I arrived at the Slade Rooms
in time to catch the last song of Japanese Metal band Gyze's set, so I can't really comment on their show. What I heard
sounded good, kinda like Children of
Bodom or Norther, so I'll have
to check them out at a later date.
Up next were German Power
Metal band Majesty, who played for a
full hour to support their new album Rebels. This was my first time seeing or
hearing them, and my first thought was that the lead singer sounded like Eric Adams from Manowar, and the instrumental side of their music was a bit more
like Virgin Steele. I really like
both of those bands, so Majesty
really appealed to me. In a world where so many metal bands are full of
angst, it's always refreshing to hear a band like this that's upbeat, fun, and
whose main message is one of international unity between everyone out there who
loves Heavy Metal. Every traditional Heavy Metal cliché is present and welcomed
like an old friend. Majesty thrive
in an area of the metal genre that is ridiculous and over the top, and if you
enjoy this kind of Metal driven escapism, Majesty
are definitely worth checking out. The band was very impressive tonight, both
in their exemplary playing and crowd participation. They were the perfect band
to go on before Battle Beast, and
I'm sure that they earned themselves plenty of new fans.
Headliners Battle Beast were fucking incredible.
I've been enjoying their latest album Bringer
Of Pain for a few weeks now (check out my review here) so I was really
looking forward to seeing them, and I am so pleased that I made the effort to
go to the show. Opener Straight To The
Heart was pure fire, as the band played a note perfect rendition of it, and
lead singer Noora Louhimo's vocals
were absolutely astounding. I haven't been that blown away by a lead singer's
performance since the first time I saw Rob
Halford live! From tonight's performance I honestly believe that when it
comes to Metal, Noora is one of the
best lead singers in the world right now, and that's no exaggeration. The rest
of the band were also absolutely killer, nailing each song with precision and
making it look easy. They all seemed to be having a great time on stage too
which added to the performance and made for a really entertaining show. The
band played most of the tracks from Bringer
of Pain and a good mix of early material. I was a little gutted at the
exclusion of the 80's Pop Metal masterpiece Dancing With The Beast, but aside from that, the band delivered
everything I wanted, including the insanely catchy King For A Day and the wonderfully ludicrous Black Ninja. Battle Beast
are on top of their game, and I feel privileged to have seen them at this key
stage in their career. The Beast is rising and the future of Heavy Metal is in
safe hands.
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