LIVE REVIEW: Metal2TheMasses Heat Two sears the cold air with metallic heat...

THE chilly February air around Belfast's Fountain Street was given an unseasonal blast of metallic heat as four bands entered into the fray of Metal2TheMasses, all seeking to progress towards the coveted prize of a slot at Bloodstock 2018.

There was an enforced change in the line up for this heat at the Voodoo (February 9th) came about as a result of an injury to Cursed Sun's drummer saw So Much For The Sun swap their heat five slot to fill the void.

Opening proceedings Korvid created an immediate wave of support from the gathering crowd. Tight doom was, however, somewhat flummoxed by singer Jonny delivering his vocals with his back to the audience on the floor.

While it may work in a venue like the Voodoo, Metal2TheMasses is an 'audition' for Bloodstock, where there will be no chance to bop into the audience and eye contact with fans is an almost prerequisite. Despite that Korvid's overall sound once again demonstrated their promise.

Lisburn band, So Much For The Sun, wall of sludge noise assailed the crowd from the off, with the an almost at times post-metal sound at first then developed from the first track into an exposition of stoner styles with liberal nods to assorted NOLA metal acts.

At times the set lagged a little, but concluded with an appropriate crescendo setting down a marker, and all credit to the band for willingly swapping their slot - and, that fact may understandably impacted their rehearsal time.

Oracle announced their intent from the off, immediately engaging the audience with a heavy groove flaying faces in the front two rows.

A tight unit live, this set showed that Oracle have developed considerably in recent months. However, Rhys was so intent in bashing his kit that the bass drum pedal broke. The camaraderie of the bands was demonstrated when another bass pedal was quickly provided.

Despite the forced break Oracle ended their set with the same power as they began, drawing more and more people to the edge of the stage.

Death Of A Salesaman announced their intent to deliver a visual attack with two standees bearing their logo. And, from the off there was no doubt their hardcore tinged metal was going to have the emphasis firmly on ferocity.

Flying hair and fierce riffs whipped up the crowd in no time..

It was a consummate demonstration of what needs to be delivered in the allotted 30 minutes. Unnecessary banter dropped between the songs and as they entered the last song the audience was advised of when the breakdown was coming.

All four bands displayed their credentials on this heat, but in the end the qualifiers were Death Of A Salesman and Oracle.

Review by Jonathan Traynor
Pictures by Lizzie Torbitt

LIVE REVIEW: Close call between four acts in Heat two of Metal2TheMasses

THE court was in session - judges ready to preside, the public gallery ready with their voting slips and Ormeau Avenue's Limelight2 was about to rumble with the sound of competition to win through to the semi-finals of Metal2TheMasses and a shot at securing a slot at Bloodstock 2017.

Lining up were four bands who had the grit and determination to earn their slot in this event, laid on by The Distortion Project.

First into the ring were Neamhni - down a man, but ready for the fray. The blackened death metal crew mounted the stage with attitude and barely restrained anger.

Behind the corpse paint smouldered a band that have obviously been putting in the hours as they prepped for their 'Vermin' EP launch in March.

Noticeably this was a better balanced set in terms of the pacing of the songs across their allotted time. Even short of a guitarist they managed to lay down a set filled with aural dynamics.

The room bled into doom as sludge filled So Much For The Sun slayed the sunlight and added fuzz and to the darkened venue. The three-piece played a set filled with resounding celebration of the darker side.

With two varying vocal styles and an impressive set of fx from the guitar all tracks held the interest, however at times the energy levels dropped a little. That did not diminish from what was an impressive set of songs.

Once more doom-infested the room when Elder Druid drew forth sounds from the other side, with much of the second set from the recently released 'Magicka' ep.

The two guitars were particularly well linked on the riffs with solos placed well in each song. The five piece have presence on the stage and provide a black treat with no trickery.

What is noticeable is that Elder Druid's recent run of dates has placed them well for their upcoming English dates next month.

Without a drummer Disconnect have nevertheless programmed it not to sound too robotic. But that also puts them under pressure to keep their playing tight.

Verging from extreme to industrial sounds the two-piece are visually engaging as well as precise with almost every note.

While getting the right drummer can be a challenge for any band perhaps it is time to hunt for a sticks man that may allow the excellent playing to a little more fluidity to the otherwise solid performance.

After the dust settled this was in the words of organiser, James Loveday, it was a close call between the four acts.

Neamhni and Elder Druid were voted through to the semi-finals

Review by Jonathan Traynor
Photographs by Darren McVeigh