Eliminator from Lancaster are the opening band and are a breath of fresh air, dressing as if they were active in the German music scene between ’82 and ’85, moustaches, spandex and mullets….check…but the music speaks volumes in their defence. Any fan of old Maiden and Swedish metal bands like Overdose or Heavy Load need to take note along with the speed metal of Exciter. Eliminator brings forth the massive twin guitar attack, accomplished vocals and a real metal experience. Their performance is so fun a filled with many a cliché, like “The Warrior…of the Skies” but I cannot fail to be impressed with the level of power screams, twin guitar harmonies and overall representation of what I would call real classic metal music.

Dark Forest are a Black Country band I have championed for a few years now, a recent record deal and new album on the immediate horizon, means that there is a chance to get things going with this band after as long wait from yours truly. The addition of front man Will was a touch of magic, guitarists Jim and Christian are left to battle through the many powerful numbers that they have in their arsenal with plenty of head banging and shape throwing to boot. I reserve judgement on newer tracks played this evening as I have not heard the album yet, but stage favourites like “The Wizard of Alderly Edge” keeps the black country flag of metal flying high, their musicianship has certainly improved and Dark Forest are a much tighter unit than they ever were before despite technical difficulties on stage, the future does look promising for this band.

Witchfynde were a band that never really got along with to be fair, but there is a lot of love for these guys tonight. Opener “Leaving Nadir” is from their debut release “Give ‘em Hell” and you can tell Witchfynde have experience on their side, there is a clear spell of emotion from all parties concerned when they belt out this and other seasoned classic material from yesteryear like “Ready to Roll”. Nothing phases this band, they are calm and cool, and the crowd reaction speaks for itself.

Satan were unlucky in their early part of their career in terms of popularity and status, it was muted to me during the evening that they always tried to gain the same success as Maiden had, but to be blunt and honest, Maiden did have better songs in those days, when you are trying the compare to albums as “Piece of Mind” that’s a tough one to compete with for anyone in 1983. But the first sighting of Satan live for me was a very positive experience, if not an apprehensive one. The crowd is loud and electric, this almost seems like we are witnessing Satan playing at the Keep It True festival, and clearly there is a lot of love for this band in the packed audience. Newer tracks are aired, and they sound very promising and tight, but I think the main draw of this evening was the “Court in the Act” album. Satan submitted everyone in attendance to some of the greatest NWOBHM riffs and melodies, and the vibrancy of their show topped with Brian Ross’ vocals spoke volumes for their talent, it is such a shame that supporting traditional heavy metal in the UK has had to wait till now for its support to be fully justified.

A cool (but not in physical terms!) evening of classic British heavy metal, NWOBHM, whatever you want to label it, I did leave the gig thinking that the younger generation had more energy with testosterone, even with the clear experience shown of the classic bands, but this was still an excellent night of entertainment.

Review Paul Maddison

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