Metal & Prog Picks: September 2022

Prog-metal is the main theme of this month, with various flavours on offer, from Copenhagen’s Vola to Australia’s Voyager and Gothenburg’s Evergrey. Meanwhile, Akercocke serve up a proggy twist on black metal, while Crippled Black Phoenix offer a more dour, avant-garde spin. Oh, and Magnum, one of the great progenitors of prog-metal, return to town too. Those who prefer their metal a little more light-hearted will be overjoyed to find that Swedish Viking octet Brothers of Metal (pictured) make their first visit to Bristol, supporting Gloryhammer. What’s more, this is the first show at SWX since that arson attack of just over a year ago. Welcome back!

Crippled Black Phoenix

Fleece, Sept 8

Multi-instrumentalist Justin Greaves’ gothic post/prog-rockers certainly burn their way through band members, many of whom have had strong Bristol connections. This latest line-up is touring Banefyre, their fifth studio album for Season of Mist, which had Metal Hammer in raptures over its “melancholic splendour”.

Gloryhammer/Brothers of Metal/Arion

SWX, Sept 9

Let’s get that bloody great elephant in the room out of the way first. Last year, leaked group chats showed members of Gloryhammer, including Alestorm founder Chris Bowes, using racist and misogynistic language. Apologies were duly issued for these “disgusting and inexcusable comments” but sections of the metal press are refusing to let it lie – and quite rightly so. Such bigotry has no place in the jolly world of comedy power metal and no one should be made to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. Sermon ends. This is their first show in Bristol since 2019, with untainted new vocalist Sozos Michael in the hammer-wielding Angus McFife role. Get there early for two excellent support acts. Swedish power/folk-metal octet Brothers of Metal (pictured above) bill themselves as “Viking warriors from the glorious kingdom of Falun” and have certainly carved out a niche for themselves with their self-deprecating videos. Imagine Manowar with a sense of humour and you’re halfway there. Opening the show are symphonic metallers Arion, who rose to fame back home in Finland as fresh-faced teenagers in 2012 when they competed in the televised contest to represent their nation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Now older and hairier, they’ve just released their third album, Vultures Die Alone.

Akercocke

Exchange, Sept 11

Back in town for the first time since they played the Fleece back in 2016, veteran Brit extreme metallers Akercocke were always a cut above their peers, combining brutal black metal with detours into the outer reaches of prog. Support at the Exchange comes from one of the young acts on whom Akercocke are a clear influence: lauded progressive black metallers Cryptic Shift.

CJ Wildheart/Scott Sorry/Grand Theft Audio

Fleece, Sept 15

With the Wildhearts on hiatus for the 227th time (estimate) due to “ongoing issues within the band”, guitarist and hot sauce purveyor CJ (real name: Chris Persaud-Jagdhar) hits the road with two other acts featuring former Wildhearts members. It’s CJ’s first solo show in Bristol since 2016, and we can probably expect to hear stuff from his three solo albums and maybe a song or two from related acts such as Honeycrack and The Jellys. Best known over here as the former frontman of Amen, American singer/songwriter Scott Sorry was briefly a member of the Wildhearts and is currently touring his solo album When We Were Kings. Grand Theft Audio were formed back in the late 90s by Chris (brother of Wildheart Danny) McCormack, formerly of Three Colours Red, with Jay Butler and Wildhearts drummer Ritch Battersby. They recently reformed after years of inactivity. CJ, Ritch and Scott will join forces for an encore after the three bands’ sets. It’s a safe bet that classic Wildhearts songs will be involved.

Evergrey

Thekla, Sept 19

Veteran Gothenburg prog-metallers Everygrey enjoy a somewhat lower profile than their peers and have been rather eclipsed in this country by their former support act, Avatar. But they’re certainly prolific, with huge, sprawling multi-album concepts underpinning their crisp, melodic metal. They’ve got some big name supporters too, with Dream Theater’s James Labrie contributing to 2021’s Escape of the Phoenix, which Metal Hammer ranked as the 10th best progressive metal album of the year. Now signed to Napalm Records, they’ve wasted no time in recording and releasing their 13th studio album A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament). If you like your prog-metal epic and soaring, you’ll have no complaints.

Magnum

Fleece, Sept 19

There’s no getting away from the fact that 74-year-old Bob Catley struggles to hit those notes on stage these days, even with the whole audience willing him on. In the studio, however, it’s a different matter. Brummie veterans Magnum’s impressive second wind has given us two excellent albums since they were last able to tour. 2020’s The Serpent Rings brought in lush orchestrations and even a brass section to take on those whippersnapper orchestral/symphonic metallers at their own game. Catley’s prolific creative partner, writer/guitarist Tony Clarkin, hasn’t let the standards slip on this year’s The Monster Roars, which earned a rave review from Classic Rock. Their reviewer noted that this ” . . .delivers one tuneful stormer after another, with the opening title track, Remember (which includes one of the biggest earworms, come the chorus), All You Believe In and lead single I Won’t Let You Down all perfect examples of elder statesmen showing off their craft.”

Vola/Voyager

Fleece, Sept 27

The prog-metal double bill of the month and no mistake. Copenhagen’s boundary-pushing Vola add influences from electronic music to their winning blend of odd time signatures and enormous melodic pop choruses. Hugely impressive last time they played the Fleece supporting Haken back in 2019, Asger Mygind’s quartet now return as headliners in this first of just three UK dates in support of their third album, Witness. If you’re fan of Opeth, Porcupine Tree or Devin Townsend (who they recently supported at the Albert Hall), you’ll find much to enjoy here. Support comes from Perth’s Voyager, who’ve competed unsuccessfully to represent their country at Eurovision and were last seen in the UK playing at the European Space Agency’s Space Rocks event, alongside such cosmological fellow-travellers as Amplifier and Anna Phoebe. That was quite appropriate given that Voyager frontman Danny Estrin is an outspoken rationalist who described the band’s Brightstar as being about the importance of science and “the demise of empirical evidence in favour of blind belief in idols who spit forth a torrent of nonsense”. Current album Colours in the Sun is out on the uber-cool Season of Mist label.

Deafheaven

SWX, Sept 29

Variously described as “hipster black metal” “blackgaze” and “post-metal” (no, me neither), San Francisco’s Deafheaven are nothing if not divisive. Whatever your view, they’re certainly building an audience, stepping up from the Fleece to play SWX. Fifth album, Infinite Granite, tones down the black metal in favour of a more shoegazey sound. The Guardian loved it.

Inglorious

Thekla, Sept 30

Back to rock it old-skool stylee on their ‘Until We Die’ tour (not literally, one trusts) founders Nathan James and the magnificently named Phil Beaver bring the latest line-up of Inglorious to the Thekla to mark the release of their first live album, MMXXI Live At Phoenix. This follows their peculiar covers collection, Heroine. At the time of writing, no one seems to have noticed the prankstering addition to their Wikipedia entry, which reads: “Inglorious’s members were primarily inspired by Krispy Kreme. Nathan has cited Danny DeVito’s penguin character from 1992’s Batman Returns as a major influence for his stage image.”

Main pic: Brothers of Metal by George Grigoriadis

COMING SOON

Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.

Steve Hackett, Bath Forum, Oct 5

Anthrax/Municipal Waste, O2 Academy, Oct 6

The Sheepdogs, Thekla, Oct 7

Rosalie Cunningham, Chapel Arts Centre Bath, Oct 8

Coheed & Cambria/Thrice/Touche Amore, O2 Academy, Oct 14

Ryan Hamilton & Warner E. Hodges, Thekla, Oct 16

Amenra, Fleece, Oct 16

Dare, Fleece, Oct 23

Skid Row/Winger/Phil X and the Drills, O2 Academy, Oct 23

Cradle of Filth, Marble Factory, Oct 27

Rosalie Cunningham, Thekla, Oct 30

Conjurer, Exchange, Oct 31

Despised Icon/Decapitated, Fleece, Nov 2

Pallbearer/Elder, Fleece, Nov 3

Zeal & Ardor, Trinity, Nov 8

Fozzy, O2 Academy, Nov 12

Saxon, Bath Forum, Nov 15

AA Williams, Thekla, Nov 18

Gong/Ozric Tentacles, Trinity, Nov 20

Crobot, Fleece, Nov 21

Frost*, Komedia, Bath, Nov 30

Rick Wakeman, Bath Forum, Dec 3

Conan, Thekla, Dec 3

Moonspell, Thekla, Dec 8

Clutch, O2 Academy, Dec 13

Lamb of God/Kreator, O2 Academy, Dec 16

Imonolith, Exchange, Jan 26

Epica/Apocalyptica, O2 Academy, Jan 30

Karnivool, O2 Academy, Feb 3

Leprous, SWX, Feb 11

Katatonia/Solstafir, Marble Factory, Feb 12

Revocation, Fleece, Feb 16

Back Star Riders/Michael Monroe/Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, O2 Academy, Feb 22

Beast In Black, Fleece, Feb 22

Avatar, SWX, Feb 23

Napalm Death, O2 Academy, March 7

Ville Valo, O2 Academy, March 10

WASP, O2 Academy, March 23

Haken, SWX, March 23

Devin Townsend, O2 Academy, March 29

Bloodywood, Fleece, March 29

The Zombies, Fleece, April 13

The Aristocrats, Fleece, June 15