It's been too long.. Also Sonisphere!!

It's been to long guys. I've had problems with house building or something like that. Anyway today’s long overdue article is about the glory that was Sonisphere 2010.

So for the one day I could afford, I'm a dirty poor person, I ventured once more into the depraved metal microcosm that was Sonisphere. The air was excited yet still placid, for it was still 9:30! Exhausted from the previous days activities I saw many a weary face rise from the camp site.

But the ethereal beings we passed were still plenty friendly. Screaming `Butt scratcher!!` got me a beer so it was a good start. Beer before I even entered!

So for those who've never been to a metal festival it is a very surreal experience, especially when giant metal bands such as Iron Maiden are set to perform. This causes the usual ranks of manic young metalheads to be bolstered by an older more experienced metalhead. These metalheads often bring smaller metalheads which helps to keep the festival a little calmer. Whenever young (13-22 year olds) metalheads are thrust together, the energy they give off is manic, and can lead to some rather idiotic behaviour. This isn’t usually a problem, but having broken my wrist in a mosh pit because of an overzealous Chimaria fan I tend to be more wary, so the presence of the older metalhead was welcomed by me. This did not subtract from the atmosphere at however just helped to regulate it.

Anyway Sonisphere utilises a set up which I love, they shuttle the performances of the main bands between the two main stages, so you are not going to miss the main bands. Unfortunately this year’s line up was one which, whilst still good, could not top the splendour of the previous Sonisphere. It was up to the bands to earn my money.

The day started off with a brief tour around the site, finding the locations of various necessities, such as the location of toilets and beer! The fantastic thing a bout a metal festival is I’m always a normal person, I’m not being extreme just average, which is unusual.

Having wandered, eaten and Jagermeistered we proceeded to watch Karnivool, to be honest the band before them was Madina Lake and they’re not my thing. Anyway Karnivool, poor Karnivool. Having played difficult gigs I always feel sorry for bands that play first, because people often don’t know their material and the crowd aren’t warmed up. Despite a fairly active and involving set the crowd’s response was minimal, but it happens. Their blend of Dredg/Incubus-esque vocals and ambient metalcore brings out a sound akin to a more mature version of Disturbed. It’s good but not quite heavy enough to rouse a metal crowd from their usual lethargic to head banging in a short set.

So feeling slightly warmed up I urged my friends to see one of my slightly wildcard entries into the days line up; CKY. I am a fan of them, I find that their sound is very individual and when they are good they are very good. 96 Quite Bitter Beings, Disengage the Simulator, Attached At the Hip and Sink into The Underground being very good examples. They are not in the popular metal spotlight however, leading to them, in my view, being underappreciated. This band performed admirably but again whilst the crowd was warmer than with Karnivool, they could not be roused even by their anthem 96 quite bitter beings. Even the enthusiastic attempts made by Chad I Ginsburg (lead guitarist) to engage the somewhat lacklustre audience were met with confusion by the general audience. Despite the audience’s reaction I enjoyed their set immensely and would love to see them again sometime.

So to avoid The Fab Beatles we ended up wandering into the strongbow tent. Whilst I do love The Beatles, there presence at a metal festival (covered or otherwise) is for me unwelcome. Inside the strongbow tent we waited for several minutes for the next band to come along. On came The Bendal Interlude. From the first note that was struck I was shocked. This band was excellent. Their heady mix of death metal and stoner metal really got me going. For the first and only time that day I went apeshit. The groove based melodies of the guitar and bass really worked with the tight drumming and shrill screaming. Fantastically tight and energetic. Whilst my friends left the tent to see Skindred, I couldn’t leave; I was transfixed by this band. I stayed for their whole set and my god was it worth it. When they were finished, I was stumbling like a drunken old man and my neck was so painful I could barely turn.

So still on a high from the last band, I expected a complete let down from Skindred. I was surprised, the banter that Benji Webb (singer) had with the crowd was entertaining and certainly made the set more enjoyable. He was spinning a good yarn. Their silver tuxedos were also a very nice touch. Whilst for me their songs were a little weak, the energy that they made the crowd exhibit was extraordinary. They however could not top what T.B.I did for me. By far they were one of the most communicative bands of the day. They, like all good bands, were there to make you move, unlike the next band.

I have to admit I was expecting a lot from slayer. I like them but I wanted them to make me like them more. They failed in this aspect. I am aware that part of the Slayer performance is the technical aspect of their music. They were playing the songs brilliantly. I however did not feel that they were feeling it. I didn’t enjoy their performance at all. In fact I left half way through the set. I even saw Slayer T-shirt wearers muttering negatively. They were, flat, deadpan and lacklustre. They did not seem happy to be there.

So after wandering around from stall to mysterious stall, each one related to an aspect of metal culture, my friend urged me to see a band he had one song from. Now I’m a cynical guy a lot of the time and this was no exception. I felt suspicious of this band but as soon as they started playing we knew we were in safe hands. Turbowolf are very good. Their old school style (similar to Led Zep) also draws from a very male adolescent aggressiveness which makes for a very lively show. The lead singer had to work hard to get a really small and quite self conscious crowd going, but by the end of the first song a 5 man mosh pit opened up. Then the singer sees his chance and jumps in! So in we all jump this groovy fast band really gets people jumping. The singer jumps in again and suddenly another pit starts up and the security have to pull people off the singer. Having listened later to this band on youtube if you want to experience the same Turbowolf that I saw you will need to see them live, they are much better live.

So after getting a fairly good mosh pit experience I was raring for another, unfortunately the next band doesn’t really have songs that you can mosh to. Alice in Chains was up next on the main stage. Another fantastic performance for a rather seasoned band. Even the new vocalist seemed to fit in perfectly, recreating but not copying, Layne Staley harsh, droning vocals. He was an effective figurehead and performed like a professional vocalist of that style of music should do. Controlling the crowd with few words but merely with gestures and body language. In other words Alice in Chains were a lot better than I had expected and have encouraged me to start listening to them again.

The next band on the main stage was Pendulum. While last years electronic main act were the emotional Nine Inch Nails, whose metal infused teen electronic angst, were too much of a drastic change to some of the more die hard metal Nazis in the audience. This year’s electronic buzz was controlled by the Drum and Bass poster boys Pendulum. While I enjoy pendulum, regularly putting their music on my party playlists, I did not enjoy their set at all. They tried to make their songs more metallic by adding crunchier, distortion to almost everything and then extending the songs by a minute each. This led to quite a monotonous set, which I would have welcomed had I been in a club. Unfortunately, here at a music festival it just got on my nerves. Their on stage enthusiasm could not quell the irritation that they caused me. Yes their songs are good but I came to listen to metal not Drum and Bass. It, for me, was like getting a cup of coffee and finding out someone had switched it for tea. Both are very good, but if I’m expecting metal I don’t want to hear Drum and Bass. Some very small very tame mosh pits started up but these were quickly inhabited by La Coste polo shirt wearing chavs. So a good set; just the wrong place and time for me really.

The last band was what 75% of the people were there to see, that’s right, Iron Maiden. They were of course no less than exceptional. Even their lesser known songs garnered a refreshingly enthusiastic response from a tired crowd. On many faces one could see that the excesses of the past two days had begun to catch up with many a metalhead. The set was tight and the show was extravagant to the point of shaming Spinal Tap. With Iron Maiden you know you are safe, which for me taken away some of the edge to their performance, but I feel that with many live bands. I can’t really describe much about this band that hasn’t been said before, for me the acid test is this- would I see them again live for £40? Yes I would!

So all in all a fantastic festival, which unfortunately was blighted by a couple of mismatched acts. The Bendal Interlude are still my unsung heroes of the day whilst Slayer were defiantly my Anti climax.

The big question is who’s bigger than Iron Maiden and Metallica? Who can they get to play which is bigger than these guys? There is only one band they can get to top this really. It’s going to have to be Black Sabbath. But will they play? Who knows. Will I go again next year? You bet your ass I will!


Shai-Hu-Lud Scuttles away to the kitchen again.

Tuning Ears pt.2

My last review/song breakdown presented a song whose aggression, ferocity and caustic lyrics were the basis of its appeal. So now for something completely different!

Today’s band of interest is pretty much the jam to slayers marmite. However like marmite and jam they both have some common features; they both have the same basic features of a metal band, an iconic singer, a devoted fan base and provocative lyrics but there are some differences. Slayer has utilised a typical four man set up, two guitars, one bass/singer and one drummer. This set up allows for the guitarists to create a thick wall of complex sound which is emphasised by the bassists quick simple bass lines (not a criticism).

My Dying Bride use the same basic two guitar, singer, bass drum set up but throw in a violin and keyboard player. This allows them to create a different palette of sounds and by using the same basic components but in a different way, they can create a very different sound to slayer. The guitars lay down simple chords over which the violin/keyboards and the vocals paint an elegant picture.

For me a good introductory song to My Dying Bride has always been The Cry of Mankind. The first track on the album The Angel and The Dark River (1995) a boy does it give a good impression of what this band are about.




As soon as you start this 12 minute hulk up you hear it right there, the underlying bastion of this song, the 6 note violin part. This violin part’s simplicity allows for the guitarist and drummer to pick out some nice developmental phrases, increasing the intensity and letting the listener know how the songs progressing. This then leads into a pounding drum part almost reminiscent of a steel foundry accompanied by the angle grinder like feedback from both guitars. Finally culminating in the main crux of the song. It is this build up which lends My Dying Bride an almost electronica type quality, similarities between Orbital’s Technologicque Park and The Cry of Mankind can be effectively drawn. Suddenly the feedback stops, cut short only to be replaced by the keyboard’s fast noodling which gracefully acts as Virgil and lead’s the listeners Dante through this piece of despair and melancholy.

Then a fluid and simple guitar riff is thrown onto the spike of the song and is left there to slowly try and undo the damage that the song has wrought. The final component is then strewn upon the funeral pyre; the vocals. Being a drummer and a (bad) guitarist I don’t like to give too much credit to the vocalist. Vocals are, at the moment, the main focus of many bands and I just like to keep them on a level pegging with the rest of the band. But these vocals are so descriptive and atmospheric even I can’t help but be stunned by their beauty:

`You'll swallow his tongue of thorns,
His mouth, dripping with flies,
In his glorious kingdom of fire`

The Stainthorpe, the vocalists, lyrics leak through this quagmire of machinery and rust, flooding it with a gel that you can almost feel choking you. The guitars, while simple, are effective at what they do which is give an anchor for the lyrics to be steadied upon. Then an almost solo type guitar passage ensues. Building to a triumphant swirl with the vocals, who have leaked on to the floor and been collected in a cup only to be poured through the mix again. This song makes use through out of a natural flow and pulse which often accompanies compound time signatures (in this case 6/8).

Once more the angle grinding guitar feedback occurs, leading us into the final death throes of this song as all the components have been speared and are now weakly trying to try and right themselves in vain. This quiet passage while long almost serves as a chance for the listener to start pondering about what they have taken in over the past 6 mins. The same almost monotonous violin passage fastens cleanly onto the listener’s brain to allow the more chaotic sounds to present themselves. A dark, foghorn like sound (which I presume is made by a distorted cello) mournfully weeps over the death of the song as it slowly fades away.

Through these two breakdowns of songs I have, hopefully, given an insight into what metal can sound like and how diverse and far reaching it has become. I may do some more genre specific song breakdowns in the future as well as more conventional reviews. But, as with most things to do with music, it’s probably best just to see what happens.

Cheers for reading,

Shai-hu-lud slithers on

Tuning Ears

The Headbanger

Doom. Thrash. Words which in seclusion can mean little but when applied to music can conjure images of hairy men headbanging to strange people wearing gas mask and making strange, strangled, guttural, noises. Music for me has always been connected closely to my emotional state. If I'm I want a catharsis. If I'm happy I want someone to agree with me and bolster my mood.

To enjoy music a basic understanding is often useful. Few people listen to music, many just hear it. For the majority of this article I will try to describe What I hear when I listen to song. Utilising the concurrent theme of  duality it seems reasonable to compare a couple of songs which can be considered to be from opposite ends of the spectrum of metal.  

The two songs that I have chosen are; Disciple by Slayer (from the album God Hates Us All 2001) and The Cry of Mankind by My Dying Bride (from The Angel and the Dark River 1995). Both of these songs, for me, gives a concise slice into two deep genres. I won't always give this much detail but if you start to properly listen to music you can get a lot more out of it.

Slayer, a band which has been around since 1981, they have been classed as one of the fabled BIG FOUR thrash metal bands (Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer). These metal bands have been responsible for converting many a teenage ear onto the path of metal. The Album God Hates Us All was released in 2001 and has garnered much media attention for it's explicit album art (the picture on the left is merely the `nice` cover slip which was used to censor the original artwork in shops) as well as it's, sometimes, controversial lyrics. I advise you listen to the song as you read this to get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Disciple is the second track on the album, the first being an atmospheric build up which climaxes with an almost shocking abrupt stop-start phrase which heralds the beginning of the aforementioned song. This harsh short passage is then followed by some nice establishing guitar and double bass drum work from Hanneman, King and Bostaph (respectively) which sets up the main feel of the song and a sense of horseback movement, to be only emphasised by Araya's bass guitar doubles. This is broken down, flowing nicely into the verse via a quick guitar/drum passage, very typical of this genre. With a fast fire delivery Araya delivers harsh and fast lyrics like a leaking artery and Bostaph's drums, which are heavy on the tom work to begin with, give a distinct sense of urgency. Lyrics purveying an independent and aggressive attitude are a hallmark of Slayer and part of their appeal and very prominent in this song. The chorus consists of an almost breakdown like bass/guitar double with a discordant, high pitched guitar passage. This stark contrast between thick stark bass/guitar coordination and this high pitched guitar part helps to slow down the chorus whilst also keeping it's momentum. On top of this is placed the drawn out mantra which Araya screams like a demented Hari Krishna-  `God Hates Us All`. This caustic message is pounded into the listeners mind like a stun bolt at an abattoir. 

This breaks down into the familiar, fast and relentless guitar of the verse. Which after another chorus breaks into a surging guitar solo which sounds like an out of control centrifuge attached to a rotary organ. This ends before it has the opportunity to become guitar wank (thank god), allowing the band (and more importantly the listener) to gain a stable footing after the furious headbanging of the past 1m 30s slipping into a restful back-to-basics single guitar hi-hat combo with some glorious feedback overlayed for good measure progressing to a sharp wakeup double  from guitar and choked hi-hat. Back we are again, breakneck speed, we're thrust deep into the confines of thrash, loud, proud and fucking pissed off. This leads into a very progressive (not progressive metal but progressive in terms of movement in the song) with a very prominent snare drum on all the whole beats, leading to a climax only exemplified by Araya's long drawn out screams. Ending in a death throw like diminuendo. The song presents its true anger, slow and calculated, the song moves like a snake from here on, with deadly precision the guitars close off the artery and the song dies.

The next song I have chosen is, as previously mentioned, The Cry of Mankind by My Dying Bride. My Dying Bride are considered to be pretty staple in their position as funeral/doom metal tyrants. While thrash metals aggression is the prime emotion, the fueling emotion of doom metal is simply that, doom. This review/song breakdown will be in Part Two of Tuning Ears.

Thanks for reading guys.

Shai-hu-lud slithers on.