Hailing from Tunisia, this young band evidently has big ideas and despite the album being less than 20 minutes long, it is an enthralling and captivating experience (whether you like it or not.) From the get go it is very reminiscient of Deathspell Omega or Dodecahedron, with rolling, amelodic riffing; drums and guitars deliberately going in completely different directions and near-spoken-word vocals. However, this is not the unintelligent aping that I have come to hate. While it instantly reminds me of the aforementioned bands, the similarities begin to dissipate as the songs progress. Much like Kenya’s Absence of Light, there is a massive wall of sound that relentlessly rolls forward; there is no haste in Brood of Hatred and in spite of the frantic drumwork, the songs lurch forward in an inhuman fashion rather than blistering speed. Mohamed Melki’s guttural vocals are some of the deepest and most foreboding I’ve heard come from our continent in a long time too, becoming near unintelligible even with the lyrics in front of me. The message is clear though and the seething atmosphere is almost malicious in it’s composition.

Album opener, “Deconstruction” sets the tone well and an insidious bass intro gives way to the filthy guitar tone and well composed drums. There is a tendency with death metal to just go all out all the time and after a while it begins to wear thin. Drummer, Yousef Aouadi, evidently knows his weapons well and and uses them to great effect alternating between frenzied blasting and far more measured drum beats. This only serves to accent the guitar work which is also filled with variety. Riffs switch between dissonant chords, tremolo picked passages and chuggy sections very naturally and nothing ever feels abrupt or haphazard. Little peace is given in the aural onslaught and it is only the third track, “Terminal Velocity” that offers a brief breather in the form of a few lone bass notes before the abyss closes in again.

The production on New Order of Intelligence is muddy, but that’s the point. The music feels like it is evoking chaos itself and there is no room for crystal clear pinch harmonics or expertly triggered drums. There is little variation in Brood of Hatred’s songwriting, but this in only a four track EP so there is plenty of room for exapansion when the full length comes out. Given the room to grow, I think this band could definitely make some big waves overseas and the seed has been planted with this EP. Definitely an African band to keep an eye on in the coming years!

Stream “Deconstruction” off New Order of Intelligence below:

Buy New Order of Intelligence at the official Brood of Hatred Bandcamp.

Straight out of the gates, Bloodlust pummels you over the head with “Out for Blood”. Frantic riffs and blastbeats aplenty greet the ears and there is a very apparent groove sensibility to everything. Death metal’s trend to just rush through riffs and passages often leaves the listener bewildered and left behind, but discernable refrains keep ones attention as much as a brand new riff. Fans of Cannibal Corpse will feel right at home with the lyrical content as well as the style of soloing in the tracks, especially on “Merciless” and “Butcher for Pleasure”.

The music draws you in (if the striking cover art by Eko Rana doesn’t already,) and slowly morphs the surroundings into a blood-soaked morgue. Those looking for poetry over the music can head somewhere else because at first glance the lyrics are gore-soaked and bile-hurling. However, reading past the layers of death metal schlock, there is a level of social conscience to Bloodbeast which is normally absent from metal, let alone its more extreme progeny. Songs like “Sadeye SNAFU”, which deals with accidental injuries as a result of wartime and “Fuck or Die”, which is a fittingly brutal allegory for rape show an interest to explore more than just horror movie pulp. The latter of these two songs is actually uncomfortable to listen to because of the bluntness with which it tackles the issue.

On the subject of production, it is good, but not as good as it could be. All of the instruments are audible and clear in the mix but seem to just fall short of being as chunky as the music deserves. The clicky kick drum and tinny guitar tone don’t detract from the experience though and it’s more a personal gripe than anything else. The vocals are surprisingly audible for death metal and despite being further back in the mix than they belong, they are solid and strong. What I’m getting at here is that it is a very “local” sounding record and as happy as I am to see a “Proudly South African” product, I also feel that Bloodlust could have benefitted from an outside ear from across the seas to push it into truly stellar territory!

Despite clocking in at just over thirty minutes, the songs on Bloodlust feel long and expansive. Thanks to their “pop-sensibility” of bringing riffs back and writing good hooks, the music is compelling and warrants multiple listens. My impression of Bloodbeast is that they are a powder keg of talent and an influence that are definitely at the front of South Africa’s death metal charge!

Stream “Fuck or Die” off Bloodlust below:

Buy Bloodlust at the official Bloodbeast Bandcamp.

As it turned out, Cape Town and surrounding provinces do indeed sport a small contingent of survivors from the 90s era doom scene. I arrived at ROAR to discover that not only had this convention of long-time metallers birthed between 1965 – 1980 arrived, but rather a diverse crowd sporting anybody between eighteen years and fifty! Although not a huge number of people by any means, the venue had been well chosen because the shadowy entities contained therein had it comfortably filled. It was absolutely fantastic to actually attend a show where there seemed a stronger emphasis on the social aspect than just filling the night with noisy bands, and I offer full kudos to them for keeping the atmosphere true to the key focus of the night. A masterfully selected playlist filled our ears whilst in anticipation of the show.

The performance began with no announcement, and I suspect that most people thought it was another track on the playlist. During the first few notes of “Your River” (tribute to My Dying Bride,) the curtains were opened to reveal the stage, occupied at this time by a performance act comprised of members from band such as Axxon, A Walk With The Wicked, Ashes At My Grave, and even members from Cape Town’s 90s doom sensation, Grämlich. Within just a few seconds, the audience was transfixed. This particular track was delivered at a high level of excellence and the passion that the musicians feel for this artist was clear in their performance. Following a very quick trade of instruments by members and the addition of a fresh recruit on vocals, they went on to deliver “And When He Falleth” (originally by Theatre Of Tragedy), and so the evening progressed.

By the end of the performance we had seen no less than ten musicians rotating responsibilities on the stage, with backgrounds from almost as many current and past South African bands. With such an ensemble and with so many instruments and different tunings trading hands, there were a few minor slips – but none of which the audience would not have forgiven considering the overall quality and complexity of the production, and the effort which had gone into it. The evening revealed other members affiliated with The League Of Doom from even more bands such as Crow Black Sky, Terminatryx and Mind Assault, and even one of the key performers experiencing his very first live experience.

What this night represented to a lot of the people involved was not only a celebration of a great sub-genre of metal, but also the fact that it is enjoyed by a diverse composition of people where virtually the only common ground between them is that love which they all share for the dark and dramatic. I think it is safe to say that everybody came away from the night feeling culturally enriched and eager to hear when The League will be doing a follow-up presentation. Maybe it will be six months, or maybe a year or possibly more. However, if there is one thing that is certain, it is that doom metal is alive and well.

Based in Algeria, Lelahell is the brainchild of the former frontman of progressive death metal band Litham. Now sans dreadlocks, Redouane “Lelahel” Aouameur certainly has experience and he and his crew released Al Intihar, meaning “suicide”, in January, 2012. It certainly took a while for this EP to arrive on our desk here at Metal4Africa, but half the problem with a continent as big as Africa is keeping track of all the bands that are dotted across the landscape! The album is described by the band as “6 tracks [full of] of brutality through traditional melodies” and while I would argue with that (since the second track is a brief interlude with nary a death growl or blast beat in sight,) that’s where my complaints stop. Al Intihar is raw, no-nonsense death metal that draws from a number of influences and geographies to create a very original and intriguing work.

From the get go you can tell this is a band that means business. The frantic blast beats, straightforward riffing and strong vocals mean there is plenty of room for the various elements to shine. The opening track, “Emperor”, is a great example of this with a rapid fire beginning devoid of technical wankery or substandard riffing. It is simply “metal”! Eventually the riffs break into a more atmospheric clearing before coming full-circle and stopping as quickly as it started. The first track also has an unexpected variety of vocals, from typical death growls to the oft dreaded pig squeal and everything in between, it is a solid showcase of Lelahel’s vocal capabilities. The trend set with “Emperor” carries on through the rest of the album with very traditional metal riffs being given a death metal makeover. There are a lot of musical ingedients going into Lelahell‘s pot and the band’s black metal influence is very apparent; especially on “Into the Past” and is highlighted by their impressive cover of Mayhem‘s classic, “Freezing Moon”. When I say there are a lot of elements at play, I’m not just talking about genres. The aforementioned “Into the Past” contains a number of Arabic/Egyptian Nile-isms while “Hermanos” brings flamenco beats, castanets and traditional clapping to the table. Strange additions to a death metal album you might think, but they all work surprisingly well.

On the subject of production, nothing really stands out as being exceptional, however all of the instruments have plenty of room to breathe and be heard. The guitar tone is also very strong without being too bassy or too trebly, which makes the Mayhem cover that much more listenable. I will say that there are a couple of moments that feel like they are a beat off, but deliberate or not it adds a lot of character to a band in a genre that is plagued by clinical overproduction. I would swear there are more people with opinions about death metal production than there are actual bands in the world!

Lelahell is a band that is both interesting and original; one that has potential to draw foreign listeners in and hopefully discover the rest of the music our continent has to offer. Africa’s geographic diaspora when it comes to metal is both a blessing and a curse. Without a more unifying sound it will always be difficult to make the rest of the world wake up and pay attention, but at the same time bands like Lelahell are able to exist; drawing in a number of ideas, cultures and influences into one coherent element that eventually finds its way onto a disc and into our eardrums.

Watch Lelahell‘s video for “Emperor” off Al Intihar below.

I got the album on Monday night and the first thing that struck me was the absolutely stunning album art designed by Don Mumford. It fits the album perfectly! What Celtic act wouldn’t put the Loch Ness monster on their album cover? I would have liked it if the booklet had been fleshed out further, but I can understand bands working on tight production budgets. Besides that one gripe, it is a well-polished product. I can see how it could appeal to casual browsers of merchandise stands, or how it would fit well on the shelves of that one little record shop that has all the unknown local metal.

Haggis and Bong refer to themselves as “Celtic groove metal”; though, to me, it falls squarely into the folk metal genre. The album does have some pretty sweet grooves, but on further listening, I realised that if I were a European festival organizer, I’d sign them up to share the stage with the likes of Eluveitie, Korpiklaani or even Turisas. The album is completely drenched in blue war paint. It’s the type of album that you would play just before you go into battle to raise morale. And before I get lynched for not mentioning this fact: Haggis and Bong is a purely instrumental band.

The album opens with “Eiridh Tonn Air Usage Balbh”, which I dare anyone reading this at work to say out loud! It translates to “A Wave Will Rise On Quiet Water”. It’s a solid introduction, encapsulating Haggis and Bong‘s sound in one two minute track. If you don’t like what you hear, run until you hit the horizon, but I warn you, you’re missing out! The unpronounceable opener leads into “Revelation of the Gods”. By all accounts, this song is pretty dark, despite the drum intro. One can hear a seething darkness rising to the surface and exploding into a wicked guitar solo, after which it ends in a near cacophony of sound, as if the “revelation” is that there are no gods. Next, we have “In the Ranks of Morrigan’s Army”. This track has a great atmospheric feel to it, it’s almost as if you can envision Morrigan, inspecting his forces, ensuring that all men are ready, willing and able, and those that aren’t, be damned. In this army you are one, you will stand, you will fight, for your freedom! (Sorry, but a Braveheart reference was bound to end up somewhere.)

Next is “Shillelagh” (pronounced shi-lay-lee according to Wikipedia.) A shillelagh is basically a ‘knopkirrie’ as South African’s would call it. The song has a punchy one-two opening, very reminiscent of Korpiklaani‘s “Keep on Galloping”. It paints a picture of travelling, perhaps to a port, or a distant loch. Definitely one of the groovier tracks on the album. Track five, “Blood Loch” is one of the few tracks with very prevalent guitars. Callaghan is leading the charge on this one, laying down the rhythm with his axe, bagpipes in close tow, bringing it all together. I imagine this song is an immense crowd pleaser when performed live, and is a perfect midway mark for the album.

You have now reached “Where Cloud and Mountain Meet”, which is an oddball of a track. It starts with a decidedly hair metal style intro, slipping quickly into a more Celtic sound, as if standing atop a mountain. It’s often broken up by more 80s fretwork, which jerks you back into reality, and then the pipes fly you back. It’s sort of schizophrenic. “Flying the Banner”, probably my favourite song on the album, is forged of many a manly thing; kilts, swords, blue paint, it’s all in there. This song is their “Primo Victoria”, their “Battle Hymns”, their fucking “Stand Up and Fight”. The pipes bellow proudly, driven by solid drums and pretty hard and fast riffing. This song will see me through coming hardships, it will find a spot in my Songs of Battle playlist.

“Confronting the Shadow” shows Haggis and Bong dropping some funk! Groovy doesn’t even begin to describe this song’s baseline. This, in addition to the thundering drums and singing pipes, creates an unexpected symphony. You wouldn’t expect the track to work, but it does, and pretty well at that. “Isle of Irie” is the most purely driven bagpipe track on the album, following many conventions one would expect from pipe players, supported by the other instruments to flesh out the sound. A good way to start winding down the album.

But it’s not over yet folks, their second to last track, “The Immortal”, brings back the proud and mighty wails of the pipes, and another stellar guitar solo. It’s an ode to the immortal warrior. He stands before his enemies, sword in hand, roaring as he brings the sword down upon their heads. They close the album with “The Celtic Force”, a knock out ending to a great album. Including a trombone, it’s an expertly structured song, and just so much fun to listen to. It really wraps everything up in a neat tartan package.

I do have a few minor issues with the recording and mastering. On some tracks, the bass is barely audible, and on others the drums lack that hard double bass machine gun assault. Despite these few problems though, I liked the album, definitely a must have in everyone’s local metal collection!

Haggis and Bong is:
Angus Nixon: Bagpipes
Liam O’Flaherty: Bagpipes
Dominic Skelton: Bagpipes
Tom Hughes: Drums
Xavier Knox: Bass
David Callaghan: Guitars

If you have not heard any Haggis and Bong, below is the video for “The Celtic Force”.

And catch them live this weekend promoting Of Myth and Legend at Aandklas – supported by hard rockers Man as Machine and at R.O.A.R – supported by the djentlemen of Megalodon.

After seeing that our writer for this event would not make it, I wolfed down my supper and set out into the night. Close to an hour and some 70km later, I found myself doing a slow drive-by through an eerie industrial park with my head out of the window, listening for any hint of this rumoured venue. By the third pass, some ADT Security guys started to regard me with suspicion. Luckily, I caught sight of a bare-chested, tattooed guy missioning with his girlfriend (one can assume) down an alley. He looked like the headbanging sort so I followed. Needless to say, the venue was not easy to find, tucked away in the furthest reaches of Montague Gardens, near Milnerton. But the first impression was good. Once I’d passed through the alley, people and cars were suddenly visible everywhere.

The venue is not spacious, but seems comfortable enough. Indoors is split into two. On the one side, you find yourself in a large room not too unlike Cape Town’s beloved ROAR venue. On the other side, there is a similar sized room sporting a bar and some sit-down-and-chill facilities. By this time, it was clear that I’d already missed the first band, Sonnet For A Dead Countess. The best anybody could describe them to me as was “Ya, they were pretty tight, hey.” and not a word more. Disappointed, I took a moment to visit the bar and observe the sort of people I was surrounded by. I definitely had the longest beard in the place – and, admittedly, was relieved when I saw that there were at least a few other bearded blokes around, poking out here and there amongst the many teens who were in attendance. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for all-ages shows, but when youngsters outnumber adults 5-to-1, I begin feeling a little pedophobic – like as if it’s wrong that I’m there.

Fortunately, the next band was ready to begin and I quickly forgot my dawdling. I was actually genuinely impressed by Messiah Complex, a band fairly fresh off the starting block. Their facebook page describes them as metalcore, which is evident in their occasional use of breakdowns, and clearly in the vocal style.  However, a far cry from many young metalcore bands who have come and gone over the years, their vocalist actually uses his voice in an artful and mature manner which I quite liked, and the breakdowns were not the star of the show, as is often the case with bands who describe themselves under this sub-genre. In fact, as I was listening to them, I got a much greater impression of what In Flames sounded like when they first started playing way back in the 90s. The drummer’s timing was intense. I also liked what the guitarists were doing, and although the lead guitarist pulled some tricks, I really cannot wait to see what the songs will sound like once he’s got another year or two of development to his credit. There is great potential there.

Next up was The Impalement Theory, lovingly called upon by their more loyal fans as “TIT!”. This was the first time I’ve got to see them perform, although they have been knocking about the scene for a while already. I cannot comment too much on their music because the bar was moving so slowly that it took me the full changeover time as well as half of their set to get a beer, but I got back just in time to see champagne spewing from the stage. These guys (and gal) definitely have a strong stage character. You can see that they’re very comfortable performing and enjoying themselves and I think that becomes contagious to their crowd as well, but I must confess that I enjoyed the music of the band before just a little bit more. I think it boils down to vocals and that I’m an “ou toppie” and appreciate more artfulness, where The Impalement Theory are more about “brutality”, as the name of the event so aptly described the night. So, I cannot really fault them on that.

By the time The Impalement Theory were finished, I was relieved to find a lot more of an older crowd filling the place in anticipation of Megalodon. This was Megalodon’s second public performance, but after their electrifying debut at the recent M4A SummerFest’12, I think a lot of people were expecting great things from this performance. And so they delivered! At the Double D’s Night of Brutality, they proved again why they are the exception rather than the rule. These guys are just five tons of pure “mannekrag”; bearded and ugly and heavy, heavy, heavy, the way metal exists in my dreams.  They had the crowd up in a frenzy and held them there for every minute of the show.

Unfortunately, the venue seemed to empty out quite a bit after Megalodon as the next newbie band took to the stage. I felt a bit sorry for Blind & Deaf Jesse, but even so, I also soon had to begin the long journey back home. Truth is, although the band was kind of cool, they do not yet measure up to the three bands preceding them and the audience perceives and dwindles. But it’s early days still. I’ll be watching with interest at where these young men end up in another year or so. Keep it up, lads!

All in all, it was quite a lekker night out. Nice venue (once you find it,) great sound (with MacAudio Company supplying,) and nice enough people. I only hope that the venue has learned a bit from this first Night Of Brutality to be slightly better prepared for the next one – as I would easily have spent twice as much money had the bar been more efficient.

Despite having been to Black Dahlia too many times to remember, I got hopelessly lost on the way and stumbled into the dark alternative hot spot just in time to catch Killatoria. Those that have read my previous reviews know how I feel about these boys – a bomb of potential, ticking towards explosion, and Saturday’s performance was no different. Masterfully banging their heads on cue to the music, it is evident that they breathe for the music they make and project this passion to the audience, making it near impossible to resist in following suit.

Dressed in full battle gear, a personal favourite guaranteed to provide a release of angst, Spectral Realm took to the stage. Dahlia’s stage had transformed from a small crowded deck to a bigger platform that catered more comfortably for the bands that tread on it. Whenever Spectral Realm play, I involuntarily find my way to the front and swirl my head in unison with their intricate and epic sounds – their energy lures me and I find escape in the musical journey they offer on stage. I happened to be the lucky recipient of a self titled demo disk from this impressive black metal outfit, and I can assure you that there is pure gold in the making.

The well-renowned Theatre Runs Red brought butterflies to my stomach even before they began their set. Authenticity and the patriotic loyalty towards their genre radiated with intensity from each member, dressed in well crafted leathers with faces artistically painted in morbid corpse fashion. Music aside, this band manages an accurate interpretation of the blackened death image without looking out of place, but rather commanding power while adding much depth and a theatrical element to the music and stage act. Ebony Aberdein stepped to the microphone with unrelenting female prowess and grace, and it was clear by the audience’s numbed silence and awe that this band has become a well-respected force to behold. Her intensive deep inward growls accompanied by the slow, rhythmic, heavy musical breaks hypnotized the crowd with an almost soothing dark energy. I felt every chord, every word, right in the pit of my stomach as I watched Theatre Runs Red prove that they are a fundamental piece of the local metal scene.

Another musician in attendance of the show described All Forlorn‘s set as being the tightest act on stage that night. Despite any musical preference, he maintained that All Forlorn‘s live performance was of an international standard and that this band will be going places. Considering they have had little practice with the new members on bass and guitar, they deserve credit for pulling off a set so musically flawless and powerful. Thomas Hughes, one of SA’s greatest assets in terms of drummers, has proven undeniable talent with multiple musical ventures and is a drummer that many aspire to be like. Brandon van Os has established a unique sound for himself and shreds solo’s on his guitar like a pro, adding a very special something to the band with his old school techniques which we see misrepresented quite often by inferior guitarists. Overall a high-energy set that pulled a bustling and supportive crowd.

Bile of Man ensured many stiff necks when they proceeded to jam their usual relentless set with all the moshing pleasure and intensive circle-bangs we have come to expect and love from them. These boys will be touring with the mighty Fleshgod Apocalypse for the Detonation Tour, and have proven to be the perfect accomplice for an international band of such high regard. I look forward to watching them do us proud alongside the musical monsters from beyond the ocean.

I blame Bloodbeast for the pounding headache that ensued after their aggressive set. My body almost convulsed with pleasure when they blasted their unappeasable, fast-paced brand of metal with fury on stage. Definitely a must-see for those with a taste for heavy brutality, like myself. It is like a full blown adrenaline rush hitting you at a collosal speed, driven by an unrelenting heavy metal rage; the type that induces uncontrollable head movements and raw energy highs. The type
that well seasoned death metal enthusiasts crave to feel ballistic for a little while as they revel in the Necrophagist-like chaos.

I am honoured to be able to transform what I experienced at Masque of Comus into words and share it with the world. The heavy metal scene in Gauteng seems to be picking up some momentum and I hope to see more and more people supporting gigs like these.

A strange thing happened at around 20:40. Stellitius did a quick soundcheck and then… they disappeared! They didn’t actually play and were replaced last minute by the now infamous Anonymous! I can’t complain too much about the change, as they knew all of Stellitius’ material. They were joined by some of the Black Orchid Beasties on stage and delivered a great headbanging set. That’s one thing about Stellitius: I can never fault their sets. They come on and deliver balls-to-the-wall metal every time! They’re also one of the few bands that actually put on a show and not just perform. It takes balls to play an entire set with full face masks on and Ian especially, pulling off his signature vocals through the fucking mask! Once again, Stellitius did not disappoint!

Next up were Durban-based extreme metallers, . These guys (and girls) treated Cape Town to their nightmarish blackened death. It was hard, it was fast, it was, dare I say, brutal! It’s always great to see them live. Their stage presence is epic, the crowds love them and both on and off stage, I’m always surprised when I don’t see blood flowing. If you haven’t seen them live, you owe it to yourself to go to every show you can! Cape Town will always welcome Theatre Runs Red to our side of the country, horns held high.

The darkness subsided, the crowd crawled outside to get some fresh air, it was already past 10 and still hot as all hell! Next on stage were Cape Town’s own hair metal maestro’s Sabretooth. These guys are always a joy to see and although they get flak from some crowds for “not being metal” (which unfortunately showed due to the dwindling crowd throughout their set), I like them. Their style is no less-metal than the bands before them. Respect to them for keepin’ on rockin’, even in the face of a dissipating crowd. If any metal band goes really big in this country it will probably be these guys, mark my words!

It grew closer to midnight and blackness descended again upon the stage. It was the long awaited return of Cape Town’s own black metallers Rigormortem. I’m not a huge fan of black metal, but regardless of my predisposition, I have good things to say. Rigormortem are unbelievably tight and assaulted the crowd with pure black metal. You have to respect what these guys are doing and by Satan they’re good at it. They could improve their crowd interaction, but I’ll put that down to the fact that they haven’t performed live since ’08. I’d also very much like to keep tabs on them and see what this year holds.

All in all, I really enjoyed Summerfest. Great bands, great crowds. Hell – I walked away limping (I might be getting too old for moshpits)! But it was one not to be missed, and if you did, see you at Winterfest in July!

It’s now 4pm the festival gates will have opened so I get scrambling. It’s still quiet having not succumbed to the arrival of the legendary M4A Party bus which will make its infamous appearance around 5:30pm, unfortunately a half hour to late for the openers who have just sound checked and nurse their beers and nerves before their set.

The setting for M4A Summerfest has not changed much having been hosted at the very capable Klein Libertas Theatre for the last 5 years and going from strength to strength ever since. The usual stalls of band merch, local and international are set up in one corner while in the other corner a outdoor stage with DJ Andy at the decks kicks off and it’s for some metal, fucking partying.

This brings me to the start of the show. First up saw newbies Forgive Us Not hit the stage for the first time in their short careers. Not being ones to hold back on their unsuspecting audience they deliver a brutal monstrosity of sonic distortion, severing eardrums and getting bodies to sway. They first act is always one of the toughest slots of the fest but they fared well and made their mark, no matter how insignificant it may have seemed. I did notice however a lot of the old school present were hard-pressed to be drawn in, but showed support irrespective and that’s what counts. Forgive Us Not has the drive, look and stamina needed to be a great band; but for how long will this last without the much needed guidance from their peers? A decent opener to the fest and with time and experience could be groomed into a true force of metal.

After a quick intermission, Diverge stepped up to the plate. Now, don’t get me wrong; I am a little out of the loop with a lot of the burgeoning younger metal heads who bring about immense amounts of energy, brutality and love for a genre only the few can appreciate, but it lacks the ever-present groove and catchy licks that make most of our metal idols so legendary. But in saying so, Diverge saw a better complement of patrons as the crowd swelled with the arrival of the M4A party bus. Sixty or so people dove in trying to take in as much of the little they had missed but still had a long day ahead to look forward too thankfully.

A bit of a longer break ensued and the murmuring started as time started to lapse into the red, the next band up had made their followers wait long enough to see them live. This all star cast of members that make up the prehistoric fin shaped death machine was Megalodon. Featuring a repertoire of seasoned musicians from legendary bands such as Odian, The Broken Result and Marching Dead, they sure as hell had to live up to the ripping math metal inspired tunes to make, dare I say, their idols Meshuggah proud.

Megalodon drew by far the biggest crowd by this point and for good reason. They delivared a kick ass show while I struggled to squirm and fight my way through the mosh pit to view them from a decent spot, only to be confronted by the statue of a body thats was their frontman Thomas. His movements while delivering big growling vocals made heads roll, while the strings complimented each other as the drums, with technical flawlessness, kept it tight and refreshing to say the least.

To break the politics of death metal inspired bands, Wargrave fronted by Infanteria main man Chris Hall took to the stage. Wargrave brought their thrash metal goodness to a crowd who, by now, I think needed a bit more melody to headbang and throw each other against the rafters to. The news of Chris leaving this act was disappointing to hear as this band really has a presence and has worked hard to put their mark on the metal scene in the past year. They were a really enjoyable band to watch and it was a pleasure to see them do what they do best.

My last act viewed was the ever catchy and watchable industrial act that is Terminatryx. Their stage was littered with projections, smoke and lighting to enhance the visual and aural experience as the day faded into darkness. The crowd had swelled even more and the booze flowed more freely and everyone was ready to be blown away. Terminatryx‘s brand of synthesized metal fronted by the ever erotic Sonja Ruppersberg and the illustrious by Paul Blom worked seamlessly to bring their audience a quality product with as much emphasis on the performance as with their music. This show was in support of their newly launched remix album entitled Remyx 1.0 which, quite frankly, is better than the original in my opinion.

Tomorrow, the BrutalViking wraps up the review. Stay tuned!

Albeit small, Factory in Centurion is always buzzing with an alternative energy and remains an underground and jock-free venue that caters for just about any non-commercial niche. Gig-goers were sauntering around the balcony area and sipping Black Label while eagerly waiting for the metal mayhem to ensue.

One of my personal favourites, Killatoria, where first on stage to release the beast and provide me with my heavy metal fix. This young and talented quartet never ceases to amaze me with their relentlessly heavy yet classic sound. While most younger metal heads sport skinny jeans, emo hairstyles and a mainstream driven liking for deathcore, Killatoria is clearly influenced by the more old school slow and heavy fundamental building blocks of metal. The moment they started ripping up the stage, my head began swaying involuntarily to the heavy riffs complimented with ease by Adri’s deep guttural growls. I always wonder where these boys will be a few years down the line seeing as they have mastered the art of heavy metal at such an early time in their lives.

Hailing from Pretoria, Boargazm were next on the menu with a set that was about to blow my mind. With members coming from well established old SA bands such as FUCK and RhütZ, I knew that despite certain stigmas attached to the ‘pig squealing’ genre, Boargazm would not disappoint or sound like a thousand other bands out there. I was all too right. To add a little something different to their performance, the band members wore latex pig masks throughout their theatrical performance making it a visually entertaining show without compromising on the quality of the music. I watched in awe as Boargazm pulled off a high-energy set that was both brutal and potent in terms of well orchestrated metal. What sets them aside in their chosen genre is the fact that they flawlessly maintain a balance between chaos and melody. Amongst the grind-style madness, they worked in classic heavy metal breaks and beautifully melodic riffs to form an interesting contrast in styles. Being partial to percussive bass, the way the bassist was slapping at the strings appealed to me deeply and added solid heavy structure to the music.

A well respected muso within our scene, Chris “Danger Thunderbolt” was very entertaining with his infamous “Fuck You” guitar, energetic stage presence and well crafted riffs delivered with so much talent. I managed to have a quick chat to Chris before they jammed. He described their genre as “swine-core” and gave mention to metal gods Pantera as one of their influences. Maintaining the thrash element in this fairly new style of metal makes Boargazm unique. Despite this genre being one our scene is rather unfamiliar with, Boargazm reeled in the crowd and had many heads banging profusely to their music. A breath of fresh air, this band is rich with versatility without over doing it.

To end off the night on a good note, Emperium played a soothing set that remains unchallenged in its slower yet intense, heavy feel. Being no strangers to the stage, they delivered a great performance despite a few technical glitches and took me right back to my metal roots.

Needless to say, my neck suffered a stiff state the following day with me being a bit out of practice after the holidays, but it was definitely worth every ounce of pain! I look forward to watching Boargazm change the general conception surrounding the “pig squealing” and experimental sides of metal. I am beyond thrilled that this exciting new project comes from well oiled and experienced musicians that can do it right and have most certainly earned the freedom to experiment and shift boundaries without taking a step backwards.