Atheist, Origin, Gorgatron, Death Rattle & Infested Angel, The Fleece Bristol, 14.09.25
In classic British autumnal fashion, as soon as September hits, the good weather buggered off and the rain settled in for the foreseeable. Gigs on a Sunday eve are always an interesting one, but doing it damp adds a level of slipperyness to the pits that we've all got to be wary of. And a night of pits this was!
Kicking things off was midlands based blackened death trio Infested Angel (6), taking the plunge and representing England on the first leg of the tour package as they visited the continent to spread their riffs like a thick jam. Tight, menacing, and a good mix of tempos across their set, they got a good few necks moving and the start to some of the nights pits even with the room barely half full.
While I saw a lot of the death aspect to their sound, I'm not sure they played much of the black side - tremolo riffs are for all genres guys. Having seen the band a few years back when they were in their infancy, it's good to see that they're progressing and reaching seats and ears internationally. That said, despite the variety of riffs, I did find they were dragging on by the end, my interest worn thin and my hope for the next band to come on started to grow. Luckily, they announced their last song as this thought passed through, and they closed with one of the catchier songs in their set.
Next up were American metal act Death Rattle (6). I hadn't heard of these guys before the night, but given I spotted more than 2 fans sporting their merch in the audience before they played, I saw it as a good sign. Given the calibre of the headliners, and the skulls on their artwork, I was hoping for death metal, but they turned out to be more in the vein of later Pantera, with a bit more grunt.
Next up were American metal act Death Rattle (6). I hadn't heard of these guys before the night, but given I spotted more than 2 fans sporting their merch in the audience before they played, I saw it as a good sign. Given the calibre of the headliners, and the skulls on their artwork, I was hoping for death metal, but they turned out to be more in the vein of later Pantera, with a bit more grunt.
Not surprising given the guitarist had a Pantera back patch on his black tactical battle waistcoat, and was playing with a pine finished Razorback shaped Washburn adorned with a crucifix. You can hear how this band sounds now, right? Drummer was pretty spicy, with some particularly fast flurries of cymbal fills from time to time, I wonder if he would be put to more use in more of a technical band. Listenable, if a little out of place on this bill.
Halfway band is another group I hadn't heard of before tonight, Gorgatron (8). This is a mean band. Mean in tone, some absolutely mean riffs, and the amount of sound they pump out between the 4 of them is inspiring. Some absolutely killer passages, technical prowess, and topped off with self aware stage presence that grounded them despite having the chops to pull off the arrogant stage personality some band of this calibre would do. I had a great time listening to them and look forward to catching them again.
The crowd was largely split in two halves from what I can tell, fans of Atheist who were interested in checking out Origin (9), and vice versa. And you can see why. Origin are one of those bands who appear to tackle music like a sport, very much doing this before other speed enthusiasts like Archspire graced us with a bajillion notes per second.
Halfway band is another group I hadn't heard of before tonight, Gorgatron (8). This is a mean band. Mean in tone, some absolutely mean riffs, and the amount of sound they pump out between the 4 of them is inspiring. Some absolutely killer passages, technical prowess, and topped off with self aware stage presence that grounded them despite having the chops to pull off the arrogant stage personality some band of this calibre would do. I had a great time listening to them and look forward to catching them again.
The crowd was largely split in two halves from what I can tell, fans of Atheist who were interested in checking out Origin (9), and vice versa. And you can see why. Origin are one of those bands who appear to tackle music like a sport, very much doing this before other speed enthusiasts like Archspire graced us with a bajillion notes per second.
Really pushing the limit on perceptible melody, Origin requires you to experience them live to get the full message. That message is "apologies for the note shortage, we have used them all up". It's not just absurdly fast though, Origin are an insanely tight band who clearly work together like the gears in a formula 1 car. This should've sold you on the band by now, (people who solely listen to doom are likely to combust if they encounter this band).
Capping off the night are the reason I bought my ticket in the first place, a band who decided that the emerging genre of death metal needed more jazz influence, that just making thrash faster and darker wasn't enough. Atheist (10) really were ahead of the curve in the early nineties, and it took a while for a lot of Metalheads to catch up with just how insanely good their songwriting was.
Capping off the night are the reason I bought my ticket in the first place, a band who decided that the emerging genre of death metal needed more jazz influence, that just making thrash faster and darker wasn't enough. Atheist (10) really were ahead of the curve in the early nineties, and it took a while for a lot of Metalheads to catch up with just how insanely good their songwriting was.
Showcasing material from all 4 of their records, but in particular celebrating the upcoming 35th anniversary of their debut album Piece Of Time, Kelly and the Kids absolutely nailed both the performance but also the sound of the records. I congratulated the band when I bumped into them after the show that I could close my eyes and it was like I had the album on. A seriously impressive feat for such difficult music. Tonnes of stage energy, a brilliant setlist, performed by a group of guys who all seem genuinely pleased to be able to play this material for us.
Easily one of the best sets I've seen, I've been waiting about 15 years to see Atheist since discovering them in my uni years, and they exceeded my expectations in every way.
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