BREED 77, SUSPERIA AND ILLUMINATUS
ISLINGTON O2 ACADEMY 22/05/09
An early start meant that I only got to hear two tracks from the first band. I liked what I heard. The band, playing to a handful of people, sounded fresh and had a touch of Swedishness in their style. They then committed the cardinal sin of growling their name so I had no idea who they were, but I since saw a flyer a found out they were called Sworn Amongst.
I didn’t really like Illuminatus’s album “Wrath of the Lambs”. It was a bit too straight-laced for me. Well, this was the real deal. The band took their time to work up and down the scale, appealing to the senses in the process and taking the still sparse audience with them. It’s a shame they couldn’t have gone on for longer but they did play the excellent “Emotion Sickness”, the title track of their latest album and a couple of new ones. This was a very tight performance. The only thing I didn’t like was the lead singer foul-mouthing the audience in Bristol. I don’t know what happened there, but there’s no need for that. What would Mr Foul Mouth say about London, I wonder?
There was always a doubt about Susperia.as their lead singer had a heart attack earlier this year and the replacement, from Guardians of Time, was only brought in three weeks ago. There was no need for concern. The singer was great. His voice was more orientated to Power Metal or Iron Maiden styles but Susperia are basically a Classic Metal band. To their credit the singer was allowed to play to his strengths, had a great personality and didn’t try to be someone else. The weakness of the set came in another area. It’s never clear what Susperia are trying to be, and it showed here. The blandness of the new album “Attitude”, with the exception of the title track, came out in live form and whilst there was some excellent guitar-manship, the material wasn’t strong and the crowd didn’t react. “Here’s one for the girls” announced the singer at one point. Oh dear. He was right. It was only when they played “Release” and “Cut from Stone” from the previous album that the lush guitar work really shone, it all came together, and the place rocked.
Breed 77 are one of those bands whose name I see on the covers of the softer Metal magazines without knowing anything about them. All I knew about them was that they are from Gibraltar but UK-based. The room had filled up by this point, and clearly my lack of knowledge wasn’t shared. I thought Breed 77 were great. The earlier tracks with the classic guitars fixed on the stage were laced with Mediterranean moments. The drummer was superb and provided a varied and irresistible beat, and the singer’s voice was fantastic. The Mediterranean Metal was great. It lost a little of the excitement for me when the “ethnic” element wasn’t there, but it was still pure movement out there and slickly presented. The crowd tested the floor boards by bouncing up and down, moshed and generally enjoyed a magnificent and flamboyant spectacle. The singer kept apologizing for the new album not being out and I guess that reflected his frustration. No worries though, we were all with you and you did a great job of welcoming us into your world. I particularly liked the intro to “Wake Up”, the opener of the new album. Good song too. The breaks were great throughout and made us stop and think, but Breed 77 were quickly on the march again and we didn’t have to think too hard. It was a great show, superbly rehearsed, well played and pure fun. With my reviewing hat on, one thought nagged at me: how do I define this lot? Mediterranean Metal for sure, but I got it when they played the last track of the night: they’re like a Metal Swing band. Whatever it was, it was just fantastic and full of motion. It was interesting that people of all age groups, including parents with children, seniors and the normal range you’d expect, had come out to witness and enjoy the spectacle.
Once again the Islington O2 Academy had been host to a great night. I like it very much here, and without doubt the entertainment matched the quality of the venue.
Andrew Doherty
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