Music / Previews
Metal & Prog Picks: November 2017
We’ve had a wave of cancellations lately. WASP pitched up for their show at the O2 Academy, but then buggered off again in a huff without any official explanation, leaving seriously pissed-off punters to vent on social media. Morbid Angel’s tour was pulled because of visa issues. Venom Inc have cancelled for reasons that remain unclear, though the tour is apparently being rescheduled for 2018. And Decapitated have all been arrested and are facing serious criminal charges (see below). Still, there’s much to look forward to this month, including that ace Opeth/Enslaved double-bill, Airbourne (check out their Bristol-shot documentary below), Caravan over in Bath and the Golden God himself – Mr. Robert Plant CBE at the Colston Hall. Oh, and do keep an eye on the Coming Soons at the end. We know how annoying it can be to learn about a gig after it’s sold out, so we try to keep this as up-to-date as possible. Shows that have already sold out include Airbourne, Robert Plant, Extreme, Jethro Tull and Hunter and the Bear – and there are just a few tickets left for next year’s gigs by Yes, Apocalyptica and Marillion.
Fleece, Nov 3
is needed now More than ever
With a name like that, this Maryland trio were never likely to enjoy much mainstream success. But then, their uncompromising, Suffocation-inspired guttural death metal racket wouldn’t have earned them a slot on Later With Jools Holland even if they’d been called Basket of Fluffy Kittens. They’ve been at this for more than a quarter of a century now, but enjoyed something of an upswing in fortunes when the hashtag whynotdyingfetus did the meme thing back in 2014, leading them to land the main stage opening slot at Download. The Fetuses’ pleasingly titled new album, Wrong One to Fuck With, is out now on Relapse.
Bierkeller, Nov 7
Seasoned Hawkwindologists will know that the Hawklords name was coined back in 1978 when, for bizarre legal reasons, Hawkwind weren’t permitted to call themselves Hawkwind for a year or so. Revived in 2008 as a home for disaffected former band members who’d been jettisoned from the mothership, the new Hawklords were initially no more than a covers outfit. But no one could now accuse them of simply cashing in on Captain Brock’s brand, as they’ve recorded six albums of original material in as many years. The latest of these, functionally titled Six, was unleashed last month. It’s unclear whether amusingly attired frontman Ron Tree is appearing on this tour (he isn’t on the album), but veteran keyboard player Harvey Bainbridge is sure to be there alongside guitarist Jerry Richards – who puts those riffs upfront where they belong. A retina-scorching lightshow is promised and we’d be very surprised indeed if they didn’t play at least one Robert Calvert cover.
Thekla, Nov 11
In case you’re confused, this show was originally to be headlined by Polish technical death metal titans Decapitated, who were on fine form at the Marble Factory last year. But they’ve just been charged with kidnapping and gang rape in the US. This has led to online vilification of the alleged victim. We’re certainly not going to fan those flames, though it’s worth pointing out that the band vehemently deny all the charges levelled against them. Tour support and fellow death metallers Venom Prison, whose vocalist Larissa Stupar is an outspoken advocate of women’s rights, pulled out as soon as Decapitated were arrested and made a donation to Rape Crisis England & Wales. Now they’re headlining the rescheduled dates themselves, with support from Corrupt Moral Altar and God Complex. Shame it’s on the same night as three other great metal shows in Bristol, mind. As for Decapitated, of all the bollocks posted by fans on their Facebook page, one remark stands out for being eminently sensible: “If they did not do it, I hope they are freed. If they did it, I hope they get what they deserve.”
Bierkeller, Nov 11
It’s screeching Dani and the Filthies, back in Bristol for the first time since their Marble Factory gig two years ago. No one would claim that Cradle of Filth are the world’s greatest black metal band, but they always put on a hugely entertaining show. New album Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay sees Dani getting all gothic on our asses as he draws on the Victorian obsession with death for lyrical inspiration. The pint-sized Filthy tyrant has also pulled off a feat he’s never achieved before – retaining the same band line-up for two successive albums.
O2 Academy, Nov 11
Strewth! Hands up all those who remember (and are still hearing-impaired as a result of) Airbourne’s very first Bristol gig at the Louisiana back in 2008. They’ve long been poised to inherit AC/DC’s mantle as kings of irresistibly unpretentious, no-bullshit Aussie hard rock, and the fact that this show sold out weeks ago suggests that they’re already well on their way. Check out the documentary above and you’ll see that much of it was filmed during their previous show at the Bristol Academy, with a namecheck in the credits for the Gryphon. Who knew Joel had a degree in marketing and business management? Recent-ish album Breakin’ Outta Hell became their first UK top ten hit. Lemmy was always a big fan (he appeared in Airbourne’s vid for Runnin’ Wild and is the subject of their recent tribute It’s All For Rock’n’Roll) so it’s rather appropriate that tonight’s support should be former Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons (most of whom really are his sons), who were last seen locally at the Bierkeller. Read our rockin’ new Music Ed’s interview with Airbourne here.
Cube, Nov 11
Heaviosity makes a welcome return to the Cube in the pleasingly loud form of Bristol’s very own atmospheric progressive doomsters Sonance. They’re headlining a five-band bill, so you’d be advised to pitch up early. The other acts are Warrior Pope, Age Decay, GlueHorse and Row of Ashes.
Fleece, Nov 12
They’re brothers and they’re called Von Hertzen, in case you’re wondering. Siblings Jon, Kie and Mikko – plus unrelated drummer Sami Kuoppamäki and keyboard player Robert Engstrand – are big cheeses back home in Finland, where they regularly top the charts and pack out enormodomes. They’re rather more petits fromages over here, however, which is great news for us because we get to see a jaw-droppingly talented, world-class prog-metal band at close quarters. They last played at the Fleece back in March 2016 and return on a tour to promote their seventh album, VII: War Is Over. Support comes from Brit psych-rockers Goldray, who impressed our reviewer when they played the Thekla earlier this year.
Tunnels, Nov 16
Fairly regular visitors to Bristol, Norfolk’s classy Bad Touch are rootsy hard rockers with a clear US southern rock influence and should appeal to anyone who enjoys The Temperance Movement. Their new album Truth Be Told is out now. As for support act Mollie Marriott – if her surname sounds familiar, you are correct: she is indeed the daughter of the late Small Faces and Humble Pie singer Steve Marriott (and step-daughter of Joe Brown). Her old man’s gnarly rocker mates have been queuing up to heap praise upon her and none other than Whisperin’ Bob Harris has pronounced her “the real deal”. Now we’ll have a chance to judge for ourselves, as Mollie’s debut album, Truth Is a Wolf, is out to coincide with this tour.
Colston Hall, Nov 17
Yes, of course we’d all rather see him fronting Led Zeppelin, but Percy Plant has earned the right to do whatever he bloody well pleases. And what he pleases right now is to continue with his Sensational Space Shifters, with whom he last played the Colston Hall back in August 2013, just after his 65th birthday. (Fascinating Percy fact: Robert Plant CBE first played the Colston Hall with Led Zep on June 21, 1969.) Well received new album Carry Fire doesn’t differ wildly from its predecessor Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar, but instead continues Plant’s return to the music that inspired him (chiefly English folk and American blues), adding a political edge (check out the pointed New World, above), with guest appearences by Chrissie Hynde and Seth Lakeman. It’s safe to assume we’ll be hearing plenty from it tonight, along with re-workings of Zep classics and sundry covers. Mr. Lakeman will be pitching up to join in, just as he did with Jethro Tull at the Colston back in 2008.
Louisiana, Nov 18
They’ve been proclaimed the future of rock by the Huffington Post, but hopefully that won’t impede the rise of these anthemic Britrockers who’ve already supported Eric Clapton. Well worth checking out if you enjoy Broken Witt Rebels, Bad Touch or our very own Tax the Heat, they get a bit Kings of Leon on occasion, but there’s plenty of Zeppelin and Skynyrd in the mix to fend off the spectre of blanditude. Their debut album, Paper Heart, is out now.
https://youtu.be/arDLgz3KHYA
Komedia, Bath, Nov 19
Canterbury scene pioneers Caravan’s idiosyncratically English blend of jazz, rock and classical has never dated. Their stock has also risen lately among younger proggers thanks to Steven Wilson’s revelatory 5.1 surround mix of their masterpiece, In the Land of Grey and Pink. Oddly, they haven’t played Bristol in years, but last performed a magnificent show to a packed Komedia back in 2013. Original drummer Richard Coughlan died later that year, but the band’s line-up has remained stable ever since, being led by founder Pye Hastings alongside multi-instrumentalist/Penguin Café Orchestra regular Geoffrey Richardson, with the returning Jan Schelhaas (who first played with Caravan back in 1976) on keyboards. Since their last show round these parts, they’ve put out the crowd-funded Paradise Filter, and Hastings has even found time to record a solo album, From the Half House.
O2 Academy, Nov 21
Gig of the month and no mistake. Droll vinyl obsessive and walking prog/metal encyclopaedia Mikael Akerfeldt’s determination to plough his own furrow has taken Stockholm’s Opeth on an eventful journey from death metal to pure prog, which has occasionally enraged our friends in the troll community. Their brilliant new album, Sorceress, was the band’s highest charting release to date in the UK, reached number eight in the US Billboard album chart and even had the Guardian in raptures with a five star review: “Sonically warm and sparkling, Sorceress marks another high point for a band that keep defying the odds by making silly old prog rock sound stupidly exciting and audacious.” They deservedly won International Band of the Year at the recent Prog Awards, at which Era was also nominated for Video of the Year. Incidentally, if you want to find Mr. Akerfeldt during the day, last time Opeth played Bristol he spent the afternoon trawling Plastic Wax in search of obscure 70s vinyl. Support comes from Norwegian fellow musical travellers Enslaved, who were last seen at the Marble Factory back in March 2015 and whose terrific new album E also marks a further step into prog territory.
COMING SOON
Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.
Wolves in the Throne Room, Fleece, Dec 6
SikTh, SWX, Dec 6
Broken Witt Rebels, Thekla, Dec 7
Fish, O2 Academy, Dec 13
The Darkness, Colston Hall, Dec 14
Extreme/Dan Reed Network, O2 Academy, Dec 18
Nazareth, Marble Factory, Jan 27
Steel Panther/Inglorious/Wayward Sons, O2 Academy, Jan 27
Therion, Bierkeller, Feb 13
Arch Enemy, O2 Academy, Feb 14
Paradise Lost, Thekla, Feb 17
Magnum, Trinity, Feb 20
The Temperance Movement, O2 Academy, Feb 22
Piratefest 2018: Alestorm, The Dread Crew of Oddwood, Rumahoy, Motion, Feb 24
Apocalyptica, Colston Hall, Feb 28
Sepultura, SWX, March 13
Yes, Colston Hall, March 13
Cannibal Corpse, Bierkeller, March 16
Skid Row, O2 Academy, March 20
Testament/Annihilator/Vader, Motion, March 29
Epica, O2 Academy April 8
Jethro Tull, Colston Hall, April 9
Marillion, Colston Hall, April 17
Trivium, O2 Academy, April 19
Skindred, O2 Academy, April 25
G3 2018: Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Uli Jon Roth, Colston Hall, April 26
Machine Head, O2 Academy, May 15
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