Music / Previews
Metal & Prog Picks: November 2023
The month, we’ve got classic prog, industrial metal, ‘hillbilly metal’, technical death metal, stoner metal, metalcore, occult metal, psychedelia and, um, Arthur Brown, with bands hailing from as far afield as Southeast Asia and Ukraine. As usual, many of these shows are already sold out, notably Elder, Green Lung, Battle Beast and The Raven Age.
Exchange, Nov 1
is needed now More than ever
Britmetallers whose most recent album, Conquering, was released in 2021 to huge acclaim in the metal press. It landed at number four in Metal Hammer‘s Albums of the Year list and at number six in Kerrang!‘s list. The band’s latest video, for World Ender, was shot during their performance at Bloodstock this year. Tour support comes from Pupil Slicer and Going Off.
Fear Factory/Butcher Babies/Ignea/Ghosts of Atlantis
SWX, Nov 4
Hugely influential industrial metal pioneers whose 1996 Bierkeller show is the stuff of Bristol metal legend, Fear Factory seem to have spent an awfully long time feuding among themselves. So much so, in fact, that guitarist Dino Cazares is the sole remaining member of the line-up that played that show. Indeed, they recently unveiled a new vocalist in the form of Milo Silvestro. They’re currently touring Re-Industrialized (Nuclear Blast) – a revised and re-recorded version of their 2012 album The Industrialist. Main support comes from Butcher Babies, who have a great image and no shortage of energy and enthusiasm but have proved rather underwhelming on their previous shows in Bristol. Incidentally, the latest news is that Carla Harvey will be sitting out this tour for medical reasons. Third on the bill are rather more promising Ukrainian prog/symphonic-metallers Ignea, whose new album, Dreams of Lands Unseen, is out now on Napalm. Opening the packed show are Ghosts of Atlantis, who bring grand symphonic metal all the way from glamorous Ipswich.
Thekla, Nov 6
We’ll try to resist referring to this lot as the Finnish Hayseed Dixie. But, er, that’s what they are, being a bluegrass act playing covers of metal classics on banjo, spoons, upright, bass, accordion, and guitar. Actually, there is a difference. Hayseed Dixie have branched out to cover crappy pop and hip-hop songs, but for Steve’n’Seagulls it’s all about the rock. Their name is a corruption of ‘Steven Seagal’ (for no obvious reason), they all dress in authentic redneck garb, and their jolly videos have proven hugely popular on YouTube. The official term for this stuff, by the way, is Hillbilly Metal. They’re back at the Thekla on their Lager & Life tour. Check out their recent cover of Boston’s More Than a Feeling above.
Fleece, Nov 7
Best known for their great 2017 album Reflections of a Floating World, Americans Elder have now relocated to Berlin, where they continue to push at the prog/psych boundaries. They were on magnificent form at this year’s ArcTanGent festival and are back at the Fleece to plug their latest album, Innate Passage (“pulverising heft and proggy nirvana at its most polished,” enthused The Guardian, correctly). Support comes from musical fellow travellers Slomosa and Steak.
Crofters Rights, Nov 14
This rare night of underground Southeast Asian psychedelia comes to Bristol as part of a 13-date European co-headlining tour. Taiwan’s Mong Tong add gamelan music, phin guitar and tabla drums to the mix on their new album Tao Fire. Maya Ongaku are an experimental psych-folk trio hailing from the seaside communities surrounding Enoshima, a small island located 50 km southwest of Tokyo. Their latest album, Approach to Anima, is out now. Both bands are signed to the Guruguru Brain label.
Exchange, Nov 15
Best known as the band featuring George (son of Iron Maiden’s Steve) Harris on guitar, The Raven Age straddle metal styles old and new. That’s right – they’ve got 21st century facial hair and 1970s-vintage twin lead guitars. Their third album, Blood Omen, is out now.
Fleece, Nov 16
A very welcome return for the veteran Dutch prog yodellers whose autumn show at the Fleece is becoming something of an annual event (Covid permitting). That 50th anniversary tour is now behind them, but Thijs, Pierre, Menno and Udo can always be relied upon to deliver a hugely enjoyable, career-spanning set, including those classic hit singles Hocus Pocus, Sylvia and House of the King (AKA the Saxondale theme tune).
SWX, Nov 20
Last seen in Bristol supporting Bullet for My Valentine and Jinjer at the Academy back in February, US metalcore mob Atreyu are back with a new EP, The Hope of a Spark.
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Fleece, Nov 21
One of rock’s hardest working octogenarians, the God of Hellfire was recently seen performing with his old chums Hawkwind at their Albert Hall show, will guest with Gong and the Ozrics on the London date of their co-headlining tour, and has released two albums in quick succession: Long Long Road and the guest-packed Monster’s Ball. Remarkably, that powerful, operatic voice, which proved so influential on everyone from Alice Cooper to Bruce Dickinson, remains undiminished. This is Crazy Arthur’s first Bristol show in more than a decade. Will he wear the helmet and play Fire? Of course he bloody well will.
O2 Academy, Nov 24
A year almost to the day since they last played in Bristol (a great show at the Trinity) veteran psychedelicists Gong and the Ozrics are back for another big tour together. It’s officially a co-headlining affair, which means they alternate positions on the bill. Both acts have new albums on Kscope: the Ozrics’ Lotus Unfolding is out now, while Gong’s Unending Ascending is released on November 3.
Fleece, Nov 26
Finnish power metallers fronted by Noora Louhimo, whose latest album is Circus of Doom (Nuclear Blast). “If you’re looking for a band that sounds like Bonnie Tyler fronting Dragonforce and feels like a power metal take on Eye Of The Tiger, Battle Beast’s Circus Of Doom has you covered,” enthused Metal Hammer. Such a shame this show clashes with . . .
Thekla, Nov 26
One of the most exciting young British stoner metal bands of recent years, Green Lung were last in town supporting Clutch at the Academy. Before that they played an absolutely packed post-lockdown show at the Exchange. Now splendidly named Tom Templar and chums have gone full folk horror with new release This Heathen Land: A Journey Into Occult Albion (Nuclear Blast). Hopefully, they’ll still be exhorting us to Let the Devil In too.
Lost Horizon, Nov 28
If post-hardcore is your bag, you need to check out southern California’s Movements, who infuse the genre with pop songwriting nous. Their new album, RUCKUS!, is out now on Fearless Records, along with the single I Hope You Choke.
Fleece, Nov 29
Regular visitors to Bristol, Poland’s Decapitated specialise in ferociously precise technical death metal. Busy guitarist Wacław Kiełtyka also serves as the replacement for Phil Demmel in Machine Head. Their most recent release is Cancer Culture on Nuclear Blast.
Main pic of Gong: Layla Burrows
COMING SOON
Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.
Extreme/Living Colour, O2 Academy, Dec 3
Danko Jones, Thekla, Dec 12
The Darkness, Bristol Beacon, Dec 14
Urne, Exchange, Dec 15
Saint Agnes, Exchange, Jan 21
Buckcherry, Thekla, Jan 23
Evil Scarecrow, Thekla, Feb 2
The Pineapple Thief, SWX, Feb 21
TesseracT, O2 Academy, Feb 22
Rick Wakeman, Bristol Beacon, Feb 28
10cc, Bristol Beacon, March 7
Cattle Decapitation, Fleece, March 17
Dragonforce/Amaranthe, O2 Academy, March 22
Jethro Tull, Bristol Beacon, April 17
When Rivers Meet, Thekla, April 28
Magnum, SWX, April 29
Yes, Bristol Beacon, May 31
Steve Hackett, Bristol Beacon, Oct 5
Delain, SWX, Nov 22
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