EVILE + TORANAGA + GRIEVE
THE PICTUREDROME HOLMFIRTH - 2/10/11
I had always wanted to go this venue which originally opened in 1913 as a theatre. Luckily Evile had always wanted to play there too as it is local just a bus ride from Huddersfield and the perfect place for them to play as an album launch. Getting there the venue which normally hosts older bands (Curved Air and Caravan are playing in a week and New Model Army and The Stranglers etc often stop of here) we were slightly surprised seeing a pink banner advertising Cinderella the Christmas Panto but as the metal brethren from Yorkshire and afar began to flock in we knew we were in for a good night of thrash. One complaint though, why it was deemed necessary to add a bloody covers act to the bill and have the headliners playing until 11.30 is beyond me as it no doubt was to anyone who had to leave early for transport links. Covers bands (and no I do not take the ‘but they are good’ excuse) are for pubs not professional shows and were a complete waste of space.
Onto bands not so plagiaristic and first up were Grieve who also come from Hudds. The band had plenty of energy about them from the off and more importantly they had their own songs, which were fast, feral and thrash laden. They quickly got the now very busy venue neck-wrecking to songs like ‘Born To Lose’ which had a bit of a Southern groove going on about it. It would not be too wide of the mark mentioning the likes of Pantera and Lamb Of God here but the fairly young looking lot utilised the big stage area well, gave it their all and sounded both professional and tight. Combined with a nice meaty sound and good stage lighting they kept a good portion of the crowd out of the separate bar area and seemed to go down well.
Well the words ‘old bands’ were mentioned earlier and we certainly got that next. Bradfordians Toranaga originally were doing the rounds as early as 1985 and they released two albums between 88 and 90 called Bastard Ballads and God’s Gift on Peaceville and Chrysalis Records respectively. Now if you don’t remember them you are not alone and a resurrection and new songs and album were apparently scuppered around 2004 due to various members leaving and emigrating. History aside tonight they were back and they were rocking. Those around back in time may well have noted that nothing was played from the first album but a smattering of songs from the second were dusted off along with some newer numbers. There was a clinical and complex sound behind this and the band quickly got into their stride with numbers like ‘Cynical Eye’ combining an old thrash and NWOBHM etched mindset. This was all very enjoyable and combined the old with the new which were to follow and it was a really good touch resurrecting the group for what I can only guess was a somewhat rare show this evening. They did manage to get the first few rows banging away and thrusting fists in the air but even the scorching soloing seemed to fail to get those further back from standing like planks. Older songs like ‘Sword Of Damocles’ failed to bring back any memory I may have had of the group but that did not curb any of the pleasure from hearing it. ‘Return Of The Gods’ could well be prophetic, let’s hope they stick around long enough to get some new material together (PW)
As I write this review it dawns on me that it is the second anniversary of the death of original Evile bassist Mike Alexander and like probably many of those of us lucky enough to have known him he has been in my thoughts today. Being both a fan of thrash metal and also a Huddersfield native I have very fond memories of watching the band in the early days before signing to Earache and while I don’t want to get too emotional here it is quite sad to think that after all the hard work Mike put in back then he never really got the chance to enjoy the success that followed. It has been at least three years since I last saw Evile, and for that reason I had the preconception that it would be rather strange watching the guys without Mike on the bass, as it always is when you are used to seeing a certain line-up for a band, but then life does go on and at the same time I was also looking forward to seeing what new guy Joel brought to the table.
Gnashing and gnawing its way through the speakers is new title-track ‘5 Serpent’s Teeth’ which kicks off a storming set of frenzied thrash metal that really shows us how it’s done. Yes, this is the same band I remember from three years ago, only they have evolved into a far-tighter machine as such crowd-pleasers as ‘Killer From The Deep’ and ‘Thrasher’ are played with absolute precision. Their stage presence is also worth noting as they display incredible energy and look to be having fun, while clearly through their rigorous touring of recent years they appear totally at ease with the larger stage and work it with true rock-star swagger. Yes, it’s hard not to throw up the obligatory Metallica comparison; sorry, but ‘Eternal Empire’ has me noting down Leper Messiah crossed with Wherever I May Roam. Tonight I am hearing the new stuff for the first time (my copy of 5ST is currently on order from play.com) and what strikes me is that while this is still every bit as thrash as the previous material there is a deeper level of maturity on display from a band who have the potential to be around for years to come and perhaps haven’t quite peaked yet. Back to a point I made at the beginning, I have to say “new” bassist Joel Graham looks and sounds great on the stage too and really meshes with the rest of the band as though he was with them from the start. With what seems like every metalhead in West Yorkshire in attendance I staggered out a little before the end to avoid the rabble and bus it home after a great night of metal (LH).
Review Luci Herbert & Pete Woods Photos © Pete Woods
EVILE
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