Tuesday, 3 December 2019

A View From The Back Of The Room: Heart Of A Coward (Live Review By Liam True)

Heart Of A Coward, Unprocessed & Sentry, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

Being an opening band is never an easy task, especially when the doors open late and you’re on 5 minutes after they open. But nonetheless, Sentry (7) have the aggression and musical prowess to make a room move. Unfortunately, with the room only being a quarter full, they’re not hitting the audience they deserve. When third song Bacteria kicks in, the room is filling and the band realise it’s time to kick it into full gear. With singer Danny Rees taking it upon himself to control the crowd and harness the bands energy for himself, he patrols the stage like a lion hunting a gazelle. They don’t hit the mark like they did when I've previously saw them, but make no mistake. They’ve made a mark. And continue to rise in the ranks of the welsh Metal scene.

To paraphrase my friend ‘That was fucking mental’. And he’s not wrong. The 35 minutes that Unprocessed (8) were on stage for were the most mind-blowing 35 minutes of my recent memory. With their merchandise donning a Death/Black Metal logo, you might think that they’ll be pretty damn heavy. And they were. And they were also the most technical band I've seen live. With the time signatures of Car Bomb mixed with the heaviness of Periphery, the band have the crowd under their control and conjure the first mosh pit of the night. Hailing from Germany the band feel right at home on the stage with their energetic performance and headbanging music to combine the perfect band for such a venue. Closing song Antlers Decay is by far the heaviest song to be played so far tonight, and as soon as it starts, the venue erupts into one big circle pit. It’s madness, technical, and I loved it.

The band we’re all here to see. And as soon as HOAC hit the stage with opener with Drown In Ruin, the bar is set high as the carnage unfolds. Bodies flying everywhere. People hurling themselves around the pit. And we’re not a minute in yet. Although being as tight as they can, the venues sound system isn’t on their side tonight. The bass is way to high and you can’t hear vocalist Kaan Tasan apart from the odd moment or so. But nonetheless Heart Of A Coward (9) take it in their stride and perform a blistering set. Commanding the biggest circle pit Clwb Ifor Bach as possibly seen, they destroy Cardiff in their journey across the UK. By the time set closer Deadweight kicks in, everyone is gasping for more. But with a smile and a wave, they take their leave. Leaving everyone blown away by what we’ve just witnessed. And I'd happily get battered by them again.

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