HATE ETERNAL, CEPHALIC CARNAGE & SKELETONWITCH
LONDON UNDERWORLD 06/06/08
Bloody London Underground. By being ten minutes late I missed the opening song of first band up Man Must Die. And in hindsight, this vexed me to some great extent. For the amicable Glaswegians played a tight, energetic, and very enjoyable set. “Cardboard Gangster”; off the latest Human Condition release showed passion, combined with some well timed breakdowns that came across very well. This being further echoed in subsequent songs. The performance here tonight was impressive and deserving of more than the scattering of people that were present 15 minutes after doors had opened (surely someone can organise it so that the opening acts get a fairer crack of the whip??). “Severe Facial Reconstruction” rounded the set off and all in all, Man Must Die could retreat from the dark, dank depths of Camden feeling proud of themselves. A band that I’d like to see again, especially with a burgeoning pit in front of them – as they would DEFINITELY get things going with their energetic brand of deathcore.
Now Skeletonwitch were a band that I really looking forward to see. I’d heard some songs of theirs briefly and was 
intrigued as to how they would translate in the live arena. Well......have no fears. They crushed. They destroyed. They kicked ass. They basically ruled. And the bassist looked like a cross between Chris Barnes and Charles Manson which is obviously an aesthetic bonus! Songs such as “Sacrifice for the Slaughter God”, and “Baptized in Flames” just captured the whole essence of what the live environment is all about. Heavy music, wicked riffs, and enjoying yourself thoroughly. If this is the first time in the country, I’m telling you now, it won’t be the last (crikey......I’m thinking of shelling out and booking them myself!). The musicianship was top drawer with the band oozing confidence on stage, and the soloing on display was something to write home about too. The only disappointment of the night was when they ruefully announced the last song........trust me......they could have headlined and there would have been no complaints from any quarter. Excellent.....and PLEASE come back soon!!
Cephalic Carnage had the dubious task of the following the guys from Ohio. And trying to match that level of energy on stage was going to be nigh on impossible. What Cephalic Carnage did offer us tonight was their original brand of technical grind. “Endless Cycle of Violence” with the catchy groove in the middle went down well as did “Hybrid” off their first full length release. This was a workman like performance and fans of the band that were present 
tonight certainly enjoyed the songs that were taken off an extensive back catalogue. For me, it was a little hit and miss. Some of the songs certainly translated well from cd and the riffs pounded around this small, live arena. However, some of the songs did fall slightly flatter and for those in the audience who were not aware of their work, the experience would have been just above par after the enjoyment that was had earlier in the evening. Saying that, a nice circle pit did erupt to “Observer of the Obliteration of Planet Earth” and the band did strike up a good relationship with the crowd, so they certainly weren’t misplaced on the bill.
Now to the main event. I’d last seen Hate Eternal at the Garage in Islington (thank god I wasn’t caught on camera for that one – in fact, there weren’t many audience shots on the dvd......thanks to the disgustingly crummy numbers present I guess? Where were you all?). They were blistering that night, with my only criticism being – please get another axeman on board!
Well, my wish was granted and I for one was really looking forward to seeing them live with the new line-up, especially since Shaune Kelley (ex Ripping Corpse) had been integrated into the band. It had the desired effect. To say adding meat to the bones is a slight 
understatement. Hate Eternal have become a wall of sheer power. An aural tidal wave of menace that is as uncompromising as it is fast. And for some, it can be difficult to digest. Tonight, in comparison to when they were a trio, when the solos were played, the added roar behind them just propelled them to new heights and Rutan and co. were a tight, professional machine that came here to own the joint. The only gripes that I had were that the Underworld’s PA 
system, seemingly decided to wave a white flag, and at times the sound was fuzzy, bordering on downright horrible.
Also, with 99% or the songs being SO unrelenting, combined with the sound flaws, it was a tough listen. “Powers that be”, “I, Monarch” and “Fury Within“ (personally one of my favourites due to it being slightly away from the blurringly fast on new release “Fury and Flames”) all went down well and the crowd bayed for more and more until the band bid us a farewell at just gone 10pm (as did the beer and service – what’s going on here???) Hate Eternal certainly delivered an aggressive, tight and professional display of brutal death, but one which in comparison to other death performances over the last few months will be on par, not above. For me, I went home and started cultivating my beard in honour of our Ohio boys..........for tonight, they were the King of all Kings.
Review by Andy Duke
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