Five bands compete, there can be only one!
Just over a week ago, the scheduled venue for this final suddenly closed its doors, much to the dismay of Birmingham's Metal community. Another victim of the incredibly hard climate in which to run a bar, especially one that has a niche clientele, Devil’s Dog had become an important part of the local live music scene. So we commend Asad and his team for bringing us a lively and friendly club and mourn the loss of another live music venue.
Fortunately, the crew at The Flapper, where all the heats were held, were able to step in at the last minute and the Final was saved.
So it was a rammed room at The Flapper that saw five bands attempt to grab that much converted slot on the New Blood Stage at this years Bloodstock Open Air Festival.
25 bands started out and over 6 heats and 2 semi-finals we ended up with the 5 bands tonight, representing the best of Birmingham and The Black Country.
The running order was decided on the evening by a draw and I always feel for the band that draws the first spot out as this can be the hardest of all, the crowd aren’t all in, everyone needs warming up and the atmosphere can be a bit flat.
The band that were unlucky enough to pull the short straw were Vanitas. They do their best to get the crowd going, with their technical djent, and they certainly have a good number of fans in the crowd that seem to know every single word of their songs. The core of this band are the two incredibly talented guitarists, and you can see that everything is built around them. As with much of this technical genre, backing tracks feature strongly and adds to their expansive sound. The vocalist, Jade, did seem to struggle at times though. Whether it was the occasion or something else, but to front this very intricate style of metal, the vocals need to be on point, and unfortunately her technique was off at times, which is a shame because when she nailed it you can see the potential.
Next up were an outfit that was completely new to me - Passive Fix - and I was told to expect something different. Well, when you see a three piece on stage that comprises a guitarist, a drummer and a saxophonist then yeah, something different! As they began, the first song came over as heavy prog, maybe a bit Devinish, but as they progressed through their half hour set, things got heavier. With keyboards and backing tracks thrown into the mix, frontman Alex weaves his haunting vocals around this multi-layered wall of sound. I get Placebo vibes at times and throw in a little bit of Muse for good measure. Something that definitely throws a curveball to the judges tonight. I was well impressed and will be keeping an eye on them.
From one enigmatic frontman to another. Born Zero have been stalwarts on the local metal scene for a number of years now and it’s hard not to take your eyes off their hyperactive singer, who literally paces, bounces and stomps his way through the set. An impressive set of heavy, chugging metal. Hardcore crossover with a street attitude. The vocals are delivered at times in a Body Count style, with hints of Sepultura. Add in those chuggy Down riffs and you’ve got an aggressive, infectious set that really gets the crowd moving.
Penultimate competing band were local veterans, The Black Hounds. They’re riding on a high at the moment, hot off the back of their latest release All Kingdoms Fall. With this new release, they have continued their progression towards a much heavier sound than their classic rock origins and tonight they really go for it. I’ve never seen them so pumped up and the crowd lap it up. This is straight up heavy metal, great lyrics, superb guitars and pounding drum and bass rhythms. A set that gives the judges tonight more food for thought
Finally, we come to the last competing band, Kensei. Hailing from the Black Country, these lot have pedigree. Featuring members of various popular local metal bands from the last 10 years or more, two of which have already played at Bloodstock, so expectations were high. Fortunately they didn’t disappoint. With the recent addition of a new guitarist (Ian Hiseman: Devil’s Playground, Aceldama) it seems to have given them an extra injection of energy that was probably the last bit of the puzzle needed to push this band to the next level. It certainly worked tonight, they seemed unstoppable, their anthemic songs are catchy and perfect for a night like tonight. This is modern metalcore at its rawest best. Fast, aggressive, riffs, breakdowns and those sing-along choruses are crowd pleasers for sure, but did they impress the judges?
Whilst the three judges retired to have a conflab and deliberate on the night's performances, the crowd were entertained by last year's winners, Nameless.
Their infectious grooves and vocal swagger saw them impress the judges last year and they’ve lost none of that attitude, in fact the intervening twelve months have seen them develop their brand of Nu-Metal influenced modern metal and are still riding the crest of that wave. Highlight was seeing one of the volunteer crew get up on stage and assist Jordan in his vocal duties. Emily, who is most often seen on the door is a vocalist in her own band “Cherrydead”, great to see the reception she got, and just emphasises that there is a great feeling of camaraderie in the local scene.
As Nameless finished their set, the two promoters Gemma and Amie of CapsaArx Studios took to the stage to announce the winners of tonight's final and the band that would be representing Birmingham, Home of Metal, at Bloodstock. That band would be Kensei! And judging from the crowd's reaction, a popular choice. It must have been a really tough decision, and one I’m glad I didn’t have to make!
So it’s off to the hallowed fields of Catton Hall in Derbyshire for the Bloodstock Open Air weekend for Kensei. You can catch them on the New Blood Stage on the Sunday (times tba)
Tickets are available from Bloodstock at www.bloodstock.uk.com
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