The new(ish) thrashers on the block hit London!
Right, that’s it. This is my third crossover thrash gig in just under a week, and I am officially in danger of being thrashed out – as you may be too, dear reader. I hereby promise to avoid anything with the faintest whiff of the world of metal for at least…ooh, a couple of weeks should do it. Anyways, for now, duty calls…
No disrespect intended to Fortress Under Siege’s rhythm section, but it’s frontman Tasos’s soaring, Bruce Dickinson-esque voice and the duelling guitars that prove the star of the show. Indeed, the Greek power metal quintet recall Iron Maiden more than anyone from the punk/thrash world, but the closing ‘Love Enforcer’ is utterly relentless in its pace, and they’re clearly stoked to be here. A great start to the evening.
However, if Fortress Under Siege could provide the soundtrack to vanquishing your demons, then Milton Keynes quartet Must Kill sound like all hell breaking loose. They mix thrashy, propulsive riffing and an almost death-metallic bludgeon with paint-stripper vocals courtesy of frontman Dan. When they really go for it, they’re both fearsome and awesome to behold, and the closing one-two of ‘Cross The Line’ and ‘My Scourge Sentence’ is a knockout move indeed.
Headliners Thorns, however, ultimately triumph by going for speed as their weapon of choice, and my goodness do they use it well. Vocalist/guitarist Luke sports a Metallica shirt, and there are plenty of parallels to draw between his band and the early days of James Hetfield’s crew; including that they’re young, hungry, remarkably talented and already know how to utterly destroy live. Owing as much (maybe more) of a debt to Black Flag as to Black Sabbath on the likes of ‘’Muzzle’ and ‘Bad Business’, you can’t help but wonder if this is the start of something for Thorns; certainly, with sets like these, small venues like the Black Heart surely won’t contain them for much longer.
Ok, I survived, and actually had a great time! Still, if I see another battle jacket or pair of white hi-top trainers (‘tis the thrashion*, don’t you know) in the near future, I shall run a mile. Cheers for tuning in!
*thrash fashion. Obviously.
All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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