Midnight + Night Demon + Sadistic Force – The Exchange Bristol – 13.06.22

Midnight + Night Demon + Sadistic Force – The Exchange Bristol – 13.06.22

Monday night metal comes to Bristol, and The Exchange is celebrating by serving up not only a stellar three-band bill showcasing some of America’s finest underground bands but also (if the chalkboards outside are to believed) a black metal brunch too.

Sadly, local scene legend Big Jeff isn’t around to sample either tonight as he’s in hospital over in Swansea recovering from burns sustained during a fire in his flat. His image still looms large over all proceedings though thanks to the Banksy-like image of him painted on the outside of The Exchange, and raising our glasses high, everyone here at RPM would like to wish Jeff a speedy and full recovery.

Once inside the venue, it’s left to Sadistic Force, who are all the way from Austin, Texas, to kickstart proceedings and give those of us in early doors a lesson in what American blackened speed metal is all about. Taking elements of eighties thrash and adding a more modern extreme vocal twist via guitarist James Oliver and bassist Blaine Dismukes, the younger elements of the crowd (and it really is fantastic to see the teenagers in attendance getting into this kind of brutal stuff) go suitably apeshit. For me, it’s only when the trio (completed by drummer Jose Alcaraz) tear headlong into an almost recognisable cover of W.A.S.P’s ‘(Snow) Blind In Texas” that I fully engage with their particular brand of metal. Still, whatever I think, with 11 UK shows now under their collective (bullet) belts Sadistic Force has certainly made a lot of new friends, as the post-set hustle and bustle at their merch stall proves.

It’s at this point that I have to mention the between band music tonight, because whoever it is choosing the tunes they are bang on the money. Playing everything from Cock Sparrer through to MC5 by way of Van Halen, Judas Priest and UFO, it’s almost enough to make this 55-year-old gig veteran feel like a teenager once again. That task is fully completed though when Ventura, California’s Night Demon takes to the stage and unleashes the most infectious set of classic metal I’ve seen/heard since Bullet last toured the UK many, many full moons ago. Think NWOBHM meets classic Euro metal and you won’t be a million miles away from what this trio excels at. That being, putting smiles on everyone’s faces whilst also making you headbang like crazy. It’s all magnificently OTT stuff complete with anthems about chalices and Manticore, along with a demonised reworking of Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Sun Goes Down’, and an end-of-set appearance by “Rocky’ (the band’s mascot) during the band’s self-titled set closer. Night Demon themselves, made up of singer/bassist Jarvis Leatherby, guitarist Armand John Anthony (playing matching Flying V guitars) and powerhouse drummer Dusty Squires also look like they are loving every second of their sweat-drenched set, and in Letherby’s case, I love the fact he also brings a whole bunch of truly memorable tunes to proceedings via his great vocals, which in particular during the likes of set opener ‘Screams In The Night’ bring Sean Harris in his prime to mind.  Look at times tonight I was right back in 1982 just down the road in Colston Hall watching the likes of Wolf, The Rods, Tank, Motorhead, and Vardis, yet Night Demon never once sounded dated or contrived, as sometimes can happen with modern metal bands. I admit I (along with my traveling amigos) was really there to see only one band tonight, but Night Demon was definitely a most welcome studded wristband up the ass kind of surprise. Glorious stuff!  

Author: Johnny ‘Nosferatu’ Hayward

Sweet baby Jesus, what kind of Hell have I gotten myself into? Bristol on a school night getting all Satanic on this the most Metal Monday of the year. After a splendidly entertaining double support slot was done and dusted it was now time for some diabolical Metal in the shape of the mighty Midnight. As the trio hit the stage to a PA crackling with demonic debauchery the Exchange air is filled with the faint whiff of patchouli oil, fausty denim, and sweat-drenched leather as the evil children of the Severn are out in force, windmilling and headbanging with clenched fists and horned hands like whirly dervishes for what is, without doubt, the hottest ticket in punk/metal for decades. 

You can have your O2s full of trendy kids slamdancing to whatever safe noise is coming out of the pages of metal magazines, the underground is throbbing with dark energy and menace courtesy of this howling hellbound – demonic diabolical filth from Ohio we call Midnight.

Midnight goes full tilt right from the off its ‘Unholy & Rotten’ and the band just get on with handing Bristol their backside on a platter of rapid riffs, hacking and slashing and paying homage to the good and the greats who went before them from Motorhead and venom through Discharge and GBH this is a beautiful noise indeed.  With a set list littered with demonic tomes from all points of the pentagram and their illustrious career thus far, it’s relentless as ‘Fucking Speed And Darkness’ collides with ‘Sex Withcery’ there are no gimmicks other than the hoods as for the music it is savage and brutal as it is beautiful and of the moment as the world turns on itself and people turn inwards to bite at each other this is the soundtrack. Cronos would be proud of his legacy and influence.

This is pure ‘Satanic Royalty’ and ‘Black Rock And Roll’ is mesmeric and brutal as the trio kicks the living shit out of their instruments as they give it everything they have and don’t pause for breath nor stand still for a single heartbeat, Just over an hour with barely a pause to tune-up and on we speed. The audience takes it up a notch or two and gives as good as they get.

With steam rising from the pit, the kids go nuts as the band responds by playing faster and one feeds off the other. This is restoring one’s faith in hard and heavy music. When done right – when done with this level of passion and drive – when received in good faith – those who know just know and all around its Cheshire cat grins and devil horns raised aloft because tonight was as good as a Metal Monday night could possibly get with no exception (other than if Slayer had turned up to play Hell Awaits in its entirety Or Venom to whip through At War) this was pure unadulterated Filth and Joy all in one studded gauntlet. 

Hail Satan and Hail Midnight there are never enough bullet belts, chains, studded gauntlets, Dobermans, fishnets, fire, pentagrams, upside-down crosses, and rumbling thunder. I love it loud and Midnight is loud! If you can, go see them – it will make you happy and fill your soul with pure fuckin evil.

Author: Dom ‘The Blade’ Daley

Voivod – Bio-Cancer, The Globe Cardiff (3rd October 2018)

Voivod – Bio-Cancer, The Globe Cardiff (3rd October 2018)

 

Johnny Hayward.

For any new band starting out and looking for a role model on which to base their fledgeling career, they won’t go far wrong by looking at Canadian extra-terrestrial metallers Voivod. Now into their 35th year together, and having just released their 14th studio album, the rather splendid ‘The Wake’, the band appear to be at yet another creative high on their rollercoaster ride of a back catalogue, and judging by the very respectable midweek turn out in The Globe tonight I’m not the only one thinking this way.

 

Greek thrashers Bio-Cancer are certainly one of those bands who could learn a thing or two from their European touring counterparts, largely because playing traditional thrash over which singer Lefteris Hatziandreou delivers screaming death metal vocals is not exactly an easy first listen. So, for the first few songs I honestly think this all might be something of an elaborate in-joke, and if my memory banks serve me correctly isn’t that exactly how tonight’s headliners were also described in their very early days? This small point aside certainly doesn’t detract from the fact that the five-piece immediately win over the crowd who absolutely lap up the tight as hell and in your face brand of ear-piercing thrash that these young lads from Athens take great pleasure in blitzing us with. It’s, unfortunately, all pretty one-dimensional stuff for the uninitiated however by the time the guys reach set closer ‘Spread The Cancer’ even I’m nodding along in appreciation.

 

Tonight, is actually my first time of seeing Voivod indoors, it’s also the first time the progressive thrash giants have ever played in Cardiff (Bristol being the nearest they’ve ever gotten to crossing the River Severn previously), and as would be expected for such a momentous occasion stage front of The Globe is totally buzzing with anticipation as the band’s atmospheric intro tape kicks in.  Taking to the stage with the explosive punk metal of ‘Post Society’ from the 2016 EP of the same name the band are immediately firing on all cylinders and the sound is loud enough to totally piss the venue’s neighbours off once and for all. Led by perma-grinning singer Denis (Snake) Bélanger the enthusiasm with which the guys deliver their material simply acts as a means of drawing you into their headspace, then once you’re on board, whoosh you’re off on a musical trip that celebrates a huge chunk of the three and a half decades the guys (in various guises) have been producing some of the most direct yet challenging music ever to be released under the banner of Heavy Metal.

Across the next ninety minutes, we are treated to a set chock full of classics from the band’s back catalogue along with three of the very best tracks (‘Obsolete Beings’, IConspiracy and ‘Always Moving’) from the recently released ‘The Wake’ album. Admittedly it’s the earlier ground-breaking thrash thunder of tracks like ‘Ravenous Medicine’ and ‘Technocratic Manipulators’ that really get the audience chomping at the bit. It’s when the band delve into the more genre-busting aural nuggets like ‘Into My Hypercube’ from 1989’s ‘Nothingface’, ‘The Prow’ from be hugely underrated ‘Angel Rat’ album, plus ‘The Lost Machine’ from ‘The Outer Limits’ that I start to wonder why Voivod have never really achieved the same crossover success that a band like Mastodon has, and if you do have the answer to that one, please make sure to mail it to the usual RPM address, because I’d love to know why.

 

 

With drummer Michel (Away) Langevin being the only constant member of the band since their formation in 1982 it’s certainly worth highlighting that he is also one of the most technically proficient drummers I’ve seen performing in this genre in recent times. At the festivals I’ve seen that band at previously that wasn’t always so obvious but, in a venue, where you are literally standing eyeball to eyeball with the musicians he is nothing short of astonishing, especially on jackhammer fast blasts like ‘Order Of The Blackguards’.  Let’s also not forget the newer guys Daniel ‘Chewy’ Mongrain on guitar and Dominique ‘Rocky’ Laroche on bass who more than hold their own, in particular, Chewy who has been in the band since 2008 and is the almost perfect replacement for the seemingly irreplaceable Denis (Piggy) D’Amour.

With the band also dedicating their signature tune ‘Voivod’ to their lost brother before leaving us, albeit very briefly, ahead of the thoroughly deserved encore of ‘Overreaction’ which sends every one of us home buzzing with excitement and my ears ringing like when I was a teenager. On leaving the venue it was also heartening to see the whole band almost immediately hanging out around the merch table happily chatting away signing shirts and records for fans without the need for the whole VIP bollocks that is being exploited elsewhere in the business right now.  Thirty-five years in the business and these guys are still more punk rock than some punk rock bands are in 2018.

 

Unique, influential and above all absolutely fucking essential in an age of beige. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Voivod.

Buy Voi Vod Here