I am sure more than 25 people in Cardiff like heavy metal however you would not know that if you only attended this gig. If band comes all the way from Canada to play then they should play to more than 25 people in my opinion. Even with the frankly disappointing crowd the night was enjoyable as you will see:
Preacher
Welsh metallers Preacher had an extended set due to the absence of Hate Gauge and they took the extra time with aplomb weaving a web of classic progressive metal with elements of Maiden and Dream Theater, opening with two full on progressive metal tracks the band really impressed me, the guitars were technical and also heavy as lead, the bass and drums worked in glorious tandem and finally the keys added a great melodic edge to proceedings and also keyboardist James Letson is the strangest member of any band gurning, snarling and jumping around like a man possessed. The prog was balanced by some thrash style songs which sped along nicely and with a bigger crowd could have incited some massive pits. However the band do have a slight problem and that is the vocals of Owain Williams, he is a great vocalist with a hearty growl much akin to Phillip Anselmo however it does not fit this type of music. Still the talent there and a band that are visually and musically a very appealing prospect. 7/10
Cauldron
Canadian NWOBHM (or should that be NWOCHM?) revivalists Cauldron hit the stage with their proto-thrash assault and the furious riff of All Or Nothing. With the set list made up of mainly their newest album they ran through a concise set of super-powered metal, with End Of Time, Born To Struggle, Nitebreaker, Summoned To Succumb and the speedy Burning Fortune all coming from newest disc. A few came from previous disc Burning Fortune but surprisingly there were none from their debut. Guitarist Ian Chains, drummer Myles Deck and frontman/bassist Jason Decay all had great chemistry and injected the between song breaks with dry humour before melting more faces with their metal. As usual the sound was great and really filled the room and despite the poor turnout the band gave their all and were warmly received by the fans that were present. Maybe a band of Cauldron's ilk don't have a place in Cardiff, maybe the recession is hitting metal, maybe people are just miserable but all I know is after seeing Cauldron live you can't help but smile. 7/10
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