It’s been a while since we’d graced an HRH event, but this was one which we were determined not to miss. A smorgasbord of crushing doom and stoner rock, featuring some of the best UK and worldwide talent in the genre. Against the grim backdrop of the steel city, a place which makes Newport look like a tropical paradise, and with the rain as relentless as the riffs that would crash down on us for the best part of two days, the HRH team once again proved to be masters of organisation and coordination. From the smooth entry process, the collection of the press passes, to the surprisingly good food, the special HRH Viking Ale and the friendly stewards from Showsec, this was an event that ticked every box and will certainly ensure our attendance at future events.
Day 1
Opening Day 1 bang on time, London doom trio The Red Widows (7) provided the perfect start with an hour of quite crushing heavy fuzz. The three-piece simply blasted their way through their set, lengthy forays of down tuned riffage, thick and aggressive slabs of doom and the powerful vocals of Alex Corvnio, whose thunderous bass lines contributed massively. Losing ourselves in the power of the riff on the barrier, their hour-long set was soon over. With a new album Fuzzifxion released back in June, The Red Widows earnt new fans with their excellent set.
After nearly 45 minutes, Italian Doom trio Deadsmoke (6) arrived on stage and within minutes had to prolong their atmospheric intro as drummer Mauricio struggled to get his snare into position. When the band finally settled, their earth scraping doom was impressive with a deep, cavernous delivery. Bassist Gianmaria suffered multiple strap issues throughout the first couple of songs, his low-slung bass style and frantic swinging of the instrument possibly not helping. Rich, thick and slow monolithic crushing doom emanated and got the head nodding, although the piercing screeching vocals of guitarist Matteo weren’t my favourites over the weekend. Deadsmoke did enough to hold the attention and I certainly would like to see them again.
Opening stage 2 were Flex Bison (8) whose pacey stoner rock was a welcome break from the more down tuned fuzz we’d encountered in the main hall. A proper power trio, Paul Dave and Mike took their opportunity with both hands and wrestled the life out of it. The Birmingham outfit combined sludgy stoner with elements of hard rock and metal and the growing crowd rightly roared their appreciation. Entertaining to watch as well as listen to, this is a band who have masses of potential.
A wall of noise and vibrating furniture greeted us as we headed back into the main arena, the unearthly rumble of Bristol trio Gonga (8), called in as a last-minute replacement. I’d last seen these brutally heavy dudes at Temples Festival several years ago and the venue was at risk of structural defect after their set. Five years on and the band still pulverise without mercy, their sound switching between massive doom-soaked riffs, soaring psychedelia and blasting stoner rock but with such punishing heaviness, the bass causing the ground to shake. George and Thomas Elgie and bassist Latch Manghat may not have released an album since 2008’s Transmigration but they remain one of the most impressive bands on this circuit. Their hour of instrumental stoner rock transported me to another dimension, and that was no bad thing at all.
It’s no surprise to see Mansfield’s Witch Tripper (9) steadily climbing the bill at these events, such is the quality of the band. The band are rightly regularly requested at these events and this was a return from their 2017 appearance. Having seen the band multiple times this year including a triumphant set at Bloodstock Festival in August, watching Witch Tripper these days is like greeting an old friend. However, Richie, Chris and Gary are consummate performers and this set equalled their show at BOA with ease. Despite having traversed the country on the previous two nights, the band were full of stoner rock energy, and a blistering hour proved to be as good as always. With two albums to choose from and over 60 gigs under their belt this year alone, Witch Tripper are dangerously sharp and tight. The topical I, Of The Storm, Attitude Adjustment and Hellbound were amongst a set crammed full of highlights and it was no surprise to hear the band gain the largest roar of the day at the end of their set.
Unfortunately for us, East Midlands Mage (7) had the clash no-one wanted, their set overlapping Witch Tripper and Black Moth which meant I was only able to catch three songs. What we saw and heard confirmed my thoughts in the review of their fourth album, which was released earlier this year. Thick, heavy groove ridden stoner rock which Key To The Universe took no prisoners, their Sabbath style riffage gaining nods of appreciation around the room. One to see at the next available opportunity.
Opening Day 1 bang on time, London doom trio The Red Widows (7) provided the perfect start with an hour of quite crushing heavy fuzz. The three-piece simply blasted their way through their set, lengthy forays of down tuned riffage, thick and aggressive slabs of doom and the powerful vocals of Alex Corvnio, whose thunderous bass lines contributed massively. Losing ourselves in the power of the riff on the barrier, their hour-long set was soon over. With a new album Fuzzifxion released back in June, The Red Widows earnt new fans with their excellent set.
After nearly 45 minutes, Italian Doom trio Deadsmoke (6) arrived on stage and within minutes had to prolong their atmospheric intro as drummer Mauricio struggled to get his snare into position. When the band finally settled, their earth scraping doom was impressive with a deep, cavernous delivery. Bassist Gianmaria suffered multiple strap issues throughout the first couple of songs, his low-slung bass style and frantic swinging of the instrument possibly not helping. Rich, thick and slow monolithic crushing doom emanated and got the head nodding, although the piercing screeching vocals of guitarist Matteo weren’t my favourites over the weekend. Deadsmoke did enough to hold the attention and I certainly would like to see them again.
Opening stage 2 were Flex Bison (8) whose pacey stoner rock was a welcome break from the more down tuned fuzz we’d encountered in the main hall. A proper power trio, Paul Dave and Mike took their opportunity with both hands and wrestled the life out of it. The Birmingham outfit combined sludgy stoner with elements of hard rock and metal and the growing crowd rightly roared their appreciation. Entertaining to watch as well as listen to, this is a band who have masses of potential.
A wall of noise and vibrating furniture greeted us as we headed back into the main arena, the unearthly rumble of Bristol trio Gonga (8), called in as a last-minute replacement. I’d last seen these brutally heavy dudes at Temples Festival several years ago and the venue was at risk of structural defect after their set. Five years on and the band still pulverise without mercy, their sound switching between massive doom-soaked riffs, soaring psychedelia and blasting stoner rock but with such punishing heaviness, the bass causing the ground to shake. George and Thomas Elgie and bassist Latch Manghat may not have released an album since 2008’s Transmigration but they remain one of the most impressive bands on this circuit. Their hour of instrumental stoner rock transported me to another dimension, and that was no bad thing at all.
It’s no surprise to see Mansfield’s Witch Tripper (9) steadily climbing the bill at these events, such is the quality of the band. The band are rightly regularly requested at these events and this was a return from their 2017 appearance. Having seen the band multiple times this year including a triumphant set at Bloodstock Festival in August, watching Witch Tripper these days is like greeting an old friend. However, Richie, Chris and Gary are consummate performers and this set equalled their show at BOA with ease. Despite having traversed the country on the previous two nights, the band were full of stoner rock energy, and a blistering hour proved to be as good as always. With two albums to choose from and over 60 gigs under their belt this year alone, Witch Tripper are dangerously sharp and tight. The topical I, Of The Storm, Attitude Adjustment and Hellbound were amongst a set crammed full of highlights and it was no surprise to hear the band gain the largest roar of the day at the end of their set.
Unfortunately for us, East Midlands Mage (7) had the clash no-one wanted, their set overlapping Witch Tripper and Black Moth which meant I was only able to catch three songs. What we saw and heard confirmed my thoughts in the review of their fourth album, which was released earlier this year. Thick, heavy groove ridden stoner rock which Key To The Universe took no prisoners, their Sabbath style riffage gaining nods of appreciation around the room. One to see at the next available opportunity.
It was with sadness that Leeds’ Black Moth (8) announced the end of their career very recently. With three solid albums under their belt, including last year’s excellent Anatomical Venus, they have been superb every time we have seen them. Their third last gig, this was emotional at times, especially at the end of a cracking set which saw them play a range of songs from their entire catalogue. Vocalist Harriet Hyde’s soaring voice always catches the ear, but the band remain a tight, heavy unit with the duel guitar work of Federica Gialanze and Jim Swainston cutting through the heavy stoner haze. The band has favoured a much heavier approach of late, driven hard by the thumping lines of bassist Dave Vachon, who appeared most caught up in the emotion if it all. Istra, Moonbow, Tumbleweed, Sisters of the Stone and the closing anarchy of Pig Man were among the many highlights of a band who will be sorely missed.
A couple of minutes of Space Witch was insufficient to give a rating but we settled in for the full set from Roma outfit Black Rainbows (7), whose sixth album Pandemonium I reviewed last year. I enjoyed that album immensely and their live show was just as much fun, with an hour of fuzzed up psychedelic stoner rock spliced with soaring effects, searing riffs and some space rock echoes for good measure. Relying on the power of the riff was the order of the day and Gabriele Fiori, Giuseppe Guglilmino and drummer Filliip Ragazzoni did just that to great effect.
And so, to the headliners, Orange Fucking Goblin Baby! The London powerhouse need little introduction and Orange Goblin (7) roared through a bombastic set with their usual aggressive cheer. Ben Ward appeared more than a little beered up, his usual on-stage enthusiasm no different but his forays into the crowd, inability to hold the microphone without dropping it and his repetitive ramblings about Orange Goblin’s dedication to UK metal became a little wearing after the fourth or fifth time; a little like the annoying drunk in the pub. Putting that aside, the band were as tight as always with a huge slab of classic tracks (Saruman’s Wish and Time Travelling Blues amongst them) mixed with a liberal sprinkling of newer material from The Wolf Bites Back and a surprise cover of Motörhead’s No Class which threw the already raging pit into a frenzy. Quincy The Pig Boy and Red Tide Rising closed the set and whilst OFGB rarely turn in a poor show, there was a slight hesitancy in the audience as the band finished. However, there was enough in this solid show to demonstrate why the band were worthy of their third visit to this event and deserving of headline status.
Day 2
The incessant rain continued to blast the concrete with more intensity than most of the bands on Day 1 and we decided to Uber to the venue rather than face another soaking in a weekend of soakings. Whilst Day 1 had more bands I was interested in seeing, Day 2 threw up many of the surprises and the best band of the whole weekend.
One band I was very interested to see was Birmingham based Alunah (8) whose career has lasted since their formation in 2006. The band was rocked by the departure of founder member and vocalist Sophie Day in 2017 but in Sian Greenaway Alunah have a replacement whose vocal delivery and stage presence was one of the highlights of the weekend. Clad in a glamorous red catsuit, Greenaway stood tall alongside new guitarist Dean Ashton (also bassist of Diamond Head who replaced original guitarist David Day at the start of the year), bassist Daniel Burchmore and drummer Jake Ashton. Whilst the band may have experienced two seismic changes in the past two years, there was no chink in the armour as they played a sublime 45-minute set which mixed songs from their first four albums with new tracks Hunt and Violet from the forthcoming album Violet Hour. The band’s heavy doom and psych sound blends perfectly with Greenaway’s sultry smoky vocals whilst Ashton showed his prowess on the six string with an assured performance. Alunah have been around for some time, have an air of confidence to them that sits the right side of arrogance and which makes them a fantastic live band. One to see again soon!
With our ears still ringing from Gonga’s set on Day 1, Stoke-on-Trent power trio Red Spektor (7) decided to remove what little hearing we had left with a painfully loud hour of pulverising stoner rock. John Scane, Rob Farrell and Darren Bowen switched between fast paced raw and energetic Sabbath and Hendrix styled songs and slower, more measured but equally heavy contemporary style of Graveyard and Kadavar. Using minimal lighting, Red Spektor’s blues influences blended into their psychedelic approach neatly and whilst I did lose attention for a song or two in the middle of the set by the end I was once more hooked.
One of the massive surprises of the day came in the shape of Oak (8). The London based four-piece roared onto the stage, man mountain vocalist Andy Valiant clad in his Venom Black Metal vest for about three minutes before ripping it off to display a heaving slab of man-flesh which didn’t stop moving throughout their set. Everything about Oak was massive. A huge sound filled the venue, the band’s down tuned stoner style earning a solid reception, the pace fast and the overall performance impressive. Valiant prowls the stage, cajoling and roaring whilst his vocal delivery is sufficiently throaty and angry to make it both endearing and threatening! Such was the power of this show that there was no way the audience was looking elsewhere and by the end of their set, the crowd were roaring their approval.
Back in August Galway’s Ten Ton Slug (10) had played to a packed Sophie Lancaster Tent on the opening night. Their slime ridden groove received a raucous reception and even though I had watched their set from the rear of the tent they hadn’t really penetrated my Thursday evening alcohol wall. That wall was permanently demolished with the set of the weekend as the Irish four-piece simply levelled the arena with their sheer intensity. Massive slab dragging riffs, roaring vocals and songs with groove, melody and above all the perfect blend of filthy sludge grabbed the attention of all in the room and didn’t let go. New single Hunting Ground sat comfortably alongside older tracks such as Bloodburns and Matriarch Of Slime. With a typically cheeky and relaxed style between songs, the Slug pulverised, punished and won over all in the room. This was a massively good set which demonstrated why the band are destined for big things.
Having washed the slime off, we were disappointed to find Superseed had finished their set earlier than advertised and so it was back into the main arena to catch Dead Witches (5) whose outfits of tasselled trouser suits and burgundy flares was more interesting than their rather routine doom which was hampered by a bad mix which sounded poor from the upper levels. This proved to be a fortuitous move as we were lucky enough to catch Midlands Desert rockers Cower, Hounds! (7) who proved to be one of the finds of the weekend. Their infectious groove ridden stoner rock proved to be the ideal early evening set and the crowd loved them despite the band’s own initial disbelief. Paul Reynolds, Rob Stimpson and Andy Ford were a great surprise and very much a band to see again.
A couple of minutes of Space Witch was insufficient to give a rating but we settled in for the full set from Roma outfit Black Rainbows (7), whose sixth album Pandemonium I reviewed last year. I enjoyed that album immensely and their live show was just as much fun, with an hour of fuzzed up psychedelic stoner rock spliced with soaring effects, searing riffs and some space rock echoes for good measure. Relying on the power of the riff was the order of the day and Gabriele Fiori, Giuseppe Guglilmino and drummer Filliip Ragazzoni did just that to great effect.
And so, to the headliners, Orange Fucking Goblin Baby! The London powerhouse need little introduction and Orange Goblin (7) roared through a bombastic set with their usual aggressive cheer. Ben Ward appeared more than a little beered up, his usual on-stage enthusiasm no different but his forays into the crowd, inability to hold the microphone without dropping it and his repetitive ramblings about Orange Goblin’s dedication to UK metal became a little wearing after the fourth or fifth time; a little like the annoying drunk in the pub. Putting that aside, the band were as tight as always with a huge slab of classic tracks (Saruman’s Wish and Time Travelling Blues amongst them) mixed with a liberal sprinkling of newer material from The Wolf Bites Back and a surprise cover of Motörhead’s No Class which threw the already raging pit into a frenzy. Quincy The Pig Boy and Red Tide Rising closed the set and whilst OFGB rarely turn in a poor show, there was a slight hesitancy in the audience as the band finished. However, there was enough in this solid show to demonstrate why the band were worthy of their third visit to this event and deserving of headline status.
Day 2
The incessant rain continued to blast the concrete with more intensity than most of the bands on Day 1 and we decided to Uber to the venue rather than face another soaking in a weekend of soakings. Whilst Day 1 had more bands I was interested in seeing, Day 2 threw up many of the surprises and the best band of the whole weekend.
One band I was very interested to see was Birmingham based Alunah (8) whose career has lasted since their formation in 2006. The band was rocked by the departure of founder member and vocalist Sophie Day in 2017 but in Sian Greenaway Alunah have a replacement whose vocal delivery and stage presence was one of the highlights of the weekend. Clad in a glamorous red catsuit, Greenaway stood tall alongside new guitarist Dean Ashton (also bassist of Diamond Head who replaced original guitarist David Day at the start of the year), bassist Daniel Burchmore and drummer Jake Ashton. Whilst the band may have experienced two seismic changes in the past two years, there was no chink in the armour as they played a sublime 45-minute set which mixed songs from their first four albums with new tracks Hunt and Violet from the forthcoming album Violet Hour. The band’s heavy doom and psych sound blends perfectly with Greenaway’s sultry smoky vocals whilst Ashton showed his prowess on the six string with an assured performance. Alunah have been around for some time, have an air of confidence to them that sits the right side of arrogance and which makes them a fantastic live band. One to see again soon!
With our ears still ringing from Gonga’s set on Day 1, Stoke-on-Trent power trio Red Spektor (7) decided to remove what little hearing we had left with a painfully loud hour of pulverising stoner rock. John Scane, Rob Farrell and Darren Bowen switched between fast paced raw and energetic Sabbath and Hendrix styled songs and slower, more measured but equally heavy contemporary style of Graveyard and Kadavar. Using minimal lighting, Red Spektor’s blues influences blended into their psychedelic approach neatly and whilst I did lose attention for a song or two in the middle of the set by the end I was once more hooked.
One of the massive surprises of the day came in the shape of Oak (8). The London based four-piece roared onto the stage, man mountain vocalist Andy Valiant clad in his Venom Black Metal vest for about three minutes before ripping it off to display a heaving slab of man-flesh which didn’t stop moving throughout their set. Everything about Oak was massive. A huge sound filled the venue, the band’s down tuned stoner style earning a solid reception, the pace fast and the overall performance impressive. Valiant prowls the stage, cajoling and roaring whilst his vocal delivery is sufficiently throaty and angry to make it both endearing and threatening! Such was the power of this show that there was no way the audience was looking elsewhere and by the end of their set, the crowd were roaring their approval.
Back in August Galway’s Ten Ton Slug (10) had played to a packed Sophie Lancaster Tent on the opening night. Their slime ridden groove received a raucous reception and even though I had watched their set from the rear of the tent they hadn’t really penetrated my Thursday evening alcohol wall. That wall was permanently demolished with the set of the weekend as the Irish four-piece simply levelled the arena with their sheer intensity. Massive slab dragging riffs, roaring vocals and songs with groove, melody and above all the perfect blend of filthy sludge grabbed the attention of all in the room and didn’t let go. New single Hunting Ground sat comfortably alongside older tracks such as Bloodburns and Matriarch Of Slime. With a typically cheeky and relaxed style between songs, the Slug pulverised, punished and won over all in the room. This was a massively good set which demonstrated why the band are destined for big things.
Having washed the slime off, we were disappointed to find Superseed had finished their set earlier than advertised and so it was back into the main arena to catch Dead Witches (5) whose outfits of tasselled trouser suits and burgundy flares was more interesting than their rather routine doom which was hampered by a bad mix which sounded poor from the upper levels. This proved to be a fortuitous move as we were lucky enough to catch Midlands Desert rockers Cower, Hounds! (7) who proved to be one of the finds of the weekend. Their infectious groove ridden stoner rock proved to be the ideal early evening set and the crowd loved them despite the band’s own initial disbelief. Paul Reynolds, Rob Stimpson and Andy Ford were a great surprise and very much a band to see again.
Seven figures clad in white could only mean that it was time for Church Of The Cosmic Skull (4). I’d seen the Nottingham seven-piece a couple of years ago where they had been brave enough to have Vodun open for them. Despite the fondness that the Ed has for this pop rock psych combination, their music is too thin and light for me and two songs was enough to have us running back to stage 2 where we joined a hardy few souls who had sensibly decided that Bath’s Doomicidal (7) were a much better bet. We’d seen Doomicidal support Witch Tripper at the Gryphon in Bristol a few months ago and their brand of occult driven doom metal hit the right notes then as it did again at HRH with a set that kicked off with Hengewitch and the fabulous Rats In The Wall and closed with Hawkwind’s Seven By Seven and Murdermaids. Roger, Barney and Migo may not be the most cohesive band out there but there is something brilliantly endearing about their honest style and once more they provided superb entertainment.
Last year I’d seen LA’s Fireball Ministry (6) go toe to toe with Orange Goblin and Corrosion of Conformity but this time around the American band who had travelled the furthest appeared a little stagnant by comparison. Although the urging of James A Rota II began to move the crowd, there appeared a sense of apathy until later in their set. Emily Burton did a fine job with her guitar and backing vocals whilst John Reeder was back on the bass, holding down the engine room with John Oreschnick. Maybe a slightly exception to the rest of the event’s down tuned fuzzed up cacophony, Fireball Ministry failed to ignite me in the same way they had last time. This did provide opportunity to catch East Midlands thunderous power trio Master Charger (6) who had drawn a larger crowd to the second stage. However, their routine stoner approach, whilst enjoyable enough didn’t really hold the attention sufficiently and after a few songs it was time for the final beer and a place on the balcony for the headliners.
Swedes Monolord (8) are on the verge of releasing their fourth album No Comfort, the follow up to 2017’s excellent Rust. No Comfort is as every bit as good as Rust, and Monolord drew the bulk of their superb set from these two albums. The Gothenburg trio who comprise guitarist/vocalist Thomas V Jäger, bassist Mika Hakki and drummer Esben Willems were worthy final headliners, their powerful, lengthy and crushing doom captivating the audience. It’s quite easy and enjoyable to zone in and out to a band who play such pulverising doom metal, and Monolord’s high energy on stage still allowed for moments of drift. Crushing riffs, thundering drums and the fuzzed bass line all combined. Opener Where Death Meets The Sea was followed by The Last Leaf, one of three from No Comfort (The Bastard Son and Larvae being the others) whilst the band closed with the classic Empress Rising to thunderous and deserved applause.
Another fabulous weekend courtesy of those great folk at HRH. The event was as well organised as always, the vibe chilled and friendly and the organisation and running smooth and impressive. I shall be looking with interest at the steps to separate these days next year but will certainly be looking to return to the Steel City for more.
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