The
Kentish Town Forum played host to three heavy hitters in death metal on
Halloween. Fully expecting hundreds of bloodied up zombies and people in
costume, I was slightly disappointed to see that the only person who really
made the effort was a young lad dressed as a giant penis. I also unfortunately
missed Aeon, who I was assured absolutely slayed it.
The
first band I caught was the mighty Revocation. Lead by the ever talented man
with a name like a comic book character, Dave Davidson, they played their
punishing technical death metal with speed and precision. Together they make a
mighty team, brimming with energy and radiating charisma, they showed the Forum
what it meant to be a death metal band on top of your game. After a heavy
touring schedule, they had not stepped down their game or showed any signs of
tiredness, they are obviously well versed in their craft and such dedication
really paid off with their cracking performance. The only gleaming problem was
the extremely muddy sound; however this was easily ignored by tuning out and
concentrating on what was being played, as opposed to the pandemonium of fans.
Happily they told the crowd that we were the best they’ve ever played too, but
in the same way a Lothario might say to the girl he wants to bang, I’m sure
that was just flattery.
Next
up were old school titans Cannibal Corpse. Anyone who has caught these fellas
before, know of the savagery and spot on performance they give. George ‘Corpsegrinder’
Fisher was of course hilarious, threatening to murder the whole crowd unless
they made a bigger circle pit. They played a great mix of fan favourites and really
old school stuff, with a smattering of tunes from the new album thrown in for
good measure. Songs like ‘I Cum Blood’ and ‘Fucked with a Knife’ really got the
crowd going. From my vantage point by the mixing desk I was 100% certain I was
in no way going to join the absolute madness of sweating bodies swirling in a
wall to wall circle pit. The Cannibal Corpse fans are a great bunch, so much
energy and enthusiasm. The band must love it; it’s a merit to their long years
of hard work.
The
new songs they played were stellar too. The lead single ‘Kill or Become’ from
the new album is sure to become a regular in their set, it marries perfect
technicality and fast pacing. Overall
there was no comparison between the two bands. I’m pretty certain that Revocation
will get to that point though, especially in England, where they could headline
a venue like the Kentish Town Forum supported by the next generation of
technical death metal bands, they certainly drew the crowd for it considering
they weren’t headlining! Thanks for reading Y’all!
Words by: Asher G.
Alexander
