Bloodstock Metal To The Masses South Wales: Heat One (Live Review By Paul Hutchings)

Metal To The Masses, Heat 1, Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff

All hail the Welsh metal scene. With all the media fuelled pandemic chaos, I was half expecting the start of the 2020 South Wales Metal To The Masses to be a dull, empty affair. Well, if there is one thing that always pleasantly surprises me, it’s the tenacity of our scene. Fuel full to bursting, healthy takings on the door, vigorous and energetic performances on the stage and a crowd who set the bar very high for heat 1. This was a cracking start to this year’s competition

Clad in white, this was my first view of Altered Myths (7), the two-piece from Cardiff who play a dirty stoner blues rock hybrid. Interestingly, it was drummer and vocalist Matt 'Matik' O'Brien who commands much of the attention, his constant antics engaging and entertaining. From encouraging people to pick up free wrist bands “It’s free shit – oh, one man’s in there straight away”, to explaining that guitarist Steve 'Eskay' Kenward “dressed like that way before Covid 19” in reference to his colleague’s decision to wear face mask and shoe coverings, this was an enjoyable set. I can’t recall one song from their set in much detail, but their drive and passion were undeniable, and the fusion of desert stoner and big Sabbath/Zeppelin riffs did leave an imprint in the memory. Use of cowbell was welcome, and with projections onto the bass drum the band had pushed the thought button a little harder than some. Having played Oxford’s competition last year, the band clearly know their strengths although Matik’s regular clambering all over his kit were a worry; he’s a big lad. This only engaged the crowd more and they are well worth a watch again some time.

M2TM 2019 saw the debut of Grym (8) who pushed to the semi-finals with an impressive and raucous performance. A year on and the band are serious contenders for a place in the final. This was a ferocious set, leaving no prisoners. Glossing over problems with the intro tape, the band roared through their set, maintaining a high level of energy from start to finish. The band appear to have moved slightly more to the industrial sound, thick heavy riffs and punishing drums provide a platform for vocalist Vikki Van Zant is the focal point, his roaring delivery and striking appearance ensuring that focus is trained on him throughout. But to say that he’s the only visual delight would be wrong, as flanking him, lead guitarist Ben Baljak cut riff after riff and solo after solo whilst Maria Owen (clad in a very fetching sparkling dress) and Michael Hiatt locked down the rhythm tight. With more bite than a black market saveloy, Grym’s powerful groove and improved tightness made them a captivating watch. With a couple of big supports coming up (including a huge slot at the Patti Pavilions with Diamond Head at the end of the month), this was a marker in the sand. Grym are coming.

Travel challenges. They always happen to bands at M2TM. This time, it was The Autumn Killers who ran into a rocky path, and in an act of great camaraderie, State Of Deceit (7) stepped up the running order to provide their fellow competitors more time. Bonus point for this. Last year the band had run into challenges with the health of their drummer Matt impacting on their progression. A year later and Matt has sadly hung up the sticks, replaced by an engine of a drummer in Luke ‘Blast Beat’ Sullivan. State Of Deceit had clearly decided to make up for lost time and went fast and heavy from the start. Whilst the support for them was smaller than some of the other bands, those who stayed were treated to a solid performance which suggested enough for a push towards the later rounds. Guitarist Jon Russell survived until the second track before man mountain Pete Scammell’s first comment about Jon’s height, a staple thing at most State Of Deceit gigs! Despite a cruel mix which occasionally robbed Scammell of his clean vocals, State Of Deceit maintained the energy and by the time Vipers closed their 30 minutes, we’d even witnessed some random Morris dancing from the Sepulchre duo of Aimee Coppola and Darren Evans (once again sans shirt!).

With an army of support, closing act The Autumn Killers (5) overcame their travel woes, hit the stage and got stuck into their set with passion. Bassist and vocalist Rob Reece has been around the South Wales scene for some time, and his experience was evident. Their sound though was substantially lighter than the usual riotous music we expect, and despite some quality in their play, it was evident from early on that their melodic style was unlikely to strike a chord with those expecting a more, ‘meaty’ sound. I’m afraid that I also found their music a little repetitive and dare I say, uninspiring. Apart from those clad in the band’s tees, the room towards the back had thinned substantially which suggested that I wasn’t alone. As musicians, The Autumn Killers were collectively tight. This just wasn’t their event.

After some ‘entertainment’ from The Metal Maidens, chaos ensued as Alyn and Tim demonstrated how to deliver the results in a style akin to Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood at the Brit Awards in 1989 (look it up kids). After much ado, it was Grym and State Of Deceit that progressed to the next round. Heat 1 done and a huge well done to all the bands and all those who turned out. Same again on March 20th as Black Pyre, Boxing Day Rage, King Kraken, Misanthropia and Southbound do battle. See you there.