A surprisingly grand venue for such a wild tour package, it was my first time at the Bristol Beacon and I’m keen to return. The grandiose setting was a nice change from the dank pits normally host to death metal, the walls adorned with posters advertising orchestral performances and a considerable seating section that offered respite for those of us too tired to brave the throbbing masses who are eager to pit, was a welcome sight.
With an early start time kicking things off, I hurried in to catch the opening act, Belgium’s Schizophrenia (6). Sporting a high energy, death/thrash hybrid, the youngsters hit the stage with real enthusiasm, clearly over the moon to be on such a class bill. It was easy to see why they were picked too, with both the catchy thrash approach that Municipal Waste embodies, and the hard hitting death tonality that Cannibal Corpse are the quintessential essence of. Furiously marching across the stage, often swapping places with each other, they made the most of the space available to them.
Musically, the riffs are solid, the drums are tight and fast, but ultimately I’m struggling to recall how any of their songs went. All pizzazz, no staying power. Maybe given time they’ll work out how to turn that energy into hooks that land, but for now it’s hard to recommend them outside of the moment. They did get the crowd going however, and even got a circle pit, an impressive feat for an opening band.
Next on the bill, New York’s Immolation (6) took to the stage. Supremely intense, their stage show was less about side to side movement, and more about the vertical chopping of the stage right guitar. Between song banter kept to a minimum. the Immolation machine mechanically delivered a solid set of vigorous death metal.
Next on the bill, New York’s Immolation (6) took to the stage. Supremely intense, their stage show was less about side to side movement, and more about the vertical chopping of the stage right guitar. Between song banter kept to a minimum. the Immolation machine mechanically delivered a solid set of vigorous death metal.
I’ve never given Immolation a proper listen, and I feel like more familiarity with their 30 year history might have increased my enjoyment of the set, but on the night it didn’t quite do it for me. I was in the minority there though, as the crowd were lapping it up. Closing the set with one of their classics, ironically the song I vibed to the most, was Into Everlasting Fire from their debut album which also elicited a strong audience response.
Top support was Virginia’s Municipal Waste (8), the crossover thrash outfit equipped with riffs and tunes about partying galore. It was at this point I chose to seek refuge in the seating area, keen to avoid the inevitable wave of crowdsurfers, and I was pleased to enjoy an uninterrupted view of the stage antics and being level with the sound engineer meant the sound quality was crystal clear. Driving through the set, they played exactly what you’d want from the denim clad beer enthusiasts - non-stop high tempo thrash with duelling guitars and rapid fire vocals.
Top support was Virginia’s Municipal Waste (8), the crossover thrash outfit equipped with riffs and tunes about partying galore. It was at this point I chose to seek refuge in the seating area, keen to avoid the inevitable wave of crowdsurfers, and I was pleased to enjoy an uninterrupted view of the stage antics and being level with the sound engineer meant the sound quality was crystal clear. Driving through the set, they played exactly what you’d want from the denim clad beer enthusiasts - non-stop high tempo thrash with duelling guitars and rapid fire vocals.
The pit intensity increased, the circles got wider (though it did initially need some encouragement from frontman Tony Foresta), and lo - the crowd surfers did come. Tony’s shoutout to the Welsh contingent was a nice touch too, it’s always good to know bands outside of the UK actually know that Wales exists (hey some of them should tell the guys booking the tours nowadays). Fun, tight, and commanding the crowd with ease, Municipal Waste were a great choice for this tour.
Closing the night was THE death metal band, Cannibal Corpse (10). These titans of the genre have earned their place at the top of the totem pole, with an extensive back catalogue of solid hits and the unmatched stage presence of George Corpsegrinder Fisher, Corpse took to the stage with thunderous applause and launched straight into the riffage. Sporting a set balanced between newer tracks and proven bangers from the vault, the extremely polished, expertly executed performance demonstrated why they receive the welcome they do. Hard to elaborate more on how good they were, but yet again my socks were blown off, If you get the opportunity to see Cannibal Corpse, you definitely should.
Closing the night was THE death metal band, Cannibal Corpse (10). These titans of the genre have earned their place at the top of the totem pole, with an extensive back catalogue of solid hits and the unmatched stage presence of George Corpsegrinder Fisher, Corpse took to the stage with thunderous applause and launched straight into the riffage. Sporting a set balanced between newer tracks and proven bangers from the vault, the extremely polished, expertly executed performance demonstrated why they receive the welcome they do. Hard to elaborate more on how good they were, but yet again my socks were blown off, If you get the opportunity to see Cannibal Corpse, you definitely should.
Closing the set with Hammer Smashed Face, and a sizeable wall of death, I’m already looking forward to the next time they roll into town - hopefully on this side of the Severn!
No comments:
Post a Comment