Coronach/Ramraid/Gods Of War/Renegade State/The Jeffrey Uppercut - Zanzibar (UK) 10th May 2013
The Jeffrey Uppercut
Been a while since I listened to any punk has to be said, but these guys were extremely raw and added a hint of metal to their tone which went down superbly well. Plenty of head shaking and even a small ferocious mosh pit was formed.
Their unusual blend of ‘shouty’ raw punk was well received and responded to by the heaving crowd that had gathered at the Zanzibar and quite early on in the evening too! Their no nonsense performance really sparked a lot of interest!
Never having seen them before, they did bring something old to a new table and everyone really enjoyed their set of garbled shouts and fast paced rhythms. Azzy the band’s vocalist towered above the stage and in true punk fashion seemed to plough through the tracks, bantering in between and telling stories to the amused crowd provoking a lot of laughter
They received a lot of attention at the gig and rightly so as their music was not portrayed as one dimensional it contained some nice strong elements of Hard-Core, but all too soon their set was at an end. They played a lot of tracks and each one harsher than the previous ones putting a good slant on this metal evening!
Their look of shaven heads and tattoo filled bodies gave out an impression of “We don’t give a fuck!” but it is always funny how the scariest of blokes always turn out to be the nicest when you meet them face to face and The Jeffery Uppercut were no exception to the rule.
Renegade State
I always love watching Renegade State play their groove laden tracks as they always lift my mood even though I am always in a good mood at gigs but after listening so many times to each of their tracks I now know all the words and was singing merrily along to each of them which made Gani chuckle somewhat and brought a smile to the faces of Renegade State.
I was sorry the guys did not play Little Dark Lies as this is one of my all-time favourites from Renegade State, But as Mike informed me after the set, that after just acquiring a new drummer (Phil Daw - who is shit hot I might add) He wasn’t really confident to play that track and needed a bit longer to master it, but the tracks they did play were full of groove and enjoyed by most who saw them live.
Judgement Day and Rise of a Race, fall of a Kingdom was particularly melodic as well as brutal and I felt the satisfaction of singing along to its huge melodic swathes as I am sure the band did on performing them live.
However all the tracks they played, especially their new track “The Pit” was saturated with ferocity and sung to perfection and I am looking forward to learning the words to that as well, but like Phil, will need some time to master the lyrics as with any new song.
One of their best performances to date despite the heckling from Yeardo, which was a little disconcerting but proves the band can play under duress and still smash it to pieces! Good on you guys looking forward to catching you live again sometime soon.
Gods of War
I had not seen Gods of War play for a while, so I was really looking forward to this performance and with now three new tracks under their belt they went on to literally pulverise them. Angmar being my favourite new track, was really memorable, with tons of melodic sway in it and superbly executed by the band.
Gods of War have now recruited some more deftly carved string arrangements into their set courtesy of the awesome Matty Hughes, so it’s not all fast paced anymore which gives Danny their front-man a bit of a respite from his wild stage antics – although when he goes wild – which he always does anyway, the crowd usually does too.
Towards the end of the set Danny slipped off his elbow, and knee pads for his long black jacket and seemed a little less frenzied as the heat is always a problem on stage and the way Danny moves around it was probably more comfortable too!
Mike Hardy the host for the evening at Metal goes Mental had an over sight and told the band they could do one more song and so they finished off with “Ignite” which starts with a fast paced riff and got everyone head banging to the fore.
Gods of War are really a superb live act, so if you get the chance to go and see them do, because you are in for a really raucous ride of riffs! An embracing set that went from extremely raw to beautifully melodic and have now perfected their set. Nobody can say they don’t exude 100% at their gigs!
Ramraid
No naked chicks just a few half semi-naked men – but none the less Ramraid delivered , Thrashing the light fantastic! Ramraid did an amazingly good set last night although slightly more serious than usual.
I just love “Into Annihilation” the catchy riffs and lyrics to that track alone had me singing along and although I have heard it so many times will never get sick of it.
Precise and pitch perfect the set was truly engaging. When music is played this good it only serves to make the hair stand up on your neck and make you break out in goosebumps!
Ben as usual delivered a blistering set on his new brightly coloured Ibanez guitar, bending the strings in all directions I was amazed he never snapped any! Ramraid work so well together on stage their personalities all melt together. Dom’s faces he pulls as he hits his drum kit are just so funny but it all adds to the frenzy of Ramraid’s thrashing set.
Again it was a free for all as Joe the long suffering rhythm guitarist and vocalist invited people to join them on stage – Scotty, Patto, Yeardo, Matty and James among others did not hesitate and soon the stage was literally “rammed” with bodies, which is always entertaining.
Great set as usual and really thrashed out to perfection to the ever increasing hordes of people now gathered around the stage. Thanks Ramraid for delivering another catchy set of thrashing awesomeness! See you again soon!
Coronach
It certainly wasn’t the mention of free cake that got people to stay and watch Coronach I am pretty sure of that, as most of the cake they did throw out to the crowd was thrown back on stage, so that has to leave the fact that people were there to witness some Technical Death Metal played with upward momentum and abrasive interest.
Coronach were headlining Metal goes Mental and there was still an amazing amount of people left to witness the event which was absolutely superb. It has been a long time coming but I think people are finally beginning to understand that support is what the metal scene should be about. People turned up in their droves for this event – by 8.20pm 46 people had turned up and more were flocking through the doors, restoring my faith in the metal community.
Although Coronach are deadly serious about their death metal, there is always a good rapport with the crowd and this gig was no exception.
Benn just stroked his guitar and made it cry out in a frenzy of riffs, whilst Chris secreted a lot of unintelligible growls, Mike stood composed under a mountain of hair, Ryan was somewhat overshadowed in the corner but still managed to chuck out a few meaty bass hooks, whilst Liam the skins man literally killed that kit and always does, at each gig, but the set was not without its problems.
Well! all was going really well for Coronach up until Benn’s guitar decided to conk out, which had Benn swapping leads and guitars and plugging various leads into amps etc until finally things started to work again – although Benn always looks composed and does not let things phase him one bit. The band waited for him to make contact again and then they went on to smash their set,
Daring to be different, is Coronach’s set list! If you think their set list is strange (well it isn’t to them apparently) it is rather to us laymen, being just numbered, however they played my favourite track ‘Hobo with a Shotgun’ I will take a punt it was number 4 but it could be anyone’s guess, at least I got a set list this time – so things are definitely looking up.
Special thanks as always to Mike Hardy for his incredible work on piecing together five excellent bands that range from Punk to Technical Death Metal. Pat for the incredible sound and impeccable change overs. Paul for definitely being a Teddy Bear and keeping us all safe! Tony, and Totty too. Cuzzy, - Ian, Jake and Amy for being as awesome as ever and keeping me entertained in the breaks between bands and to Gani Brown for her invaluable friendship. Also to Caz Waitforit Jones for just being Caz, and great meeting Andy Williams for the first time as he decided to venture out to sample a quality line-up and of course Scott and Patto of Bludvera for coming out to support their mates Ramraid. A special mention to Mr Slap Happy or Haribo to his mates! For supporting the cause. And of course to all the bands The Jeffrey Uppercut, Renegade State, Gods of War, Ramraid and Coronach for keeping the hungry hordes well entertained all evening with some really interesting sets and memorable hooks. Roll on the next Metal goes Mental!
Been a while since I listened to any punk has to be said, but these guys were extremely raw and added a hint of metal to their tone which went down superbly well. Plenty of head shaking and even a small ferocious mosh pit was formed.
Their unusual blend of ‘shouty’ raw punk was well received and responded to by the heaving crowd that had gathered at the Zanzibar and quite early on in the evening too! Their no nonsense performance really sparked a lot of interest!
Never having seen them before, they did bring something old to a new table and everyone really enjoyed their set of garbled shouts and fast paced rhythms. Azzy the band’s vocalist towered above the stage and in true punk fashion seemed to plough through the tracks, bantering in between and telling stories to the amused crowd provoking a lot of laughter
They received a lot of attention at the gig and rightly so as their music was not portrayed as one dimensional it contained some nice strong elements of Hard-Core, but all too soon their set was at an end. They played a lot of tracks and each one harsher than the previous ones putting a good slant on this metal evening!
Their look of shaven heads and tattoo filled bodies gave out an impression of “We don’t give a fuck!” but it is always funny how the scariest of blokes always turn out to be the nicest when you meet them face to face and The Jeffery Uppercut were no exception to the rule.
Renegade State
I always love watching Renegade State play their groove laden tracks as they always lift my mood even though I am always in a good mood at gigs but after listening so many times to each of their tracks I now know all the words and was singing merrily along to each of them which made Gani chuckle somewhat and brought a smile to the faces of Renegade State.
I was sorry the guys did not play Little Dark Lies as this is one of my all-time favourites from Renegade State, But as Mike informed me after the set, that after just acquiring a new drummer (Phil Daw - who is shit hot I might add) He wasn’t really confident to play that track and needed a bit longer to master it, but the tracks they did play were full of groove and enjoyed by most who saw them live.
Judgement Day and Rise of a Race, fall of a Kingdom was particularly melodic as well as brutal and I felt the satisfaction of singing along to its huge melodic swathes as I am sure the band did on performing them live.
However all the tracks they played, especially their new track “The Pit” was saturated with ferocity and sung to perfection and I am looking forward to learning the words to that as well, but like Phil, will need some time to master the lyrics as with any new song.
One of their best performances to date despite the heckling from Yeardo, which was a little disconcerting but proves the band can play under duress and still smash it to pieces! Good on you guys looking forward to catching you live again sometime soon.
Gods of War
I had not seen Gods of War play for a while, so I was really looking forward to this performance and with now three new tracks under their belt they went on to literally pulverise them. Angmar being my favourite new track, was really memorable, with tons of melodic sway in it and superbly executed by the band.
Gods of War have now recruited some more deftly carved string arrangements into their set courtesy of the awesome Matty Hughes, so it’s not all fast paced anymore which gives Danny their front-man a bit of a respite from his wild stage antics – although when he goes wild – which he always does anyway, the crowd usually does too.
Towards the end of the set Danny slipped off his elbow, and knee pads for his long black jacket and seemed a little less frenzied as the heat is always a problem on stage and the way Danny moves around it was probably more comfortable too!
Mike Hardy the host for the evening at Metal goes Mental had an over sight and told the band they could do one more song and so they finished off with “Ignite” which starts with a fast paced riff and got everyone head banging to the fore.
Gods of War are really a superb live act, so if you get the chance to go and see them do, because you are in for a really raucous ride of riffs! An embracing set that went from extremely raw to beautifully melodic and have now perfected their set. Nobody can say they don’t exude 100% at their gigs!
Ramraid
No naked chicks just a few half semi-naked men – but none the less Ramraid delivered , Thrashing the light fantastic! Ramraid did an amazingly good set last night although slightly more serious than usual.
I just love “Into Annihilation” the catchy riffs and lyrics to that track alone had me singing along and although I have heard it so many times will never get sick of it.
Precise and pitch perfect the set was truly engaging. When music is played this good it only serves to make the hair stand up on your neck and make you break out in goosebumps!
Ben as usual delivered a blistering set on his new brightly coloured Ibanez guitar, bending the strings in all directions I was amazed he never snapped any! Ramraid work so well together on stage their personalities all melt together. Dom’s faces he pulls as he hits his drum kit are just so funny but it all adds to the frenzy of Ramraid’s thrashing set.
Again it was a free for all as Joe the long suffering rhythm guitarist and vocalist invited people to join them on stage – Scotty, Patto, Yeardo, Matty and James among others did not hesitate and soon the stage was literally “rammed” with bodies, which is always entertaining.
Great set as usual and really thrashed out to perfection to the ever increasing hordes of people now gathered around the stage. Thanks Ramraid for delivering another catchy set of thrashing awesomeness! See you again soon!
Coronach
It certainly wasn’t the mention of free cake that got people to stay and watch Coronach I am pretty sure of that, as most of the cake they did throw out to the crowd was thrown back on stage, so that has to leave the fact that people were there to witness some Technical Death Metal played with upward momentum and abrasive interest.
Coronach were headlining Metal goes Mental and there was still an amazing amount of people left to witness the event which was absolutely superb. It has been a long time coming but I think people are finally beginning to understand that support is what the metal scene should be about. People turned up in their droves for this event – by 8.20pm 46 people had turned up and more were flocking through the doors, restoring my faith in the metal community.
Although Coronach are deadly serious about their death metal, there is always a good rapport with the crowd and this gig was no exception.
Benn just stroked his guitar and made it cry out in a frenzy of riffs, whilst Chris secreted a lot of unintelligible growls, Mike stood composed under a mountain of hair, Ryan was somewhat overshadowed in the corner but still managed to chuck out a few meaty bass hooks, whilst Liam the skins man literally killed that kit and always does, at each gig, but the set was not without its problems.
Well! all was going really well for Coronach up until Benn’s guitar decided to conk out, which had Benn swapping leads and guitars and plugging various leads into amps etc until finally things started to work again – although Benn always looks composed and does not let things phase him one bit. The band waited for him to make contact again and then they went on to smash their set,
Daring to be different, is Coronach’s set list! If you think their set list is strange (well it isn’t to them apparently) it is rather to us laymen, being just numbered, however they played my favourite track ‘Hobo with a Shotgun’ I will take a punt it was number 4 but it could be anyone’s guess, at least I got a set list this time – so things are definitely looking up.
Special thanks as always to Mike Hardy for his incredible work on piecing together five excellent bands that range from Punk to Technical Death Metal. Pat for the incredible sound and impeccable change overs. Paul for definitely being a Teddy Bear and keeping us all safe! Tony, and Totty too. Cuzzy, - Ian, Jake and Amy for being as awesome as ever and keeping me entertained in the breaks between bands and to Gani Brown for her invaluable friendship. Also to Caz Waitforit Jones for just being Caz, and great meeting Andy Williams for the first time as he decided to venture out to sample a quality line-up and of course Scott and Patto of Bludvera for coming out to support their mates Ramraid. A special mention to Mr Slap Happy or Haribo to his mates! For supporting the cause. And of course to all the bands The Jeffrey Uppercut, Renegade State, Gods of War, Ramraid and Coronach for keeping the hungry hordes well entertained all evening with some really interesting sets and memorable hooks. Roll on the next Metal goes Mental!
Reviewer: Pagan Hel
May 12, 2013
May 12, 2013
Next review:
Fascists To Ashes - The Return Of The King
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