Due to traffic jams on the M4 the bands were late getting to the venue, so everything was moved back by 30 minutes. However there weren’t any complaints coming from the cue, Yob fans are clearly a patient lot, probably just used the time to meditate. Once into the venue, there was a real sense of anticipation. Both bands on the bill have released excellent albums this year, and have reputations for being amazing live bands. Having both of these acts on the same bill was almost too exciting.
First band Wiegedood (9) hit the stage with very little ceremony. With music as intense as Wiegedood’s, you don’t need any ceremony. The band ripped into their signature brand of savage atmospheric black metal, with huge amounts of energy. There were problems with the sound, the mix was completely missing vocals for the first song. It was quite strange seeing singer Levy Seynaeve screaming into the mic, whilst no vocals came out of the PA. However after the first song the mix was rectified and the sound was great for the rest of the night. Wiegedood’s performance was pretty much faultless. The extreme tremolo picked riffs were ferocious and scything. The quieter passages were delicate and nuanced. Happily this was a gig where the audience respected the bands, no-one talked during the quiet parts, you could have heard a pin drop. Apart from the occasional Shluwp-shluwp of people trying to unstick their feet from the floor, nothing broke the spell. The band played for about 40 minutes, and ended brilliantly with the climactic Prowl, so their set really did end with a band. Wiegedood, were a fantastic opening band they really got the crowd going, and I enjoyed their set massively.
Yob (9) have built a reputation as an incredible live act. They don’t seem to be daunted by that reputation as they came out onto the stage, and went straight into Ablaze, first track from the new album Our Raw Heart. Opening your set with a brand new song is a confident thing to do, but Yob clearly have confidence in themselves and their fans. And with good reason, everyone in the place seemed to know the track as everyone sang and head-banged along. Singer and guitarist Mike Scheidt made lots of effort to get the crowd going, gurning and grinning at the audience and managing to punch the air between chords without missing a note (which shouldn’t really be possible). He is an impressive figure live; part frontman, part shamanic prophet, part ringmaster, part cat-weasel, part raging madman, part blissed out hippy.
At times he seemed to be trying to head-bang his head clean off of his shoulders. The between song banter was kept to a minimum, but was warm and friendly, he explained that as this was the first time they were playing Bristol since the new album came out, there would be a lot of material from that album, as Our Raw Heart is one of the best albums to come out this year, no-one complained.
Second track The Screen is one of the most heavy and angry songs Yob have produced. The main, slightly off kilter riff is devastating on the album, live it’s close to being life-threatening. The crowd went suitably wild, several people were trying to join Sheidt in attempting to remove their own heads. The other 2 members of the band Aaron Rieseberg on bass and Travis Foster on drums must be one of the best rhythm sections in metal. They made the foundations shake, Foster’s drum fills were like being punched in the guts, and Rieseberg’s bass-lines were powerful beyond belief. The interplay between the 3 members of the band was lovely to see as well, the band seemed to be having just as good a time as the audience.
Yob aren’t all about heaviness and power. They can do delicate as well. This was ably demonstrated by the title track from the new album Our Raw Heart. The track is soft and achingly beautiful on the album, live it’s simply exquisite; a cathartic, life affirming answer to all the heaviness and extremity of some of Yobs other material. The night was brought to an end by the track Burning The Altar, a suitably massive way to end Yob’s set. The whole crowd left happy, myself included. Yob are an incredible live act, coupling that with Wiegedood is an inspired piece of booking for this tour. If you get the chance to see either of these bands live, do yourself a favour and go, you won’t be disappointed. A night of beautiful, intense, transcendent metal.
Second track The Screen is one of the most heavy and angry songs Yob have produced. The main, slightly off kilter riff is devastating on the album, live it’s close to being life-threatening. The crowd went suitably wild, several people were trying to join Sheidt in attempting to remove their own heads. The other 2 members of the band Aaron Rieseberg on bass and Travis Foster on drums must be one of the best rhythm sections in metal. They made the foundations shake, Foster’s drum fills were like being punched in the guts, and Rieseberg’s bass-lines were powerful beyond belief. The interplay between the 3 members of the band was lovely to see as well, the band seemed to be having just as good a time as the audience.
Yob aren’t all about heaviness and power. They can do delicate as well. This was ably demonstrated by the title track from the new album Our Raw Heart. The track is soft and achingly beautiful on the album, live it’s simply exquisite; a cathartic, life affirming answer to all the heaviness and extremity of some of Yobs other material. The night was brought to an end by the track Burning The Altar, a suitably massive way to end Yob’s set. The whole crowd left happy, myself included. Yob are an incredible live act, coupling that with Wiegedood is an inspired piece of booking for this tour. If you get the chance to see either of these bands live, do yourself a favour and go, you won’t be disappointed. A night of beautiful, intense, transcendent metal.
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