SUICIDE SILENCE
VANNA
And the Never Say Die Tour rolls into London town; seven bands for £15 is a pretty attractive proposition, especially when they include Suicide Silence and Emmure. The evening kicks off in typically brutal style with Vanna from Boston, USA. Showcasing some well crafted songs and fine eye for synchronised stage bouncing(!) they are well received by a pretty good turnout considering it’s such an early start. The downside of having such a large number of bands on the bill is that they only get to play for 20 minutes before calling it a day and being replaced on the stage by The Human Abstract.
DATE:
VENUE:
Wednesday 12th October 2011
Electric Ballroom in London, UK
Reviews & Photography by Graham Hilling
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EMMURE; DEEZ NUTS; THE WORD ALIVE; AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK; THE HUMAN ABSTRACT; VANNA
THE HUMAN ABSTRACT
These guys are from LA and bring their own style to the lineup, with a more progressive edge than many of the other bands. They have a piano backing track running and a style of their own. However, some of the subtleties that set them apart are lost in the live melee (the Ballroom really does have a VERY loud PA) and this is a shame because I think they have the potential to be a very interesting live band.
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AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK
Once again, a super short set from The Human Abstract gives rise to band number three – As Blood Runs Black. From the get go, demonstrating they mean business, Sonik Garcia is an excellent frontman, owning the stage and the ferocity level is cranked a notch higher. Despite their rather chequered lineup stability, they sound like a force to be reckoned with tonight, no complaints from me!
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THE WORD ALIVE
Next up are The Word Alive from Arizona, and another change of gear and direction with the inclusion of a keyboard and a generally slower, more atmospheric set of songs. The volume in the venue leaves little room for subtlety again but The Word Alive dish up some cracking metalcore with closer ‘2012’ seeing a large pit of young ‘uns flinging each other around like they’re indestructible – great stuff!
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DEEZ NUTS
Next on stage are Deez Nuts, who I’m not the biggest fan of, to be honest. The rapping style is not something I’ve ever really embraced and their sound is quite thin with just a single guitar, when compared to the bands that have already been on the stage tonight. However, the crowd are pretty pleased to see them and there’s no shortage of pit action and surfing.
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EMMURE
With Deez Nuts finishing their set, there is a real buzz in the air for the last two bands of the evening. Emmure, originally from Connecticut, are in top gear as soon as they hit the stage. Brutal and heavy, songs like ‘Chicagos Finest’, ‘Rusted over Wet Dreams’ and ‘Demons with Ryu’ span their recording career and produce max chuggability for a now heaving Ballroom. The number of people surfing is also peaking, keeping the security guys busy for the whole set. With other bands looking on from the wings, when Frankie Palmeri talks about us all being a family (punters and bands alike) there is definitely a ring of truth.
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SUICIDE SILENCE
And so to the climax of the evening, Suicide Silence from California. Looking every bit like the headline band they’re greeted by a crowd hungry for more, and desperate to squeeze the last bit of enjoyment out of the evening. Playing songs from all of their albums including ‘Fuck Everything’, ‘Smoke’ and ‘No Pity for a Coward’, they are difficult to find fault with; brutality and precision rolled together to form an impressive noise machine. Mitch Lucker is a compelling front man and provides a real focal point for the band, and the music is complex with tight tempo and time signature changes married with blinding speed and aggression. Suicide Silence provide a fitting end to an ear battering, the likes of which hasn’t been seen for quite a while. Roll on Never Say Die 2012!
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