LIVE REVIEW: Strange times for Assaut on T13 as six takes on metal from six bands kicks off at six....

FRIDAY, September 26th saw an ambitious metal project take on the urban sports and craft venue, T13. The real shame was that too few turned out, and that the venue proved to be not 'metal-friendly'.



Mr Legge - heroic efforts
on stage and bringing
Assault on T13 despite
the barriers

The reasons why there were so few in attendance owed a little to the other gigs that evening, a little to the lack of promo from the venue, and a little to apathy. How many of the 250 who were at the Limelight2 for Dragonforce could have made it along? How many under 18s who want desperately to see metal live could have made it along?

How much more effort could have been made to promote this event by T13 as something unique and different? This could have kicked off T13 as a venue for rock and metal gigs.

However, it wasn't despite the best efforts of Mr Legge to get the whole things running well. And, aurally Assault on T13 was a success as six bands took to the stage to lay down sets as if they were playing an arena show in front of thousands.



Wayne expresss eloquently
his views on politics

Opening up proceedings was the new line-up of Altus. After months of re-shuffling, the new shape of Altus retains much of the old sound and power, but will need time to bed in before its full live potential can be realised. Nevertheless, Altus still pack a big punch!

Hardcore/extreme metal Defyed roared throughout their set. Wayne telling tales political wasters, hope in the face of adversity and frustration at the state of the planet and Northern Ireland in particular.

'Spit the Lies' was  stand-out track, while Wayne's off-stage stomp warmed many to the band who were unfamiliar with the Defyed challenge to the norm. Ever more willing to take on audiences whenever they can: the band headed off to play another gig that night in the Warzone Centre.

Making the journey from Dublin were Theories Divide, who managed to misplace a bass player along the way....

Theories Divide with an invisible
bassist....

Undaunted, Garreth, Leigh and Garrett laughed at the adversity, tipped a beer back and romped through a set that featured traditional metal, tight wee dynamic guitar sections and some contemporary roars.

The consensus amongst the hardened hacks and cynics was that we need to get Theories Divide back up here, and with new song 'Reborn' the songwriting care was clear to all.

Andy enjoys a quiet
moment with Satan

But, despite all the glee of all present, Satan was in the house...well the trumpets sounded as Lucifer's battalions of loudness Zlatanera looked out into the warehouse where parts Titanic were constructed, and the sounds of heavy, grooving metal resounded, and occasional chants of Hail Satan were heard.

'Holy Man' Crook' is already known to many, and Andy's devilish grin greeted the applause, as Keith's drums and Anto's bass rolled across while Willie and Andy wove spells that the Dark Lord would have approved of

Readying for the release of their latest ep on Hallowe'en night, Scimitar have been putting their backs to the grinstone in the studio, and releasing themselves on to stage seemed to give them a liberated liveliness.

Ryan expresses exuberance at
having the new ep almost done

Jonny's vocals have steadily improved, while John asked all the right questions of his six-string as Chriz and Ryan maintained all the right rolling thunder.

With 'Act of War' already entrenching the band's base sound the 'Plague In The Vatican' ep should be the next push for the band.

Beard life support system
a.k.a. Joe

Headliners, Rabid Bitch Of The North, are riding on the crest of a wave in 2014. Traditional, up-to-date, unflinching and hairy and loud.

With his wingmen Gerry and Chris, Joe leads with a flourishing determination. Even when the audience - from the oldest to the youngest - are behind every below, every high-pitched scream, every solo, and every roll along the kit, they still shout out 'Us Against Them' as if the forces allied against metal need to be beaten down.

'Defending Two Castles' cassette release has propelled RBOTN to new heights, and the range of gigs and a Bloodstock slot have made the difference. A hairy band of heaviness that is sallying forth from the north.

Review by Jonny (with additional notes from Zakk)

All photography from MetalPlanetBelfast

No reproduction or use of any image or text without explicit written permission

 

Hello from Dublin

Is Satan watching?

 

Look to the skies for the Plague in the Vatican

Got guitar - gonna play!

Killing all in their path NYC style with Defyed, Altus and By Any Means give a Belfast welcome for Ikillya

SETTING out for The Distortion Project Saturday show two of our editorial team were intent on some pints plus some hardcore and metal. Having reviewed two of the bands recently reviewing was not on the agenda. But after a stunning show from all there was no way we weren't going to review it.

Headlining at The Limelight were New York City metallers Ikillya, a band who were returning to Northern Ireland to promote their second release Vae Victus; it looked like a night to sit back and enjoy...

Nope - from Defyed's introduction to the final chords from Ikillya this was a neck-snapping, pint swallowing, headbanging, hardcore, metal feast that saw some of the finest aural performances from
the heaviest in Northern Ireland and a delightful heavy surprised from the US.

Defyed are a relatively new act, with their first ever performance in 2013, but they have grown up on stage and have developed into a hardcore, extreme metal act that epitomises the voice of the dispossessed, the angry and the fury of the disenfranchised. Man, they were furious on Saturday.

With Satan's personal singer in the shape of Matt it is impossible to ignore Altus, they dominate through controlled noise. The transition stage of their careers now long behind them, the subtleties of their playing, and their control of the metal has now developed to a point where all the elements are balanced and ready to show off doom, prog metal and controlled anger.

By Any Means have been for five years keeping the hardcore flag flying high in Belfast with energetic, hair standing on the back of your neck, flaying noise. Off-stage antics, interaction with the audience at a primal level, consistent riffing, tight rhythm and sheer force By Any Means deliver just the way they always do.

With three bands like Defyed, Altus and By Any Means it could be that audience and reviewers have a feeling that familiarity breeds contempt; that the bands are performing just another gig. This is neither true, nor do the audience seem in any way bored by the acts. All three consistently deliver, and always raise their own personal bar and personal levels of performance. More people deserve to be inculcated with the sheer talent and dedication they display.

On the subject of talent and dedication Ikillya have both in bucketloads - bringing the hammer of metal striking into hearts with musical excellence and lyrical challenges.

Strip off the west coast elements of Devildriver, throw in progressive metal, add in onstage presence, and a dash of sheer power and you'd be close to the Ikillya experience.

Seemingly genuinely to be enjoying themselves on stage, the earlier banter and bizarre nerf gun attacks were cast aside by a band that have the talent to thoughtfully terrify through their music.

Jason Lekberg is the focal point, controlled yet free-flowing singing ensuring that the aggression is matched with a pure sense of delivery.

Eric Jackson's guitar work is stunning, roaming over a tight rhythm section, riffs and solos perfectly capturing elements of Ikillya's varied attack.

Showcasing Vae Victus and Recon tracks Ikillya are a potentially greater act than their current exposure might suggest. They encapsulate what metal should be - aggressive, yet thoughtful, talented without showing off,. friendly off stage, furious on stage.

We look forward to their return.

Again James Loveday's Distortion Project delivered a Saturday evening of sheer enjoyment that should have attracted more of the Northern Ireland fans of heavy music. A five-star gig.

Sludge fest, thrash-tastic Saturday with Gama Bomb, War Iron, Owlcrusher, Defyed and much more

SATURDAY night's all right for rocking, never mind what Elton John may say about fighting. And Saturday March 8th was a day filled to the brim with rock and metal

While Darren and Dawn Shields-Pettitt were doing a fantastic job with all the bands at Blazefest once again raising money for the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children there were rumours of earth tremors in Ormeau Avenue.

At Limelight2 The Distortion Project's evening show the sludge and doom was causing earth tremors. at such a peak that the Royal Geological Society were monitoring reports that the tectonic plates underneath all of Ireland were reverberating.

While the vagaries of public transport meant we missed Maw, by all accounts the two-piece were superb.

Owlcrusher's down-tuned doom sludge threatened to liquefy internal organs not already fried by alcohol. Songs merged into each other in a hypnotic drone that was strangely entrancing.

A dazed audience then faced the prospect of Okus, with a technical take on powerful doom and elements of modern metal. Their set was varied and ultimately a powerful statement of potential.

Reports that the earth's tilt and magnetic field were changing emerged by the time War Iron's Black Fleet had powered through the foundations of the venue and the audience's soul.

War Iron are a band that don't believe in fucking about with those nancy boy six strings, and instead have two bass guitars to keep the bottom end booming with evil intent.

Procession of the Equinox and Of Prophecy and Alchemy rounded off the set, producing a strange glow amongst the audience. For such a doom-laden, bottom ended set, what it did produce were a lot of happy punters including the Belfastmetalheads Black and Death Metal editorial assistant (Zakk) who gave the show a knowing nod of approval.

As if that was not enough for a weekend of gigs (see the review of Friday night's Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate here and review of Sinocence and Blazefest on our colleague Mark Ashby's pages) it was then a measured move on to the Voodoo where proceedings stepped up into full throttle.

A full-on take on thrash and hard, humourous metal lay in wait.

Acid Age opened proceedings with a set that merged technical prowess with short, sharp blasts of old school thrash. The band have undoubtedly set themselves along a path that pays homage to the founders of the movement and incorporates the more modern thrash scene.

Scimitar appeared to have as band that as grown up a lot since their early shows. Again there was much technical prowess on display and also song arrangements that took the thrash/metal template a little further making each element of their set distinctive.

The inclusion of Defyed, on the face of it, seemed a little out of place, as they are more recognised from appearances on hardcore line-ups.

However, mixing the elements of metal and hardcore clearly works: at times it appears as if Soulfly and Hatebreed have been bred into their songs. Wayne is ever more confident and Steve is possessed by demons of metal wielding his bass as if it was a trophy from a human hunt.

An international audience (with Scottish, Irish and Filipino members...) awaited Gama Bomb's appearance. Tales of zombies, robotic cops and William Defoe were all to the fore - as one would only expect.

If you like thrash and want a band that straddles early 80s thrash and contemporary rock influences but clearly with their own 'take' and identity then you will find it all with Gama Bomb.

A well-balanced set, with a mixture of classic Bomb songs with recent tracks from The Terror Tapes  clearly were both crowd-pleasing and relevant to where they are in 2014.

With the band writing a new album it is clear that Gama Bomb deserve to be much more widely heard - one listen to the live thrust of 'We Started The Fire' should, in a just universe, convince all to bow before the Gama Bomb attack. At the Voodoo the adulation of the audience clearly showed that when you 'get it' you get hit hard with the Gama Bomb bug.

Heads spinning we then headed to meet up with some of the audience from Blazefest before a welcome taxi collected us.

To round up the evening we found ourselves with a taxi driver from Iceland who pointed out that there was never any problems with rock and metal fares compared to 'the rest', that Icelandic radio played rock and metal all the time, the island being the youngest country in geological terms and there are so many 'quakes that they pass unnoticed was an appropriate conclusion to an evening that started with such earth shattering power.

Fill yer weekend with rock and metal

PLEASE place your liver in the overhead locker, a neck brace is provided underneath in case of passengers need to abandon headbanging. In the event of alcohol decompression please grab the glass and place it to your lips because this is one helluva weekend to board the rock and metal flight to chaos - you're all spoilt for choice!

Departures on Friday night will be to the Stiff Kitten and the Diamond Rock Club. Arrival at the Stiff Kitten is scheduled for 8pm where your courier in the shape of Mr James Loveday will ensure you are safe and calm before Donum Dei, By Conquest or Consent, Little Miss Stakes and Hammerfest bound Sinocence will blow any travel cobwebs off your denim and leather...

Others will arrive in Ahoghill Rock City where arrival at the Diamond Rock Club will see travellers face-to-face with Maverick and Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate.

Should seasoned travellers wish to return for more on Saturday then buckle your belts, remove sharp objects and assume the brace position.

There are three - yes three - destinations of choice.

Simultaneously flights will be arriving at 5pm at The Empire and Limelight2.

At 5pm on Ormeau Avenue there is the Owlcrusher, Okus and War Iron...foundations shall shake and tectonic plates will shift; hopefully after a safe landing for all.

Meanwhile on Botanic arrival at gate Empire is all in a good cause. BlazefestIV is in aid of the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, which sees the likes of Altus, Baleful Creed, Worldsend and Stormzone pack the joint.

However, for those with a penchant for tales of zombies and robotic cops Gama Bomb will be at the Voodoo, with early arrivals set to experience the likes of Acid Age, Scimitar and Defyed open the duty free....

Now, if that isn't enough for you of a weekend then may we kindly suggest that you take Beige Airlines to Vanilla Central and watch some shit on TV...

Triple terror from Spittin' Teeth, Defyed and By Conquest or Consent

SATURDAY evening - that time when the beige and vanilla people settle down to get ready, don their glad rags, watch crap television and sup their pre-drinks. But on the Ormeau Avenue in the dark recesses of Limelight2 The Distortion Project unleashed a triple terror hardcore and metal attack.

And, the beige and vanilla people will never know the joy of the all-out, balls out musical assault from Spittin' Teeth, Defyed and By Conquest or Consent; all three of which produced an evening of deep passion and smiles all round.

Spittin' Teeth opened up proceedings like the bastard sons of Stormtroopers of Death, Hatebreed and DRI. They managed to be both loose and enjoyable.

Flinging riffs and anger to the audience each interlude produced laughter as Dom confessed to being under the influence. Despite that there is an attitude here well worth cultivating further. Of particular note was the rhythm section, with drumming that pounded and splashed to add aural colour to the set

Defyed have grown up as a band in a relatively short period of time and they appreciate the need to be professional in how they approach their music. From the intro through to the closer this is a tight unit, mixing hardcore aggression with a precise musical approach reminiscent of mid-period Soulfly.

Wayne poured real passion into his singing. He's mobile and stamps out each beat, sweat oozing and his soul bared as the likes of Parasites (dedicated to all politicians and Vladimir Putin in particular on this evening).

Steve and Trev are beginning to have the telepathic understanding of each other that comes with rehearsal and live performances, while Kerian locks it all down.

Spit the Lies and Stick Tight had a real resonance amidst the noise.

This was the first time we have encountered By Conquest or Consent and it was a joy to see such a mélange of hardcore and metal, with the metallic edge being the most prominent.

Pete is a compelling frontman, and Michael looks like a full on metal guitarist, locked on to his Jackson, but the tracksuit bottoms revealing other influences.

Dom on bass (after six-string duties earlier for Spittin' Death) has it tightly bound and is a foil for Pete to play upon, while Jay and Pete bolster the sound.

This is a band with loads of potential and are really enjoyable to watch and listen to.

This Distortion Project offering showed that hardcore with a metallic twist is proof of the diversity of music Northern Ireland is producing and producing well.

One day the beige and vanilla people will walk away from their mass-produced nonsense of The Voice, X-Factor and the rest of the drivel and enjoy the release of pure locally produced passionate music.

All the D's at RockD for a Hardcore, punked up dance around party

SATURDAY night (October 19th) at The Distortion Project was a hardcore, punked up, metal assault from three bands that were determined that you either get with the game plan or get the hell out of dodge.

Drawing a healthy early evening crowd of misfits and malcontents to Limelight2 the normal rock and metal crew stood aside for a change to see what mayhem the night could bring once the hardcore kids took to the stage... sometimes not a promising prospect, but as always Mr Loveday's project had nicely balanced out the night's throwdown.

Opening the line-up, for their first ever gig, were Defyed; and judging by friends and fans gathered there is a healthy future for the band. A constant stream of invective from Wayne - who picked out Edwin Poots (Northern Ireland's Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety)- for an attack and generally painted a bleak landscape.

Tight at the backline with Kieran and Steve anchoring the sound for the band, Gav and Trev laid down an incessant barrage of riffs. Where the band need to consider developing is a variation in the guitars - if you have two guitars there's no need to forever try to follow each other. Wayne, on the other hand needs to move more; get with the programme, develop stage presence to complement the rich growling vocals; and, dominate proceedings.

Having said all that, this was an impressive début; there is definite promise burbling away here once you strip away the aural overload.

The Steady Decline got off to a weird start, with one of the guitarists taking both mic stand, backing mic and himself down on to the 'dance floor'. Totally removing himself from the monitor speakers may seem like some sort of hardcore 'statement' but all it does is provide a disconnect with the rest of the band. [And what is it with hardcore bands that various members feel the need to get off the stage meaning half those present can't see them?]

The first 15 minutes also saw a disconnect between the rhythm section, with the bassist at times glancing at the drummer, who at times seemed more intent on double bass flourishes than coming in on one exactly.

The second half of the set saw this tighten up, and once it did the fluidity - from which the band's potential is clear - came through. This is band that has the chops, but need to spend more time in the rehearsal room; hone the skills as if each practice is a live set; analyse where there can be improvement, and it will come.

Then - ahh the halcyon days of punk! When Belfast was buzzing with the spirit of defiance; when Rufrex, Outcasts and SLF, to name but a few, cast a cynical eye upon the tired deficiencies of a society ripping itself apart.

There is no doubt that Divisions draw heavily on the punk of yesteryear, but also bring it bang up to date. At the age of this wizened reviewer there is a vague memory of all the earlier acts keeping melody lurking somewhere in the mix., but Divisions have brought the west Coast US influences together with some of the English punk bands that emerged in the early 80s.

Incorporating some hardcore and metal into the melting pot produced a varied and vicious vacuum of noise, somehow sucking listeners into the maelstrom.

By rounding up the set with increasing ferocity it shows that almost two years of preparation has paid off for Divisions; and with fans already knowing much of what was being played there is a healthy promise of more gigging for Divisions: all in all a fine way to round up what was - and you rarely will hear this - an enjoyable evening of hardcore...

Only niggle of the night was the draft beer all but ran out; buy the one one barman on duty managed to keep his cool juggling a multiplicity of demands upon his time.