State Of Deceit, King Kraken, Neckbrace & Beyond Oblivion, Fuel Rock Club Cardiff
The final Saturday of the first month of the year and a free gig at Fuel. With the doors open, movement was fluid throughout the evening as the four bands on the bill moved back and fore from the bar to the stage area. A decent number decided to watch each band and hopefully all involved gained some new admirers.
New to the scene, Beyond Oblivion (6), a five-piece from the area had the task of opening the evening. A decent crowd watched their fiery metal, and for a new band they were impressive. Having checked out their music on Spotify since seeing them, it’s a shame that the notorious Fuel sound hampered the sound with the lead singer’s vocals weak in the mix, which was dominated by bass and drums. The band play a mix of groove ridden metal, with a gothic haunting angle, which had me pining for the now defunct Black Moth. Their new single Defiant and songs from first EP Hand That Feeds worked well, the chopping duel guitars managing to break through on occasion to good effect. The addition of gruff vocals blended nicely with the clean leads. Five on the Fuel stage is always a challenge and it’ll be good to see the band again with a better sound and more room to flex their show. The band are also making their debut at M2TM Heat 3 on 10th April back at Fuel.
Newport’s Neckbrace (7) reek of old school. Reformed after many years’ hiatus in 2019, the band played a handful of gigs last year. With Richard ‘Scriv’ Scrivens leading their firepower, the five-piece decided that pure brutality was needed and then promptly roared through a set which proved that you can’t keep an old dog down. The band may be gnarlier, wiser and older but they remain as heavy today as the were two decades ago. Chainsaw guitars, roaring vocals and blisteringly aggressive drumming, it was all wrapped up in a snarling ball of anger. Ferocious from start to finish, it’s good to see them back on the scene and the solid numbers in the room suggested that others felt the same way.
There are plenty of hard-working bands out there, but few can match the effort that King Kraken (8) are investing now. Two stage banners (very pretty by the way) ensured that there was even less room on the stage than normal, but this didn’t stop them hammering through a set of now familiar songs. An encouraging crowd pushed forward to catch The Grey, War Machine, Kidnap and Castle Of Bones, all tracks that come across heavier in the live arena. Despite the lack of room, the band never provide a show with less than 110% effort. Bathed in green lights, and with the sound a mere average, it was at times hard to catch the searing lead work of Adam Healey. Kraken’s constant gigging and practising means they are incredibly tight, something that will stand in good stead for the next few months with some massive gigs and a week in the recording studio to come.
Headlining the night was State Of Deceit (7) whose Retribution EP was a favourite of mine late last year. The band had a last-minute change with drummer Matt Toner replaced by former Incursion drummer Robbie. This didn’t affect them, and they roared through a vicious set which incited some pit action for the first time in the evening. State Of Deceit are pushing their music hard and Pete Scammell once more towered above the stage, his roaring vocals and immense stage presence working well. Whilst the sound was muddier than a farmer’s field at times, guitarist Jon Russell was able to let rip whilst bassist Matt Wilson held things tight. Full of punishing riffs and hooks, State Of Deceit are burning nicely. They will bring their noise to M2TM heat 1 on 6th March.
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