“A mix of death
and black metal with a melodic groove and atmospheric landscapes. Gukurahundi brings an array of styles
and genres into their music while maintaining their African roots. From
bludgeoning blast beats to down tempo piano bridges the band brings a fresh new
sound to blackened death metal. For fans of Naglfar, Behemoth, Dark Fortress,
and Severe Torture”
Founded in 2013
and a side project that was spawned from Stigmata
Dawn these two guys have indeed created a monster!
As for the name
Gukurahundi the only thing I came up
with was: The Gukurahundi (Shona:
"The early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains") that kind of sums up this band very nicely indeed.
Gukurahundi was spawned from Stigmata Dawn
An Apparition
in Nocturnal Splendour
That familiar
growl amid a rambling riff and so very typical of black metal is indeed very
angry and aggressive as shit! It is severely peppered with torturous rhythms and
demonically cruel in sound, powerfully focused on its meandering development
without foregoing its melodic progression but remains violent and vicious.
Dethroned
This is
slightly low key in abrasive dynamics, however it is just as terrifying as the
previous track with the added mix of whispered vocals that add a creepy feel
and not all one-dimensional in delivery offering a fresh slant on the
proceedings. Its building scathing rhythms seek out your very soul with its
barbaric tones and a gruff whisper is now added in so giving the listener
plenty to feast upon picking over the carcass.
The Antichrist
A nice dramatic
opening with plenty of vicious scathing gnarly but well balanced vocal.
Impacting and dark with driving rhythms that power into view on the back of a venomous
drum beat.
Sombre Dreams
to Gaze Upon
Softer but
ambient strings usher forth with great composure. Rather intriguing and diverse
meaning the total opposite of blackened death metal. The strings play with your
head and send tingles like icy rain down your backbone.
The Carcass of
Christ
From the tingle
of icy rain to the frantically hot sizzle of a scathing vocal scream and
surging rhythms that pummel you senseless – this is seriously infectious,
damming and brutal. This will steam roller you into submission and once
flattened you are not coming back up for air. Just feel those chugging riffs
and let them devour you with extreme urgency!!
To Sum up:
Absolutely
superb E.P that flows solidly and is truly amazing in delivery and production.
A blasting inferno of high octane riffage and barrage of bullet firing blast
kicks in abundance – it really is one brilliant E.P the 24th
April should now become a holiday in recognition of such an amazing E.P!
One does not
need to soul search here to know that this is one superb array of fiery and
passionately produced tracks that will take you above and beyond brutal – if it
was Kentucky Fried Chicken I would be licking my fingers and going back for
second helpings - in fact this E.P is a feast of treats and I for one will be
going back for third and fourth helpings – this is outstanding!
Brutai have been a band since 2008, and this
is their self-titled E.P just newly unleashed.
Flood
With a voice
that would simply wake the dead Felix Lawrie springs into action. The track presents a lot of metal melodic
embellishments and houses harmonies in great quantity along with clean vocals
that, simply wraps itself around a monumental plundering of huge riffs and
strong drumming.
Alpha
Quite a bone
crunching start with huge vocal content that melodically twists into a rhythmic
crescendo of riffs. The drumming hosts plenty of kicks with a strong bass hook
that soaks up the richness of the heavy vocal along with the more clean
tempered vocal. A very fertile offering from Brutai.
Sleepers
Now a more
totally diverse approach can be heard from Brutai,
as a somber mood starts to emerge and then quickly twists into brute force. The
kick beats are stupendous, I was not too keen on this track on first listening but find that I have
played this the most and it is growing on me so much so, I am getting to know
the words and now quite like the shifting time signatures.
Straight Silver
Straight
forward riffs urge a melodic tone of ferocity, with the odd growling vocal but they
plumb for cleaner vocal which is more prominent in the track, however the riffs
grow in stature and there is no escaping its sheer crushing drumming.
Onyx
Damming and
brutal this track literally blisters and again with a cleaner vocal that shares
with a guttural one, however this track does not lose intensity it just gains it
along the way with a fast flying array of riffage, solid bass hook and barrage
of evilly intense blast beats. There are some elements of progressive but it
blends in well on the track and does not lose its vibrant stance.
To Sum up:
Quite a
powerful E.P this although you have to truly appreciate the progressive
elements in it to really like it.
Sometimes I find progressive a bit too quirky and off the cuff as it
seems to go off on a tangent like on the track ‘Sleepers’ but
now find I am beginning to warm to its quirkiness.
Brutai was released digitally on 30th April
but is being re-released as a physical edition with special bonuses on 8th July
2013.
Brutai
It is worth
noting - The band are looking for a London based-drummer so if you like what
you hear and you feel you can accommodate the band please contact them on the
above link or you can contact Lulu Davis
CEO- Artist Manager and Publicist @Incendia Music Management and Public
Relations www.incendia-management.co.uk
Been a while
since I listened to any punk has to be said, but these guys were extremely raw
and added a hint of metal to their tone which went down superbly well. Plenty of
head shaking and even a small ferocious mosh pit was formed.
Twigg, Azzy and Shaun
Their unusual
blend of ‘shouty’ raw punk was well received and responded to by the heaving
crowd that had gathered at the Zanzibar and quite early on in the evening too! Their no
nonsense performance really sparked a lot of interest!
Twigg and Azzy
Never having
seen them before, they did bring something old to a new table and everyone
really enjoyed their set of garbled shouts and fast paced rhythms. Azzy the band’s vocalist towered above the
stage and in true punk fashion seemed to plough through the tracks,
bantering in between and telling stories to the amused crowd provoking a lot of
laughter
Shaun
They received a
lot of attention at the gig and rightly so as their music was not portrayed as
one dimensional it contained some nice strong elements of Hard-Core, but
all too soon their set was at an end. They
played a lot of tracks and each one harsher than the previous ones putting a good
slant on this metal evening!
Andy
Their look of
shaven heads and tattoo filled bodies gave out an impression of “We don’t give
a fuck!” but it is always funny how the scariest of blokes always turn out to
be the nicest when you meet them face to face and The Jeffery Uppercut were no exception to the rule.
I always love
watching Renegade State play their
groove laden tracks as they always lift my mood even though I am always in a
good mood at gigs but after listening so many times to each of their tracks I
now know all the words and was singing merrily along to each of them which made
Gani chuckle somewhat and brought a
smile to the faces of Renegade State.
Mike
I was sorry the
guys did not play Little Dark Lies as
this is one of my all-time favourites from Renegade
State, But as Mike informed me after the set, that after just acquiring a
new drummer (Phil Daw - who is shit
hot I might add) He wasn’t really confident to play that track and needed a bit
longer to master it, but the tracks they did play were full of groove and
enjoyed by most who saw them live.
All out fave track - Little Dark Lies!
Judgement Day
and Rise of a Race, fall of a Kingdom was particularly melodic as well as
brutal and I felt the satisfaction of singing along to its huge melodic swathes
as I am sure the band did on performing them live.
Joe and Mike
However all the
tracks they played, especially their new track “The Pit” was saturated with
ferocity and sung to perfection and I am looking forward to learning the words
to that as well, but like Phil, will need some time to master the lyrics as
with any new song.
Tom and Phil
New drummer Phil Daw!
One of their
best performances to date despite the heckling from Yeardo, which was a little
disconcerting but proves the band can play under duress and still smash it to
pieces! Good on you guys looking forward to catching you live again sometime
soon.
I had not seen Gods of War play for a while, so I was
really looking forward to this performance and with now three new tracks under
their belt they went on to literally pulverise them. Angmar being my favourite new track, was really memorable, with
tons of melodic sway in it and superbly executed by the band.
Danny and James
Gods of War have now recruited some more deftly
carved string arrangements into their set courtesy of the awesome Matty Hughes,
so it’s not all fast paced anymore which gives Danny their front-man a bit of a respite
from his wild stage antics – although when he goes wild – which he always does
anyway, the crowd usually does too.
Spellbinding Matty
Towards the end
of the set Danny slipped off his elbow, and knee pads for his long black jacket
and seemed a little less frenzied as the heat is always a problem on stage and
the way Danny moves around it was probably more comfortable too!
Mike Hardy the host for the evening at Metal goes
Mental had an over sight and told the band they could do one more song and so
they finished off with “Ignite” which starts with a fast paced riff and got
everyone head banging to the fore.
Gods of War are really a superb live act, so if
you get the chance to go and see them do, because you are in for a really
raucous ride of riffs! An embracing set that went from extremely raw to beautifully melodic and
have now perfected their set. Nobody can say
they don’t exude 100% at their gigs!
10/10
Set List:
Termination Program
The Arrival
Operation Engage (new song)
Gods of Old (new song)
Angmar (new song)
Ignite
Members:
Danny Hell - Lead Vocals, Part Time Colonial Marine
Kris Dobson - Lead drums and Alien noises
Matt Hughes - Lead Guitar, Lead Backing Vocals and Salsa-Related
Devastation
James Collins - Bass, Backing Vocals
**********
Ramraid – Liverpool
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/RamRaidUK
Genre: Old
School Thrash
No naked chicks just a few half semi-naked men – but none the less Ramraid delivered , Thrashing
the light fantastic! Ramraid did an
amazingly good set last night although slightly more serious than usual.
Ben, Dom and Joe
I just love “Into
Annihilation” the catchy riffs and lyrics to that track alone had me singing
along and although I have heard it so many times will never get sick of it.
Awesome thrash track - Into Annihilation
Precise and
pitch perfect the set was truly engaging. When music is played this good it
only serves to make the hair stand up on your neck and make you break out in
goosebumps!
The amazing Joe Bromily - (A pic for Emma)
Ben as usual
delivered a blistering set on his new brightly coloured Ibanez guitar, bending
the strings in all directions I was amazed he never snapped any! Ramraid work so well together on stage
their personalities all melt together.
Dom’s faces he pulls as he hits his drum kit are just so funny but it
all adds to the frenzy of Ramraid’s thrashing
set.
The awesome Ben Gannon
Again it was a
free for all as Joe the long suffering rhythm guitarist and vocalist invited
people to join them on stage – Scotty, Patto, Yeardo, Matty and James among others did not hesitate and soon the stage was literally “rammed” with bodies,
which is always entertaining.
Free for all!
Great set as
usual and really thrashed out to perfection to the ever increasing hordes of
people now gathered around the stage. Thanks Ramraid for delivering another catchy set of thrashing awesomeness!
See you again soon!
Joe and Paul
Brilliant!
10/10
Set List:
Into Annihilation
RamRaid
Powermad
Bred For Death
Murder in the Embassy
Systematic Genocide
Members:
Joe Bromiley - Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals
Ben Gannon - Lead Guitar/Songwriter
Paul Hutton - Bass Guitar
Dominic Williams - Drums
Coronach – Birkenhead,
Wirral
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/CoronachUK
Genre: Technical Death Metal
It certainly wasn’t the
mention of free cake that got people to stay and watch Coronach I am pretty sure of that, as most of the cake they did
throw out to the crowd was thrown back on stage, so that has to leave the fact
that people were there to witness some Technical Death Metal played with upward
momentum and abrasive interest.
Chris peeling the skin off your face!
Coronach were headlining Metal goes Mental and
there was still an amazing amount of people left to witness the event which was
absolutely superb. It has been a long
time coming but I think people are finally beginning to understand that support
is what the metal scene should be about.
People turned up in their droves for this event – by 8.20pm 46 people
had turned up and more were flocking through the doors, restoring my faith in
the metal community.
Benn and Liam
Although Coronach are deadly serious about their
death metal, there is always a good rapport with the crowd and this gig was no
exception.
Mike - Just a mountain of hair!
Benn just
stroked his guitar and made it cry out in a frenzy of riffs, whilst Chris
secreted a lot of unintelligible growls, Mike stood composed under a mountain
of hair, Ryan was somewhat overshadowed in the corner but still managed to
chuck out a few meaty bass hooks, whilst Liam the skins man literally killed
that kit and always does, at each gig, but the set was not without its problems.
Liam
Well! all was
going really well for Coronach up
until Benn’s guitar decided to conk out, which had Benn swapping leads and
guitars and plugging various leads into amps etc until finally things started
to work again – although Benn always looks composed and does not let things
phase him one bit. The band waited for
him to make contact again and then they went on to smash their set,
Ryan
Benn and Chris
Daring to be
different, is Coronach’s set list! If
you think their set list is strange (well it isn’t to them apparently) it is
rather to us laymen, being just numbered, however they played my favourite track
‘Hobo with a Shotgun’ I will take a punt it was number 4 but it could be anyone’s
guess, at least I got a set list this time – so things are definitely looking
up.
10/10
Set List:
12
5
3
4
9
8
11
13
Members:
Chris Furlong - Vocals
Benn Freeman - Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Liam Edwards - Drums
Ryan O’Quigley - Bass
Mike Cliffe - Rhythm/Lead Guitar
***Special thanks as always to Mike Hardy for his incredible work on
piecing together five excellent bands that range from Punk to Technical Death Metal.
Pat for the incredible sound and
impeccable change overs. Paul for
definitely being a Teddy Bear and keeping us all safe! Tony, and Totty too. Cuzzy,
- Ian, Jake and Amy for being
as awesome as ever and keeping me entertained in the breaks between bands and
to GaniBrown for her invaluable friendship. Also to Caz Waitforit Jones for just being Caz, and great meeting Andy Williams for the first time as he
decided to venture out to sample a quality line-up and of course Scott and Patto of Bludvera for coming out to support their mates Ramraid. A special mention to Mr
Slap Happy or Haribo to his mates! For
supporting the cause. And of course to all the bands The Jeffrey Uppercut, Renegade State, Gods of War, Ramraid and Coronach for keeping the hungry hordes
well entertained all evening with some really interesting sets and memorable
hooks. Roll on the next Metal goes Mental!
There is certainly not
much information around on this band and judging by the musical gaps not sure
if they split up at one stage or not. However the band have got their act
together once more and now released a new Demo entitled The Primordial Mode.
Nightingale
A case of
beauty meets the beast here with a scathing male vocal meeting a haunting
feminine vocal. It garners a harsh
atmosphere with plenty of musical panache for sure. Not what I was expecting at
all, (must make note to oneself, do not judge until listened!) Well executed
and holds plenty of interest for the listener and once again a foreign band who
sings in English – putting us to shame once again.
Daunting
Dark, heavy and
rich in musical structures that offer a towering inferno of musical madness,
drenched in rawness and swelling rhythms. The female vocal struggles though,
amid the colossal sound and is slightly lost which is a shame but it has a lot
of heaviness to overcome and is indeed a Daunting task. But this track holds
plenty of melodic qualities in sheer abundance.
Argo
Thunders into
action with all guns blazing and Maija comes into her own on this with a
harsher sounding vocal, although she returns to her comfort zone shortly after
the onslaught begins. Musically swathed in melodic tendencies with the guitars holding
a much heavier edge, and has a constant rhythmic beat blending into the mix
really well, which is welcomed with open arms.
Neferion
Force Within
Seductive as it
is dark and atmospheric, it shifts and changes direction seamlessly and possesses
plenty of ferocious passion mainly from the male vocal content it simply guides
us through a raging storm and embraces but with gnarly fingers giving it a
chilling touch. It is a highly attractive track with precise rhythms that wash
not only over you but all around you so you drown in its beauty.
To Sum up:
A really superb
demo from Neferion showing that they
possess a certain flair to combine their Gothic touches with their brutally raw
ones and it is a combination that works extremely well.
It has a lot of
kick and bite tendencies and not just all sweet female vocals, which was what I
was afraid of originally. Even Maija’s clean vocal blends effortlessly into the
music she is singing to and her range goes beyond that. An overall tight sound
quality with only a fluctuation on vocal through the track ‘Daunting’ but she
redeems herself well amid a high octane level of brutal and emotive vibration
of sound. Neferion are now back on
track and with vengeance!
