Thy Art Is Murder, Carnifex, Fit For An Autopsy, Rivers Of Nihil, IAM, SWX Bristol
Starting the night off were Texan Metal outfit I Am (6), with their blend of Thrash and Deathcore they got the crowd riled up with the gutturals of vocalist Andrew Hileman the band hit high points but fail to hit a certain mark for me. They have the music, but lack the stage presence to be better than they could have been. Still it’s an excellent effort and display of a new up and coming band.
Despite not being a band that I’ve listened to Rivers Of Nihil (7) have changed that for me completely. The stage presence, the music and the atmosphere is at an all time high as soon as they launch into Old Nothing. With their furious riffs and breakdowns making everyone head bang and move in the pit. Mostly playing songs from their most recent effort Where Owls Know My Name, the band are on point throughout their set and produce a punishing sound. For me personally the highlight of the set is the monstrous vocals of Jake Diffenbach. Producing his vile putrid lows with ease and not even breaking a sweat. The band themselves are even tighter making the breakdowns and chugging sound perfect with no effort. They’ve not only gathered my attention tonight, they’ve also gained a fan.
Since releasing their phenomenal album The Sea Of Tragic beasts I’ve been waiting to see Fit For An Autopsy (7) live. And they delivered. From the moment the title track of the new album kicks in, I am engrossed by how tight they are as a band. How clean it all sounds. The double kick work of Josean Orta is mesmerising and jaw dropping. The vicious vocals of Joe Badolato bring the band together as a whole and they’re as dangerous as their name suggests and until finisher Black Mammoth they don’t hold back or stop for a second, laying waste to any concerns if they could fill this slot. Not only have they done that, they’ve proved they can easily headline a venue of this size.
Emerging from the darkness to sounds of gunfire, bombs and the sound of chaos raging over the speakers vocalist Scott Ian Lewis’ first words are "death to all humanity" and as soon as that sentence is spat all hell breaks loose. There are pits being opened. Bodies being flailed from all sides of the pit, and the crowd is in the grip of the band. The dark death metal growls and breakdowns all cause the venue to become a huge pit of frenzy with everyone glued to the stage as the band hammer through their set. Being comprised mostly if their new album World War X, some old classics such as Slow Death and Hell Chose Me all have the crowd singing along in unison and creating the best atmosphere so far for any gig i’ve been to. Incredible and mind blowing is the only way to describe their set. Carnifex (8) were truly amazing.
And now comes the main act. The Aussie Deathcore titans themselves. It seems very fitting that the intro to their set be the Vengaboys blasting over the speakers before complete darkness sets in. Air raid sirens fill the room and red lights shine across the crowd. Then out of nowhere the riff to death squad Anthem kicks in, igniting the crowd straight away into a non-stop frenzy. Then from the blinding red lights set on us we see a silhouette walking toward the mic stand. It’s none other than the maestro of tonight, CJ McMahon. From the second he spits his venom everyone is glued to the stage. There’s no one standing still and head and bodies are moving like this is the apocalypse. And Thy Art Is Murder (10) are 100% the soundtrack. Make America Hate Again stands side by side with The Purest Strain Of Hate as if they were written on the same record and cause as much mayhem as you’d think with his lows drilling into your chest and his wit h like high screams echoing through the venue.
With no one standing still and everyone bouncing after the command of CJ. Talking to the crowd between songs CJ uses his lovely way of talking to call us all "Sick Cunts" which is met by a huge cheer from the crowd. The band tonight have complete control over the crowd and toward the end if the show CJ states "I’ll always remember you Bristol." Before the final four songs are launched into madness he thanks us for coning and supporting them and the support bands. Reign Of Darkness is not the ender tonight however. That crown goes to the last song on Human Target. Chemical Christ. A song about CJ’s previous drug & alcohol abuse. As soon as it ends, the band take their leave. Leaving us all to bask in what we’ve witnessed. There’s a reason they’re one of my favourite live bands. And they’ve proved they’re destined for bigger things.
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