Voluntas EP Launch, The Trap, Bristol 3rd August 2019
M2TM winners Voluntas, fresh from their final victory in early July, returned to Bristol to hold a launch party for their debut EP Walk To Hell. If you’ve not been to The Trap before, then you’ve missed out, particularly if you enjoy the smell of rising damp and water running down the walls at the temperature increased. Yes, the venue is underneath a pub near St Nicholas Market, and with limited ventilation, the moisture levels soon amplified as the heat of the assembled Bristolian metal community slowly rose. A stellar line-up provided excellent value for money for the evening. In the same week that Rammstein charged over £80 for a ticket at the Principality Stadium, £5 for five bands seemed a bloody bargain.
The evening kicked off in lively fashion with the groove-based thrash of local outfit Voltane (7) whose energetic performance impressed. Their sound was a hybrid mix of Lamb Of God, Machine Head and Crowbar, sludgy thick riffage blending with meaty thrash segments. Vocalist Christopher Grey sticks closely to the Randy Blythe blueprint but his roaring guttural delivery fitted the songs neatly. Digital Skeleton veered toward a doom laden Omerta, and some of the earlier tracks contained impressive almost bluesy break downs. This is a band with bags of potential and it will be interesting to follow their development over the next few months.
M2TM finalists The Fangs Of The Dodo (6) had looked a tad nervous during the Bristol final but shorn of the pressure this evening, they provided a glimpse of their potential with a confident, eccentric and eclectic performance. Playing in a heat encased basement was hard enough for those in jeans and tees but for the Dodo there are no half measures. Body paint, gas masks and leather coat all feature in their regalia so full marks for fronting up the image. Musically I still find them a little confusing, A mixture of alt-metal, indie and industrial metal all surface and fade during their set. Please Don’t Feed The Vultures was probably their stand out track during this set which saw them fluctuate in passion and intensity.
It’s been a few months since I’ve seen the Rhondda crazies in Incursion (8) but their set was a powerful reminder of just how good this band can be. With Sam now settled behind the drum kit, Incursion rattled through their set with a mass of sweaty headbangers giving excellent support. My notes read:
Guitar solo
Nuclear War
Beetlejuice
Rhondda Valley
Hob Nob Carnage
No Clean Singing Please
Scourgeeee!!
I think that might be my best review of the band. No further words needed.
Operation clean-up hob nob remains completed, it was time for the Swansea death thrash of Sepulchre (8) to show why they stormed their way to the South Wales M2TM final. With huge love in the crowd, they wasted no time in charging their way through a strong six song set that included a rampaging Move Or Die, newer song Jolly Jane and a set clinching Kill Me. Once again, I refer to my notes:
Raucous
Fierce
Thrash
Sweaty
Power
Intense
By now, with a little slippage in the timetable, it was time for the headliners for the evening Voluntas (7) to demonstrate why they have made it to Bloodstock. With the room full and the sweat pouring down the walls, Voluntas hit top speed quickly and opened the first pits of the evening. Their groove-based thrash is well loved in Bristol and despite the heat there was little respite. The set included the entire EP and a range of covers including Master Of Puppets and an interesting Aesthetics Of Hate. Whilst the sound was a bit muddy the pace was frenetic and a fitting atmosphere for a band who should go down a storm in the New Blood Tent in a mere few days.
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