Well, it is time for the third heat of M2TM for Oxford and yet again I find myself at The Jericho Tavern. I am sure as this competition goes further ahead that it will start feeling like home. Yet again I was greeted by the same familiar faces that are the bar staff and event organisers, so time to grab a pint and head upstairs to the stage to prepare for another night of music. However, this time we had the pleasure of Shells from Moshville Radio join us as one of the judges, returning from a brief stint of Covid-19. It was good to see he was fit and ready for another round of bands battling it out for their place in the quarter finals.
So on with the first band, and opening the heat was none other than Compounds, a melodic hardcore punk band and straight from the get-go started out strong. I feel for the poor speakers in the venue as they seemed to crank straight to 11 and didn’t lower throughout their full set. Their stage presence was on point for the majority of the band as the lead singer was more than happy to roam around the crowd as he sang. Why use such a small stage when you have the whole room to use. After their first song they made an announcement of why they were competing in M2TM, they want to donate the prize winnings to save their very own community centre. It is this very reason that I love the metal community. These guys certainly mean business and they definitely brought their A game this evening. I would love to see what they bring in the next round if they make it through.
After a fleeting period of time, and not needing to use the facilities just yet, we were ready for Hymn To Apollo to grace the stage. These guys are an experimental melodic band based around the Oxford area. Now this is the part of being a reviewer that I have been dreading. I do not want to write a negative review, but at the same time I have to be completely honest with what I write. Hymn To Apollo did not play an impressive set and there is a good reason… They did not do a sound check. It is a critical part to setting up regardless of being in a competition or a supporting act. I am not certain why they did not complete a sound check, but if they make it through then they need to do one going ahead. This was clearly apparent due to the immense feedback they were receiving through their mics. During their complete set it was always there and there seemed to be no effort to rectify the issue. Their stage presence was nye on non-existent, and it looked like they just did not want to be there. This must have been down to the substandard quality from the audio, as they lacked any confidence on the stage whilst also looking extremely nervous. I do feel for them in a way as they seem like quite a young band, but this is not their first time entering into M2TM. After doing a little bit of digging they competed in 2019, and they made it to the quarterfinals. That being said, what we heard between the feedback was fairly good and they certainly do have a large amount of talent. They did seem to bring an impressive amount of support with them which is always great to see. Let us hope that it will be good enough to proceed. It is a cruel competition and I pray that a few technical issues won’t hinder this opportunity to progress further. I hate being so harsh on this band but unfortunately, I can only write about what I hear and see.
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The time had finally arrived, the seal must be broken. Off to the facilities we go. It seems the older I get the worse it becomes. Fortunately, I had enough time for a bathroom break and visit the bar again before our third band of the evening took to the stage. Straight from the start Street Outlaws belted out an immense amount of heavy rock ‘n’ roll. Despite my younger age these guys were right up my street. I came into metal from rock ‘n’ roll, listening to such bands as ACDC, Black Sabbath and Queen just to name a couple. My first impression of these guys was that they clearly take their inspiration from Motörhead, and the only thing missing was a few Harley-Davidsons on stage. They played solidly throughout their full set. Definitely worth checking out on your chosen streaming platform if you are a fan of Motörhead. My only main criticism for the band is the lack of variety within their songs. It did not take long for the repetition to kick in, and although I was waiting for them to change things up it didn’t come. They have enormous potential to make it to Bloodstock and pay homage to the late Lemmy in a way that would definitely make him proud. Good luck to Street Outlaws as I am more than happy to watch you perform again.
Last but by no means we have Bring The Onslaught, finishing the night with metalcore. What did these guys bring you ask? They brought enough onslaught that made the crowd want more. These guys were good, better than good, they absolutely smashed it. They even managed to start up a fairly large pit which in a small venue is quite impressive. It is no secret that I’m not massively into metalcore, but this has now become just like Sore Teeth in my last review from heat 2, where they have really piqued my interest. Could these guys be my introduction into metalcore? Well, if they progress through then I guess we will have to wait and see what they bring. You may have noticed by now that I look for certain things whilst a band performs, these being such things as stage presence, confidence, how the crowd reacts and how the band connects with their audience. These guys ticked every single box and then some, to the point where the audience chanted for an encore. They wanted to reopen a pit again and keep the night going, but to their dismay it was over-ruled that an encore was out of the question as it would give an unfair advantage against the other three bands. I can respect that but deep down I found myself wanting to hear just a little more from them.
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Yet again its judging time and I found myself with a voting slip this time, but for whom did I vote? It really was a tough decision. However, I am keeping that one to myself and let you assume as to who I voted for. It did not take long for all the votes to be collected up and counted so here are the results. Bring The Onslaught took the judges vote and quite frankly I am not surprised, they really were that good. Following them into the next round with the crowd vote was both Street Outlaws and Hymn To Apollo. I knew it was going to be a tight finish, however I am glad that Hymn To Apollo have a second opportunity to show us what they are made of and prove me wrong with my statement above. Honestly, guys if you wow me in the next round then I will be the first to hold my hands up and apologise, but for the love of all that is holy do a sound check! It is hard to see someone not make it through but that how competitions work. Compounds may not have won this evening, but they still have a fighting chance for that all important wild card slot, so fingers crossed for them. Unfortunately, that is it for me for a few weeks as I am unable to attend the fourth heat due to prior engagements with Sabaton in London. But I will be back for final heat on 22nd April to see who makes those final few spaces.
Until then, raise those horns till you wake in Valhalla!