A gig review by The Brutal Commander

It’s minutes away from kick off as i position myself at the front of the stage insuring i get the best view and a proper good look at the performance. I glance back behind me and to my surprise the room is filled with eager metalheads waiting for the opening act to start the night’s carnage. To have a full room of people there early enough to support the opening act of an underground show on a Thursday night Is a beautiful sight and an encouraging moment for the London metal scene! Big kudos to everyone who showed up to support the bands!

Without warning a barrage of alarm-sounding guitar tritones impact my ears accompanied by a ballistic assault of drums and rumbling bass! One of my first thoughts was how beautifully brutal Scarthee’s bass tone was! Dan Evans looms over the eager crowd like a bird of prey as he releases his immensely powerful vocals into the room. The crowd responding with sheer enthusiasm and not a single body is stood still within 10 meters of the stage.

Their first song, SOMA, ends with a huge eruption of applause from the crowd and everyone is well and truly warmed up for the night!

Symbyote step up the brutal sound with their next song, Plagues of Humanity. A real head banger this kept the crowd lively and the energy on the stage was contagious.

After a short interaction with the crowd between songs Symbyote bring the extreme metal vibes right back with their third song VICTIMS. The tone changed As a heartfelt tribute to Dan Scofield a quick happy birthday was sang to him!

To Keep their debut performance short and sweet, they sign off with their final song of the night, which saw Symbyote invite Lazerus of UK death metal band WORSHIP THE SACRIFICE to join the band on stage to perform DISEMBOWLMENT! A barrage of brutality and groove with demonic dual vocals was a perfect way to end the carnage and certainly left the crowd craving more!

Next to perform, the well seasoned death dealers SACRIFICIAL SLABS, Now known as SLABS take to stage and offer their dark sermons to the eager audience.

Vocalist Ed dominates the stage with his colossal presence like a Demon General ruling confidently in his Domain. The phantom like presence of Guitarist Saranus and bass player Marco, haunt the sides of the stage like ghoulish vigils.

The intensity of Slabs sound feels like a window to the underworld has opened into the venue, bathing all those listening in it’s evil torrent. The emotion of the songs can be felt through the theatric performance of frontman Ed as he bows low to the ground in reverence before bringing energy back to the room with his impressive vocal skills. Simon, the deathly drummer, never falters as he keeps the iniquitous beat barraging the venue with impressive power. Bass player has a strong presence in his stance and calm demeanour whilst guitarist Saranus flails his long hair as he grinds out riff after riff. I always feel amazed at how full and powerful the sound is that can come from a single guitar, i often put it down to the competence of the musician and sound engineer. By the time their last song, Dispatch The Scum, arrives the audience has been worked into a frenzy with headbangers and semi committed hardcore dancers littering the room like a pick n mix of death. With one final offering of deathly goodness Ed signs off the set.

I make my way to the bar for yet another Angels Envy bourbon and as i collect my thoughts out front of the venue i hear the entire side of the building rumbling during CONSUMED’s linecheck/soundcheck. It was as if there was a caged titan banging against the doors of its colossal cage longing to break free onto the streets of London.

I position myself at the front by the stage once again as not to to miss a single part of this performance. Poised as the partycore duo i had high expectations for a comical show sprinkled with shenanigans and good vibes whilst simultaneously disembowelling the crowd with brutal grinding music. That’s pretty much what happened! With the assistance of backing tracks the drums are pumped into the venue with ballistic power. Shawn provides blistering riffs on his guitar with the precision of a machine as he brutalised the soundwaves in his vicinity. Deb’s lets out vocals suitable to the genre and although well executed i felt he fulfilled his true role as the clowny frontman egging on the party goers, keeping the energy up and being the bands own hype man! Equipped with hawaiian shirt gaping wide open he revealed his sweaty nipplyness as he bounced around the stage like a picnic sausage in an airfryer. Throughout their set both musicians wore the same cheeky smiles that told us they were fully into their own shenanigans and nothing could take away the joy they were experiencing as they provided grindcore number after number. Their set ended with a generic party dance song which had everyone ironically throwing shapes and pumping their fists but loving the vibes at the same time. A lucky member of the crowd motorboats Deb’s mammary mounds and thats a wrap for the CONSUMED experience!

Finally, after such a rich lineup already, we get to the visiting Hungarian headliners, PAEDIATRICIAN. These slamming gore grinders utilise an array of digital equipment which enables them to achieve a ridiculously huge and brutal live sound! As soon as the music kicks off i was overwhelmed by the powerful soundwaves that physically battered the air around us. PAEDIATRICIAN drummer displays an impressive arsenal of techniques that are executed with such perfect precision it leaves your jaw dropping like a weight. Adorned with their medical themed costumes the band inflict injury after injury onto the listener as frontman and vocalist emits perfectly executed pig squeals and guttural depravity. The intensity and monstrosity of the vocals overpower the room with incoherent delight. The crowd goes oriental* as a moshpit manifests itself like a gaping black hole dragging victim after victim into its violent event horizon before disappearing in the void.

I noted the blend of slam and goregrind work perfectly to provide a mixture of moments from intense chaos and then back to temporary sanity with head rattling slams. Impressive is an understatement, these guys are putting out a really superb show that i implore all extreme metal lovers to experience!

Overall the night was amazing and all the bands brought the best show they could and smashed it in my opinion! If you see any of these acts playing at a venue near you, grab a ticket and see what i’m on about!!