A View From The Back Of The Room: Rosalie Cunningham & Goldray (Live Review By Paul H & Matt)

Rosalie Cunningham/Goldray, The Fleece, Bristol

[Paul Hutchings]

Well into summer and as another sweltering day faded into dusk, we headed across the bridge once more to one of our favourite venues, The Fleece in Bristol for an evening off swirling psychedelia. Although doors were at 19:30, it was full hour before signs of life occurred and eventually the main draw from Mrs H and I took the stage. We’d first seen Goldray (9) at Hard Rock Hell in Pwllheli a couple of years ago and had thoroughly enjoyed their set. With a new album in the pipeline, this was a semi-co-headline event although it was Cunningham who took top slot. That was fine as it was Goldray that we’d come to see and once again the band were excellent from start to finish. Driven by former Reef guitarist Kenwyn House’s crashing riffing, the London based outfit danced and span through a 45 minutes set which encompassed tracks from their 2017 debut Rising and a smattering of new songs, including the excellent The Forest.

Whilst House may drive the band forward, it’s impossible not to be bewitched by Leah Rasmussen’s glittering outfit, her shiny tiara, her diminutive figure weaving around the stage in a possessed Steve Nicks kind of way but most of all, to be totally captivated by the voice that comes out of such a petite frame. Rasmussen is stunning, her vocal delivering a hybrid morphing of Kate Bush and Grace Slick. Ethereal and fragile at times, yet powerful and controlled, she really has a remarkable gift. Anchored by a solid rhythm section which earned its stripes towards the end with a freestyle frenzied climax, the rather sparse crowd rewarded Goldray with a deserved ovation which was well deserved.

Rosalie Cunningham’s new solo album didn’t do a huge amount for me so I passed the baton to Matt for the review of the former Purson singer.

[Matt Bladen]

So this was the first time I'd seen former Purson singer/guitarist/mastermind Rosalie Cunningham (7) playing with her solo band. This was probably because it was her debut tour as a solo artist with her solo band made up of Rosco Levee - guitar, Alpha Michelle - bass, Lee Spreadbury - keyboards and Purson drummer Raphael Mura. Having seen Purson numerous times I was interested to see how her psychedelic solo record translated onto the live stage. Numbers such as Ride On My Bike, Dethroning Of The Party Queen got things off to a bouncy start the band decked out in their glam/psych/hippie finery, there were a few technical issues in the opening few songs as it seemed the band were still finding their feet despite this being one of the final three shows on this tour. The final Purson single Chocolate Money was followed by Fuck Love which in turn was followed by Desire's Magic Theatre another Purson song.

Here lies the problem, the Purson material is still superior in a live context than the solo material, which is a lot poppier influenced by The Beatles and Ziggy Stardust, only really the prog epic A Yarn From A Wheel stands up for me especially after the mesmerising Goldray who blend the psych/glam sound with a heavier riff style. Still the freaks at the front got their groove on and welcomed the solo songs like old friends though again the Purson material had the biggest reception. There's no criticism of the musicianship all the members of the band were brilliant and Rosalie's vocals are very strong but maybe because it was the first tour after her self imposed exile, or perhaps it was due to the solo material being a little lighter than anything previously but my expectations were high after numerous viewing of her previous band and though they get plus points for the playing and performance, the solo songs are better on an album, but this may change in time as they get a life of their own.  

A View From The Back Of The Room: Black Tongue (Live Review By Liam True)

Black Tongue, Upon Those Dying, Sentry, Shallow Graves, Hobos, Bridgend

Shallow Graves

In twenty minutes, Shallow Grave proved they have the sound, the riffs and the songs to go far. But the only thing they're lacking in, in onstage presence and energy. The only member with any kind of energy was the guitarist, who pretty much took on all duties of the band. Getting the audience hyped, talking and actually moving rather than standing in place like the bassist and vocalist. If they can muster up the energy to move, they'll make it. But now, not so much. 4/10

Sentry

From the first note strummed, chaos ensued and the crowd were uncontrollable. The next thirty minutes were a pounding Metalcore fantasy of barbaric proportions. The band provide a meaty slab of headbanging and mosh pit inducing waves of anarchy from the Metal hungry crowd. Half way through the set, vocalist Danny Rees commands the crowd for a wall of death. And the crowd obliges to his command. Just before the battle cry to bombard either side is called, there’s a man with his friend on his shoulders, spinning him like a windmill, which pleases the band and crowd alike. This will then be a recurring thing that happens with the next two bands. There's no shortage of carnage from either the crowd nor the band. One of the underground Metal scenes best kept secret, they're one to keep an eye on. 7/10

Upon Those Dying

Slam upon slam. Raw energy upon raw energy that is unparalleled to anyone in the South Wales Metalcore scene to date. For the entire set there's no breaks. No time to recuperate. And no chance that you're standing still. Everyone in the room, front to back, side to side, is either in the pit, headbanging or moving in their own groove. Having seen the band before I was already familiar with their sound and style, but they have improved so much from that first time. With more crowd control and confidence in themselves and the music, they're on top of the world during their occupation on the stage. It's only when the last note hits you realize that this band are due a massive headline tour of their own. And they are more than capable and ready for it. 9/10

Black Tongue

There are no words to describe what happened when Black Tongue took the stage in Hobos. From the first guitar note. The first drum hit. And the first monstrous gurgle from vocalist Alex Tayen, the band have arrived to cause complete and utter deviation. With their combination of earth-shattering breakdowns, stomach churning gutturals and atmospheric feeling that the next song will be more violent than the last. Formed six years ago, the down-tempo doom band have come a long way, with the vile ear-splitting noise they've created being one of the most original and sought after sounds in the scene today. The show tonight has proved a number of things. Mainly that the band have the stage presence and artistry to rule the stage. 

During the set Teyen proclaims ‘Everyone Is A Fucking Target!’ while then pounds the microphone into his own skull before the most evil sounding drop of the night shatters the speakers and ear drums alike. And with the octopus like drum king that is Aaron Kitcher, the guitar wielding maniacs that are James Harrison & Eddie Pickard, fronted by none other than the monstrosity, putrid voice and demonic possessive stage controller that is Alex Teyen, the band have not only proved their worth. They're unstoppable. 10/10

Reviews: LORD, Carnifex, Bushwhacker, Blood Church (Matt & Liam)

LORD: Fallen Idols (Dominus Records) [Matt Bladen]

Having been a staple of the Australian metal scene since 2003 Sydney/Wollongong metal titans LORD have been abiding by the idea that "a good song, is a good song" since then over the course of four previous full lengths (their most recent being Digital Lies in 2013) and numerous EP's Lord have climbed to the top of the pile in the Australian metal scene though they may not be known to any of our non Aussie readers despite having played with Megadeth, Queensryche, Helloween, Nightwish and Saxon in their own country. Still led by vocalist/guitarist Lord Tim their sixth album Fallen Idols breaks out of the gates early with the blistering United (Welcome Back) a thrash/death riff fest that leads off with blastbeats from Darryl Murphy, breaks occasionally into some lead bass lines from Andy Dowling letting Tim and Mark Furtner throw some guitar pyrotechnics on a song that shifts styles at will moving from destructive thrash into big power metal choruses along with lots of solos.

It's a bloody impressive way to start off an album 6 years in the making immediately setting out Lord's stall as a force to be reckoned with. Next is the battle metal of Immortal which brings more than a whiff of the leather clad bravado of Manowar as the title track brings more galloping classic metal and twin guitar attack. Lord have always taken a jukebox approach to their music never discarding a song if it doesn't fit their genre, for all of the classic heavy metal posturing on this album such as the speed metal of Nod To The Old School and Kill Or Be Killed, there's modern groove metal on Chaos Raining, while Counting Down The Hours is a muscular ballad but on the other hand The Edge Of The World brings some black metal mastery. A delicious Mezze of styles but all in the heavy metal vein played by a band who are experienced in what they do. Fallen Idols deserves to be heard by a wider audience than an Antipodean one. 8/10

Carnifex: World War X (Nuclear Blast) [Liam True]

I have a small history with Carnifex. I was due to see them play in Bridgend in 2018. The show however was cancelled due to the weather conditions. Not the bands fault, but still unlucky for me and the other fans. Fast forward a year and a few months later, Carnifex have made their most destructive and powerful offering to date, with the appropriately titled World War X. The opening, and title track, is a bombardment of Deathcore brutality. Opening with gunshots and firefights the album is a concept of the world we know today. With the first line that spits from vocalist Scott Ian Lewis' throat "Death To All Humanity", you already know the foreshadowing theme here.

Albeit the title of the album. From here on out the band produces an absolute venom filled, breakdown leading and headbanging inducing look into society today. With guest appearances by Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White Gluz and guitar god Angel Vivaldi, they too unleash a torrent of violent vocal and furious fretwork to add to the records apocalyptic scenes. The American Deathcore kings have produced one of this years best albums so far. Here's hoping they announce a UK tour with a Welsh stop. 9/10

Bushwhacker: A Fistful Of Poison (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Consider this...a progressive stoner metal album based around a sprawling Western concept, created by a band from Canada. I mean the Western theme is not really surprising seeing as British Columbia could be considered the last remnants of the Old West, but this one is a story of some varmints who are in search of a shitload of weed, but there journey doesn't go to plan causing it to turn into a Tarantino Western at the end. Bushwhacker are Cavan Egan Guitar/Vocals Geoff Woods Guitar/Vocals, Rory O'Brien Bass/Vocals and Sean Komaromi Drums, A Fistful Of Poison is their second album and is a truly conceptual piece starting with a mostly instrumental Prologue setting the scene in a Morricone-style a lone harmonica backed by country acoustic guitars.

From there it's music made very much in the style of Baroness or Mastodon, a number heavy stoner/sludge tracks with some expressive drumming, thundering basslines and guitars that move between thick, molasses heavy riffs and lighter more melodic fluid playing that, to make things sound especially cinematic. The songs are interspersed by small spoken word interlude to drive the concept along (though at times the acting/characterization is a little cliche). The first proper song is And They Rode West is mainly instrumental but it sets the pace for the record letting Knives And Teeth bring more aggression and The River Black some doom as it evolves into a bludgeoning beast showing the vocal diversity on this record between the three string playing members. A Fistful Of Poison is a brilliant concept record which stands up there with Gold & Grey as one of the top progressive albums of the year, saddle up partner and play loud. 9/10

Blood Church: God Complex (Self Released) [Matt Bladen

From the hell on earth that is...Telford Shropshire, Blood Church beckon you to worship at their unholy altar. This blackened death metal band certainly have the visual stimuli you'd want in a band such as this clad in cloaks and covered in corpsepaint and blood. Their blackened death metal is influenced by one thing...Satan. Yes folks don't play this EP in Sunday school, these four tracks are here to rally against God and organised religion. A tolling of a bell and a singular downtuned guitar backed by some synths is how God Complex opens with the chanting intro We Are The Blood Church, the raw sounding music then blasts out of your speakers like an assault on the senses, now whether the rawness is deliberate is not known but it works well taking you back to that first era of angry, God hating black metal.

Furious riffs, squaked grunts and even a downtuned break at the end lead into the more melodic opening to Jesus Wept built around a bass riff and a quote from Star Wars Episode III it breaks into yet more tremolo riffage and the main section is more of a death metal grind. False Idols on the other hand has a whiff of punk to it ending the EP by showing you that Blood Church has a lot more up their sleeve than their blackened metal assault. A very brief look into the world of Blood Church and their anti-religious manifesto, let's see what they can do on a full length. 7/10

The Spotlight: BOA Interview With Master's Call (Paul H)

Master’s Call hail from the home of metal, the Black Country. The band have released a very tasty EP earlier this year and now take a headline slot on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock on Saturday 10th August. Here’s their interview.

Paul: You’ve been building momentum for a while now but for those who may not know about you, can you give us a bit of history about the band and tell us who is in the current line-up.

MC: It began as a project between John and Dave (guitars) formed in Birmingham back in 2014 before developing into a full band by 2016. It took us a few years to develop a sound that we felt was "us". Once we started playing live, we soon had invites to various festivals such as Beermageddon, HRH Metal, and when we finally released our debut EP Morbid Black Trinity earlier this year things ramped up with the likes of Incineration Festival and of course Bloodstock! The current line-up consists of John & Dave on guitars, Adam on bass, James on drums, with an anonymous vocal presence fronting our darkened chaos!

Paul: You play a pretty intense blackened thrash which certainly gets the thumbs up from me. Who are the band’s major influences?

MC: It’s often easy to draw comparisons to bands like Behemoth, Dissection and Belphegor for bands in our genre, which is fair enough, as all of those bands certainly do influence us. Further to this we have major influences from the likes of Necrophobic, Watain, Slayer, Deicide, Nifelheim and Morbid Angel to name but a few, as well as our metal forefathers Black Sabbath and Judas Priest that inspire us to keep the Black Country fire burning!

Paul: You’re from the Black Country. The home of metal. How do you view the metal scene in the UK and in your area now?

MC: We take our art seriously and have found that the level of dedication, conviction and passion we have for it is becoming something of a rarity in our surrounding metal scene. Metal often gets treated like a joke, but we really believe in what we are doing. As proud as we are of our metal heritage, we honestly don’t believe the home of metal truly gets the recognition and celebration it deserves in the UK. It doesn’t really feel like a home of metal- like you’d expect Birmingham to be the capital city of metal, right? In truth it’s vastly underwhelming and desolate. We want to see it ignite with the same fiery passion we have!

Paul: You released Morbid Black Trinity earlier this year. How was the response to the EP?

MC: As it was our first release our first impression, we really took our time over it- ensuring that everything from the song choices, the production and the artwork were all at a standard we would be proud of before we release. We received positive reviews and praise from the media and the metal community, as well as festival slot offers off the back of it- so the hard work and patience we put into our EP certainly paid off. Of course, this all now means the standards and expectations have been set now for our next release!

Paul: You’ve got a high slot on the New Blood Stage this year at Bloodstock. Congratulations on the invitation. Were you expecting it?

MC: Thanks! We honestly weren’t expecting to be offered a slot at all, let alone a high slot. We sent our EP to Bloodstock more so to introduce the band and hopefully get on their radar for future considerations- but to get that offer right out the gate - to be making our debut at Bloodstock in the same year as our debut release is such an honour and we are ready to bring chaos to Catton Park!

Paul: From reading the BOA promo section, I know you guys have been to BOA before. Tell us about your BOA history. Who have been the most memorable bands you’ve seen there?

MC: We’ve individually all been to BOA over the years at different times but we were all in attendance last year- Judas Priest headlining the Friday with the likes of Emperor, Watain, Bloodbath and Cannibal Corpse on the bill it had to be done! One particular epic all time moment would be Watain’s main stage set in 2012 “we have come to bring the sun down!” just as the sun was setting. Perfection.

Paul: To those who haven’t seen the you live, what can they expect at BOA?

MC: We will bring our visceral and visual live presence, performing our EP tracks as well as a couple of forthcoming tracks with full intensity! It’s going to appeal to fans of the more extreme and darker sides of heavy metal.

Paul: It looks like you’ll be going toe to toe with Anthrax! That sounds fun. Who else do you plan to catch at this year’s festival?

MC: Well of course, having the high slot we were bound to clash with one of the big guns of the festival. As much as we would have liked to catch Anthrax, we’re just glad we weren’t put on alongside Cradle, Dimmu or Taake. We’ll be aiming to catch them for sure. And of course, we want to catch the Priest legend, KK Downing’s appearance with Ross The Boss!

Paul: And after the festival, what else can we expect from you over the next few months?

MC: We still have a few live appearances confirmed or in the works, but we plan to put more focus on writing our follow up to this year’s EP. It’s already in progress but the last few months have been too relentless for us to give it the attention it needs- we’ve had a lot going on behind the scenes to keep the train moving, so we really can’t wait to get back to writing and release a new album next year!

Massive thanks to the guys in Master’s Call. Be sure to check them out at BOA. Some blackness is always welcome!

The Spotlight: BOA Interview With Tomorrow Is Lost (Paul H)

Introducing Tomorrow is Lost, winners of the Newcastle M2TM. The band took time to answer our questions. Here’s what they said to us.

Paul: Let’s start with a brief history of the band

Josh: I'm not too sure on how the band formed, I know they have been around for maybe 2 or so years, I only joined a few months ago, I did however, almost join the band a year ago but it didn't happen, so it's definitely destiny that I play bass in this band!

Joe Mac: Cass and I were previously in another band together that didn’t work out, so we set about forming a new one and found the original bassist and drummer through adverts. We then welcomed in another guitarist, Ryan. We had a few line-up changes and finally settled with the current one. We have been together around about two and a half years.

Ryan: I’ve been in the band for two years now. They had formed a few months before I joined, Joe needed some help!

Paul: Who is the current line up?

The current line-up is:

Cass King - Vocals
Joe Mac - Guitar
Ryan O’Hara - Guitar
Josh Fodden - Bass
Marc Rush - Drums

Paul: Describe the band’s sound and influences

Joe Mac: The band is a mix of influences in my eyes because we all have such different musical tastes and we sort of bring it in as one, but some of them are Iron Maiden, Dio, My Chemical Romance, Rammstein and Pearl jam to name a few. I don’t like to put a name to it to be honest, I’ll let other people decide what we sound like and our genre because no two songs are the same, yet they have a particular sound.

Ryan: For me the band’s sound overall is heavily influenced by the guitars of iron maiden and Thin Lizzy but there are bits of the entire band in each song we write. Cass’ vocals (to me anyway) have a bit of Lzzy hale, Janis Joplin and God knows what else in there......She scares me sometimes.

Josh: All the members of the band have different inspirations, we have some that are similar, and then some that are totally different, with me for example, I'm a huge fan of The Beatles and The White Stripes. We are all huge fans of metal, rock and music in general, so I think we are constantly being inspired by different bands all the time.

Paul: Prior to Bloodstock, what are some of the highlights for the band so far?

Ryan: As a band I think a couple of highlights have been playing the 02 academy with inglorious, and supporting Skindred in Newcastle.

Joe Mac: Aye, supporting Skindred, Playing at Call of The Wild festival, and Supporting Inglorious.

Josh: My personal highlights have got to be, my first show with the band, which was a headline show in London, it was awesome, and then when we played with one of my favourite bands of all time, Icon For Hire

Paul: Let’s move on to Bloodstock and your road to the festival. Please tell us about your journey

Joe Mac: Well we entered to see how far we would get: we didn’t think we would get past the first round because we didn’t think we were considered ‘heavy’ enough, but we were over the moon that we got through. The next round was a pretty similar feeling that we weren’t going to get through to the final, I don’t know why it’s just a feeling you get in the pit of your stomach. Playing the final was a nerve wrecking experience I think it’s the pressure of competition that puts you so on edge, but it’s a very exciting feeling at the same time and I know that we all enjoyed every second of being in the competition.

Ryan: Man.....that was a bit nuts to be honest. Like Joe said we didn’t think we would get too far, but we approached like we do every show, full on, give it everything we have and let the crowd decide if they enjoy what we have to offer. Winning the thing was amazing for us, a huge confidence boost and as a band we are absolutely thrilled to be heading to BLOODSTOCK!!!!!!

Josh: I can't answer this question well since I wasn't in the band, but I was in another band before joining TIL, then when I joined the band, I was constantly learning all of the songs, and helping writing new songs and getting ready for shows so I could hit the metaphorical ground running y’know?

Paul: What about when you were announced as winners? What were the emotions like?

Ryan: I think we were all shocked about the win at first as we had our doubts. But when the bloodstock guys pulled us for a chat and told us the reason for us winning; we were very pleased with ourselves.

Joe Mac: It was amazing, disbelief at first haha! but no it was a great feeling and all the other bands were dead canny and it was just a great experience.

Josh: Pure shock, confusion and denial honestly haha! Obviously, I wanted TIL to win, but I really thought rather Nephilim or Rituals would have won because they were mind blowing!

Paul: So, moving on to the festival itself, what can we expect from you?

Joe: Well I think you’ll get to see some brand-new songs and a range of heavy to soft songs with big riffs and amazing vocals, very melodic and one heck of a show.

Josh: A fucking awesome show! New material and something that is new, original and refreshing!

Ryan: A very loud and energy packed set most definitely, there will be a little something for everyone.

Paul: Which bands are you looking forward to seeing there?

Ryan: Anthrax Anthrax Anthrax. And Anthrax

Josh: Obviously all of them, however, I really love Cancer Bat's, Parkway Drive and Children of Bodom, so probably any of them.

Joe Mac: Anthrax, Scorpions and Queensryche

Paul: Have you been to Bloodstock before?

Joe Mac: No, I haven’t

Ryan: No unfortunately. Other things have gotten in the way the last couple of years, mainly us being out gigging to be fair.

Josh: ALMOST made it three times..........There might be a story there........

Paul: And finally, tell us a guilty pleasure about each member of the band!

Josh: I honestly can't think of guilty pleasures for the other guys, so I'll make up so I'll try make up for it with my answer, I really love bad TV, I watch all and get invested in all of the worst things, like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Desperate Housewives, River Dale and Love Island, don't tell the other guys though, they might not approve haha!

Ryan: Joe is kinda bendy and sucks his own Toes when he thinks nobody can see him …

A good point in which to conclude this interview, I think. Big thanks to Tomorrow is Lost. I’m looking forward to seeing them on Friday at BOA

The Spotlight: BOA Interview With Midnight Prophecy (Paul H)

Liverpool M2TM winners were Midnight Prophecy. A story of determination and pure effort, the band’s bassist Peter grabbed five minutes to answer our questions.

Paul: Let’s start with a brief history of the band ;

MP: We’re mainly based in Liverpool, UK. Well Sam, Pete, Danny & Chris are, our singer Craig comes from Stoke-On-Trent. We have been the same line-up since the start, which was around July/August 2015, in which our 1st live show/gig was in November 2015. So essentially around 4 years we’ve been playing together. Peter, Christopher & Danny had been writing songs together for a few months, then we noticed Sam was a drummer through Facebook - so we invited him down for a practice & with Craig - we put up an advert for a singer on 'Joinmyband' and he replied to us - we liked what we heard & similar story in that we invited him for a practice & it's been the 5 of us since.

Paul: Who is the current line up?

MP: The lineup has been the same since we started in 2015. We have:-

Craig Cairns - Singer/Vocalist & Lyricist
Christopher Dixon - Rhythm / Lead Guitar
Danny Quayle - Rhythm / Lead Guitar
Peter Mansfield - Bassist
Sam Caldwell - Drummer

Paul: Describe the band’s sound and influences?


MP: Our main influences, would be derived of metal bands from the 80's of the NWOBHM era - with bands like: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest etc. We all love bands from that time. We are melodic, and progressive and used our influences to bring that NWOBHM sound into the modern era.

Paul: Prior to Bloodstock, what are some of the highlights for the band so far?

MP: Personally, for us as a band - our highlights would have to include supporting Anvil (which was just unreal), playing SOS Festival 2018 & being asked to play Amplified 2019 on the VMA stage (which sadly got cancelled). Also writing & releasing our own self-titled debut album last year along with recording the music video for one of our album singles Obsidian'.

Paul: Let’s move on to Bloodstock and your road to the festival. Please tell us about your journey?

MP: As a band, we had competed in both the Liverpool (Merseyside) and Manchester M2TM in previous years but never progressed far enough. However, that didn't deter our determination - and we took it upon ourselves to enter the Merseyside M2TM this year. We played against both Riptide Messiah & Sixth Circle in our heat - and won to progress to the Grand Final. Going up against: MARW, Forlorn Hope & Anatamir - we were thinking it could be anyone's night to win. The venue was packed with so many people - it made the night have a fantastic atmosphere. We put everything we had into our set - although we sadly didn't strictly 'win' the Final (that was MARW), Simon Hall announced we would be playing as his 'special guests', which were we honoured by & also made us realise we made an impression on the night.

Paul: Tell us about the build up to your final and how you handled it.

MP: It was a fantastic feeling to know we had reached the Grand Final of the M2TM. In all honesty, we knew the seriousness of the show; given that the prize was playing Bloodstock. We promoted the show through our social media sites, in the hopes of bringing people down - which worked out very well on the night. Besides that, we treated the show like any other gig we would play - in which we always put the crowd first & try to implement crowd participation where we can.

Paul: What about when you were announced as winners? What were the emotions like?

MP: We've all wanted to play Bloodstock for years, so it was a mix of feelings; mainly: surreal, disbelief and incredibly excited. However, also proud, to see our hard work & dedication pay off.

Paul: So, moving on to the festival itself, what can we expect from you?

MP: We’ve started to write a 2nd album, so exciting times ahead. We have tested out a few new songs recently, and one new song will be entering our set at Bloodstock. We're also working on improving our live show and performance & expanding our merch line.

Paul: Which bands are you looking forward to seeing there?

MP: There's lots of talented & fantastic acts playing throughout the whole festival, for us in particular though; we're looking forward to seeing: Sabaton, Powerwolf, Metal Church, Control the Storm, Tomorrow Is Lost, Scorpions, Queensryche, Dee Snider, Witch Tripper, Evil Scarecrow, Raging Speedhorn & Anthrax. Plus, we recently saw Fury will be playing in the VIP Bar on the Friday, so hopefully we'll be able to catch them too!

Paul: Have you been to Bloodstock before?

MP: Only Sam in the band has been to Bloodstock before, in which he holds it in high regard as one of, if not 'the' best alternative festival in the UK. For the rest of us, we're really looking forward to experiencing Bloodstock for the first time, and even more excited to say we'll be playing it as one of the artists.

Paul: If yes, describe the three best things about the festival?

MP: From what Sam told us - " This year will be my 4th now and I have to say I’m dead excited to be there this year! The bin jousting, the line-ups are always insane! The party tree & Midguard is always a madhouse. Bloodstock is by far my favourite festival and will always choose it over other festivals in the country. I absolutely love what they do there, always organised, perfect time of the year and the perfect variety of bands."

Paul: And finally, tell us a guilty pleasure about each member of the band!

MP: Sadly, not all band members present to answer this question...

Craig - "I sometimes have the tendency of wanting to belt out Robbie Williams songs."

Pete - "Whilst I'm not guilty/ashamed of anything I listen to - people may not expect I own several Nickelback albums, makes for good driving music."

Sam - "I don't believe in guilty pleasures; I love everything I listen to and will never feel guilty about it. You like what you like."

Thanks to Peter and the band for their answers. The band play the Friday at BOA on the NEW Blood Stage. If you like your metal done the old way, they should be well worth checking out.

Reviews: Destruction, Unruly Child, David Ellefson, Desecresy (Paul H & Matt)

Destruction: Born To Perish (Nuclear Blast) [Paul Hutchings]

The German thrash masters return once more with another slab of high-quality thrash metal which sits comfortably in their extensive 15 album catalogue. With the core nucleus Mike Sifringer (guitar) and lead vocalist and bassist Marcel ‘Schmier’ Schirmer joined this time around by drummer Randy Black and Swiss guitarist Damir Eskic, little else has changed since 2016’s Under Attack. Crammed full of lacerating riffs and Schmier’s distinctive Teutonic snarl, the band that formed part of the Germanic Big 4 and spearheaded the second wave of thrash with US comrades Testament, Death Angel and Sacred Reich show no sign of slowing up. The opening assault of the title track begins 45 minutes of penetrating, aggressive thrash which will always get a warm welcome from those whose first love is the pacey riff strewn metal attack. Butchered For Life has a slightly different, more relaxed feel in parts, and We Breed Evil takes the heat off with some measured solos midpoint, but otherwise this is full throttle and exactly what you would want from a band with nothing left to prove. 8/10

Unruly Child: Big Blue World (Frontiers Records) [Matt Bladen]

Formed in 1991 Unruly Child are one of those bands that squarely come under the AOR banner. They only lasted three years before splitting up in 1993, before coming back in 2010 signing to Frontiers Records with the founding trio of Marcie Free (vocals), Bruce Gowdy (guitar) and Guy Allison (keys) to release three albums before this Worlds Collide, Down The Rabbit Hole, Can't Go Home. Big Blue World is their fourth album on Frontiers and it's full of the kind of slick AOR that Unruly Child have always done very well. Marcie's vocals are still at the forefront of their sound, sounding as good as she ever has with the soulful vocals carrying tracks such as the emotional and stripped back We Will Give Up Today, the pumping Someone Else's Dream which is powered by Guy's keyboard riff. The songs on this record never really get into the hard rock sound, things stay mainly into the melodic rock bordering on pop, with a glut of ballads, though The Harder They Fall and the big riff in Down And Dirty would beg to differ. Big Blue World is another polished album from these AOR heavyweights. 7/10

David Ellefson: Sleeping Giants (THC Music) [Paul Hutchings]

The soundtrack to accompany the Megadeth bassist’s forthcoming memoir More Life With Deth, Sleeping Giants is an interesting collection of new songs, demos with F5 and a collection of other projects. The opening three tracks feature his business partner and MLWD co-author, Thom Hazaert, Alongside Hazaert, Sleeping Giants includes a multitude of guests including legendary MC Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, who shares vocals with Hazaert on the ferocious title track, which has the Megadeth stomp all over it, as does third track Hammer (Comes Down). Other guests include Mark Tremonti, Eric AK (Flotsam and Jetsam), Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, Flotsam and Jetsam), Steve Conley (Flotsam and Jetsam, F5), Ethan Brosh, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Dave Sharpe and Opus Lawrence of Dead By Wednesday, Illias Papadakis (Memorain), Dave McClain (Machine Head, Sacred Reich) and Andy Martongelli (Altitudes and Attitude).

The electro remix of Vultures (Kristian Nairn- Hodor in Game Of Thrones no less!) is a curved ball after the raging trio which open the album, but it’s a grower and if you like a bit of gnarly industrial electronica then it will probably be your favourite track here. Other interesting tracks include a pulsing demo (If You Were God) featuring vocals by John Bush (Armored Saint/ex-Anthrax). With Bush being one of my favourite all-time vocalists this really gets the thumbs up from me and it’s a shame this was never released. There are also a chunk of demos featuring Ellefson singing as well as some tracks with vocals from David Glen Eisley (House Of Lords, Giuffria). Whilst the overall feel is a little bit cobbled together, there are some interesting songs buried in here, with the demos of particular interest. Like many compilations that use multiple guests, it’s a bit disjointed but overall if you like Megadeth and the thrash metal style of bands like Armoured Saint, then there should be enough here for you to have a gentle exploration. 7/10

Desecresy: Towards Nebulae (Xtreem Music) [Paul Hutchings]

Formed in 2009 by Tommi Grönqvist and Jarno Nurmi as a two man project, and inspired by such legendary bands as Abhorrence (Fin), Bolt Thrower, Grave, Immolation and Incantation, Desecresy stated that their aim was to make death metal “as it should be, not as it once was”. Debut release Arches Of Entropy was completed in 2010 and followed in the line of tradition Finnish death metal bands with more albums released through Xtreem Music: The Doom Skeptron (2012), Chasmic Transcendence (2014), Stoic Death (2015) and most recently 2017’s The Mortal Horizon. With the sixth album, Towards Nebulae, we find the band is now a solo project with this the second to be solely operated by Grönqvist .With a mixture of early 90s influenced brutality and atmosphere from the darker sediments of the psyche, this is 37 minutes of primitive production, down tuned guitars and a wall of devastation which would certainly scare the hell out of the neighbours. 6/10

Reviews: Volbeat, Iamthmorning, Desert, Grave Siesta (Paul H & Paul S)

Volbeat: Rewind, Replay, Rebound (Vertigo Berlin) [Paul Hutchings]

Three years since the Danes delivered Seal The Deal And Let’s Boogie, they return with fresh zeal and vigour on their latest rockabilly metal fusion. It’s album number 7 from a band that are now well into their second decade, and their line-up has returned to stability with Kasper Boye Larson making his debut on bass. Meanwhile founders Michael Poulsen, Jon Larsen and ex-Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano remain. So, what do we make of this? Well, not a huge amount if I’m honest. Last Day Under The Sun is ghastly, a Eurovision pop tune which is only redeemed by a mediocre solo in the middle of the song, Pelvis On Fire follows, using the riff from The Munsters throughout and diving into the typical Elvis hip swinging style which in essence is the way this band deliver the majority of their songs. Die To Live rocks at pace, a driving riff pushing the song forward, the appearance of Clutch frontman Neil Fallon adding some gravitas whilst the funked up piano gives a real rockabilly feel. By now, if you hadn’t realised why our European cousins love this band so much before, the penny must have dropped. This is grade 1 Euro cheese which is loved so much abroad but struggles over here.

When We We Kids is garbage, with some dramatic operatic elements failing to really ignite. Throughout the album the Metallica feel of early releases remains and whilst I didn’t particularly enjoy this album, I will acknowledge that the band are solid musicians. It’s polished, slick and just a little bit dull. Much like their earlier albums, which I must admit I quite enjoyed, there is an amount of repetition which becomes stale, especially when the album is not many minutes shy of an hour. Sorry Sack Of Bones repeats The Munsters theme in the riff but is a solid, thumping chunk of hard rock. Cheapside Cloggers features Exodus/Slayer six-stringer Gary Holt and at least has a demonically heavy middle section where the riffs increase in intensity and a brutal Holt solo leaves the track smoking. It appears from nowhere and is gone as quickly as it arrives; at least it adds something. Two thirds of the way in and we get the random 0:38 Parasite: is this the Elvis Grindcore equivalent? I don’t know. After this I’d really lost enthusiasm but ironically the gem on this album is tucked away on the penultimate track, The Everlasting which is a dark, mysterious beast and the opposite of 90% of this album.

Volbeat have played it safe on Rewind, Replay, Rebound. They know what their audience want and to change that sound now would be career suicide. Once upon a time Volbeat were fun and original. Now, well, they will still pack out the halls on their forthcoming UK tour but it’s just a little stale in the main. Maybe the title really is a play on words? 6/10

Iamthemorning: The Bell (Kscope) [Paul Scoble]

Firstly, I should point out to the Rock and Metalheads reading this, Iamthemorning is not Rock or Heavy Metal in any way. The band use the tag Chamber Rock, which is probably why we were asked to review it. The term seems to refer to a couple of the tracks that have kit drumming on them, whilst also using instruments like Harps, Piano and violin, that would usually be associated with chamber music. Please don’t take that as a criticism, I’m just pointing out that this isn’t really the usual Musipedia Of Metal fare. So, this is a little out of my comfort zone, but that is no reason to complain, I’ve always thought comfort zones are very dangerous places, if you don’t get out of them occasionally, you miss so much. Iamthemorning are a Russian duo, based in St Petersburg, Marrjana Semkina on vocals and Gleb Kolyadin on piano. The duo work with several session musicians to realise their sound. The Bell is the band's 4th album.

The main sound on offer here, is ably demonstrated by the first track Freak Show. The track opens with Harp and vocals, and I should mention that the vocals are stunning, absolutely crystal clear and beautiful. As the track goes on drumming is added, to give the track a bit of drive, and we also get a fairly technical guitar solo. The track gets more dramatic as it gets to the final third, there is also a very pleasing saxophone solo. The overall sound is quite late sixties or early seventies, it reminds me of the singer / songwriter scene from that period. There is also a resemblance to The Carpenters, in fact as most of the tracks are basically piano and vocals, the comparison to The Carpenters is probably the closest reference.

So, we get several simple songs with just piano and vocals. Sleeping Beauty is romantic and florid. Blue Sea is short, simple and very beautiful. Six Feet feels restrained, until a military drum beat comes in to make it more dramatic. Ghost Of A Story is up-tempo and feels late sixties in style. Lilies has a repeated arpeggio, Philip Glass feel to it. The Bell is very soft, delicate and features some very beautiful layered vocals. When the band get away from the simple but effective style I’ve described above, it helps the album to open up a little. Black And Blue has a very soft opening of just vocals and Mellotron. After a while we get a very nice acoustic guitar riff, that gives the song a little more energy. Again we get some exquisite layered vocals. Song Of Psyche has a folky, acoustic guitar feel to it, which adds some very nice variety to the album.

Probably the most interesting track on the album is second to last song Salute. This has an early seventies feel, particularly in the chorus. It’s dramatic and bombastic, it reminds me of some of David Bowie's early seventies work a little, whilst at the same time reminding me of Cher’s Gypsies, Tramps And Thieves a lot. It’s a cracking track, and put a smile on my face every time I listened to it. The Bell is a great album. Ok, it’s not metal or rock, but it is: beautiful, fun, dramatic, lilting, immersive, romantic, simple, complicated and very, very enjoyable. Yeah, it’s good to get out of your comfort zone occasionally. 8/10

Desert: Fortune Favors The Brave (Self Released)

Matt reviewed these power metal beasts in 2016 when their album Never Regret earned a favourable response from a man who knows his power metal. Based in Tel Aviv, Desert’s follow up album is the album that Sabaton should have made, Powerful striking war themed tracks, but with ten times the heaviness. It’s fast and frantic, with plenty of interplay between the keyboards and guitars and a heavy bass and drumming foundation which at times pushes the band into Blind Guardian territory. Indeed, there are times when vocalist Alexei Raymar pushed the Hansi Kürsch boundaries; nowhere more than on the soaring Sons Of War, where his full range enhances the track in style. Their ‘War Metal’ meets with a favourable response from me, mainly because they have retained an overall solidity. It’s commanding stuff, full of driving energy and with a pace that few can match and some enchantingly Arabic elements that add spice and fire [e.g. Hadjuk’s Revenge]. Certainly, a band that would captivate you if you stumbled across them in at a festival. I’d certainly struggle to leave before they finished. 7/10

Grave Siesta: Voidward Spin (Final Sunlight Records) [Paul Scoble]

Grave Siesta are a Helsinki based four piece. The band has been going since 2010 and Voidward Spin is the bands 3rd album coming 8 years after their self-titled debut, and 4 years after Piss and Vinegar. Grave Siesta play a very large style of Doom that sometimes gets fairly sludgy. It’s huge and sometimes quite bouncy.

The album gets underway with Bastardised, which has huge traditionally doomy riffs, and a bit of a stoner swagger to it. The track has a great tempo, that is slow, but bouncy and feels like it has lots of energy. The vocals are clean and very well sung. Great start. Next up is Depopulation Prayer which feels a little bit heavier than the track that came before it. The riffs drip with tritones, and has an overall feeling of brooding menace. Intolerance is heavy and very aggressive, the vocals are harsher as well, giving a much more sludgy and alternative feeling to this track. Next is Post War Peace, this track is much slower, but with a lurching, staggering tempo, that refuses to flow. The lack of syncopation is clearly purposeful and is an interesting rhythmically.

The next track is the slightly oddly titled, Seizures In A Castle, which is faster and very Hardcorey. The sludgy nastiness, is great despite the strange title. Next we get Vacant Throne, which is more harsh, sludgy viscousness, with harsh vocals. It’s another cracking piece of nastiness, the second half of this album is distinctly sludgy. Warfare And Pestilence continues the sludgy second section, but on this track they have added that slightly stonery swagger to the track, and my god, it works brilliantly. The album comes to an end with Weakness, the song has a soft intro before an up-tempo traditional doom riff kicks in. The track, although traditionally doom in the riffs, has a faster tempo, with some swagger and a little bit of sleaze. There is definitely a little bit of Orange Goblin about this track, it’s a fine way to bring a very good album to a close.

Voidward Spin is a great album. It works in a very simple way, it’s just a very good collection of very well written and played doom / sludge songs. All the tracks are engaging, the balance between harsh / extreme / nasty and open / pleasing / engaging has been handled very well. This is a hugely enjoyable album, well worth checking out. 8/10

The Spotlight: BOA Interview With Witch Tripper (Paul H)

You’ll have seen that Witch Tripper are regulars in our live review section and there’s a reason for that. The hardest working band in the UK, they are immense live and are gearing up for their Sophie slot at BOA this year. Bassist Chris Stoff Daughton took the lead in this interview and points out that maths was never my strong point!!

Paul: It’s been an astounding five years since you headlined that Jaeger Stage at BOA 2015. Do you sometimes take stock and wonder how the hell it all happened?

Chris: Thanks Paul, Technically 4 year’s haha! Yeah sometimes, but when you have a vision, drive, determination and love for doing it, it just sometimes kind of happens!

Paul: My first encounter with you was the following year on the New Blood Stage when you kicked the morning into next week with a fiery show which you’ve repeated every time since. What do you remember about winning the M2TM final which got you there?

Chris: Wow, it was very messy! I remember that, It was at our now closed down Intake Club in Mansfield which was a great venue, It was one of the last gigs on the last weekend it was open, so I think it was absolutely rammed, by the time we’d played and got around the announcement we were all well on our way! I just remember everyone chanting and Mr Rob Bannister announcing us and everyone going mental!

Paul: What about that show at Bloodstock? Was it fun or were you a bit nervous?

Chris: The New Blood stage? Considering we were on at 10.30am on Friday we didn’t really get chance to get nervous, I think we were worried about no one being there so early, but we were proven wrong! It’s a massive blur and was over in a blink of an eye, thankfully it’s on YouTube if I ever need to remind myself haha!!

Paul: Talking of nerves, you guys are so well drilled now that you never seem phased. Do the old butterflies ever appear?

Chris: Yeah course, there’s no amount of practice or experience that can take that away, especially as we progress on to bigger stages, thinking of the Sophie Stage now, yeah I’m nervous now, what if I snap a string, what if my amp blows up haha, but we do this over 100 times a year, so everything will be fine, a few beers beforehand will calm the nerves. The nerves help prepare us, plus there’s a degree of excitement too!

Paul: Two albums in including last year’s fabulous I, Of The Storm. Did the response to that album exceed expectations?

Chris: Yeah definitely, we’re proud of it, The first album, came out before we played Bloodstock, we kind of rushed it to get it down and have something to give out, but it didn’t quite capture us, I, Of The Storm captured us at that moment, that first year we did 100 odd gigs, over 18 months later, we’re prepping for the next one now and we can’t wait to get it down.

Paul: What are your favourite tracks to play live from that album?

Chris: Me personally, I Love Roll The Dice a slight move away from our fast and heavy sound, but it’s all groove and riff’s man, a good breath catcher between the beginning and end of the set, I love the groove and instant hitting of Poonstar and the bass I get to lay down in Hellbound.

Paul: You are one of the hardest working bands in the UK, if not Europe. When do you sleep?

Chris: Tuesdays! Haha! We all work full time too so it’s even harder, but average weekend, we’re out Friday / Saturday until late, I kind of sleep in then at the weekend, then back to the grind Monday; just means I don’t get a lot of chance to mow the lawn or iron my clothes, just playing catch up all the time, it’s worth it though, you just kind of realise what time you do have.

Paul: You tour an awful lot. Is it more fun to play to new places (some of the Wales outposts recently for example) or is it better to play to the local crowds?

Chris: Both, we love playing new places, for us that’s the main thing for this year and the future, going somewhere you have never been before and seeing the public walk in with our merch on! It’s a humbling feeling, obviously locally, it’s always a great party and we try to reserve local gigs for special events now, earlier this month we put on a charity gig to support motor neuron disease. Back in Nottingham we have Macmillanfest coming up in September, we get to play the Rescue Rooms which is a great venue for us, then in October we’ve just joined the bill for Mosh Against Cancer put together by Paddy from Lawn Mower Deth / Line OF Fire, a very good friend of ours.

Paul: You’ve covered thousands of miles. Which gigs have given you the most enjoyment?

Chris: All of them man, big small, far, close. It’s a blast, this is our life, this is what we do, Obviously some of the larger ones have been exciting, HRH Metal at the 02 in Birmingham was mental, Next year will mark our 3rd trip to Ibiza and that’s just amazing, The opportunities you get we are so thankful for, you just have to remember how and why you are there, and that’s down to live music lovers man.

Paul: You also do a lot for the SOPHIE Foundation as well as other charities. Why do they mean so much to you?

Chris: It’s easy to put on a gig, earn a nice wad and walk off and on to the next one, not to quote Spiderman, but with great power comes great responsibility, not that we have either, but we’re all still human too and are affected by the crap that life throws at you, so for us it makes sense to give as much back as you can. I can’t see us doing a charity marathon or something like that, so we just do what we know and that’s put on a good gig.

Paul: We know you play a groove ridden hard rock. What’s on the turntable, phone, CD or memory stick in the Witch Tripper camp now? Any standout albums for 2019?

Chris: Well we all have a very eclectic taste and I’m sure 90% of it will come as a shock to most haha, for me personally, I’m still riding off Clutch’s last album, Book of Bad Decisions. We’re not really down with the kids, I like to find “new” music, but this is usually old stuff I’ve discovered rather than new releases. I’ve just invested in Spotify and at the moment I’m blasting: Earthless, Cactus, The Groundhogs to name a few.

Paul: Let’s end back at BOA. I know you go every year. What do you enjoy about the festival?

Chris: It’s home, I think I first went in 2012, when Europe headlined the Sunday night [I think that was actually 2009 – Paul], I don’t remember a lot to be honest, after that I remember when Machine Head headlined and when Motörhead did but it wasn’t until 2015 when we first played that it’s now become our yearly pilgrimage, we owe the festival a lot for giving us these opportunities and it’s only right we bear witness to the next wave coming through, plus that it’s close by, good beer and we know a hell of a lot of people there now.

Paul: You’ve got a big stage to fill on the Sophie Tent this year. What can we expect from Witch Tripper?

Chris: Everything we have man, like any gig, we put our heart and soul into it, and I hope that’s come across and hopefully who ever watches will see that. In descriptive form, riffs, sweat, bear, good times!

Paul: And after BOA? What’s the rest of the year got in store?

Chris: Well let’s see, in the background we’re working on new material, but we continue our constant gigging, we have a fair bit still to go. Next big gig after Bloodstock would be HRH Doom V Stoner in Sheffield at the end of September, we do have some awesome stuff for next year too, we’re just not allowed to say yet haha!

Paul: Thanks so much Chris. See you in about nine days!!

Chris: Thanks Paul, always good to see you mate, beers on me at Bloodstock dude!

And if that doesn’t whet your appetite then there is something wrong with you. Sunday 11th August. Sophie Tent. Be there.

The Spotlight: BOA Interview With Krysthla (Paul H)

One of the bands I’m most looking forward to seeing at BOA this year are Northamptonshire’s finest, Krysthla. Formed from previous extreme metal outfits, not only are they one of the most impressive UK bands in the extreme scene now, they are also damn fine chaps. Here’s what they had to say.

Paul: You’ve been around for a few years now and are what I would consider one of the top UK bands on the circuit today. In terms of your progression, how do you feel about your profile and the overall progress of the band?

Krysthla: Yeah really pleased but there's always room to get bigger. We are always aiming higher, hence the new album so we are looking forward to seeing where that takes us.

Paul: You are an extremely hard-working band. Whilst everyone obviously shares the passion, are there times when, at the end of a long week, you need a bit of cajoling?

Krysthla: No, not really. We work hard, practice hard and we do all enjoy ourselves. This really is all we've ever wanted to do and to get somewhere in this industry you must have tunnel vision. We thrive on the challenge.

Paul: Worldwide Negative is about to be unleashed on the public. I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing it and it is astonishingly good. Many congratulations. Tell me about the conception of the album and how it developed.

Krysthla: The last few years have been spent watching people in general become increasingly despondent, right from the average person on the street to Hollywood A listers. There's something very wrong with the way we are living our lives and it was that that we wanted to address.

Paul: The album focuses on some of the more challenging aspects of the world. It certainly appears a little messed up. Do all the band share similar views about the subject matter? Have there been any interesting debates?

Krysthla: Yeah, broadly speaking the subject matter of the album is something that affects us all and literally everyone is part of it. We try not to preach right or wrong but more highlight the issues that need to be discussed.

Paul: You’ve had some impressive reviews so far and we still have a couple of weeks before the album lands. How much attention do you take of the reviews?

Krysthla: We do read every review and we find it interesting to see which reviewers pick out which songs for their favourites. The results so far have been great, so hopefully there's more to come.

Paul: I know you use social media, as you have to these days. What are your views on the changing way in which the world now communicates?

Krysthla: It's where you must be now. You need to roll with the times although we do find it sad that in general there is less human face to face contact than ever before. We shouldn't forget that first and foremost we are social animals with a pack mentality.

Paul: Bloodstock 2019. Main Stage. Saturday morning. It’s going to be epic. Tell me about the invitation and what the band response was like.

Krysthla: It was a very nice call to receive and naturally we accepted immediately. It’s a huge honour to be entrusted to open the main stage and we are going to grasp it with both hands.

Paul: I know you guys are BOA veterans, both with your former bands (Gutworm and Deadeye), as punters and of course your Sophie Stage show in 2016. What does the festival mean to you?

Krysthla: We see it as one of the leading heavy metal festivals in the whole of Europe, and yeah, we always go to hang out even if we aren't playing. It’s an absolute must in the festival calendar. 

Paul: To those who haven’t seen the might of Krysthla live, what can they expect at BOA?

Krysthla: Absolute carnage. We fully intend to lay down the heaviest set on the bill. 

Paul: And after the festival, you’ve got the album coming out the following week. Plenty of gigs in the pipeline too. What else can we expect from you over the next few months?

Krysthla: Yeah loads of UK dates, a short run in Scotland. Uprising at the Leicester O2 will be a highlight, as will HRH metal at Birmingham O2. Keep an eye on the website for full details as more dates are to be added.

Massive thanks to the guys for answering these questions. Be prepared for Saturday morning at BOA where the earth will move, and the sky will be cracked. This should be immense.