Vocalist Ricky Lee Roper and dual guitarists Chris Keepin and Rownan Tennet stand intimidatingly tall on a raised podium stretching the full width of the stage, which is frankly overkill in the intimate Voodoo Lounge venue. From the moment they take to the stage in matching branded sleeveless t-shirts, there is no doubting their dedication and commitment to a brutal delivery of heaviness. Joining The Faceless throughout this European tour (and under the same band management) are British brutal deathcore quintet Osiah who formed little over five years ago, and are also on their first visit to Ireland. AeSect are certainly overdue a European Summer festival appearance or big band tour support slot, and fans of the likes of Lamb of God would lap them up, given the opportunity. The remainder of their six track setlist is a mix of numbers from their most recent EP release Devour the Earth, and a couple of as-yet unreleased tracks. Unfortunately, Mark Lennon’s ordinarily powerful screamed vocals are somewhat lost in the mix of the otherwise crushing set, at least from my position near the stage. They explode onto the stage with ‘Baal’ from their 2013 EP Buried in the Undergrowth, their thundering tempo quickly jolting everyone from their zhOra-enduced trances. Next up are Dublin-based AeSect, a modern metal five-piece who have been active on the local heavy music scene for most of this decade. They wrap up a 25 minute non-stop set with ‘Riverchrist’, which can be heard on the afore-mentioned Metal Hammer CD or accompanied by their brand new official animated video on YouTube. The guttural growls of frontman Colin Bolger a perfect match for the gritty grooves provided by his barbaric bandmates. Performing tracks from their sophomore album Ethos, Pathos, Logos, the band perform in a near-trance like state, barely opening their eyes and immersing themselves totally in their intricate sound. Judging by the respectable turnout for the early 7:30pm start, the progressive Irish sludge quartet have already amassed a loyal local fanbase, riding high on recent successes and releases. The first band are Tipperary-based zhOra, current reigning Bloodstock Metal 2 the Masses champions, who can be found on the cover CD of this month’s Metal Hammer magazine (if there are any copies left at this stage). Maybe coincidence, or maybe insurance, but tonight’s gig hosted by DME Promotions features not one, but three support acts, making the €20 cover charge great value for money. However, a few reassuring social media posts and cheery in-flight selfies are enough to allay any fears of non-committal to this much-anticipated headline appearance. Tales of stolen equipment, technical sound setup issues, missed flights, fallings out with management/promoters and cancelled tours are impossible to ignore in recent reports.
Fans of The Faceless may have been justifiably nervous about making travel arrangements to Dublin city for tonight’s debut Irish live performance by the Los Angeles based prog metal outfit.
0 kommentar(er)
