Post by markwj on Nov 16, 2007 12:50:25 GMT
Will Haven, The Mirimar Disaster, Profane
The Music Box, Manchester
13/11/07
Don’t remember city centre night rate parking being so expensive (£6) so after checking a few places to see that this cartel was in fact in operation I ended up back down Oxford road near the Academy where there is usually somewhere. Evidently the hundreds of emos queuing there for whatever had been dropped off by their parents.
By the time I got back to the venue had missed the first band, they generally cram in as much as possible and there’s plenty of bands glad for a slot on a bill even if it means 20 minutes from as soon as the doors are opened. To be honest I’m sure there wasn’t a great deal of difference from then to now as there’s only about 80 or so in. I had wondered how much of a draw this reformation of Sacramento’s Will Haven would be, especially minus their original singer. They had earned a lot of plaudits in the late 90’s for their sludgy hardcore intensity but I’d only picked up a couple of tracks on compilations, my attention was elsewhere, and tonight I’m as interested in their support too.
Not long to wait till locals Profane, a name that’s been seen in circulation in these parts for a long while but the first time actually seen for me. Bass pedals outnumber guitar pedals but they both contribute to an atmospheric effects intro, swelling waves of noise before they fire into some blistering technical metal. There’s a definite progressive element to it in the amount of song structure complexity they put into it, the hoarse shouted vocals give way to more melodic at times, though they don’t come over particularly strongly in terms of hooks. Enough to maintain the interest though.
Sunny Sheffield’s The Mirimar Disaster have undergone a messy divorce from their singer since I last saw them in Buckley last year but its testament to the strength of their music that they can still put in a great performance instrumentally. For me this lies in the furious intensity of their riff-mongering, not out and out speed, but rather the relentless energy while they work through shifting layers on a core theme synchronised thrashing a-go-go. It’s only after about two and ½ songs in that they relent the pace to give some lighter shade with melodic plucked notes before they build up the force again. The legend Slomo drives things along with precise and diverse rhythms on his shiny new drum kit, although his apparent suicide attempt halfway through seems to indicate they’ve had better nights than this one on the tour. Fair play, their hard work is earning them good opportunities like this slot. Already showcasing some new material for their second album in the New Year, this seems to maintain the same level of heaviness and energy that marks them as different and worth attention. This I find reassuring that they are not as yet following the mellowing path that many of their genre influences like Cult of Luna and Mastodon have drifted down
In no time at all there’s dark vibes of an intro growing, blending into feedback howls before the headliners take to the stage. They unleash the first two songs back to back and the pummelling rhythms, down tuned riffs and harsh roared vocals all hit in combination. As the singer swiftly points out they are here purely to promote their new “The Heirophant” album, this isn’t just some name-cash-in reunion effort. They mix up newer stuff with older, I recognise the fantastic “I’ve seen my fate”, and it’s consistently good. Two guitars but no solos here, the only relief they provide from the grinding out of groove laden riffs from the bottom end of the scale is in occasional distorted loops of chord notes and an excellent use of effects to compliment the power. At times there’s an almost tick-tock undercurrent to the drum beats, not in a boring slow sense but more an impending relentless crushing doom, there’s a massive solidity to their sound. The repetitive simple riff work outs could almost have an ultra heavy nu-metal aspect, but I am more inclined to see industrial similarities, the early Godflesh that was universally ripped off by the likes of Korn. The singer’s banter is a bit half hearted, no surprise given the limited numbers there, but then again no surprise no-one is familiar with the Sacto Hoods. We’re told to “Google it”. He gives the 3 man moshpit a C- but those here give good applause when they reach the end of a highly punishing set, the two guitarists maintain a delay effected feedback bridge before they give an encore. I’m definitely convinced to buy an album, though I might have bought Mirimar’s instead if they hadn’t sold out.
The Music Box, Manchester
13/11/07
Don’t remember city centre night rate parking being so expensive (£6) so after checking a few places to see that this cartel was in fact in operation I ended up back down Oxford road near the Academy where there is usually somewhere. Evidently the hundreds of emos queuing there for whatever had been dropped off by their parents.
By the time I got back to the venue had missed the first band, they generally cram in as much as possible and there’s plenty of bands glad for a slot on a bill even if it means 20 minutes from as soon as the doors are opened. To be honest I’m sure there wasn’t a great deal of difference from then to now as there’s only about 80 or so in. I had wondered how much of a draw this reformation of Sacramento’s Will Haven would be, especially minus their original singer. They had earned a lot of plaudits in the late 90’s for their sludgy hardcore intensity but I’d only picked up a couple of tracks on compilations, my attention was elsewhere, and tonight I’m as interested in their support too.
Not long to wait till locals Profane, a name that’s been seen in circulation in these parts for a long while but the first time actually seen for me. Bass pedals outnumber guitar pedals but they both contribute to an atmospheric effects intro, swelling waves of noise before they fire into some blistering technical metal. There’s a definite progressive element to it in the amount of song structure complexity they put into it, the hoarse shouted vocals give way to more melodic at times, though they don’t come over particularly strongly in terms of hooks. Enough to maintain the interest though.
Sunny Sheffield’s The Mirimar Disaster have undergone a messy divorce from their singer since I last saw them in Buckley last year but its testament to the strength of their music that they can still put in a great performance instrumentally. For me this lies in the furious intensity of their riff-mongering, not out and out speed, but rather the relentless energy while they work through shifting layers on a core theme synchronised thrashing a-go-go. It’s only after about two and ½ songs in that they relent the pace to give some lighter shade with melodic plucked notes before they build up the force again. The legend Slomo drives things along with precise and diverse rhythms on his shiny new drum kit, although his apparent suicide attempt halfway through seems to indicate they’ve had better nights than this one on the tour. Fair play, their hard work is earning them good opportunities like this slot. Already showcasing some new material for their second album in the New Year, this seems to maintain the same level of heaviness and energy that marks them as different and worth attention. This I find reassuring that they are not as yet following the mellowing path that many of their genre influences like Cult of Luna and Mastodon have drifted down
In no time at all there’s dark vibes of an intro growing, blending into feedback howls before the headliners take to the stage. They unleash the first two songs back to back and the pummelling rhythms, down tuned riffs and harsh roared vocals all hit in combination. As the singer swiftly points out they are here purely to promote their new “The Heirophant” album, this isn’t just some name-cash-in reunion effort. They mix up newer stuff with older, I recognise the fantastic “I’ve seen my fate”, and it’s consistently good. Two guitars but no solos here, the only relief they provide from the grinding out of groove laden riffs from the bottom end of the scale is in occasional distorted loops of chord notes and an excellent use of effects to compliment the power. At times there’s an almost tick-tock undercurrent to the drum beats, not in a boring slow sense but more an impending relentless crushing doom, there’s a massive solidity to their sound. The repetitive simple riff work outs could almost have an ultra heavy nu-metal aspect, but I am more inclined to see industrial similarities, the early Godflesh that was universally ripped off by the likes of Korn. The singer’s banter is a bit half hearted, no surprise given the limited numbers there, but then again no surprise no-one is familiar with the Sacto Hoods. We’re told to “Google it”. He gives the 3 man moshpit a C- but those here give good applause when they reach the end of a highly punishing set, the two guitarists maintain a delay effected feedback bridge before they give an encore. I’m definitely convinced to buy an album, though I might have bought Mirimar’s instead if they hadn’t sold out.