Before I begin this review I want to point out that I have been ill, quite seriously ill, a life threatening illness has taken hold of me and for the last two weeks I’ve been suffering, suffering rather severely, from Man Flu.
It’s a serious illness that can affect any one of my brothers in arms and I hope and pray that you don’t have to feel as downright shitty as I have, that being said I braved the elements, ok.. the sunshine of a spring day in Manchester, to stand amidst a sea of black t shirts and battle jackets and allow the Doom Metal that tonight’s line up has to offer, to heal my weary soul.
I’ve been to the Rebellion once before and caught Smash Into Pieces and Scarlett in action, the club isn’t the biggest and it soon fills up, but it has that Rock/Metal vibe (everything is painted black) that you’d expect.
It’s early doors and the place is still filling up, as first band, Shores Of Null (6) hit the stage at 6.25pm, I’ve only briefly listened to what the Italian band have to offer and after tonight’s live performance, showcasing tracks from their decade long career, I’m berating myself for not giving them a better chance; having seen their name on the lineup I only gave them a cursory listen but live they put on a good show and I’ll definitely be giving their albums more attention.
Of the three bands on tonight’s lineup it was Draconian (9) I bought the tickets for, I’ve long been a fan of the male and female vocal style adopted by the band, very similar in style to that of another band I’ve followed for years, Lacuna Coil; whilst Draconian have stuck to their roots in doom/death metaletal and Lacuna Coil melded their sound with a Nu Metal twist, it’s that Beauty and the Beast vocals that truly capture my heart.
It’s one of the things that makes bands like this stand out for me, the juxtaposition of male, quite often growled vocal and the almost ethereal nature of the female vocals works so well for Draconian and it just adds depth to the already intricately layered elements of their songs. That mix comes over just as well live, this is the first time I’ve seen them, as it does on any of their albums as the audience are treated to tracks new and old, delving back some 20 years of the bands back catalogue.
It’s been three years since Draconian released Under A Godless Veil, an absolute treasure of an album that had me hooked from its opening mournful refrains and seeing them live has cemented their place within my collection.
The overwhelming desire to crawl back into bed and feel sorry for myself, I’m still ill you know, has taken over and it’s a two hour drive home; so it’s at this point that I have to bow out; Swallow The Sun aren’t a band I’m particularly into, I’ve listened to some of their albums over the years but there’s not been anything that has stood out for me, some bands have caught my attention with one song, that’s then developed into a live of the album and the band as a whole, Swallow The Sun aren’t one of those bands for me though on paper they really ought to be.
So whilst I feel I’ve cheated myself out of a band I’ve paid to see, I’m feeling like I’m ending the night on a high note with Draconian and have enjoyed the show.
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