It has been a fair few months since attending last year’s final and, had it not been for a friend’s birthday, I doubt I would have returned to this old stomping ground that almost felt like home last year. But the good news is, we are back with another year of music tribulation, with another group of bands fighting their way to the top to become the next winner of Oxfords Metal 2 The Masses.
Speaking of winners, I had the enormous opportunity to witness Shoot to Kill not only perform an amazing set, but to also be the band who opened the Newblood Stage at Bloodstock on the Friday morning. Anyone who has been to Bloodstock knows how heavy the first night can be with drinking, and even though I am aware on the amount I tend to consume, that did not stop me from continuing with that tradition. Therefore, forcing myself to get up fit and ready, to head to the arena that early on in the morning was a task in itself. But nonetheless, through fear of running late, I made it to the stage with mere seconds to spare before Shoot to Kill took to the stage.
To watch a band play on stage seems like such a normal thing to do, but this felt miles different. It was not like watching just any old band, but one that I have seen week in and week out, putting 100% effort into securing their spot on the stage. It was like watching a child grow up extremely fast and before you know it, they are off on their own making it into the world.
Shoot to Kill played an absolute blinder from start to finish, and despite being the first band on the stage, the audience that they manage to pull in from people just walking by was outstanding. Now I have seen strange things at Bloodstock that will haunt my dreams till the day I die, but seeing two men in mankinis, with “Shoot to Kill” written across both rear cheeks will permanently be scarred in the back of my mind till the end of humanity.
But that was last year, and we now have to look forward to the up-and-coming rounds, to get another band to reach their dreams and take on the reigns of standing on that very same stage. That being said, this evening was a vastly different start. Due to unforeseen circumstances, not one, but two bands have unfortunately withdrawn from this year’s competition. I am not sure if it is down to commitment issues throughout the competition, of if there has been any kind of issue within the bands but we will just have to made do with what we have on the night.
So, the first band up on the stage was Stone Angels, who have travelled all the way from Brighton. Now from what I can gather, Brighton was extremely late in announcing their region holding this year’s competition, so it would be safe to assume that Stone Angels did not want to miss out in competing and set their sights on Oxford instead.However, the further they ascend, the more they will have to drive that 240+ mile journey round trip. Now that is dedication for you.
As for their performance on the night, they have a vast amount of experience playing together as a band. Their sound is less of metal but more towards heavy rock side, taking some influence from Black Stone Cherry and maybe a hint of AC/DC too. Despite a few technical issues with the sound levels from the lead guitar, going from not quite standing out to where even two days later I am not entirely sure if my ears have totally recovered, did not stop them from an amazing performance. Even with the sound issues, James on guitar barely stopped moving on stage, dancing around like Angus Young, and not stopping even while playing sophisticated face melting solo rifts. Overall, it was an intense heat for this band and I for one will be looking forward to what they bring in the quarter final.
Next up is our second and final competing band of the evening, Theorist, a four-piece progressive metal band who originally formed in the Isle of Wight. Tonight seems to be the night for bands making an enormous trip to start an epic journey to Bloodstock. I begrudge the 20-minute commute that I do on a daily basis just for the day job, let alone what both these bands are putting themselves through.
It is well known amongst my peers that I always enjoyed listening to power metal, but as they years go by, and being involved in M2TM, progressive metal has started to shine through as another metal genre that I now enjoy amongst others, and Theorist have certainly not changed that for me. From the very first note to the last strike of their drumsticks, their performance was without fault. Full of energy and confidence onstage shined through showing their complete confidence playing in front a packed floor of moshers going hard to their music. And even though they had quite a distance to travel, they seemed to have a small fan base donning the band merchandise, going all out in the pit, whilst I bravely stood on the pit wall fearing for the pint that I was halfway through in my hand. Without a doubt they will be seen to go quite far, and even though this is only the first of five heats, I would be shocked if I were to not see these guys in the semi finals at a minimum. I guess only time will tell as there are still another 16 bands yet to compete.
So that is it for the bands for tonight, or at least it would have been without Greg Brown and Sam Tyler, the two usual suspects from TwoFace Promotions, who are the reason behind Oxford holding these competitions. Without them we wouldn’t have been here tonight. At short notice they managed to secure a headlining act to not leave us disappointed. And who did they bring to the stage for our listening pleasure? Well, the answer is Korrupto, a three-piece grimecore act from here in Oxford and Wiltshire. At least one of tonight’s bands didn’t take on the enormous task of traveling to this venue.
I personally do not listen to grime core, and even though Korrupto played an extremely heavy set, I have my doubts that I will be enough to drag me over to another genre of metal. But that did not stop me from joining the pit wall again, holding yet another pint in my hand (I do not plan ahead) to what was easily the biggest pit of the night. For those who have frequented The Jericho Tavern you will be aware that the venue, which is held upstairs, is not a big stage. Even in front of the stage is tiny in comparison to other venues within the City of Oxford. So even a 5-man pit here seems pretty big, and I counted at least 12 heads at one point. The talent of this band did make me wonder why they decided not to compete, but was made aware during Moshville Radio’s Manic Monday Show where we had a chat with Korrupto that there were commitment issues stopping them. But who knows, we may see them in years to come.
So that was heat one of Oxfords M2TM, and I hope that this is just a glimpse of things to come over the next coming weeks. Will we see one of these bands in the grand final like we did last year? Who knows, but I will certainly be on the ride to find out.
