(həd) p.e., Idiom, Vendetta, Orakai
– Camden Underworld 25th September
Review by Samuel Munch-Petersen, Photos by Helena Dove
With strong riffs and a package of speedy drum beats
Orakai have that metal-screamo-hardcore
feel about them. Dual vocals and some screams with harmonies coming
through, allowed for them to be audible to an extent. Not entirely
my cup of tea but at the same time they apparently got the crowds
moving. With 27,000 plays to date on myspace it’s apparent that they
have some sort of following, being a UK-based band helps too of
course when there’s a UK tour. They’ve taken their influences from
the likes of, Sepultura, Atreyu, Thrice, Unearth and Faith No More,
with many more bands under their influences section and have created
something a bit more jumpy and catchy using their combined talents.
Coming to the end of their set they played White Lies which comes
off their new EP to be released soon, title as of yet unknown to me
as their website is still on the 123-reg.
Vendetta came next with a fury
matched only by that of a dying demon. With rap metal being on the
increase with bands like Vendetta and Shellshock making new
additions to bands like (həd) p.e. and dare I say it RATM it’s a
welcome relief to see that there is a means by which genres can be
mixed well. Even though they haven’t got as many myspace fans as
Orakai it just shows that you don’t need numbers of fans to make
good music, Vendetta are raw, cutting and sharp with an impressive
stage presence that emanates gore and violence. Wes and Ben on
guitars smack on through while Sam and Gav on bass and drums
respectively keep that metal rhythm solid and as pronounced as
Adam’s vocals are. Definitely a band worth seeing live if you get
the chance to. With tracks like 666 and Vendetta which pulse through
at well rehearsed speed and accuracy there’s much more that this
band can give and I’m sure will.
Idiom came next with their
rather fucking impressive and funky songs vocalised by a somewhat
heavier version of Brandon Boyd from Incubus, Matt. He did become
out of tune from what was apparent through the speakers from time to
time but otherwise they passed with the over-excited crowds that had
come. Sideshow and Beyond were part of the more pleasured tracks
which they played and there was some wonderful guitar and bass work
from Kris and (I can’t believe it) G Bird 5000 respectively. The
drums caught my attention of course and there was so much going on
with Dan that it was just too much to take in, but it worked, it
worked like lemon tea works and I was really taken aback by the
overall sound that they had come up with. If you’re ever in the area
and fancy some form of expression then go see Idiom or simply listen
to their music, you’ll love it, think of SikTh but just not as good. |
|
|
| |
| And then there was one
more band left. (həd) p.e.
seemed to be something of a god when it came to playing music on
stage as the kids went wild and the place was just an eruption of
madness, kinda like a “madhouse”. Jahred looking as cool as ever and
the rest of the crew; DJ Product, Mawk, Jaxon and Tiny Bubz, joined
him on stage as they assaulted the audience with track after track
of simply great music. A note to add is that Tiny Bubz (Anthony
Biuso) replaced Devin Lebsack straight after Insomnia was recorded,
why, I’m not sure but it didn’t seem to matter as Tiny was able to
bash out everything with precision and with the utmost quality. I
admit that the music didn’t differ much from the albums but it’s
still great to know that you can have an awesome band like (həd) p.e.
still deliver the music in a live setting. There was of course the
obligatory chats about the shitty American government and the
“revolution” which simply made the kids love them even more. If
you’re anything like me you’ve gotten bored of bands telling you
what you already know, but kids nowadays just love that shit; “Yeah!
Down with Bush! Yeah! Let’s all be individual! |
 |
Yeha!” Great.
Some of the tracks they played and by god they were great tracks,
were; Sophia, Killing Time, Truth, Crazylegs, Let’s Ride, Blackout,
Suffer (with Matt from Idiom supplying some extra vocals there), Cum
Bitch Cum (with Vendetta’s Adam applying vocals where needed) and
that cover we love and know so well, No Woman No Cry. A pretty
fucking blinding set to be honest and a great venue setting too,
Astoria can fuck off with their banning of (həd) p.e. because DJ
Product is supposedly a pyromaniac, bollocks I say. You can’t beat
the simplicity of the Camden Underworld with its no-barrier stage
and low-level ceiling, let the kids run riot with their favourite
band, it’s the way it’s meant to be. Fucking fantastic. |
| |
| |
| |
Hell on Earth Tour 2007: Walls of
Jericho, All Shall Perish, Born From Pain, Fear My Thoughts, Freya,
From a Second Story Window London Islington Academy 18th
September
Review and photos by Samuel Munch-Petersen
I must stress that you should not under any circumstances teach
eleven to fourteen year olds for a whole school day, without a
chance to get home to change and then go on to review a marathon
setup like the Hell on Earth Tour, it’s just not beneficial to your
feet, legs, brain and body/soul. Having got fed on ciabatta with
chips and Jack Daniel’s I was finally ready to get on board with the
program and start working out those ears of mine to the sounds of
six very talented bands. From a Second
Story Window were simply heavy as fuck and there’s no
other way to describe what they give off on stage; it’s just pure
guttural regurgitation along with added elements of soft vocals
toward the end of the entire set from what I could gather. The
former Aphasia band delves deep into the lands of mathcore and
deathcore. Both of which are excellently practised. It’s no wonder I
wasn’t able to tap my foot in time for more than a few seconds since
almost every bar they changed into something frantic and perplexing
enough for me to go; eh? However, aside from the lack of a simple
4/4 setup I was very impressed by them, Will Jackson on vocals is an
excellent singer and front man while Paul Misko and Robe Hileman
powered on through with some beautiful guitar work. Joe Sudrovic and
Nick Huffman on bass and drums respectively were something on an
illusion when it came to figuring out what exactly was being played
and when. An immense starter band to an exciting set of followers. |
Freya (to mean “the Lady”) are not the lingerie website
with wonderful bold prints and clashing colours coming in this
season. They are part past members of Earth Crisis and new fellows
bringing a deathly sound to the world with their
cavorting-metal-pump-action-to-the-face music. They came blazing
onto the stage as if they were having the times of their lives and
wanted nothing more that to blast out tune after tune out at the
crowds while making sure pogo jumping was a staple movement. They
managed to gather what was left of the crowd, it wasn’t that big to
start off with and continued to send our way some brilliant music
that was full of fist and fury while being pretty much rock.
Fear My Thoughts came next and
with a quick stage change there was little time to grab a drink. I’m
a fan of these guys, having reviewed their compilation CD back in
2005 and they’ve managed to grip me again through the live senses.
Promoting their new release Vulcanus Fear My Thoughts gathered quite
a few followers, bleeding music from the speakers with a heavy force
to be reckoned with. With sets being so short they didn’t have long
to make an impression, but it seemed that they only needed one song
before the crowd went ape at the riffs and drum beats being thrashed
out to them. This was the case with all the bands, they managed to
grab the attentions of those in the venue with such ease and not
just because the people there wanted to see them. The majority of
the audience members were indeed there for |
 |
Walls of
Jericho, but they were loving, like me, the other acts as well.
Martin Fischer taking the reigns on vocals, since Mathias Benedikt
von Ockl having left them recently, has done well to make a lasting
vision for Fear My Thoughts and to be honest I think I prefer him
from a vocal and front man point of view.
Born From Pain are one of those
bands that have such a charisma about them that you can’t help but
love them. Their last album War made an impression on me to the
extent that I simply put it this way; “...now this is the shit.” and
I’m not retracting that statement. Born From Pain are incredible
live, they have all the power and intensity of a metal “moshcore”
band that you need to enjoy a simply excellent show. To be honest,
if the night had finished with Born From Pain being the headliners
it would still have been an immense finale. There was no
double-Dutch in their manner and the music was enough for every
member of the audience to bash along in rhyme. Once again we were
met by a new front man, Kevin Otto, who takes over the role of Che
who left in March this year. He does a great job and continues to
impress even though the sound is different, but ultimately still
punishing enough to be good.
All Shall Perish had a hard act to follow and it was
clear that they’d have to push out some of their best attributes to
catch up with the bands that had come before them. Having only
released two albums there didn’t seem to be much to go on when you
think about what songs should be played, but even with a small array
of songs to choose from they bounced as best they could, delivering
the same level of music and attitude as the previous bands. The show
had gotten better and better with every band that came on to the
stage. Their name is simply a representation of their feelings with
the way the world is shaping up, in the end, we all perish. A heavy
deathcore influence and managing to fuse the likes of death metal,
deathgrind, metalcore and sludge metal, All Shall Perish create a
musical extravaganza that is unmatched by most other bands. So far
the gig itself had been a menagerie of brilliance starting off slow
and building up and up toward something very special and explosive. |
|
|
|
Walls of Jericho were definitely
the band that everyone had been waiting for. Their presence on stage
was being anticipated from the go, at least by me and they didn’t
disappoint when it came to them jumping on stage and catapulting
through track after track of pulsating and evocative tunes. Candice
Kucsulain, what a fucking woman. I’d let her pierce my body any day
and I’d let her rip it out too. Her presence on stage and her sheer
volume in character makes for one fucking fantastic show. She
manages to do her best to get into the crowd whilst at the same time
hanging a beautiful smile from her face. Chris Rawson and Mike Hasty
on guitars are characters unto themselves and don’t shy away from
the camera much during gigs. Dustin Shoenhofer on bass and Aaron
Ruby on drums are forces to be reckoned with when it comes to laying
down some edge beats and grooves. Walls of Jericho are one of those
all time great hardcore/metal bands that just make you tick with
every bar. An insane show with a myriad of talent displayed for all
to hear, a great night and a most definite introduction to some
excellent live bands. |
|
