Riffs and more riffs as Swansea played host to a four band bill to celebrate a veteran local band becoming a fourpiece. So one band per member if you will.
Beginning the night were Merthyr rockers Sleazy Money who brought fun and filth to The Bunkhouse Connor Palmer, Joe Florence, Frank Cross and Morgan Price stormed the stage with an in your face sound that reminded me a lot of Wolfsbane. Though of course without the confrontational between song banter, but there was still plenty of energy from their frontman and the band in total. I'd never seen the band before but they instantly impressed me with the way they just brought a mix of metal, punk and rock to get the night going loudly.
I would definitely see these guys again as they've got something about them that left me with a smile on my face and a ringing in my ears.
I would definitely see these guys again as they've got something about them that left me with a smile on my face and a ringing in my ears.
A lot of that was due to the sound mix which was the loudest I'd ever heard in the venue but when the next band are a colossal sludge/doom act named Hateful Dead it's the perfect level to make sure you have long term hearing damage. Having just released an EP called Facecrawler, they turned up the distortion for some twisted atmospheric heaviness where introspective noise comes with a lot of low end groove.The inspiration of Sabbath, Elder and Paradise Lost were all obvious as were the NOLA sounds of bands like Eyehategod and Crowbar especially in the harsh shouted vocals and grinding guitar riffs.
No Touch Of Grey from the Hateful Dead, this dark, dissonant Welsh doom that made the walls shake.
If the last band slowed things down, the aggressive Midlands noise punk of Black Tape certainly pressed the accelerator to get the pace back up. Like with all three support bands I'd never seen them either but this Wolverhampton foursome are a force to be wrecked with as they layer their punk rock with noise and grunge. Vicious vocals from Joe and snarling guitars from Luke, were abrasive and assault you with their aggression, but the band aren't simplistic, there's a lot of skill in the noise they create, especially in the boiler room where the rhythm section made it broader than you may expect.
They were a real bonus on the bill as it made for a lot of diversity, having played with the headlines before they were given exposure to a South Wales audience that reciprocated with movement, drying themselves off after the torrential downpours earlier in the day.
So then it was time for headliners, 16 years as a work in progress. I have seen Heavy On The Ride a few times in the past and while they have always impressed me, there was something missing. They've never been short of material despite few releases (their debut album is in the middle of being mixed) but as a trio they've never quite hit as hard as they could on stage. Couple this with a few members changes and the usual music industry shenanigans they are now a foursome as guitarist Ryan Williams joined Jordan Huxtable (guitar/vocals), Michael Bale (bass/vocals) and Sam Wood (drums/percussion) this year to re-activate the band in the loudest way possible.
The transformation was notable as Heavy On The Ride have always drawn comparisons to big hitters such as QOTSA or Kyuss with Mastodon and Baroness in their too, in the past they've even performed with QOTSA alumni such as Nick Oliveri and Alain Johannes and as they took to the stage those desert rock riffs are mountainous. With Jordan and Michael trading off vocals there's that Homme, Oliveri, Lanegan interplay to their songs, the bass lines throbbing against the huge drums, which in years last could have become the a distraction but now with both Jordan and Ryan trading off riffs, they're much more well rounded as well as being far heavier.
In addition to that when Jordan wants to have his Brent Hinds (R.I.P) moments and kick off the leads/solos, he's now got Ryan and Michael delivering the riffs. As a foursome Heavy On The Ride are a much heavier proposition on stage now, you can pick out the complexity in the melodies when they're not dropping lead hammers.
16 years as a work in progress? Maybe. But Heavy On Ride are now a very heavy rock n roll ride. (Whole Night Score) 8/10
So then it was time for headliners, 16 years as a work in progress. I have seen Heavy On The Ride a few times in the past and while they have always impressed me, there was something missing. They've never been short of material despite few releases (their debut album is in the middle of being mixed) but as a trio they've never quite hit as hard as they could on stage. Couple this with a few members changes and the usual music industry shenanigans they are now a foursome as guitarist Ryan Williams joined Jordan Huxtable (guitar/vocals), Michael Bale (bass/vocals) and Sam Wood (drums/percussion) this year to re-activate the band in the loudest way possible.
The transformation was notable as Heavy On The Ride have always drawn comparisons to big hitters such as QOTSA or Kyuss with Mastodon and Baroness in their too, in the past they've even performed with QOTSA alumni such as Nick Oliveri and Alain Johannes and as they took to the stage those desert rock riffs are mountainous. With Jordan and Michael trading off vocals there's that Homme, Oliveri, Lanegan interplay to their songs, the bass lines throbbing against the huge drums, which in years last could have become the a distraction but now with both Jordan and Ryan trading off riffs, they're much more well rounded as well as being far heavier.
In addition to that when Jordan wants to have his Brent Hinds (R.I.P) moments and kick off the leads/solos, he's now got Ryan and Michael delivering the riffs. As a foursome Heavy On The Ride are a much heavier proposition on stage now, you can pick out the complexity in the melodies when they're not dropping lead hammers.
16 years as a work in progress? Maybe. But Heavy On Ride are now a very heavy rock n roll ride. (Whole Night Score) 8/10
It's Griff singer of Hateful Dread debut EP is Facecrawler not Band Assist for the record great review and thank you for the kind words
ReplyDeleteHey Griff
ReplyDeleteYeah I realised that after I wrote the review, changed it now and we'll be publishing a review of the EP too later this week