DESTRUCTION, ONSLAUGHT AND AMENTI
After being told tonight that Rasta had been pulled from the bill, I can only wonder if such a band ever even existed, as all internet searches returned were hip-hop and reggae artists.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy opening band Amenti, having heard a couple of their demo tracks a year or so ago that didn’t exactly blow me away. The band took to the stage and immediately proved to be worthy of their slot on tonight’s bill. Bass heavy music with twin guitars laid down some modern thrash riffing, with a neo-Exodus influence shining through. It was hard not to notice the blatant rip off of Evile track “We Who Are About To Die”. Vocals were a mix of melodic death style growls with some clean singing that reminded me of Corey Taylor. Amenti’s melodeath style is far from groundbreaking, although their tight musicianship and energy on the stage puts them slightly ahead of other bands in this category.
I last saw Onslaught in 2006, at a one off gig in Bradford where they co-headlined alongside Xentrix, and I suppose the poor sound quality at that gig contributed to the fact that I wasn’t all that impressed with their set back then. As their intro tape sounded over the P.A., I ventured away from the bar to watch as Sy Keeler and co. plunged straight into the explosive “Killing Peace”, as the crowd erupted into a headbanging frenzy. After his eye-ncident last time Onslaught played Leeds Rios, Sy was unable to headbang although he still managed to pull off his fierce vocals with ease while appearing every bit the charismatic frontman he is renowned for. Tonight the acoustics were much more to form and Onslaught played a satisfying set as they blazed through oldies such as “Metal Forces” and “Demoniac”, while newer tracks like “Tears Of Rage” prove that Onslaught still have it in them to thrash as hard as ever!
It has been a couple of years since German titans of thrash Destruction played in the UK, and after last years’ cancellations things have hardly gone smoothly for the band this tour either. Rumours flying across the ‘net were that this tour had been cancelled at the last minute, although thankfully not everybody took this rumour on board as a sizable crowd seemed to have gathered by the time Destruction took to the stage. Tonight they were every bit as exhilarating on stage as ever! Opening their set with “Curse The Gods”, the trio rattled through a lengthy set comprised of old and new tracks; “Life Without Sense”, “Mad Butcher”, “The Antichrist” and “Hammer Of Hate” are played to perfection as Schmier secretes his course, distinctive snarl over their trademark aggressive thrash sound that has the ‘bangers in the pit going crazy. As Schmier and Mike swagger about the stage with the boundless energy of a band half their age, trading mic stands at every opportunity, these make for an engaging band to watch, and as they tear through the anthemic “Thrash Is Back” the crowd reaction is all the proof we need that while thrash never truly went away, it is in a pretty healthy state right now. Returning for an encore of “Bestial Invasion” and “The Butcher Strikes Back”, Schmier hints at a possible return to the UK in 2008 for the Bloodstock Festival. Well, if you believed the “cancelled gig” rumours then you really missed out tonight. Fools.
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Luci Herbert
LEEDS RIOS - 13/11/07
CLICK HERE TO READ AN INTERVIEW WITH DESTRUCTION