Rescheduled from February due to technical issues, FHED finally presented a night of modern extreme music which saw some of the most hotly tipped acts playing together on a Saturday evening in Cardiff's only rock club.
Changing since it first went ahead, Verletzen couldn't return and Tides Of Sulfur were unable to perform so in their place was two harsh noise acts. Ordeal By Roses/NoisexMarine (6) were the acts chosen, last minute replacements who turned up, plugged in and abused their equipment to make ungodly rackets. Essentially two acts playing two sets in the same time frame, I'll admit harsh noise is not my bag, but both artists have it their all to kick off this night, doubling down that it's the noise scene is the true underground music.
Then it was time for the band who replaced Verletzen on the bill. South West/Wales based atmospheric black/sludge band Levitas (7), it's been a long time since I've seen them play but their precision application of crushing melancholy and anguished heaviness was perfect to build towards both of the other acts on the bill. Musically spot on but without much of their more theatrical trappings, Levitas won over a lot of the crowd who may not have seen them and reminded me of why I've always enjoyed them so much.
Next up though we're the band who a lot of the crowd were there to see, politically charged, Queer positive blackened hardcore blasters Grief Ritual (8) a band with a lot of talk surrounding them, they kicked they kicked the night into a higher gear, swearing hardcore riffs, varied vocals screams/shouts, breakdowns, blasts and even some tremolo picking, Grief Ritual put a lot into their expansive style of aggression, raging against injustice and tyranny, the songs are political and pissed off, the crowd lapping it up with lots of movement.
Grief Ritual smashed it, but bloody hell it takes a a hell of a band to top Underdark (9), the Anti-fascist, atmospheric black metal band which features the fantastic, raw, emotional vocals of Abi Vasquez. They take a progressive edge to black metal, adding post metal, screamo and metalcore to their political rage and indignation they are a principled and precise in their battery.
It's adult music for adults, trying to subvert many of the preconceptions of black metal, through presenting themselves as something else similar to Dawn Ray'd (R.I.P), it's very personal but lends itself to the ears of anyone sympathetic to their cause. Musically they bludgeon and batter, double kick blast beats from Dan Blackmore reverberated around Fuels, closed walls, linked in with Stephen 'Stig' Waterfield' harsh, fuzzy bass.
Weaving in and out with distortion, tremolo picking and lead breaks were guitarists Adam Kinson and Ollie Jones, directing the pace and atmosphere, I assume they leave each gig with RSI from the furious shredding. Each Underdark seems like it's catharsis, a collective release of emotion through a refreshing, compassionate, liberal take on an often po-faced, macho and maligned genre.
FHED continues to bring the best of the politically and socially aware underground metal scene to South Wales. Long may it continue!
Changing since it first went ahead, Verletzen couldn't return and Tides Of Sulfur were unable to perform so in their place was two harsh noise acts. Ordeal By Roses/NoisexMarine (6) were the acts chosen, last minute replacements who turned up, plugged in and abused their equipment to make ungodly rackets. Essentially two acts playing two sets in the same time frame, I'll admit harsh noise is not my bag, but both artists have it their all to kick off this night, doubling down that it's the noise scene is the true underground music.
Then it was time for the band who replaced Verletzen on the bill. South West/Wales based atmospheric black/sludge band Levitas (7), it's been a long time since I've seen them play but their precision application of crushing melancholy and anguished heaviness was perfect to build towards both of the other acts on the bill. Musically spot on but without much of their more theatrical trappings, Levitas won over a lot of the crowd who may not have seen them and reminded me of why I've always enjoyed them so much.
Next up though we're the band who a lot of the crowd were there to see, politically charged, Queer positive blackened hardcore blasters Grief Ritual (8) a band with a lot of talk surrounding them, they kicked they kicked the night into a higher gear, swearing hardcore riffs, varied vocals screams/shouts, breakdowns, blasts and even some tremolo picking, Grief Ritual put a lot into their expansive style of aggression, raging against injustice and tyranny, the songs are political and pissed off, the crowd lapping it up with lots of movement.
Grief Ritual smashed it, but bloody hell it takes a a hell of a band to top Underdark (9), the Anti-fascist, atmospheric black metal band which features the fantastic, raw, emotional vocals of Abi Vasquez. They take a progressive edge to black metal, adding post metal, screamo and metalcore to their political rage and indignation they are a principled and precise in their battery.
It's adult music for adults, trying to subvert many of the preconceptions of black metal, through presenting themselves as something else similar to Dawn Ray'd (R.I.P), it's very personal but lends itself to the ears of anyone sympathetic to their cause. Musically they bludgeon and batter, double kick blast beats from Dan Blackmore reverberated around Fuels, closed walls, linked in with Stephen 'Stig' Waterfield' harsh, fuzzy bass.
Weaving in and out with distortion, tremolo picking and lead breaks were guitarists Adam Kinson and Ollie Jones, directing the pace and atmosphere, I assume they leave each gig with RSI from the furious shredding. Each Underdark seems like it's catharsis, a collective release of emotion through a refreshing, compassionate, liberal take on an often po-faced, macho and maligned genre.
FHED continues to bring the best of the politically and socially aware underground metal scene to South Wales. Long may it continue!
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