Metal goes Mental
Solitary Confinement, Bury
the Conscious, Lazarus Syndrome, Ramraid, and Oceanis
The Zanzibar
17.10.12
What an
absolutely stonking line-up at the Zanzibar! Five quality bands all under one
roof and put on by none other than the awesome Mike Hardy.
Mike Hardy
How he is going to top this I don’t know but will be
interesting to find out if it is at all possible.
For a Wednesday
night the Zanzibar played host to a heaving crowd and hardly surprising as these
bands had the crowd literally eating out of their hands.
I personally
was stoked at the thought of seeing this line-up even though I had seen all the
bands play live previously but they were that good I had to go back and sample
again!
Solitary Confinement – Wallasey, Wirral
Links:
Genre: Thrash Metal/Metalcore
Founded March
2011 and all young guys who know how to tease the audience into
submission. They played on my last Helrazer back in November at the
Zanzibar and were superb then but now they have raised their game despite not
practising for four months they really put together a stunning set and looking
forward to hearing more from them.
Ryan, Jack, and Paddy
The Lash, Ryan, Lewis and Jack
They set a nice
fast pace as they opened up Metal goes Mental and gave it 100% hard to imagine
such expertise coming from 16 year old's but the only thing that Nic and I could
foresee is the fact that being so young it poses the old adage that they could
may well change their musical direction as they get older but this won’t be a
bad thing as it will enhance their playing and with the experience will give
the guys a new outlook and more to work with.
There were a
few nerves before the set but it was hardly noticeable from the audience
perspective and the band sounded tight and very much together as a whole with
each track having that nice bite to it
Lewis in action!
The Lash
Just as
memorable as the very last time I saw them and hoping they are going to work on
producing more material and maybe some band merch too! in the not too distant
future.
The Lash, Lewis, Ryan and Jack
Ryan’s vocals
were a lot more aggressive this time around, Danny nailed his axe and Lewis
was amazing on drums – well done guys great set see you next time round!
8/10
Set List:
Intro,
The Plague,
Crack the sky,
Declaration of Despisal
Asylum,
End its life
Members:
The Lash - Vocals/Guitar
Lewis Murphy - Drums
Paddy - Lead Guitar
Jack Howe - Bass
Ryan Merral - Lead Vocals
___________________________
Bury the Conscious - Liverpool
Links:
Genre: Metal
Founded late
2010 this eight legged monster known as Bury
the Conscious just never fail to leave me open mouthed when watching them
play live! They grow more confident with
each gig they play and are just so entertaining to watch and last night’s
performance was another notch carved into their history.
Luke, Matt C, Mike and Matt O
Matt C
I am hoping the
band get some t shirts printed soon as I will be the first one to buy one and
be more than happy to wear it!
The guitar was
superb from Matt O and brought a nice spacey vibe into existence whilst Luke’s
bass and what he does behind it with his stares of awe just added to the BTC
mix whilst Matt C really got to grips with his drums and smacked out some
quality beats to Mike’s growls and screams and together they make just one
awesome band who is very addictive.
Luke, Matt C, and Mike
Mike going mental
The Chaos Pad
served its purpose and as mentioned in a previous review is now the fifth
member of the band. The rumble from that little box was literally felt in the
gut as it roared out some nice heavy ambient noises despite the lead un-attaching
itself at one point the set was flawless.
I love the
track Unknown its catchy and memorable and I always hope they play it live and
fortunately for me they did and it sounded just as good as when I first heard
it.
Luke
Matt O
I heard from
Andy Deathwave that Bury the Conscious
will be playing at The Lomax in December for Hellwave so if you missed them
this time round you can always catch them then.
Bury the Conscious the only local band I have seen to use a Chaos Pad and this makes them stand out in their own
right!
8½/10
Set List:
Crossing
Epicenter
Unknown
Reclaim
Machine
Members:
Mike Roberts: Lead Vocals
Matt Clynch: Drums
Matt O'Donnell: Guitar/Vocals
Luke Crowther: Bass/Vocals
____________________________
Lazarus Syndrome - Liverpool
Links:
Genre: Heavy Metal
Formed 2011 Lazarus Syndrome is gaining popularity
at a notable rate in and around Liverpool and hardly surprising as once seen
they leave an indelible mark on the brain.
Tom and Pete
Jamie and Pete
Not only heavy
but they possess that knee jerk that makes one sit up and beg for more!
Impossible not to move the old head when they are on and last night was more of
a case of Whiplash Syndrome! As a nice row of heads whirled in time to the
catchy beats put before them. Cuzzy I am proud of you!
Pete, Tom and Mike
Jamie
Pete is a
superb front man and like a true metal head possesses that zany sense of humour
that has the audience laughing and joining in with the banter when Pete
announced the next track is dedicated to two people he hates and mentioned
Margaret Thatcher being one it had the audience clapping and cheering in
appreciation of his sentiments as he announced the track Parasite.
Also I should
mention that Lazarus Syndrome support Scare Tactics as do Scare Tactics support
Lazarus Syndrome and it was good to see Pete wearing his Scare Tactics T shirt
on stage which says what good support we have here in Liverpool.
Jamie and Mike
did some amazing fret work and made everything look so easy whilst Tom on bass
gave out some nice chunky hooks coupled with Matt’s heavy unrelenting beats but they do
have a softer side in between the monstrous sounds which really gives good
depth and balance to their tracks.
Mike
Roll on the
next Lazarus Syndrome gig – I am
right behind you!
9/10
Set List:
Age of Darkness
Born Again
Parasite
Indifference
A Path less Travelled
Requiem
Members:
Peter Ford - Vocals
Matt Gregson - Drums
Jamie Hall - Guitars
Mike Hollows - Guitars
Tom Parker – Bass
---------------------
Ramraid – Wirral
Links:
Genre: Old School Thrash Metal
Bringing old
school thrash into the mix is Ramraid whose
front man and stringed genius Joe Bromley never fails to bring a smile on the
lips of the watching crowd.
Paul, Joe and Ben
Joe
Someone shouted
out “Are you Peter Ford?” (Front man of Lazarus
Syndrome) and yes they do resemble each other. To which Joe replied “He
really wants to be me!” Roars of laughter went up - nobody could take away from
the great rapport Joe has with the crowd.
Their first
track was delicious and catchy and a good head banger – as you would expect it
is typically Thrash it couldn’t be anything else! And not out of place at a
metal gig of course!
Paul
Ben
Joe did better
at remembering the words to Bred for
Death this time round and it was received well by the hungry hordes.
I think they
could all be a bit more confident on stage though as there always seem to be a
bit of “we are not good enough!” about them and this I think hampers them
somewhat as they are great live and put on a great show but I think they also
need to use the stage a bit better and move about and not just stand in one
spot but Ramraid have great
potential to become better with each gig they play.
I really love
the bands logo it is somewhat different, eye catching and with great use of
colours.
Dominic
Not a bad set
at all and more together than the last time I saw them – great rhythm and power
and executed well on stage – but guys lose the “we are not good enough!”
attitude and start believing in yourselves – but whatever you do don’t lose
your terrific sense of humour!
8/10
Set List:
Into Annihilation,
RamRaid,
Bred For Death,
Murder in the Embassy,
Deathlands!
Members:
Joe Bromiley - Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals
Ben Gannon - Lead guitar
Paul Hutton - Bass
Dominic Williams - Drums
___________________________
Oceanis - Liverpool
Links:
Genre: Metal
And who better
than to headline Metal goes Mental
than Satan and his spawn? Oceanis
For the ones who had seen the band perform live previously they had a pretty
good idea of what was about to happen, for the rest of the innocent victims it
was lights out!
Joe
Craig and Stu
Phil and Craig
In true form
Joe slipped into his beastly role and lunged forth into the crowd with that
tell-tale twisted gnarl on his lips and his eyes narrowing with sheer
aggression pumped by the furious sounds emanating from the Zanzi stage.
The audience
not taking their eyes off Joe for one second scared at what would happen and who his next victim would be.
Joe alias Satan
Joe giving the Lash a run for his money!
Oceanis is simply two
shows in one as Joe the band’s formidable front man put on a show all his own
whilst the band conduct one between themselves. It is a highly explosive mix
and the crowds clearly had more than they bargained for with what was
transpiring around them.
Dave slogging away
Joe picking his next victim!
The crowd quaking in their boots
The bass amp
decided to pull a fast one on Craig and so whilst it was being dealt with Joe
told a few silly jokes and realised it was taking a bit longer than his jokes repertoire
to fix things then decided to ask the crowd if they would like a 3 track CD
from the band. Literally in seconds Joe
was surrounded by an eager horde of grasping hands like locusts the CD’s were
gone all but one lonely one that had fallen onto the stage remained out of
about 20 CD’s that was proof in itself that the band were well liked by the
crowd and that was only after 3 tracks!
Oceanis no matter how
many times you see them they never fail to bring that excitement to the stage
and leave you pondering on what you just witnessed.
Definitely and
without a doubt one of the heavier bands in Liverpool that will strike fear and
wrath into you urging you to go and experience it all over again next time
round.
Craig also
informed me after the set that Oceanis
are now working on new tracks so I am intrigued and excited about that prospect
and can’t wait to sample them in action again with new tracks in tow – bring it
on!!
10/10
Set List:
Ethereal
Prevalence
Of Flesh
Ghost of Man
Collision
Rise from Ruin
Brotherhood
Members:
Joe Maryanji - Vocals
Stu Donachie - Guitars & backing vocals
Dave Waite - Drums
Craig Miles - Bass
Phil Dyer – Guitars
This was a
superb night of molten metal and a great mix of genres with each band bringing
their own unique blend of metal to the forefront! I just hope Mike has not
peeked too soon with this line-up and wonder in awe of what his next line-up
will be? I don't know about Metal goes Mental more like it just went off the scale altogether!!
Caz, Ian, Nic and Pete
Rich Lashbrook
Louis Jackson-Payne, Rich Lashbrook, Ash Janes, The Lash and Friend
Dunny, Caz, Jesus and Barry
Andy Deathwave and Mike Hardy comparing beards!
**Special Thanks
to Mike Hardy for staging the event,
Pat O’Shaunessy for the wonderful
sound, Tony Butler the owner of the
Zanzibar Caz Jones, Dunny, Barry and Jesus, Scott Clayton (Bludvera) Kristian (Gods of War) Ian laver for bringing yet more
zaniness to the mix, Jack, Danny
Maidenist and Richie, Andy, Stu Barker, and Danny
Williams (Scare Tactics) Louis Jackson-Payne and Ash Janes (Ex Rosetta Stone) Richard
Lashbrooke, Andy Deathwave and Pete Cattle (Reaper) as well as Solitary Confinement, Bury the Conscious, Lazarus Syndrome, Ramraid and Oceanis – and also to Nic my other half for being there and enjoying the event with me :D - Great night!
