Elder Druid, Barbarian Hermit, Satlan & Kong Lives, Fuel Cardiff
Sunday nights, never the busiest but the lack of support for this gig by the Cardiff community was a little disappointing. Four bands for £11 is a bloody good deal so myself and Mr Deeper Shades himself hit Cardiff's rock hub for some grooves and dirty riffs.
First up we had Kong Lives (7) a band who I've seen a fair few times, the bring ear piercing volume and loads of feedback to the stage as a four piece who dwell more towards the post metal bleakness than the straight up doom/stoner to come. A mixture of aggressive and clean vocals meant that the 8 people in the room were getting their brains scrambled by music so loud it hurt. The local act came, battered and left doing what they do well.
Next were Satlan (7) who are a slightly newer act and one I was looking forward to due to the presence of drummer James Loh and vocalist Soozi Chameleone, unfortunately talking to Soozi before the gig we found out she was very ill on the night with her voice very croaky. As the band kicked off it was obvious she was struggling as the vocals were barely audible, meaning that after the first song she abandoned the stage meaning the three remaining members battled on as an instrumental act layering classic doom sounds on the room like it was 1970, the bass and guitar riffs were down tuned and heavy with distortion and fuzz the name of the gig as James beat the kit to within an inch of its life. This was not the Satlan I'd expected to see but they showed just how talented they are even as an instrumental trio. Hopefully I'll get to see them with Soozi in full voice soon.
Third on the bill were Barbarian Hermit (8) a NOLA metal worshipping five piece from Manchester who are on the APF roster so you know what to expect from them, this was thundering stoner sludge with riffs for days, a touch of melody and vocals ripped from the bowls that owe a debt to Mr Anselmo. Taking tracks from their EP and the most recent full length (reviewed in these hallowed pages) release the band bring a natural heaviness yet they sound so clean and connected as a band, their singer prowls the stage pulling as many faces as possible as the mostly static rest of the band dredge the riffs from the Manchester ship canal. A sheer force of nature Barbarian Hermit were the benchmark for the night
After a small medical mishap, it was time for Elder Druid (8) who provided the end of the evening with a sonic battery. Drenched in purple light they peeled off knuckle dragging sludge/doom, pained vocals were met with deafening Sabbath worship from the heaviest band of the night. If you can imagine Down on mescaline, or indeed a more upbeat Electric Wizard you'll be close to the hypnotic riffage of these Northern Irish occultists. For the first time in the night the vocals were totally audible and here they are integral part of the primeval Elder Druid experience, this music is supposed to shake your very soul and it does vibrating through your Skeleton with the lashings of heft.
All four bands here deserved more people watching them. Hopefully this won't deter more gigs of this kind, in a city with an ear to either the extreme or the mainstream, the stoner/doom/sludge sounds get left behind somewhat, we can only crank up the volume and pray that with repeated, ear splitting exposure this won't be the case anymore.
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