Once again, London proves itself to be such a spoilt city for metal events and tonight is no exception. San Diego's death metal maestros Disgorge are hitting the capital for an exclusive UK date, their first since their reunion in 2006. Supporting them are the godfathers of slam Internal Bleeding, on their first European tour ever. Seasoned fans of underground death metal would be foolish to miss this show.
France's Psychobolia have caught the wandering eye of many a punter, not immediately for their death metal stylings the band are dishing out but because of the growling femme fatale Ginger Sternwood. Formed in 2003 and with two full-length releases to their name, the four-piece are a slightly more technically advanced apparition of mid-era Cannibal Corpse with a few slithers of old Deicide. Sternwood's vocals alternate between a guttural roar and a higher pitched rasp. Although lacking a particular identity, the band make an impression with a fierce stage presence that gets the blood boiling appropriately for the remainder of the night.
Their second time in the capital within a year following a support slot to Pyrexia, Malta's Beheaded immediately garner a formidable reaction from the punters. Their brand of brutal death metal is calculated in its bludgeoning and the stage presence is similarly so. There is a particular focus on last year's 'Never to Dawn' release, in addition to selections from throughout their career. The level of musicianship is not one to be sneered at and compliments the Suffocation-style slam passages. The audience appear to enjoy the performance but not emphatically so, despite the spectacle being an affair.
One of the most prominent figures in the slam death metal subgenre, Internal Bleeding never received the praise they deserved. Tonight's London show is a debut that many have been waiting for with baited breath for years so the level of expectation is high. Opening with the incredibly slam-filled 'God of Subservience' from the genre-defining 'Voracious Contempt', the New Yorkers immediately strike a chord with the tide of appreciative headbangers. The music sounds heavier and the guitar sounds more modernised in the live setting and this certainly does not detract from the sound.
Due to the restrictions of the venue's curfew, a number of songs are slashed off the setlist frustratingly but the fans are more than ecstatic to mosh to the sounds of 'Languish in Despair', 'Anointed in Servitude' and 'Inhuman Suffering', the latter seeing those who know the lyrics invade the stage to growl along. A few tracks off a forthcoming album are previewed too, staying within the Internal Bleeding veins and asserting itself as a release to buy. Such a powerhouse of a performance and the enthused audience reaction will hopefully bring Internal Bleeding back to London as a headliner.
Disgorge have quite the show to top as headliners as the audience eagerly awake another relentless thrashing. The Americans' brand of brutal death metal pummels by throwing new riffs at the listener quicker than usual and these riffs create a vicious kind of intricacy. Keeping in line with Internal Bleeding before them, Disgorge do cook up some slam passages albeit not as pronounced as the aforementioned act. The musicianship of the band is frequently underrated, despite being such an important piece to the brutal death metal underground.
The energy levels on stage are reciprocated by the audience as the death metallers shell out such tracks as 'Exhuming the Disemboweled', 'Deranged Epidemic' and 'Consume the Forsaken' from throughout their discography. Although fists are pumping and heads are banging to the level of decapitation, it feels as if the show lacks the energy of Internal Bleeding (possibly because Disgorge have played these shores before). However, the set whips by in the flash of an eye, a testament to how enjoyable the night was. As predicted earlier, this is one show hardcore death metal subscribers should not have missed. What a fantastic way to begin the week.
FUTURE GIGS
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