Gigs

Gig Review: The Black Crusade

Venue: Brixton Academy, London
Date: 24 November 2007

The monstrous queue running around Brixton Academy filters in at such a slow pace that few get to the see Shadows Fall hit the ground running. The band’s friendship with the two headliners has secured them this slot and they intend to make the most of it with lead vocalist, Brian Fair, promising “full-on brutality” - that is truly what we get. The crowd, about 15 rows deep, only reach as far back as the crush barrier but Fair couldn’t care less as he blindly thrashes his enormous dreads around in circles like a metal Medusa. Half-an-hour gives them just enough time to display the nastier side of current album, Threads Of Life, before they troop off to continue the “alcoholic disaster” of a party backstage.

The set turnaround is impressive and ten minutes later Arch Enemy are striding out to a full house. “It’s great to be back in London” yells the queen of mean, Angela Gossow, to huge roars of approval. Cue the reverberating double-kick of the drums and she’s off headbanging those blonde tresses and fist-pumping before unleashing that otherworldly vocal of hers. The band, all for one, all in black, blaze through classics like Dead Eyes See No Future and Nemesis, as well as the brilliant new single Revolution Begins. Amidst the frenzy stand the two reunited Amott brothers, trading riffs at each other from either side of the stage, and we realise all is well with the world.

Dragonforce are playing to some of the largest venues they’ve seen on this tour and they rip into their set like men possessed. The machine-gun-drums threaten to lift your heart out of your chest whilst the guitars interweave notes with such complexity to threaten total protonic reversal. It’s a shame that their Eighties look and power metal sound doesn’t fit snugly with the brooding metal of the rest of the bill because the energy is impressive. Justin Hawkins look-a-like, Vadim Pruzahov, is sporting flashing green-LED rings and a portable keyboard and guitarist, Sam Totman, is tarting around in white-PVC trousers which only promotes the sore thumb syndrome. It isn’t long before certain sections of the audience are out-heckling the fans roar of approval. Operation Ground And Pound and The Flame Of Youth are immense but the only times they get a decent cheer is when Theart cries “Let’s hear it for the only UK band on the bill”.

Excitement mounts as the crew for Trivium set up three ramps and test out six (count ‘em) mics. The band launch straight into To The Rats which gets the crowd moshing nicely and is quickly followed by Becoming the Dragon, Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation and Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr. The interaction between the three guitarists is constant as they admire each others work - at one point Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu stand side-by-side shredding riffs for fun - their hands are a blur as they finger each string alternately over and then under the guitar neck. The technical ability on display is staggering and the crowd are lapping it up. Even Anthem, so Motley Crüe-sounding on the latest album, is more Anthrax live and gets a roar as chants of “We are the fire” are bellowed out. There’s a brief pause for Heafy to ask if the crowd are okay and persuade them to give their roadcrew a cheer for working through today’s monumental hangovers. Then the opening bars of Ascendancy ring out, we get a brief glimpse of Travis Smith as he stands up, arm aloft, before he thrashes at his kit to the sound of insanity returning. As the final notes ring out Beaulieu stands holding his guitar by just its tremolo arm alone as Heafy delivers the rather epic line “We are Trivium, we will always have that”.

Prior to the gig, I managed to chance a meeting with Machine Head guitarist, Phil Demmel, as he paid homage to the band’s fan club. He was happy to reveal the band were slightly the worse for wear after “drinking ‘til 6am” but predicted tonight was still going to be “fucking amazing”. Well, he wasn’t kidding. All night we’d been assaulted to the now familiar chants for “Machine fucking Head” but now the crowd are at full volume and it’s a phenomenal, unforgettable sound. The diamond logos are out, the Blackening album cover poster is revealed and the band walks on and immediately tears into Clenching The Fists Of Dissent. This is them at full pelt and it’s awesome – Robb Flynn is belting out even the track’s quieter sections at top volume as the crowd chant along, arms pumping in salute, with the words “fight, fight, fight”. There isn’t time to breathe before the incredible Imperium is blasting out its charms. Others use feedback to break the growling throb of guitars but Machine Head are instantly recognised by their use of piercing harmonics - each one is delivered with shameless bluster. Silence finally descends and Flynn takes the opportunity to wind up the crowd. “We are so happy to be playing London on a Saturday night because we know you guys are gonna be drinking with us. You gonna fucking drink with Machine Head, London?” - cue the biggest roar of the night as the bars brace themselves to receive 4000 thirsty fans. There’s no time as Demmel raises his guitar in salute before the sounds of Aesthetics of Hate, Old, and Ten Ton Hammer ring out in quick succession. New backdrops are revealed as the band race through the set but now it’s back to the magnificence of their latest album as Halo and Farewell To Arms finally slow the pace with Flynn softly cradling each note to its full extension. As the Burn My Eyes album cover backdrop appears we prepare ourselves for the final onslaught and the masterpiece Davidian. As the united battle-cry of “Let freedom ring with a shotgun blaaaast!” echoes off the Academy walls, each of us can rightly claim to have been here at one of metal’s finest moments - we are Crusaders all.

For fans of: Lamb Of God, Celtic Frost, Iron Maiden
Band links = Machine Head / Trivium / Dragonforce / Arch Enemy / Shadows Fall

Photos courtesy of Jason Symonds.

This review originally appeared in Big Cheese.

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