Metal To The Masses Heat 2, Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff 22nd February 2019
Ah, Cardiff the night before THE match. An air of anticipation, the pubs buzzing with those who are in town early, mixing with the regular Friday night cornucopia of Welsh life. And tucked away from the maddening crowd of toploaders and happy hour drunks, the beating heart of the Capital’s music scene. Wind your way past The City Arms, the den of the real ale drinker and the only remaining traditional boozer, skirt past the continually expanding success story of Tiny Rebel and its bewildering array of craft ales, hurry past the evil Wetherspoons The Gatekeeper and you spy it. Fuel Rock Club. The venue for the only battle that mattered on this weekend. Heat 2 of the Bloodstock Metal To The Masses qualifying event and the chance, oh the glorious chance to secure a place in the latter rounds for a place on the New Blood Stage at Catton Hall in August.
The previous week at Fuel witnessed one of the greatest nights in the Welsh competition’s history as Blind Divide slugged it out with the might of Sepulchre, King Kraken and Urfe in a fight to the death (well, not quite but it was rather dramatic anyway). A different feel and style to heat 2 followed but with no less passion or intensity.
With the draw made, Sydney Fate (6) had the challenge of opening the event. Late additions to the event, I’d recently reviewed their EP Sound Alive which was a piece of crafted metalcore so I knew the band’s style. With the room not that full, the band made a ragged start, and it was difficult to work out who was part of the band for a little while. Singer Bailey Edwards introduced the band then jumped off stage, leaving the dual guitarists, drummer and bassist to hit the notes, before second vocalist Adam Rapado dressed in a splendid purple 1980s shell style puffa commenced the screaming. As Bailey re-joined the fray, both vocalists utilised the space in front of the stage, with energetic movement and clear enjoyment.
The previous week at Fuel witnessed one of the greatest nights in the Welsh competition’s history as Blind Divide slugged it out with the might of Sepulchre, King Kraken and Urfe in a fight to the death (well, not quite but it was rather dramatic anyway). A different feel and style to heat 2 followed but with no less passion or intensity.
With the draw made, Sydney Fate (6) had the challenge of opening the event. Late additions to the event, I’d recently reviewed their EP Sound Alive which was a piece of crafted metalcore so I knew the band’s style. With the room not that full, the band made a ragged start, and it was difficult to work out who was part of the band for a little while. Singer Bailey Edwards introduced the band then jumped off stage, leaving the dual guitarists, drummer and bassist to hit the notes, before second vocalist Adam Rapado dressed in a splendid purple 1980s shell style puffa commenced the screaming. As Bailey re-joined the fray, both vocalists utilised the space in front of the stage, with energetic movement and clear enjoyment.
I was a bit confused about the foray to the back of the room that bassist Scott Butterworth during the opening song and at this stage the band were a little disjointed and uncoordinated. The enthusiasm that Sydney Fate bring is impressive but they need to work on the cohesive approach. Too much chatter between songs slowed momentum and whilst there is opportunity to plug all your social media sources, it’s the music which speaks loudest. By halfway through the set the band had picked up and were grooving well as a unit but by then they had lost a few in the room, the level of conversation increasing after the front few rows. A brave move to close with a ballad style track was a curious decision, Bailey and once guitarist in the spotlight whilst the rest of the band exited. There is plenty of potential in Sydney Fate but they do need to work on their approach.
A slightly more structured approach from the four-piece that is Good Morning Vietnam (6) next, whose melodic but aggression filled metal picked up where Sydney Fate left off. Once more the allure of space in front of the stage was an opportunity to get close and personal and vocalist Glenn took advantage to also encourage more movement from the crowd. GMV took their 30 minutes and embraced the opportunity, their late entry status not proving a hindrance in anyway. Musically their brand of groove metal is a little generic, but the band pushed hard and raised some healthy applause. Vocalist Glenn mixes Cookie Monster growls with clean, sweet lines whilst Mike on guitar and new man Ash kept the riffs coming. If there was a criticism from me, it would be that the band’s sound is a little thin, and a second guitarist would really help to beef up their sound.
Shorn of drummer Matt Toner due to man-flu, newly formed but oh so experienced State Of Deceit (7) were reliant on recorded drum tracks to keep them on full beam. This allowed them to drive forward with their own brand of melodic thrashcore, frontman Pete Scammell with a roar that could be heard at the other end of town. Pete was flanked by the duel guitarists Jon Russell and Matt Wilson. State Of Deceit possess a quality that the previous bands are still working towards, and it was a shame that with Toner absent, the band were unable to flow as well as they would have liked. It didn’t stop Scammell making regular forays into the crowd, surging all the way through the back as he continued to deliver his sonic roar. This at times left focus on the two guitarists and whilst the music was the best of the evening so far, the visuals that some of us actually want was lost. I like to see bands working together, providing a show which allows for something to watch. When Scammell was on stage, the band worked much better. It was a case of next time for me, as I want to see the full outfit perform. Crap timing for the band, but this just wasn’t their night.
Having prowled around the room like caged tigers waiting their turn, it was no surprise that the gnarly punk hardcore of Stitched Up (7) exploded onto the stage and proceeded to hit hard. I’m not a big fan of this type of snarling delivery, but Stitched Up proved to be an entertaining outfit. Vocalist Mike sings his heart out, shouting and spitting the lyrics, ably supported by guitarist mark who added the essential shouty backing vocals. Musically, the band follow the NYHC style of Agnostic Front etc but add some groove to the breakdowns. They put the effort into their set, potentially going off a bit too hard as they appeared to need a bit of a breather in the middle part before pushing even harder for the finish line. With a good bit of action now in front of the stage, Stitched Up were a welcome addition to the night, with a different style adding to the wider metal flavour.
Usually the ugliest of bridesmaids, the draw was kind to the black metal perrmafrosted three piece Black Pyre (8) who for once were finishing off the musical part of the evening, the band blasted through their 30 minute with a set similar to that seen when opening the same venue mere days before for Desecration. The corpse painted trio don’t play the most technical of black metal, much of their set reliant on repetitive tremolo riffing and frenetic blast beats but they have improved immensely since I first saw them and they provided a welcome relief from the metalcore chaos that had preceded them. With a healthy crowd fully engaged, the usual invisible grapefruits were enhanced by the early arrival on stage of a real grapefruit. Kudos to the band for injected the humour into their set. Finishing with The Summoning from their newly released EP, Black Pyre had enough about them on the night to later on be crowned as winners of the heat, with double the number of votes as their nearest challengers.
Grabbing the wildcard was Stitched Up, who go into the pot for a possible place in the semi-finals. Another very solid turnout for the heat was incredibly pleasing, with all bands showing why the scene in South Wales is so good at present. With Alyn ably assisted by Matt on the door in the absence of Tim, the evening flowed smoothly. Heat 3 follows hard on the heels on 1st March. If you haven’t been to a heat yet, then get to Fuel soon to catch the cream of the South Wales metal scene. You won't be disappointed.
A slightly more structured approach from the four-piece that is Good Morning Vietnam (6) next, whose melodic but aggression filled metal picked up where Sydney Fate left off. Once more the allure of space in front of the stage was an opportunity to get close and personal and vocalist Glenn took advantage to also encourage more movement from the crowd. GMV took their 30 minutes and embraced the opportunity, their late entry status not proving a hindrance in anyway. Musically their brand of groove metal is a little generic, but the band pushed hard and raised some healthy applause. Vocalist Glenn mixes Cookie Monster growls with clean, sweet lines whilst Mike on guitar and new man Ash kept the riffs coming. If there was a criticism from me, it would be that the band’s sound is a little thin, and a second guitarist would really help to beef up their sound.
Shorn of drummer Matt Toner due to man-flu, newly formed but oh so experienced State Of Deceit (7) were reliant on recorded drum tracks to keep them on full beam. This allowed them to drive forward with their own brand of melodic thrashcore, frontman Pete Scammell with a roar that could be heard at the other end of town. Pete was flanked by the duel guitarists Jon Russell and Matt Wilson. State Of Deceit possess a quality that the previous bands are still working towards, and it was a shame that with Toner absent, the band were unable to flow as well as they would have liked. It didn’t stop Scammell making regular forays into the crowd, surging all the way through the back as he continued to deliver his sonic roar. This at times left focus on the two guitarists and whilst the music was the best of the evening so far, the visuals that some of us actually want was lost. I like to see bands working together, providing a show which allows for something to watch. When Scammell was on stage, the band worked much better. It was a case of next time for me, as I want to see the full outfit perform. Crap timing for the band, but this just wasn’t their night.
Having prowled around the room like caged tigers waiting their turn, it was no surprise that the gnarly punk hardcore of Stitched Up (7) exploded onto the stage and proceeded to hit hard. I’m not a big fan of this type of snarling delivery, but Stitched Up proved to be an entertaining outfit. Vocalist Mike sings his heart out, shouting and spitting the lyrics, ably supported by guitarist mark who added the essential shouty backing vocals. Musically, the band follow the NYHC style of Agnostic Front etc but add some groove to the breakdowns. They put the effort into their set, potentially going off a bit too hard as they appeared to need a bit of a breather in the middle part before pushing even harder for the finish line. With a good bit of action now in front of the stage, Stitched Up were a welcome addition to the night, with a different style adding to the wider metal flavour.
Usually the ugliest of bridesmaids, the draw was kind to the black metal perrmafrosted three piece Black Pyre (8) who for once were finishing off the musical part of the evening, the band blasted through their 30 minute with a set similar to that seen when opening the same venue mere days before for Desecration. The corpse painted trio don’t play the most technical of black metal, much of their set reliant on repetitive tremolo riffing and frenetic blast beats but they have improved immensely since I first saw them and they provided a welcome relief from the metalcore chaos that had preceded them. With a healthy crowd fully engaged, the usual invisible grapefruits were enhanced by the early arrival on stage of a real grapefruit. Kudos to the band for injected the humour into their set. Finishing with The Summoning from their newly released EP, Black Pyre had enough about them on the night to later on be crowned as winners of the heat, with double the number of votes as their nearest challengers.
Grabbing the wildcard was Stitched Up, who go into the pot for a possible place in the semi-finals. Another very solid turnout for the heat was incredibly pleasing, with all bands showing why the scene in South Wales is so good at present. With Alyn ably assisted by Matt on the door in the absence of Tim, the evening flowed smoothly. Heat 3 follows hard on the heels on 1st March. If you haven’t been to a heat yet, then get to Fuel soon to catch the cream of the South Wales metal scene. You won't be disappointed.