LIVE REVIEW: HRH XI kicks off with a roar

LESS than 24 hours after Hard Rock Hell held its first ever Awards show, bleary heads were thrust aside as a core following also arrived determined to keep the party atmosphere going - and one man made sure that despite a family illness he was going to rock.

Dee Snider is a real trouper in every sense of the word - few can match his performance. However before he mounted the stage at HRH XI the other Thursday night acts had everyone revved up.

Ryders Creed, Idlewar, Killcode, Black Aces, and Wayward Sons delivered action packed sets - and that's no lazy cliché as each proved that they were determined to pack as much energy into every minute.

After last year's positive reception to the opening ceremony fire dancers took to the stage to bring the curtain up on proceedings. But the real bombast followed as Ryders Creed brought heavy blues in a tight and well-balanced 45 breathless minutes that left many gasping for more.

All the way from Southern California Idlewar are riding high with the release of their album 'Rite' out a matter of weeks before HRH on Off Yer Rocka. The trio were obviously out to prove a point with James booming out every line as determinedly as he hit his bass and Rick laid down licks aplenty.

New York City blues and metal rockers Killcode brought an anthemic rock and roll attitude, striding across the stage as if playing as Madison Square Gardens headliners, smiles and snarls in equal measure. On this display their next album - to be produced again by none other than Joey Z - is eagerly awaited by all at HRH.

Blues rockers Black Aces have choruses guaranteed to get those horns raised and the Knights of the Dark Order held them high for each song, pints aloft. With the crowd pleasing over of 'Rock 'n Roll Damnation' mid-set Black Aces once again prove their path is upwards.

It might have seemed on the surface that when Wayward Sons was announced the tag of 'supergroup' would be glibly given to them. But as soon as the album 'Ghost of Yet To Come' hit the shelves it was clear this was a distinct project. And, the confidence Toby Jepson has in the songs was clear in a set that only played one Little Angels track - 'Young Gods'.

Sam Wood is the perfect foil for Jepson's writing in his interpretation, as are the textures of long-time collaborator of Jepson's Dave Kemp. 'Small Talk', 'Ghost' and 'Backslide' were among many of the highlights.

With the atmosphere almost febrile in anticipation of the Dee Snider's set the packed main stage area was primed, ready and eager. Now that Twisted Sister have been laid to rest, many looked back at his 2016 Bloodstock show to see how the flamboyant front man could top that.

He did and more.

Drawing from TS songs and his release 'We Are The Ones' this was as good a set as anyone could have wished for. Strident, cajoling every audience member along, he may be going through a personally difficult time, but that didn't take one ounce of energy away from his performance.

Sure, 'The Kids Are Back', 'We're Not Going To Take It' and 'I Wanna Rock' had every voice raised, but the cover of Soundgarden's 'Outshined' brought a little poignancy, while Nine Inch Nails' 'Head Like A Hole' was a masterstroke.

The familiarity of his solo album amongst the crowd members was clear from the opener title track from 'We Are The Ones' and the awesome 'Crazy For Nothing'. And, yes every middle finger was raised in the air for 'So What'.

As the strains of 'Highway To Hell' faded away in ringing ears Mr Snider and his band left the audience members, happy, with ragged voices and beaming faces.

Review by Jonathan Traynor
Pictures by Darren McVeigh

LIVE REVIEW: HRH Sleaze Day One

SO  here we have it, the first (hopefully) annual Hard Rock Hell Sleaze fest. With an unreal line-up of bands, so much so it’d wilt your hairspray, it’s every Sleaze enthusiasts dream.

With Hair Metal Heaven the week before, you can’t help but worry as to whether this event would be a success or not. Luckily, the HRH loyal fans turned out in their true force for this event. Here is our guide to the bands we most enjoyed hearing each day!

Day one begins with a selection of acoustic sets for Royalty members. Unfortunately, Kaato had to pull out from their set – leaving us with the delights of Daxx & Roxanne, Devilfire and Bai Bang. We have to say that of the three Bai Bang stole our heart. They had a sincerity and honesty with the audience which was unrivalled. With lighters held high in the air, Only The Best Die Young was a particular tear-jerking moment. Not many bands manage to translate their glam/AOR sound to acoustic well, but boy did they!

The remainder of the early afternoon keeps the audience firmly focused – and firmly sardined – to the second stage, as the main arena area (although open to mill around in) doesn’t have a band hitting the stage until 5 pm.

Nevertheless, New Generation Superstars kick-start the proceedings with raw adrenaline. With singer AJ akin to Nicke Borg, the band has an attitude of sleazy swagger with a punk edge that encompasses exactly what this festival is all about. By the time the band finishes playing and they attract in all the stragglers from other areas of the venue, like sirens luring sailors to their death.

Next up on this stage, which as an aside is becoming hotter and hotter by the minute, is Daxx & Roxanne. Although never catching these guys previously, I quite enjoyed their bluesy feel and it provided a nice respite from the previous proceedings. Although unfaultable as a band in terms of tightness and technique, one can’t help but think that they could do a little more to bring the energy up in the place and play on the baiting crowds energy a little more.

Then it’s time to see Bai Bang in their full electric glory. Having caught some of their acoustic set, it’ll be exciting to see what this band has to offer in their traditional live setting. Frontman Diddi Kastenhol wins both the hearts and minds of the audience throughout the set – and has a great voice to boot! This band embodies Scandinavian sleaze to its truest potential. They also encompass beautiful elements of AOR harmonies throughout their set and are a joy to watch live on stage.

Quickly, we shoot over to the main stage to see it’s grand kick-off and Gasoline Queen open things up. One thing that’ll stick with you is just how ferociously loud these guys are. They stormed the stage as the first act, engulfing every inch of it with their hook-laden riffs.

Nipping quickly back to the second room to catch one of the remaining acts of the day, Devilfire has an unfortunate set due to technical gremlins throughout. This plagued not only the microphone but spread to both guitars too. However, like the consummate professionals, they are; they don’t let this stop them and keep on playing. Gremlins aside, this turned out to be quite as they continued to thunder through the rest of their set. Well played boys, well played.

Having swerved the early morning acoustic sessions (once can only imagine to sleep and to preen) it’s time for Kaato. I have to say, these were one of my favourite bands of the weekend! With an unrivalled seventies rock swagger and cool enough to make your pint freeze, these guys know exactly what they are doing. Adorned in fur coats and little else – the band play a blinder of a set in the vein of The Biters and The Struts. Frontman Kurt oozes sleaze, glamour and glitter in equal amounts.

However, whilst playing their set, the headliner of the second room took to the stage, which unfortunately seemed to cause some loss and sway in their crowd. Still, a band well worth catching on their upcoming UK tour if you can!

Next up on our list, Stop Stop. Wow! What a band – no words could define the limitlessness of this bands energy! Adorned in face paint and sparkly suite jackets it’s like T. Rex meets the showmanship of Alice Cooper. This band is here to party and they are not leaving until every single member of the audience joins them!

You can’t help but aimlessly join in and attempt to sing along with the words that you don’t know – yet! They border the line between genius and insane and the crowd seemed to utterly adore the level of carnage they brought along with them.

Then follows a swift jaunt back to the main stage to catch Wildside Riot and make ourselves comfy for the rest of the evening’s delights! When you talk about Wildside Riot, you can’t fail mention Mr Rocky Shades. What a character! He’s like marmite – you either love him or hate him! One thing is for sure, you cannot fault this man’s stage bravado or persona. Churning out hits from his time in Wratchchild too, the audience seems to lap this up. Although – we have to say we are intrigued by the story of the nail gun! When Rocky isn’t having chat with the audience, the band are a tight well-oiled machine and Mr Suicide plays his second set of the day with ease!

Tigertailz then follow and absolutely demonstrate what it means to be a glam band in the modern age. With a stage show that wouldn’t have been out of place in some of the most massive venues out there, the band represents what it means to be true professionals. Singer, Rob Wylde absolutely owns the stage – sprinting around the entire stage, engaging with the audience all around and not even a little out of breath. They play a classic feel-good Tigertailz set through and through and you can hear the audience singing along with pretty much every single track. The highlight of the set, expectedly so, is Love Bomb Baby where I’m not sure who was louder – the band or the audience. This felt like a headline set all of its own.

Then we get to Vain. Going by the feeling in the crowd, and various chats in the smoking area outside later in the night, it seems the crowd are divided on this one. Some people feel Tigertailz should have headlined the night, and truthfully many were wondering just how bad Vain would be.

Yet others feel like Vain are in their rightful place. Having caught Vain’s set at Hair Metal Heaven previously, I knew what to expect from the San Fransico sleazers and I knew that people would not be disappointed. The band take to the stage, with Davy traditionally barefooted and poured into a pair of red leather spandex that one the bravest and beautiful could pull off. (And for the record, I think he absolutely works it!) The first thing that strikes you when watching this band is the ageless quality to Mr Vain’s vocals. Even though he’s suffering a cold this evening, this does nothing to dampen his or the band's performance at all. My only criticism would be that the stage chatter between songs - although hilarious – was strikingly similar to that I had heard the week before. The most beautiful highlight of the set came in the form of 1000 Degrees, wherein the house lights were dimmed slightly and there was a sultry, sexy feel to the whole affair.

All in all, an amazing day filled with amazing music – and we’ve still got one more day of this to go!! Can we please have a HRH Sleaze weekend at Camp Pwllheli in Wales, pretty please?

Review by Lynn Carberry
Pictures by Simon Dunkerly

NEWS: South Cali heavy blues rockers set to new album release of 'Rite'

SOUTHERN Californian Heavy Blues Hard Rock trio, Idlewar are set tp release 2nd Album, RITE, worldwide, via Off Yer Rocka Recordings on October 12th 2017. The first single, “Keep Your Word”, will be released on the 8th September 2017 - see the link below.

Southern California heavy blues hard rock trio Idlewar have upped their game with their second release. Singer/bass player James Blake solidifies why he is one of the best singers in rock today. With a continuation of varied moods, tempos and groove. IDLEWAR’’s music is far from one dimensional. With the record being produced by drummer Pete Pagonis, Rite maintains the inspiration and grit of their debut.
 Their singer, James, describes the record as “a Mad Max machine like convoy; a group of ferocious apocalyptic vehicles barreling through the wasteland full throttle...about to come apart at the hinges. Then every so often they slow or even stop to survey the landscape all the while contrasting their silhouette of destruction against a backdrop of serenity.”
 
The band returns to the UK in early Nov for a tour with a date at the already sold out Hard Rock Hell XI and an appearance at the Inaugural HRH Awards on Wednesday 8th.

Idlewar have only recently signed to Off Yer Rocka and the titanic Californian trio insist they have found the perfect home for their heavy blues rock after joining a powerful roster that includes The Quireboys, Bonafide, Tequila Mockingbyrd and more. The band has one album and an EP under its belt and is readying the release of a second following the success of 2015’s devilish Dig In EP and last year’s instinctive follow-up Impulse.

“We are excited to be partnering up with Off Yer Rocka for so many reasons,” said the band. “For one it is a label that is currently geared toward our type of music. It’s what they know. We think that is important, in this day and age, to really try and distill down what you are and how to present it. Finding an audience is by far the toughest challenge facing bands right now and we think Jonni and the folks at OYR really have some great ways to do just that.”

Idlewar made it to the UK last year for a brief run of shows supporting rising stars Stone Broken. But that tour only whetted the band’s appetite for more as their fusion of Led Zeppelin, QOTSA and Clutch captured the imagination of British fans.

Jonni Davis, CEO at Off Yer Rocka, added: “We are always scouring the world for fresh new talent and we feel we’ve found something special where Idlewar is concerned. They are not young guys but they are hungry for success and determined to succeed.

"That’s what I love about Idlewar. They’ve only scratched the surface as far as the UK and Europe is concerned and we’ll be bringing them back over here in the autumn. I’ve heard the new songs and they are killer. They’re already lined up to play HRH XI and we have exciting plans for this band.”

Fronted by James Blake – an unstoppable vocal force who teaches physics and is a qualified martial arts coach – Idlewar leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of some seriously heavy music. Rick Graham’s iconic guitar solos add a unique energy to the talented trio while no-holds-barred drummer Pete Pagonis is a musician reborn after ending a self-imposed seven-year exile from the live scene.

Check out the brilliant video for Glory, from Idlewar’s Impulse album, click
here.

Track List – RITE

1. Sullen Moon
2. Break
3. Keep Your Word
4. Sing Loud
5. Come to save
6. Hold on
7. Strain
8. Panic
9. Caught
10. Hang
11. You’re gone

NEWS: HRH rolls out Rock’s Red Carpet for the First HRH Awards

Having loudly and proudly recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, HRH still refuses to rest on its laurels and continues to expand and evolve. One major leap forward is the introduction of the HRH Awards, the first of which will be held at the main arena, camp HRH, Pwllheli, Wednesday 8th  November 2017.

The HRH Awards follow the classic HRH model in that the awards and event are community-led and custom-built by the fans, reflecting the tastes and appreciation of the HRH Loyal, the Dark Circle and community. HRH as a whole, and all its branches, will be honouring the artists, the industry figures and people who matter in this business.

HRH Mag and Hard Rock Hell Radio will also be actively involved. The event is sponsored by Marshall, Eden, Natal, JHS, Vintage, HRH Mag, and Hard Rock Hell Radio.

“Awards are a big part of the industry,” says HRH’s CEO Jonni Davis, “So we felt it was time that the HRH community made its own voice heard, showing appreciation for the music they love and the people who make it. It’s going to be a Hard Rock Hell of an evening!”

Award categories will be voted by fans, along with a couple of industry-voted awards. Categories include HRH Legend, HRH Axeman, HRH Rising Stars etc. More categories will be added and voted on.

The event itself will be a lavish, red carpet affair, presented with the flair and attention to detail that Europe’s leading residential festival provider applies to all events. Here, think of sit-down tables, presentation rich in glitz and pizazz, a roomful of fans, industry, artists, agents, and media, all dressed to impress. There will also be a select few live performances at the event.

The Awards will be a ground-breaking innovation for HRH. Tickets are very, very limited in numbers: only 500 will be able to attend, so please book early. Red Carpet Passes can be booked on www.hardrockhell.com or by ringing Sam on 0207 193 1307. Priced at 40 GBP, this includes 1 night’s accommodation. 

INTERVIEW: Virus chat away at Hammerfest 2017 about many things including The Defective Detetive

AHH there are some bands that just make you smile - on and off stage. Virus are such a band, and while we interviewed them prior to their appearance at Hard Rock Hell United 2017, we were either very disappointed or relieved that lead man Coke was absent...

Some of the other interviews we did overhear were, shall we say, interesting. But the rest of the band sat down to chat about the new album, Inspector Gadget, Scooby Doo and thrash.

Watch it below:

NEWS: Hard Rock Hell launches HRH Sleaze this coming September

OFTEN described as “heavy metal’s bastard child”, Sleaze is as much about the attitude and pose as the music: music full of rebellion, aggro, and downright nastiness, not to mention more tight black leather and tattoos than most can comfortably dream of.

It’s not, as they say, done in the best possible taste, but it kicks ass, especially live on stage - the Hard Rock Hell way.

“We experimented over at Camp HRH Pwllheli”, explains HRH Kingpin Jonni Davis, “After that, by overwhelming HRH fan demand, we’ve given HRH Sleaze its very own weekend, with a horde of Sleaze gurus from North America and all over Europe. We love this genre and by bringing together a carefully-selected cauldron of real pros, we’re cooking up something special. Bring on the Sleaze!”

HRH Sleaze will debut at the O2 Academy in Sheffield between 2nd-3rd September, 2017.

HRH has been at the cutting edge of staging music events for many years, never sits on its laurels, and has assembled an impressive line-up for its first standalone HRH Sleaze event.

No band epitomizes Hollywood sleaze more than Faster Pussycat and HRH are proud to announce the kings of sleaze will be getting down and dirty at this very first event. 

Also joining the bill are Vain, a band that have earned themselves a cult status among sleaze fans over the years. This acclaimed band have been described in ‘Classic Rock’ as “unharnessed, haystack-haired heaviness from beginning to end”. 

More Sleaze to cross the Atlantic are Jizzy Pearl's /Love/Hate. The band will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their album ‘Wasted In America’ and what better place to do this than HRH Sleaze. 

Other class acts confirmed are; 

Tyla’s Dogs D’Amour 

Tigertailz
Crazy Lixx
Sister
Bulletrain
Stop Stop
Wildside Riot
Kaato
New Generation Superstars
Daxx & Roxane
Devilstar
New Device
44 Caliber
Superhooch

NEWS: Hard Rock Hell announce XI's line-up for November including Airbourne, Y&T and GuN

EVEN as Hard Rock Hell's triumphant flagship celebration of their first decade comes to a close,  HRH looks to the future with next year's festival.

It's no surprise that HRH have partied loud and hard in 2016, celebrating the landmark first 10 years of Hard Rock Hell on Earth.

The fans' ears are still ringing,  hearts pounding, and the awesome buzz and energy of the festival is still in the air as the fans head home, but head honcho Jonni and his team are already loading up for the eleventh Hard Rock Hell.

HRH are proud to announce another kickass, fan-picked line-up for 2017: Australian powerhouse rockers Airbourne and classic 70s American hard rock/heavy metal band Y &;T (originally formed as Yesterday & Today, and known as "one of the hardest-working blue-collar bands in hard rock history.")

From the U.K. come Glaswegian hard rockers Gun; also Syteria: the dynamic, female-fronted rock band from South Yorkshire. Then, adding European flavour to the proceedings, are The New Roses: Germany's most exciting, successful new rock act.

HRH XI will take place between Thursday 9th and Sunday 12th Nov 2017, amidst the beautiful landscape of North Wales, at Camp HRH in Pwllheli. Once again the HRH community and family will come together for the ultimate mash-up of loud, live music and malarkey that makes up an HRH event, along with the quality accommodation you'd expect from Europe's leading residential festivals.

"We're not resting on our laurels or anything else: 2017 is going to be the biggest adventure yet!"  promises CEO Jonni Davis,  with trademark passion,

"We're taking the HRH experience out to Australia, NZ and Singapore; meanwhile some fresh new branches are growing from the HRH tree here in the U.K. - new genres and niches of rock and metal that our community want us to add into the mix. It's going to be a Hell of a year, and of course we'll still be delivering our core events. HRH XI is going to be the best yet! Bring it on!"

All hail the Eleventh Coming! All hail Hard Rock Hell 2017!


Further details, ongoing updates, and bookings can be found at:
www.hardrockhell.com

Ticket hotline:
0203 287 6684

LIVE REVIEW: Day Two Hard Rock Hell Doom vs Stoner bringing back the noise

THE very concept of loading a venue with doom metal and stoner rock proved to be correct after the elation and excitement of the first day's noisy, resounding success.

However, with the amount of beer quaffed and shots downed there was a question mark over whether weary rockers and metallers could drag their hungover frames back into Sheffield's O2 Academy for the first band's appearance at 1pm. After all Sunday is the day of rest...

 Fear not, for the attendees are a hardier breed: around the hostelries of Steel City before doors opened there were positive sightings of rockers and metallers downing a pint or three over brunch.

True, there were not quite as many in the arena when the opening act Kroh hit the stage, but within minutes there was a distinctive movement from the bar to the front.

With a distinct vibe of Cathedral, without being slavish, the mixture of doom and stoner reflecting the title of the event and engaging the audience.

Oliwia is an arresting talent, both with her movement and range of vocals, while Paul Kenny keeps the riffs and pace rolling along.

Any signs of hangovers had been well and truly dispelled by that stage of the event, even if some did claim to be "broken" from Day One.

Certainly Sergeant Thunderhoof weren't broken when they delivered a solid set of sludge, doom and groove.

Dan, Darren, Mark and Jim add a twist with some psychedelic touches, and altering the pace in both the arrangement of the set and individual songs. And we thought that Bath was only famous for architecture.

On the other hand Regulus are very much Sheffield's own and they do receive a worthy hometown reception. And, by the time they left the stage they had won over many more fans.

Regulus may or may not be named after the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, but they shone bright on the HRH stage. Reviewers and photographers alike nodded in approval - great presence and great tunes.

Luke is an engaging front man, but all the band are individual bundles of energy as Thomas traded licks and Martyn and Joe keep the whole thing from teetering overboard. There is groove in their sound, with edges of doom and a flavouring of psych. No wonder Off Yer Rocka Recordings signed this act.

Psychedelic sounds and doom were the order of the day for enigmatic Canterbury act OHHMS. Their take on genre was pretty much a different interpretation, and dare we say it, there was the weird phase 'post-metal' wafting around their set.

With a front man who resembles a metal version of Joe Cocker in his hand and arm movements the entire band is a blur of movement, reflecting the energy of the music.

The vagaries of reviewing a festival meant we only caught half the Trippy Wicked set, but what we saw was more than worth the effort of rushing from one point to the other across the O2 Academy. Very Trippy, very Wicked.

Witchsorrow are not trippy, but they are wicked. Necroskull's avowed hatred of almost everything (don't ask him about traffic jams...) is reflected in a heartfelt nastiness in the doom they deliver.

Bathed in red light throughout the relative static nature of Necroskull and Emily compared to some other acts on the line-up did not detract from the performance - rather it served to emphasise the evil nature of the songs.

There is no doubt, however, that Raging Speedhorn are going to incite movement in the audience - from the get go there are mosh pits and fists pumping. Whether it was the tracks from last release Lost Ritual, or delving into the depths of their back catalogue the packed front reacted with sheer adulation.

Unlike many bands across the world you would expect the newer tracks to be unfamiliar to the crowd but 'Dog Shit Blues' and 'Motorhead' received screams of delight and chanting along to the choruses.

John and Frank combine like a two-headed terror machine, as Jamie and Jim rode the riff rollercoaster, propelling the band and audience to even higher levels of metal ecstasy.

'Knives In Faces' and 'Thumper' were outstanding - and security were on hand to help the crowd surfers safely on hand. Rage, speed and giving some the horn: adored by all; Raging Speedhorn.

Before turning to the headliners one must give an honourable mention in dispatches to Druganaut. If you have never seen them before may we humbly suggest you do so, unless you are of a nervous disposition...

Candlemass - making their only UK appearance of the year - suffered some travel difficulties getting to Sheffield, but the grandees of doom do not let such minor things upset what they bring to the stage.

Assured and confident, this was a set filled with so many 'hit' tunes and a range of songs that almost evacuated all the bars to bear witness.

It may more than 30 years since 'Epicus Doomicus Metallicus' was released but the likes of 'Demon's Gate' and 'Solitude' sounding still fresh.

Mats commands the stage, from flag waving through to extracting the last ounce of energy from those assembled in the Academy.

Lars guitar solo was a brief respite from the constant demand that compelled all to reflect what was going on.

By the time 'A Sorcerer's Pledge' concluded proceedings Candlemass had once again cemented their pre-eminent status as doom maestros.

Stumbling out into Sheffield's Sunday night air Stoner and Doom supporters could not hide the fact that this had been a weekend that pushed the boundaries of what can be done by tapping into a scene so long confined to the underground.

Gratified to see it raised to a higher echelon to see the bands in a larger venue it is no wonder that HRH were able to announce the second HRH Doom vs Stoner Chapter II is already set for 2017...any doubts that this was not going to be a winner was cast aside.

Strange that doom and stoner can make so many happy...

Review by Jonny
Photographs by Lizzie Torbitt
Reproduction by written permission only

LIVE REVIEW: Day One - Hard Rock Hell Doom vs Stoner - bringing the groove and the (good) terror

DOOM vs Stoner. Had the people behind Hard Rock Hell gone mad? Slowed down Sabbath riffs, more sludge than anyone can cope with outside a mudslide and grooving to challenge NOLA.

Surely a recipe for disaster! But within minutes of the doors opening it was clear that not only was there demand for this, but that there was eagerness and excitement for this event at Sheffield's O2 Academy.

Whether it was the people who are HRH regulars or those just there for the stoner and doom metal groove the anticipation of seeing something different from the usual run of the mill weekend gigs across the UK was in the air.

Bars were already doing a brisk trade when Slabdragger shook everyone's pints. Whether it was the backline or the PA this was loud. The doom and sludge sound was loud. Very loud.

It may have been a chance to set the tone for the day, but immediately the bar was set high. Holy Satanic Metal this was an experience to behold for an opener. These guys may only have two albums and an ep under their belt in the past eight years or so, but this was a live performance par excellence.

Even non-smokers crowded the smoking area to express their delight at the opening act.

Many would have been deterred following such an opening but Limb took the venue by the scruff of the neck and demanded all should get their groove on.

The fact that they like Slabdragger could get so many people down the front so early in proceedings was testament to what they delivered on stage - this was stoner with attitude.

Electric Citizen - all the way from Cincinnati, Ohio - brought every Sabbath riff to the Academy table. Laura Dolan has not only a great voice but has an enigmatic stage presence.

In lesser hands presenting a set so steeped in the Sabs sounds could have gone awry, but they took every intonation of Iommi and Butler and gave it all a fresh take.

The rock n roll of fame is also in Ohio. Electric Citizen seem to have went from Cincinnati to Cleveland and raided all the best riffs.

Along way from Ohio is Merseyside, where Conan hail from. In Sheffield they delivered all the doom, all the way down, all the intensity of a funeral on downers. This was not happy clappy music.

But, unlike a lot of so-called doom bands Conan are not one-dimensional. Given how far they are down-tuned this could have been boring, but instead this was menacing.

Hooded Chris on bass peered out at the packed crowd, while Jon ranted and riffed.

This was a set that demanded attention and cajoled many into the depths of despair only to lift their eyes to the skies when the pace changed. Doom? Grins amongst the acolytes.

Hometown heroes Black Spiders announced two days after HRH that they are calling it a halt. This really is a shame after they destroyed the O2 in a joyous set.

As they went on stage the band must have known that they were about to call it quits. Perhaps that was why there was such exuberance from the band. Older tracks melded with newer ones from 'This Savage Land'.

The traditional one-fingered salute and chant of "Fuck You Black Spiders" and the general bonhomie from the audience at such exchanged abuse now seems somewhat flat upon reflection.

Angel Witch seemed, on the surface a strange band to throw into the Doom vs Stoner mix, but that is to ignore the cult status they have earned, to ignore the influence they have on thrash, death, stoner and doom metal bands.

Sure they have had 23 past members, but that mattered not a whit to the O2 crowd. While Jimmy Palmer might be a relatively new addition to the line up he gelled superbly with founder Kevin Heybourne: some of the melody playing traded off between the two was mesmerising.

A fair few assembled down the front weren't born when Angel Witch achieved the dubious accolade of recording the 'worst' ever UK chart entry (charting at #75 for one week only) but that didn't mean they were not familiar with the band.

'Dead Sea Scrolls' and 'White Witch' were superbly delivered, but once 'Baphomet' was played there was a feeling of some really special when the crowd joined in on 'Angel Witch' . Darling Angel Witch -  yes you were metal darlings.

While all this was going on Stage Two was rocking. Desert Storm had the smaller venue, but it was packed to the point of being uncomfortable - not that anyone was complaining as they tore apart the senses. They really deserved to play the main stage. Unfortunately clashes meant Desert Storm was the only real chunk of a set able to be checked out, apart from a confounding few songs from Poseidon

But there were no clashes when Orange Goblin took to the stage. Headlining slots can sometimes mean a band deliver a perfunctory performance, knowing they will receive adulation no matter what they do on stage.

Not so Orange Goblin. They delivered a set that was a metal tour de force, sheer class and sheer power. Never mind the title of the event, this was metal at its most glorious.

Sure, many focus on Ben Ward as the immense (in stature and conduct) frontman, but the Goblins are a unit; united in their desire to always impress, and always deliver a set that is varied and interesting.

Joe Hoare and Martyn Millard prowl aside Ben, while Chris Turner seems the happiest man in Sheffield behind his kit.

By the time the second track - 'The Devil's Whip' - landed like a sledgehammer on the audience the venue was in awe.

This was a set from start to finish that ranged far and wide across the band's catalogue of superb songs. Whether it was 'Saruman's Wish' or 'They Come Back' there was not a low-point in this performance.

'The Filthy and The Few' was a rabble rousing track. It's lyrical intent was reflected upon the hundreds gathered in adulation. Outside the walls of the O2 we are regarded as the filthy, denim and leather oddities; inside we are defiant and delighted.

A three-track encore opened with 'The Fog', and ended with 'Red Tide Rising' and while the moniker of the day may have been Doom vs Stoner there sure as hell were a lot of people smiling.

Review by Jonny
Pictures by Lizzie Torbitt
Reproduction by written permission only