screams and grunts and really interacting with the crowd. The music fits very well together even though the vocals do seem to get a bit repetative. The use of some softer moments might work well, but then again this isn't meant to be emotional, it is meant to be brutal, angry and passionate metal and it really is. Ape Of Death were a hurricane of awesome riffs, powerful drums and immense screams, leaving the whole room out of breath and in no doubt that the Nottingham underground metal scene has some seriously heavy fucking bands!
Reviewed by Gaz
Written By Gaz
