ANGEL WITCH, THE GATES OF SLUMBER, CROWNING GLORY & WITCHSORROW
THE UNDERWORLD, CAMDEN - LONDON 30/04/09
From the moment this bill was announced, this was a wet dream of metal talent. Not only did you have the legendary Angelwitch, but also the three supports acts arguably being some of the best bands around at the moment.
WITCHSORROW bring doom to the already busy crowd, whilst not many tracks have been released by this band, they certainly know how to rumble the foundations of the underworld tonight, I even had to remove my beer from the stage in fear of the bass causing it to topple. This is a much more solid polished show than the one I witnessed in February at the Unicorn, the guitars went down but for a brief moment, ‘The Trial of Elizabeth Clarke’ trundles along with complete disregard to any decency with the doom cover of Mayhem is being simply immense. Whilst head banging is mandatory during the latter section of ‘Thou Art Cursed’ you cannot help but thinking that this band is special. This was another cracking show from a band that should be snapped up ASAP.
CROWNING GLORY bring the metal back to the London stage, always good live performers the crowd is already well up for it when the band intro starts, then when Robert Alexander runs onto the stage and starts singing, The Underworld erupts. The crowd keeps on swelling and there are a number of personnel nodding their appreciation. Real metal riffs coupled with some power metal-isms in some arrangements makes for an uplifting experience. We are treated to such gems as ‘Dean Man’s Paradise’, ‘Path to Glory’ and what I term their signature tune ‘Sea of Dead Dreams’. Karl from The Gates of Slumber soon joins the band for some headbanging and backing vocals, but the main focal point is most certainly Crowning Glory themselves. Throwing metal shapes and blitzing up and down the fretboards guitarists Tom Draper (Lead) and Steve Parkyn show everyone how it should be done with a front man persona quite similar to Rob Halford and Ralf Scheepers. The crowd sing along a chant enthusiastically as the bands set comes to an end. You should not have any excuse not to enjoy this performance; the metal certainly reigns supreme in Camden tonight.
The only band from overseas tonight fresh from their Keep It True festival appearance is none other than doom legends The Gates of Slumber who obviously have a big following tonight as its extremely hard to get anywhere near the front for their set. With only three members in the band they certainly make it sound like a five-piece with their thundering metal assault. ‘Ice Worm’ is such a good track and the bass is so damn loud, it rattles the cobwebs a bit. Maybe the band is unaware, maybe they are, but the buzz in the crowd is electric. Still the quality tunes keep coming with ‘Angel of Death’ and you can’t help hearing their influences from Manila Road to Saint Vitus. Bands like this don’t come around that often, but when they do be prepared for something magical. Doom has certainly woken up satan himself and battered him around the head like the morning after hangover, bassist Jason McCash never stopped headbanging through any of the tunes whilst the crowd to band banter seemed most appreciated. I for one will look forward to their next outing on these shores.
Whilst regarded by many as a highlight of the NWOBHM movement, ANGEL WITCH set the stage alight right from the start with ‘Sweet Danger’. The only original band member Kevin Heybourne and co are greeted with a surprising turn out that confirms the recent revival of the movement and its popularity seemingly growing in the younger generation. Whilst you may find it difficult to find knowledge of their other albums in conjunction with the debut album that everyone seems to know, that does not matter in the slightest. The crowd are rabid and singing their hearts out, especially to the signature tune ‘Angel Witch’…how does it goes “you’re an Angel-witch, you’re and Angel-witch”, yes ok I sang as well. Previous to this I did find myself straying to the bar area as I was losing interest somewhat (apart from the aforementioned ‘Angel Witch’), maybe due to a train deadline, or maybe due to a need to get some food. The remainder of the set sat nicely on my shoulders but did not set the world on fire or pummel me into the ground. The previous three bands had already taken my breath away and I was happy enough with that. I will be looking forward to their live show in Germany this summer, it will also give me another chance to take in the whirlwind live set of this band and see if things are as classic second time around as people keep on saying to me. Looking at the exhausted crowd at the end of the night, things appeared to have gone well and there was certainly a great metal gathering tonight folks. A great bill and a full metal jacket most certainly required with the bands delivering by the bucket load.
Paul Maddison
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