We’re back at the O2 Institute in Birmingham for an evening of very heavy, heavy metal. The Institute is a great looking venue, and I remember it sounding just as good as it looked on my last venture here many moons ago. Thankfully, the sound was pretty much spot on for the entire evening. It’s worth mentioning because it’s all too easy for a venue to get it completely wrong for deathcore / grindcore / whatevercore you subscribe these bands to. The lighting was fantastic, and it sounded wicked, that’s 10 points to the venue.
But, what about the bands? I will not lie and profess to being a scholar in the entertainment tonight. What I do know though, is that I love metal. And I love it most when it’s fast, heavy and I wouldn’t want to bring it home to meet my parents.
Vulvodynia proudly pronounce that they have come all the way from South Africa and extend their thanks to the other bands playing tonight. And by God, are we lucky to have them. Coming on to a track from The Lion King was a nice touch just before ripping our faces off with pig squeals and stompy riffs.
This band are incredibly tight and clearly well-rehearsed. Their songs are incredibly strong, so much so that I immediately bought their excellent catalogue to listen to on the way back home. Any band that half times an already half timed section deserve any accolades they receive. Sporting bright clothing was a great contrast to the dark music and when they directed circle pits only two songs deep, we couldn’t say no. The crowd eat everything they gave them, and it set the perfect tone for what was to come.
Revocation had a tough act to follow and equally matched the South Africans. Hailing from Boston, we in the crowd felt more than a feeling with the commanding presence of David Davidson. They are a refreshing take on a potentially tired genre. Revocation have entire segments that could be classified as upbeat, leading you into a false sense of security only for your face to be melted with, frankly, insane prog guitar mastery… All wrapped up in a deathcore/death metal package. And, they had the entire package. The band used the whole stage around them, and you couldn’t take your eyes away. It was a barrage on all the senses, in only the best of ways.
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It was another first time for me with Shadow of Intent. I’d heard great things about them after their 2024 Download set. But was it all hype? … No. It absolutely was not all hype. Much darker than the previous bands of the evening and incorporating classical strings and sub basses that shook the balcony I was timidly trying to take photos from. Admittedly, very rarely do I take shots of the crowd. But this was too good of an opportunity to miss.
They were in a frenzy. Tops were off. Which is always a good sign. I particularly liked the small touches of band members taking centre stage to showcase their skills. They were on a mission and their music is a well-oiled machine of infernal warfare. Give me more. Now.
The set was, if you will pardon the cliché, brutal. It’s sets like this which I deem the cliched phrases are made for. And yet, their music was far from it, cliched that is. Faces were at full gurn. The highest praise from a metal audience.
Then it was Cattle Decapitation. They are distinctly unique. The vocals were the absolute highlight, probably of the night, for me. High pitched squeals to nodule bleeding lows, effortlessly. Travis Ryan has an incredible talent for creating a satisfying atmosphere for any music fan – metal or not. His pitching is superb and the way he contorts himself on stage is striking.
The rest of the band are no slackers either. It was difficult to keep focus on individuals when there was so much talent on one stage. It’s worth me mentioning that a study needs to be done on the drummers of that evening. Their stamina goes far beyond what is expected from even the most hardened WWE superstar. It’s a random reference, but we’ll stick with it. Continuous punches, whips and power bombs all cradled in spectacular showmanship.
The gig was simply one of the best I have been to for a long time. I wouldn’t hesitate in telling everyone that I know that if they Cattle Decapitation to go and see each band. Preferably together. Make it happen.
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Photos by Watchmaker Studios
