Bloodstock Metal To The Masses South Wales Semi-Final 1 Review (Paul H)

Bloodstock Metal To The Masses South Wales Semi-Final 1, Fuel Rock Club

Cast your mind back to the last time Iron Maiden played the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. Tickets sold out very quickly. Slayer’s farewell show at the same venue last year proved similarly popular. Similarly add Alter Bridge, Parkway Drive and Black Stone Cherry, all ‘big’ bands that draw the ‘metal’ fan from South Wales and the surrounding areas. So what I hear you ask? Well, whilst these mammoths of the rock world strut their stuff, all around the UK and across the world thousands of small bands are slogging their guts out, playing to one man and his dog in tiny venues. Much like the Maidens and Slayers of the world did once upon a time, these bands do it not for the fame and fortune but because of a love of their art, a passion which is almost uncontrollable. And whilst there is a place in this world for those who are drawn to the popular, commercially successful bands [see the demand for Metallica tickets recently], it’s the underground that really is the beating heart of the music we call heavy metal. A recent article on social media referred to metal as the fastest growing genre in popularity. I put no stock in that report. How do you measure popularity in metal? By the number of listens on a digital service? No, you measure it by the number of people who turn out each week to small, local gigs which allow bands to hone their craft.

And belatedly, this rambling introduction finally gets to the point. The Metal To The Masses has always provided bands with a showcase but if metal is growing, then this competition is the ideal place to test the temperature of the scene. Nowhere more so that in South Wales, where the six heats and 27 bands were superbly supported from the metal community. Giving bands opportunity to have their music heard to an audience who wouldn’t normally pay to see them opens the gateway to more gigs, more exposure and much more than a place on the stage at the Bloodstock Open Air Festival.

The build up to this first semi-final had been frenetic with the tension slowing increasing to almost unbearable levels by the time Friday morning arrived. Arriving at Fuel early and for once with the train taking the strain, there was already signs of a good turnout. As the evening developed so the crowd mushroomed, with the pre-gig talk of buses of support for Fallen Temples and King Kraken evidently true. The draw made, it was time for the action to commence.

Clearly cursed, Grym (8) once again had the honour of opening the evening and they charged into it at full throttle. The band has played a further two gigs since their debut show in the heats in early March. You’d have thought that they had been around for years, such was their tightness and slickness. Whilst their sleazy metal isn’t everyone’s taste, their image and energy ensured that the watching crowd were soon nodding and clapping along as the band quickly engaged. Grym play with a confidence and swagger that really impresses. This was a performance stoked up by at least another two levels from their heat and it was noticeable that the audience were enjoying this turbo charged performance. With Swamp Monster the band have a beast of a song and that, along with the infectious I Don’t Care were highlights in a powerful set. The bar had been set … very high indeed.

If there is one band that has demonstrated that hard work and accepting [and learning from] constructive comments is the key to success, then it is Black Pyre (8). As I pointed out in my preview and in my recent review from their gig at Le Pub, the black metal trio improve with every show. Following Grym’s gargantuan effort was always going to be a challenge, and I had feared that the occasion may have overwhelmed them but oh no. The permafrost dwellers roared from start to finish, their brand of riffing and blood curdling screaming once more producing a healthy reaction from the ever-growing audience. Bassist Kjottflate, The Mighty Ravendork was more animated than ever before, peering out from underneath his hood with a slightly sinister edge; his interaction with the crowd whilst vocalist Asbjorn summoned the mighty tropical fruit hysterical: “I don’t know many words, I’m a bassist!!” Asbjorn is growing in confidence, his ad-libbing brilliant and the introduction of the Satingle [grapefruit with four lit joss sticks] had the audience in hysterics. His demands of “eat it” had people weak. Behind these two, drummer Dominus de Octopus, stripped to the waist played the set of his life. All power and blistering speed, there was little to fault with the band. They changed their set, enjoyed themselves and were thoroughly entertaining. The future looks black.

Having drawn breath, there was just time to grab a drink and fight back into the main room for the next band. The second Swansea band on the bill, Sepulchre (9) simply destroyed. From the opening track through to Betrayed By God, Darren, Aimee, Dan and Jimmy hit harder, faster and with more intensity than I’d ever seen them. They were simply pulverising. Throwing a new song in to the set, the band manoeuvred though a frantically paced set with a fire and passion which was explosive from start to finish. Kill Me remains brutal, the huge riff and Darren’s roar inciting the first pit action of the night. By the time they drew their set to a close, there were people gasping for oxygen. Intense, focused and completely synchronised, this was the best set I’d ever seen from Sepulchre. The bar had just been cleared with ease.

The invasion of the capital continued with band number four, the mighty King Kraken (8). Cheered on by an army of glowing green shirted Kraken heads, the band suffered from mic problems for the first two songs which saw them wobble slightly. Whilst vocalist Mark Donoghue was getting his monitor feedback, the audience were getting nothing. Early into Freak there was frantic reactions as his normal thunderous roar was limited to an echo. Thankfully, the mic problems were resolved early in their set and such is the band’s power and strength, they were able to surge forward and pick up those vital points with the judges. Richard Lee Mears, a man who will find the delicious nectar of sleep again in about five years time, powered the band forward with his huge drumming, whilst Pete Rose and Karl Meyer locked things down in the engine room allowing Adam Healey to shred with venom. The massive War Machine got the crowd pumped again and the Kraken harem appeared to be in full swing – don’t mess with the ladies in the pit! Heatwave drew things to a close and Kraken proved their quality by recovering from what could have been a fatal blow with such ease it didn’t even register as a flesh wound.

Note: Kraken also won the flashiest merchandising set up of the entire competition with their neon glowing case crammed full of goodies. Professional merchandising- who do they think they are? What’s wrong with a creased shirt under a box of twinkies?

One band to go and just when you thought the competition couldn’t get any better, the Cardiff based trio Fallen Temples (9) stepped on stage, grabbed that bar and snapped it into a thousand pieces. Kicking off with Cut The Wire, the three-piece had decided that they wanted a piece of this action and delivered yet another stunning display of confident musicianship. I love their no-nonsense approach, something that will win points with the Bloodstock judges who look at timings as one of their criteria. Temples have the quality to let the music do the talking and it just doesn’t shut up. In Joe Strickland they have a drummer who just won’t be ignored, off his drum stool as often as he was on it but not a beat was missed. Alongside the head-banging man mountain bassist Joe Lewis, resplendent in his Ozzy Osbourne tee, vocalist and guitarist Adam Vaughan who was peeling out the riffs for fun. New track Overshadowed sounded great and as their vociferous support roared their approval as the set ended, once more the judges had a horrific task on their hands.

Before the results were announced, a further treat for the packed house as Lincolnshire’s Luna’s Call (9), having endured a mammoth seven-hour journey to get to Cardiff, served up one of the most brilliant sets ever seen at the venue. The band’s debut album was released in 2015 and they hit Bloodstock last year having won their region’s M2TM final. The band play progressive death metal but there is much more to their sound with layers of darkness and light mixed in a beautiful fusion of Opeth and Decapitated amongst many other influences. Vocalist Neil Purdy is a captivating front man, his guttural roars offering that perfect contrast to his clean vocals and he is not slouch on the guitar either. Alongside him Liam Underdown and Brad Laver on guitar and bass respectively kept the music flowing, Underdown’s lead work fluid, with drummer Jamie Batt nailing keeping everything tight. Their contrasting styles in each song make them a fascinating outfit to listen to and to watch and their set flew by in an instant. Airing a couple of new tracks, which sounded superb, Luna’s Call also served up some choice cuts from Divinity, an album I have only recently come to, but which is currently engrossing me in its complexity. A huge and deserved ovation concluded a set which surely has earnt the band a Welsh fan base and which will hopefully see them back in South Wales again before too long.

Suddenly all the exhaustion disappeared, and the adrenaline kicked back in as Alyn and Tim made their way to the stage to announce the results. Having frenziedly negotiated with the venue to increase the size of the final, Alyn was able to announce that three bands would progress to the final. As the crowd gathered, the fans of Sepulchre, Fallen Temples and King Kraken punched the air with delight as their names were called out. Fully deserved on the night with full commiserations to Grym and Black Pyre who took the result with great dignity. So, smiles all round, another successful night concluded and a deep breath before it happens all again on 18th May. I’ll be away for that one but rest assured that Musipedia will be there in numbers to see who will triumph on the night.