The Heavy Metal Muppets is a place for all things Metal with a particular emphasis on the London Underground Metal scene. We are a bunch of friends who have been into Metal since the late 80's and want to share our enthusiasm with anyone else who's prepared to listen. The format varies and we hope keeps it interesting for everyone, so keep your eyes peeled for reviews, interviews, memoirs and live videos amongst other things \m/
We left London Deathfest XII briefly to catch Seed of Detest@ the Terrorizer Grindhouse free show at The Dev. They, of course, were their normal brilliant selves at this show. I was more than happy to introduce my friends to this enthusiastic and more than competent troupe of extremely talented young guys. They played a half hour set, my favourite song of the day being “Vatican”. I’m always happy to show my allegiance to a band of such obvious skill levels. I urge you to listen to their EP produced by Russ Russell (who also produced Evile’s new record amongst others), it’s free and it’s incredible. Another great show, shame I didn’t manage to catch them later. Until next time guys \m/
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!
Goddamn! I've been really busy so it's taken me a while to get to this review. Sorry. This time I was joined by Lady Toes and we bumbled off to Croydon to watch Seed of Detest (I reviewed them the first time from the Metal 2 the Masses Heat 10 gig). We live in Wimbledon so it was the first time we got to use the Croydon Tram link, which was cool because it felt like we were on holiday. It took about fifteen minutes to get there and a short walk through sunny Croydon to arrive at The Scream Lounge. When you first walk in to this place it makes you feel as if they've just had a Christmas party and forgotten to take the decorations down. We ordered a couple of pints that were really cheap by London standards, served up by some jovial bar staff.
F.S.I.
Anyway, the gig was upstairs where they have a charming little stage. First band up was called F.S.I. They began with a weird keybord intro that evolved into a sort of sludgy, hardcore type of metal which is the best way I can describe it (think Mastadon). The guys in the band seem to have been doing this for a long time. They had a stage presence that made you believe that the unit had been together for ages. The guitarist, Dave, had me in stitches pretty much the whole way through their set with his onstage banter. I think the accord between bearded band members certainly endears you towards them. They put on an enjoyable show even though the music wasn't 100% my cup of tea. Entertaining for sure.
Eyes of Mutiny
Eyes of Mutiny are a metalcore band and they were second up. I am old school when it comes to my metal so I have the same niggle with this band as I do with almost every band like this. To me the whole fashion thing that goes along with this type of music seems odd to me, apart from the tattoos, the style seems to be akin to people on a beach holiday with clothes that don't fit very well. The band themselves seem pretty competent and comfortable on stage. For me it was only OK but that's probably because of my taste. The clear ability of these guys is not in question.
Boojay with Seed of Detest
Finally, the headliners, Seed of Detest. These guys are brilliant. Not only are they brilliant but they are also really good blokes. When Toes and I made our way up to the upstairs bar they made us feel very welcome. After chatting with them I was staggered at how young they were (19-20). They play like an extremely well accomplished assembly, both seriously tight and astonishingly engaging. The guys told us that their bassist Chris was out of action because he'd recently come out of hospital (our best wishes go out to him). This would be a problem for most bands, but not Seed of Detest. They played an excellent show and I'm very glad that Toes and I tripped over to see them. Roll on the next show, 15th May at Nambucca. I just can't ever see myself getting bored of this band.
I thought I should write a few quick words about a gig I have seen recently. It was round 10 of the "Metal To The Masses" Competition for The Road to Bloodstock. Read more about that competition here. The main reason I was here was because my friend Steve's band was playing, XXXX. So I recruited my oldest friend Sam and his girlfriend to join me and of course my trusty girlfriend, Toes. The gig was being held at Nambucca on the Holloway Road in London. I have never been to this venue before and was suitably impressed with it for a small place. We arrived a little early, lined up a few pints and wished Steve and the boys good luck with their set.
I can't remember the name of the first band, unfortunately. However, it was a strange sort metal band, that looked a bit wrong for some reason, I think it was the singer, he didn't look metal at all. At the end of their set they asked if they could play a cover and apparently the rules stated that they couldn't, so they proceeded to play "Killing in the Name of" by Rage Against the Machine. Muppets.
The second band was a metalcore band called Hopeless Hero. They were OK. I'm not hugely into metalcore/screamo but they seemed alright. They were in the same ilk as Heart of a Coward but definitely not as good.
Want For Destruction
Next up were Want For Destruction. What a great band!! They're metal, hardcore bikers really. Really aggressive stuff and instantly likeable. They had come from Norfolk and obviously brought a few of their local fans in the van with them. I also think one or two bottles of Jager had joined them on the journey. There were three guys totally mashed, falling all over the place in the audience during their set. Normally this would go against a band for me but they were so good that I couldn't care less about the lads dribbling and stumbling around at the front, it turned out to be quality entertainment. Worth checking out for sure.
XXXX
Fourth on stage were XXXX. I am obviously going to biased with my review but whatever... First off I'd like to say that the name of this band is brilliant. It completely sums up these guys. They are old school thrash with a not too serious attitude. They look the part and definitely sound the part. They kicked off fast and hard and didn't stop throughout the set. An interesting addition to the performance was the introduction of Moshbot. This is probably their most insane fan dressed in a Blue Peter style robot costume who was unleashed from back stage half way through the set and went completely mad. It was awesome! I asked Steve later how hammered the Moshbot had to have been and to my astonishment found that he hadn't touched a drop!! I had not seen the band before and I was pleasantly surprised, and I'm not just saying that.
Seed of Detest
Finally, Seed of Detest. Fucking hell these guys are good. If you like Death Metal then definitely, definitely check these guys out. They are one of the tightest unsigned bands I have ever seen. I actually had a chat with their singer Itami after the show and discovered, again to my amazement, that they'd only been together for six months! Unbelievable! (Thanks for the CD by the way) I can't stress enough how much this band need to be listened to, so check their facebook page. They won hands down and go through to the next round. A well deserved win in my opinion (sorry Steve!). I really look forward to seeing them again.
Overall an excellent night, one worth missing the last tube home for...
