Metal 2 The Masses (Quarter Final) - Obzerter, Kemakil, Seed of Detest, Mask of Judas & Parasitic Earth - Nambucca - 15th May 2011

Sunday night and it was time for another round of Metal 2 the Masses at Nambucca. I don't go to all the heats, only to see bands that I know and offer my support. This time it was to see Seed of Detest, currently in my top five. I was meeting my mate Will who isn't a big fan of Sunday gigs but I managed to tempt into this evening of heavy metal goodness. So we arrived at around the same time but without flyers. If you are attending Metal 2 the Masses don't forget the flyer. Apparently they don't want to let you in without it for some reason... So boys and girls, the moral of the story is... Don't forget those flyers. There was a pretty good turn out, but I suppose that's par for the course it being the quarter finals and all, and we were a bit worried that it was full, but we did make it in though, so that was cool.

Parasitic Earth

It appeared that most of the audience were there to see the first band, Parasitic Earth. These guys are an energetic bunch and pretty tight too. I dug their set of deathcore which is how I guess is best to describe it. The singer was wearing a weird kind of wrestling mask during the set. I get where they're going with it but basically, every time I see people doing that it makes me think of Slipknot, and I hate Slipknot. Last week at the Gama Bomb show we saw guys in Way of Purity wearing balaclavas and they looked like dicks. I think the only guys who can get away with it are Basement Torture Killings because of all the extra theatrics that they inject into their shows. Having said that, this is a minor niggle as basically Parasitic Earth are an excellent band who more than deserve to be in this competition. I enjoyed the set and very much look forward to seeing them again.

Mask of Judas

Second to grace the stage was Mask of Judas. This band surprised me. At first I saw this very young, skinny girl shuffle on to the stage to front the band and thought negatively straight away. She had a surly way about her which was slightly off putting to start with. They blitzed through the first couple of tracks and I wasn't convinced, however, her voice was remarkable. I really don't know where the sounds come from. She seems too small and fragile to be able to make noise like that. By the end of the set my mind was changed. They gave a solid live performance and over the few songs that they played I was slowly converted. Definitely one to see live because the stuff they have recorded certainly doesn't do them justice. Check this band out just to hear Jo's vocals, extraordinary.

Seed of Detest

Third up, Seed of Detest, and the reason why I was there. I don't know what to say, apart from unbelievable. Their bassist Chris was back (even though he'd just come out of hospital and his jaw is sealed shut) and it certainly made a positive difference to their set. This is the best I have seen them play so far (no mean feat I can assure you). I still can't get over their age and the short amount of time they have been together. They seem like such a well established band. I'm so glad I trekked up here to see them again. They are genuinely good blokes that deserve good things to happen to them. CHECK OUT THEIR STUFF. Earache need to sign them pronto.

Kemakil

Fourth on stage were Kemakil. I had already heard about this band from my friend Steve. They are an absorbing thrash band from Ipswich. Clearly the oldest here but with no less energy than the young ones. They played a sturdy thrash set that takes you back, in a good way. You can tell these guys have been at this game for a while, they're very comfortable on stage and engage the audience with ease. They don't take things too seriously and are basically old school cool. Definitely worth checking out. They go through to the semi finals on a wild card, so if you get the chance try and catch that show, again at Nambucca on 5th June.

Obzerter

Finally Obzerter, the last on stage and the winners of this leg of the competition. Like Mask of Judas it took a few songs to get into this band, they're quite experimental, lots of weird noises and disjointed songs. This is obviously the point and what makes this band fairly original. I enjoyed it to a degree but definitely preferred some of the other bands. If you are interested in checking them out their music on facebook is pretty much representative of their live show. Strange music but not bad. I'm not sure that they deserved to win but I don't begrudge them. They were a good finish to another excellent night at Nambucca.

I personally think that Seed of Detest should have won, but I know that you reckon I'm being biased. However, for any of you that have seen them you'll know exactly what I mean. Overall a truly entertaining evening, enhanced by Will and again worth missing the last train home for.


Check out thegreyman youtube page where I got these vids from. Nice!