After a mammoth eight months of heats, it was finally time for the moment the London underground metal scene had been waiting for – the Metal 2 The Masses London Grand Final. There was a brilliant turn-out of fans at Nambucca in North London, eager to support the bands and their local scene.
It all came down to this – seven of the best underground / unsigned London metal bands battling it out for their chance to play Bloodstock Festival this summer. Competing for the coveted prize were Detoxen (thrash), Empire Warning (metal), Lowen (doom / stoner / prog), Orbital Junction (rock), Mountain Caller (prog / post-metal / stoner / doom), Symbol of Orion (prog / spiritual), and Xero (prog / alt-metal). All seven competing bands played flawless sets to a hugely responsive audience, and there was great camaraderie between all the bands.
After all seven competing bands had played, the crowd were treated to a fantastic guest headline set by former M2TM London winners SÜMER. The man with the unenviable responsibility of deciding which band would be crowned the winner was Rob Bannister, together with his lovely wife Sherrell. After much deliberation it was announced that Empire Warning (their fourth year at M2TM London) were the overall winners of the competition, with Xero being awarded a guest slot on the New Blood Stage. Huge congratulations to both bands on their well-deserved wins, and to all the bands who made it to the final this year.
Big thanks to Ryan and Luis for providing us with splendid photos to accompany our coverage of this year’s competition, and also to Mick Wood for organising another brilliant M2TM London – it really does take a lot of hard work! Next year will be the 10th year anniversary of M2TM London and I hear that big plans are afoot, so watch this space for further information as we receive it.
Photos by Shotison Media
