LIVE REVIEW: Hammerfest 2017 kicked off in a Saintly fashion after a mad dash...

"OVER land and sea and foam..." may be the words from "Show Me To The Way To Go Home" and to some when it comes to Hard Rock Hell it seems that the journey to Camp HRH in Pwllheli is a trip that is coming home to a family of friends.  And, worth it all.

And, when it comes to Hard Rock Hell United for many metalheads, party animals and bearded, long-haired types it is travelling with purpose - the purpose being to rock out, and rock out harder and heavier than most...

A train, a bus, a flight, hire a car and a mad drive through road works, the mountains and valleys of Wales saw our team arrive with minutes to spare before our first interview with the relaxed Gonzo of Armored Saint who was extremely chilled out as sweat and adrenaline coursed through our veins...He even helped out setting up the gear!

Pic By Lizzie Torbitt

Interview done, Thursday at Hammerfest is held on one stage only and it is a time to kick back for many (reviewers included...) and chug a few beverages [Editor's note: even though it was the editor this is not approved!].

It being an HRH event, the headliners on Thursday are always a little special. Hammerfest 2017 was no different.

But the tone of the weekend was perhaps set by the first two acts to mount the stage. The delightfully named Sodomized Cadaver brought their Welsh brand of death metal to warmup/terrify the faint-hearted.

Truth be told many might find their take on brutal lyrical themes a little hard to swallow, but their energetic approach many made the effort to be there for Sodomized Cadaver's efforts as their set progressed.

Pic By Lizzie Torbitt

Despite being full-on heavy there is no mistaking the grins from RSJ and the audience. They may have been unfairly labelled metalcore at time they have heft and might to their appearance on the Hammerfest stage.

No strangers to HRH stages the band batter their 30-minutes - straightforward, no nonsense, heavy and extremely pleasurable.

Technical metal maestros Bloodshot Dawn fill the arena with fills that leave many in awe at the runs: death tech with melodies in every section of searing power.

Featuring many tracks from the 'Demons' album the hour-long set from the south coast crew proved that even when the heaviest comes to the Cove in Hafan Y Mor holiday camp a band can outdo expectations and entertain just through their prowess.

Pic By Lizzie Torbitt

The controversy stoked over Venom Inc through the keyboards of those who weren't born when Mantas and Abaddon first picked up their instruments in the Geordie blackened band. If there were any keyboard warriors at Camp HRH they were not in evidence.

Instead the crowd welcomed the band with open arms, horns aloft and even the occasional outbreak of headbanging...We walked through the 'Seven Gates Of Hell' and sated our 'Bloodlust' after we pledged 'In Nomine Satanas'.

To put it clearly this was a conjuration of the spirit of the mid-80s, when there was a minimum of fucks given in the pursuit of metal excellence.

With the witching hour past but a few minutes the beaming faces of Joey Vera, John Bush and mounted the stage at the Cove venue with the California thrashers kicking out any beer-addled confusion. 'Win Hands Down'? They did from the off, a genuine sense of a band enjoying their time back in the limelight.

Pic By Lizzie Torbitt

Coming just two days after a show on the other side of the Irish Sea in Belfast there is no evidence of weariness, and by the second track 'March of the Saint' the band were feeding off the energy of the band and vice versa.

Whether it was songs from their most recent two releases, or older material here was a clarity of the sense of purpose behind Armored Saint. No way are they on the 'Last Train Home', reaching younger audience members and those that reach back to when the Saints were proving that thrash wasn't one dimensional.

This was a balanced set, and by the time they left the stage well after 1pm there was no doubt that the appetite for more and more Armored Saint new material, as well as their latest live release 'Carpe Noctrum'.

There is no doubt that Armored Saint deserve every accolade heaped upon them on this relatively short UK and Irish visit.

Pic By Lizzie Torbitt

And, such accolades are also to be heaped upon Hard Rock Hell - how did the HRH team manage to organise such good weather!

While it was mild on day one, by Saturday temperatures were nudging 20c. In March! What alchemy was this?

Over the entire weekend some of the coolest places were in the venues before night fell.

Throughout, however, what was clear as always was the organisation behind getting 6,500 people in one place aimed at having metal fun. And, they all did have heavy metal fun.

Review by Jonathan Traynor
Pictures by LIzzie Torbitt

INTERVIEW: Armored Saint's Gonzo at Hammerfest 2017 chats about the future ahead for their live album

ONE train, one bus, one flight; hire a car and dash from Birmingham through roadworks, the hills and valleys of Wales and we arrived at Camp HRH close to Pwllheli near the Irish Sea with less than five minutes to spare...

The gentleman who is Gonzo of Armored Saint was waiting patiently as we grabbed him ahead of the band's headline slot on the opening night (23rd March).

He chatted about the new live album 'Carpe Noctum', what they have in store for it, and all things our exhausted minds could cover.

Watch and listen...

LIVE REVIEW: Armored Saint precise pounding batters Belfast's Limelight into glorious submission

FOR more than 30 years Armored Saint have carved a sometimes lonely path as one of those acts that were in the thrash vanguardthat swept all in its path in the mid-80s, a style of music that combined with the pure metal thrust with the pulse of a punk-like attitude.

And, in 2017 as they undertake a mini-tour backing their live release 'Carpe Noctrum' the energy and drive of the band is undiminished, showing sheer joy at being on the stage.

Before they took to the stage Northern Ireland's Sinocence battered the growing audience with 40-plus minutes with a set that displayed considerable weight and balance from the moment 'Long Way Down' opened the evening.

Noticeable was the heavy nature of the songs, some of the older tracks given slight tweaks live and benefiting from a rhythm section in the shape of Ben and Jim that had more heft than many so-called headline acts can manage - something John Bush mentioned later.

Moro and Anto were in top form as they weaved their way through guitar lines that were punchy and almost telepathic in the delivery. 'A Coda To Self Slaughter' and 'Ascension Code' were among the highlights with the speedy and mighty 'Metalbox' melting all in its path.

Armored Saint declare at the end of their set that we will get a 'Left Hook From Right Field' but it was the one two combination of 'Win Hands Down' and 'March of the Saint' that set the tone for their 90-minute set.

John Bush a bundle of smiles, cajoling all to join in with every chorus, wiping sweat from his head as Joey prowled pounding out basslines as if his life depended on it.

Plundering songs from the start of their career to their latest release this was a precise pounding from a happy band to a happy audience. Whether it was 'An Exercise in Debauchery' or 'Can U Deliver' the energy was contagious.

Jeff and Phil manoeuvre axes and stage presence with a deft touch of a battering ram with a silk tip to the tonnage thrusting from the stage.

Their work on 'Aftermath' and 'In An Instant' was remarkable, which given the circumstances was pure mastery. Those circumstances were explained by Bush when he revealed that the Dublin and Belfast shows would not have happened without Sinocence lending Armored Saint their backline; dedicating a song to them and saying the Saint was "a mess" and Belfast must back the Sinners.

That statement of them being a mess was part of the self-deprecating humour the band displayed, with a knowing wink.

'Last Train Home' induced a mass-singalong that was matched by 'Reign In Fire' before Bush declared that under normal circumstances they wouldn't be going back to their changing area for the crowd to chant as there was only dirty clothes in the curtained area. Nevertheless the crowd chanted...

The final blows of 'Left Hook From The Right Field' concluded their second visit to Belfast...a visit that we can but hope will be repeated soon...

Review by Jonathan Traynor
Pictures by Darren McVeigh

ALBUM REVIEW: Armored Saint head down the live album route again with Carpe Noctrum

ARMORED Saint have been on something of a resurgence in recent years as those old enough to remember the 1980s thrash are joined with newer fans of the thrash heyday discovering that these older acts can still outdo many of the young pretenders.

At Bloodstock 2015 they wowed the audience with a tight set that energised an early afternoon crowd. With memories of the live album 'Saints Will Conquer' from 1988 it must have been with somewhat trepidation that the band decided to record their shows at Wacken 2015 and Ashaffenburg for posterity.

Released tomorrow (February 14th) 'Carpe Noctum; stands well with the '88 release, material from their two most recent releases standing strong with older material.

Indeed what is worth remarking upon is that 'Left Hook from Right Field', 'Mess' and 'Win Hands Down' sit well with older, so-called classic material such as 'Aftermath' and, of course 'March of the Saint' and 'Reign Of Fire'.

As an be expected from such a talented bunch of musos the playing is excellent: Gonzo still goes...well gonzo on his kit; Joey does what he does best laying a mean bass line; Jeff and Phil have the licks and riffs nailed on; and, John still has the pipes to carry all the songs.

But, most of all the feeling is that the band seem to have retained the passion for live performances, and each track resonates with that desire.

In this age of live DVD/CD/Blu-Ray packages what makes this somewhat retro - in a good way - is that it is a simple straightforward live album: something worth cherishing.

Review by Jonathan Traynor

Armored Saint play Voodoo Lounge, Dublin on March 20th, Belfast's Limelight the next night; HRH Hammerfest on March 23rd as well as selected UK and German dates before heading back to the US for a night in Chicago.