The show started
oddly, being the doors to the gig were at 4pm.
I certainly missed the other support bands- so sadly I cannot comment on
what they were like. Regardless, I and
other intrepid metallers attended to witness Ravens Creed tear the Purple
Turtle a new one. The turnout (even for a 7pm stage time) was disappointing,
but those who were there were into it. The band fairly ripped through a set
mostly culled from “The Power” opus released a couple of years ago. Yes, ‘Stand up and Be Cunted’ made an
appearance (from the Ward-era “Albion Thunder” album) but highlights for me
included ‘Kick to Kill’, ‘Bashed In’
and ‘Unleash The Ratbashers’.
Steve Watson delivered the riffs with iron fisted spite while new (ish) recruit
Rod Boston held things down on bass- complete with foot on the monitor stance
marking him out as Nottingham’s rock god in waiting.
As usual Jay Graham
proved that independence of limbs is more important than speed when it comes to
playing drums properly. His right foot and left hand were right on the money
every time- playing thrash beats as they are supposed to be played. His right
hand gave great cymbal work in support and the left foot came in for well timed
and dynamic double bass drum parts (instead of just continually rolling away,
as many metal drummers do). Front man Osta gave an aggressive performance,
stalking the stage with barely checked menace- in contrast to his wilder stage
persona manifested in Satanic Dystopia’s live shows. The band played short and
sharp, clocking in a set time of shy of half an hour- but when the set is this
intense, that really is all you need.
Come 8pm Pentagram
Chile were waiting in the wings and ready to go after what had clearly been a
trying journey over from their European shows. Having witnessed these
death/thrash denizens in 2013 at Live Evil I knew that they would not
disappoint and they turned in a strong and professional performance of real metal.
There is something about South American
metal bands that always stands out- they are wholly committed to the cause and
mirror German bands in this regard- they take their metal seriously, but not
without a sense of fun. The musicianship on the part of all band members was
superb. Anton Reisenegger led from the front with his camo-patterned guitar
blazing through some unorthodox and totally metal solos.
The two Juan Pablos
(Uribe and Donaso) provided able and kinetic support- with Donaso particularly impressing
on drums- fluid and expressive playing being his hallmark. The bass was
convincingly handled by Dan Biggin (I think the lineup remains the same). The
band used unusual rhythms and motifs to their advantage throughout the set,
drawing from 2013’s “The Malefice” and their earlier demo material- ‘Temple of Perdition’ making a very
welcome appearance. Song introduction of the night goes to Anton for this gem:
“This song is about having a psychological aversion to all that is holy...
SACROPHOBIA!” Well, quite!
Reisenegger made a
couple of references to the show not being their best- and even left the stage
in frustration at one point after guitar
problems, but he and the band persevered to turn in a convincing and evil sounding
set. Fortunately, the room was full for the Latino headliners- Chile is a long
way from the UK, and it would have been very disheartening for them to play a
set to the number that witnessed Ravens Creed (hell, even Nottingham is a long
way from London in more ways than one!). It appeared that many punters simply
massed outside, only coming in for the headline act. Nothing new there, but it
has been a feature of London shows of late. A shame, as it robs the support
acts of exposure, the venue of profit and the event of atmosphere (although
£4.20 a pint in the venue is fucking outrageous- albeit not by the capital’s
ridiculous standards). Those minor gripes aside, the show demonstrated two of
the best underground bands around- if you ever get the chance to see Pentagram
Chile, take it without hesitation as you will not be disappointed.
While you’re at it:
check out “The Malefice”- I overlooked it to a certain extent last year. It
made my year end list, but not as high up as it should have been. I would like
to redress this balance now: it is one of the best metal albums of recent
years! So good, in fact, that I bought the two CD edition online and whilst at
the gig I picked up the vinyl and a t-shirt! I support Pentagram Chile and
think that anyone who likes metal in the vein of Venom, Bathory, early
Slayer/Sepultura etc would do well to do the same. Real metal, real musicians
and a great show!
Words by: Richard Maw
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