Well it had to happen I guess. Everyone in Helloween past and present buried the hatchet and not in each others back! Well at least put the hatchet away for another day and took the money and had a lot of fun for two and a half hours of happy happy Helloween.
No support, just a whole night's worth of happy metal at the Brixton Academy. The venue was rammed pretty solid with easily over 3k people at a guess but could be way more. There were a lot of people on stage as the curtain goes up and the band launches into the epic Halloween with both Kiske and Deris handling vocal duties.
The sound took a while to settle down and was a little incoherent at first but once our ears had adjusted it was a pretty decent sound with both vocalist's booming voices piercing the sky. Let me be honest here. Old school Helloween never really floated my boat at all. I came on board with The Dark Ride. I liked some songs here and there but never a full album and to be even more honest I don't really even recall half of these classics. Whilst I love the new material.
However I am far in the minority judging by the huge sing along's the classics muster up among the happy Helloween faithful. I guess seeing Kai, Michi and Weiki and Marcus all on stage together is the stuff of legend and the fans were lapping it up with a big spoon.
There was plenty of on stage banter with the boys with especially with Kai and Andi joking and taking the piss out if each other's age and ability to still perform. But perform well they did and Kai even sang one song, namely Ride The Sky. They played a very long time but had lost of short little intermissions with a cartoon video backdrop to entertain us. Two characters by the name of Seth and Doc with Pumpkin heads doing inane stuff. The videos during the songs were actually really funny and cool. Especially the character during Dr Stein was hilarious!
Each song had an effective video back drop to suit the song with even lyrics at times for these that fancied a sing along but had forgotten the words. Both Andi and Miki sang great to be honest with Andi more than holding his own. The rumours had been that Kiske had been having vocal trouble but he seemed great to me. Of course his warbling falsetto is the stuff of legend and he tested it to the max on a couple of ballads.
Believe it or not I actually missed the last two songs Future World and I Want Out as I was feeling dead after more than 3 hours of straight standing and bailed out. Even walking was preferable to standing at that point!
So the Pumpkins were United but I don't know if their heart was fully in it but they played with a lot of smiles apart from Weiki, he mostly never smiles of course. The cash was too good to turn down no doubt and the tour has been doing great business around the world. Oh and Kai's look is something else. Looks like a washed up glamster from the 80s still trying hard to be very 80s! You're not in Motley Crue dude!
Anyway an enjoyable night of classic Helloween material interrupted with the odd newer song. Good stuff if not amazing and for long time fans of the band, just a must see really.
Showing posts with label brixton academy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brixton academy. Show all posts
Friday, 17 November 2017
Saturday, 21 January 2017
Sabaton Live Report
Just a few days on from Poets and I re-assembled at the Brixton version of the Academy clan to bare witness to those pesky Swedes, Sabaton once again. It's basically like an annual pilgrimage going to see the Saba boys. I am not sure how many times I've seen them but it's probably around 7-8 since I first saw them in the Purple Turtle in front of 150 all those years back. This time there was the added draw of legends Accept and new comer adventure metallers Twilight Force.
Sadly even though I got in the venue not much after the allotted 7 o'clock door time, Twilight Force were already well into their set and were in fact playing their last song, their namesake Twilight Force. A sorry state of affairs indeed and I am not sure how they started so early.
Anyway I have seen those guys before and hopefully I'll see them again if they play a headline slot here soon.
Next up were legends Accept. The guitar sound was immediately much thicker and better than the one song I heard for TF. The band is a well oiled machine these days. I think it's safe to say that they sound better on the Tornillo era songs than they do doing the classic era. I recently saw UDO performing his final Accept song shows and it was so much better than how Tornillo sounded to me. The metal heart was stronger and the whole vibe sounded cooler though maybe that's just me. Accept were god even great if you like but I was here for my dose of the Swedish war machine and I wanted to hear some new tunes!
The all important setlist has thankfully been changed since the last time. They still open with Ghost Division which is getting very old now but I guess it's a just great rabble rouser of a song and they wanna stick with it. However of course on this tour we would be getting many new songs from The Last Stand.
The band sounded as good as ever and new guitarist Tommy from Reinxeed fits in like a glove. In fact he makes the band sound a bit more musical and I hope they let him contribute to the song writing next time round as the guy is a great writer of power metal tunes in his own right. The night flew by in a flash as we were treated to many cool tunes and a couple of surprises even.
My fave tunes were Blood of Bannockburn, Carolus Rex with it's mighty chorus, Winged Hussars which sounded amazing live, the acoustic version of The Final Solution which was one of the surprises I was talking about, Night Witches and the almost unknown little played Union from a few albums back.
The encore started with the set staple Primo Victoria which will probably be played from now until the last ever Sabaton show, the magically catchy and fun tune Shroyama and the flute laden and extremely catchy To Hell and Back.
And so the night was over and everyone is left with smiles and horns as they leave having played their biggest ever show in the UK to probably close to 2000 people although the venue was not sold out as I was expecting. Sabaton is a band that seemingly unites the metal community here in the UK at least. Even those hardcore black metal guys can smile and wave a fist at a Sabaton gig..well for a minute or two at least!
Intro..In the Army Now
The March To War
Ghost Division
Sparta
Blood of Bannockburn
Swedish Pagans
Carolus Rex
The Last Stand
Far From The Fame
Winged Hussars
The Final Solution (acoustic)
Resist and Bite
Night Witches
The Lion from The North
The Lost Battalion
Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)
Encore:
Primo Victoria
Shiroyama
To Hell and Back
Sadly even though I got in the venue not much after the allotted 7 o'clock door time, Twilight Force were already well into their set and were in fact playing their last song, their namesake Twilight Force. A sorry state of affairs indeed and I am not sure how they started so early.
Anyway I have seen those guys before and hopefully I'll see them again if they play a headline slot here soon.
Next up were legends Accept. The guitar sound was immediately much thicker and better than the one song I heard for TF. The band is a well oiled machine these days. I think it's safe to say that they sound better on the Tornillo era songs than they do doing the classic era. I recently saw UDO performing his final Accept song shows and it was so much better than how Tornillo sounded to me. The metal heart was stronger and the whole vibe sounded cooler though maybe that's just me. Accept were god even great if you like but I was here for my dose of the Swedish war machine and I wanted to hear some new tunes!
The all important setlist has thankfully been changed since the last time. They still open with Ghost Division which is getting very old now but I guess it's a just great rabble rouser of a song and they wanna stick with it. However of course on this tour we would be getting many new songs from The Last Stand.
The band sounded as good as ever and new guitarist Tommy from Reinxeed fits in like a glove. In fact he makes the band sound a bit more musical and I hope they let him contribute to the song writing next time round as the guy is a great writer of power metal tunes in his own right. The night flew by in a flash as we were treated to many cool tunes and a couple of surprises even.
My fave tunes were Blood of Bannockburn, Carolus Rex with it's mighty chorus, Winged Hussars which sounded amazing live, the acoustic version of The Final Solution which was one of the surprises I was talking about, Night Witches and the almost unknown little played Union from a few albums back.
The encore started with the set staple Primo Victoria which will probably be played from now until the last ever Sabaton show, the magically catchy and fun tune Shroyama and the flute laden and extremely catchy To Hell and Back.
And so the night was over and everyone is left with smiles and horns as they leave having played their biggest ever show in the UK to probably close to 2000 people although the venue was not sold out as I was expecting. Sabaton is a band that seemingly unites the metal community here in the UK at least. Even those hardcore black metal guys can smile and wave a fist at a Sabaton gig..well for a minute or two at least!
Intro..In the Army Now
The March To War
Ghost Division
Sparta
Blood of Bannockburn
Swedish Pagans
Carolus Rex
The Last Stand
Far From The Fame
Winged Hussars
The Final Solution (acoustic)
Resist and Bite
Night Witches
The Lion from The North
The Lost Battalion
Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)
Encore:
Primo Victoria
Shiroyama
To Hell and Back
Thursday, 3 December 2015
Judas Priest - Live at Brixton Academy
Little more than 24 hours passed and I'm back in Brixton this time for the kings of British metal Judas Priest. This is only the second time I've seen the mighty Priest. Last time I saw them was with KK Downing but now of course he's retired and they have a flashy new guitarist in Richie Faulkner. Let's see if they can deliver the goods again so to speak!
I decided to sit on the balcony again as with Slayer last night. Age, fatigue, wussiness, etc...
This time I sat on the opposite side to where I was last night so as to get a slightly closer angle. Unfortunately the angle of the seating in the Briton Academy is not quite steep enough to give a better view of the stage and if the performers come to the very front of the stage your view is slightly obstructed by the front rows and the hand rail. But I digress let's talk about the music and it was an ace night for sure.
The only support band of the night was Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock with Scotland's finest, Doogie White on vocals. Now I must admit I haven't heard Herr Schenker's latest album but I do hear good things about it on the web and that he's now a reformed character who's rocking to maximum effect. As Doogie explained they are playing a 45 minute set so they would be sticking to the hits in the main from Schencker's past in the Scorpions and UFO and a couple of new songs. They started with the legendary Doctor, Doctor with Doogie's vocals sounding mighty fine and crystal clear. Schenker was leaning over his Flying V at the side and rocking out riffs and smiling to the crowd. The sound was almost too perfect for Temple of Rock I must say. Michael's guitar was of course loudest and clearest but the rest of the band were crystal clear too. They continued with further tracks which included extended melodic solos from Michael especially in the final track Rock Bottom where he goes through his full repertoire. I'm not one for extended solo sections, but Schenker's was so tasteful and melodic and not just a flurry of notes. The guy is a real classy melodic player to my untrained ears that's for sure. The songs were catchy and very melodic. I really need to remedy the fact that I haven't heard the Temple of Rock album, there's really no excuse on my part. As for a support act, Temple of Rock were indeed the perfect warm up and got a great response and the crowd duly sang along to the hits such as Rock You Like a Hurricane with full gusto. I think I'd pay to see a full set by Schenker and co on this form.
Doctor Doctor
Live and Let Live
Victim of Illusion
Vigilante Man
Lord of the Lost and Lonely
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Rock Bottom
As the support troops left the white curtain dropped as it had done the previous night for Slayer, this time with the Priest logo highlighted in fluorescent blue. It took about 20-25 minutes to ready the stage as Priest were supposed to hit dead on 9pm which they met with precision accuracy as the War Pigs intro was played and the curtain dropped as the band launched into opening cut Dragonaut from their latest album. I must admit I am not too fond of that song as it sound a bit dull to me, but I had to eat my words as it sounded amazing live. The riffs were superb and immediately I could tell that this incarnation of Priest was on fire. They are getting very old barring Richie of course but the blood is coursing through their veins with much vigour these days it seems.
The sound was once again almost perfect. Not fantastically loud and very clear indeed. Rob's vocals were indeed much better than I could have imagined. The guy obviously never runs when he can walk and he walked on with a stick for the opener in his full leather gear. For a second there I was thinking oh no Rob's really old he needs a fucking walking stick now and then I realised well it's just a stage prop.
Metal Gods plod followed after the opener with Rob doing his robot walk at the end of the song which was rather funny and cool to witness. His voice sounded superb during it though. As each song was played the album cover of where that song was coming from gave clues to the audience as to what song was coming next.So loud cheers went up on a regular basis as the fan's old faves were played. Desert Plains was awesome indeed and very melodic.
A point about Ian Hill on the bass. The guy is something else. He just stays rock solid on the spot throughout the night as either Glenn or Rob go up to him but that guy ain't moving for nothing. He just stays there rocking out that top string on the bass like his life depends on it!
Victim of Changes was a wonderful of old epic with Rob's vocals reaching the stratosphere on the high notes. Maybe he even over does it a little bit or maybe he's trying to prove a point like "hey I can still do this you motherfuckers!"
I was a bit surprised to hear the glammy Turbo Lover but the crowd participation on the chorus was full so I think it went down a storm pretty much.
The title track Redeemer of Souls which is my fave song from the latest CD was awesome and very melodic.
Beyond the Realms of Death was monumentally epic and sang with so much emotion by Rob. The guy was something else on that song I tell ya.
Three more urgent classics followed with the best song of the three being Hell Bent For Leather where Rob rode out on a Harley and sang the song with full crowd back up once again during the choruses.
Two separate encores followed although I must admit I thought the first one was just a little mini break and not actually an encore hehe. Electric Eye is one of Priest's most loved tunes and everyone loves singing it and it was no different this time either.
The second encore as it turns out features of course Priest at their heaviest and most melodic as well namely with Painkiller and the catchy Living After Midnight, a perfect song to end any Priest set. Halford really bust his guts out during Painkiller though. I was thinking Rob take it easy man, you'll get a burst blood vessel in a minute! Painkiller was lead heavy and Living After Midnight brought the night to an end with a rousing sing along.
The band thanked the fan profusely as they slowly left the stage and it was left to Rob to leave the stage last as he milked the applause and lead the "Priest! Priest!" chants as he pointed to the bands logo on the big screen.
People have been saying Priest needs to pack it up since KK left but on this showing there's a few years left in the old dog yet! Whilst Rob can still do it they need to keep going. A very strong showing indeed by the legends and I must admit I enjoyed Priest much more than I did Slayer.
War Pigs
(Black Sabbath song)
Battle Cry (Intro song)
Dragonaut
Metal Gods
Desert Plains
Victim of Changes
Halls of Valhalla
The Rage
Turbo Lover
Redeemer of Souls
Beyond the Realms of Death
Screaming for Vengeance
Breaking the Law
Hell Bent for Leather
Encore:
The Hellion
Electric Eye
You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Encore 2:
Painkiller
Living After Midnight
I decided to sit on the balcony again as with Slayer last night. Age, fatigue, wussiness, etc...
This time I sat on the opposite side to where I was last night so as to get a slightly closer angle. Unfortunately the angle of the seating in the Briton Academy is not quite steep enough to give a better view of the stage and if the performers come to the very front of the stage your view is slightly obstructed by the front rows and the hand rail. But I digress let's talk about the music and it was an ace night for sure.
The only support band of the night was Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock with Scotland's finest, Doogie White on vocals. Now I must admit I haven't heard Herr Schenker's latest album but I do hear good things about it on the web and that he's now a reformed character who's rocking to maximum effect. As Doogie explained they are playing a 45 minute set so they would be sticking to the hits in the main from Schencker's past in the Scorpions and UFO and a couple of new songs. They started with the legendary Doctor, Doctor with Doogie's vocals sounding mighty fine and crystal clear. Schenker was leaning over his Flying V at the side and rocking out riffs and smiling to the crowd. The sound was almost too perfect for Temple of Rock I must say. Michael's guitar was of course loudest and clearest but the rest of the band were crystal clear too. They continued with further tracks which included extended melodic solos from Michael especially in the final track Rock Bottom where he goes through his full repertoire. I'm not one for extended solo sections, but Schenker's was so tasteful and melodic and not just a flurry of notes. The guy is a real classy melodic player to my untrained ears that's for sure. The songs were catchy and very melodic. I really need to remedy the fact that I haven't heard the Temple of Rock album, there's really no excuse on my part. As for a support act, Temple of Rock were indeed the perfect warm up and got a great response and the crowd duly sang along to the hits such as Rock You Like a Hurricane with full gusto. I think I'd pay to see a full set by Schenker and co on this form.
Doctor Doctor
Live and Let Live
Victim of Illusion
Vigilante Man
Lord of the Lost and Lonely
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Rock Bottom
As the support troops left the white curtain dropped as it had done the previous night for Slayer, this time with the Priest logo highlighted in fluorescent blue. It took about 20-25 minutes to ready the stage as Priest were supposed to hit dead on 9pm which they met with precision accuracy as the War Pigs intro was played and the curtain dropped as the band launched into opening cut Dragonaut from their latest album. I must admit I am not too fond of that song as it sound a bit dull to me, but I had to eat my words as it sounded amazing live. The riffs were superb and immediately I could tell that this incarnation of Priest was on fire. They are getting very old barring Richie of course but the blood is coursing through their veins with much vigour these days it seems.
The sound was once again almost perfect. Not fantastically loud and very clear indeed. Rob's vocals were indeed much better than I could have imagined. The guy obviously never runs when he can walk and he walked on with a stick for the opener in his full leather gear. For a second there I was thinking oh no Rob's really old he needs a fucking walking stick now and then I realised well it's just a stage prop.
Metal Gods plod followed after the opener with Rob doing his robot walk at the end of the song which was rather funny and cool to witness. His voice sounded superb during it though. As each song was played the album cover of where that song was coming from gave clues to the audience as to what song was coming next.So loud cheers went up on a regular basis as the fan's old faves were played. Desert Plains was awesome indeed and very melodic.
A point about Ian Hill on the bass. The guy is something else. He just stays rock solid on the spot throughout the night as either Glenn or Rob go up to him but that guy ain't moving for nothing. He just stays there rocking out that top string on the bass like his life depends on it!
Victim of Changes was a wonderful of old epic with Rob's vocals reaching the stratosphere on the high notes. Maybe he even over does it a little bit or maybe he's trying to prove a point like "hey I can still do this you motherfuckers!"
I was a bit surprised to hear the glammy Turbo Lover but the crowd participation on the chorus was full so I think it went down a storm pretty much.
The title track Redeemer of Souls which is my fave song from the latest CD was awesome and very melodic.
Beyond the Realms of Death was monumentally epic and sang with so much emotion by Rob. The guy was something else on that song I tell ya.
Three more urgent classics followed with the best song of the three being Hell Bent For Leather where Rob rode out on a Harley and sang the song with full crowd back up once again during the choruses.
Two separate encores followed although I must admit I thought the first one was just a little mini break and not actually an encore hehe. Electric Eye is one of Priest's most loved tunes and everyone loves singing it and it was no different this time either.
The second encore as it turns out features of course Priest at their heaviest and most melodic as well namely with Painkiller and the catchy Living After Midnight, a perfect song to end any Priest set. Halford really bust his guts out during Painkiller though. I was thinking Rob take it easy man, you'll get a burst blood vessel in a minute! Painkiller was lead heavy and Living After Midnight brought the night to an end with a rousing sing along.
The band thanked the fan profusely as they slowly left the stage and it was left to Rob to leave the stage last as he milked the applause and lead the "Priest! Priest!" chants as he pointed to the bands logo on the big screen.
People have been saying Priest needs to pack it up since KK left but on this showing there's a few years left in the old dog yet! Whilst Rob can still do it they need to keep going. A very strong showing indeed by the legends and I must admit I enjoyed Priest much more than I did Slayer.
War Pigs
(Black Sabbath song)
Battle Cry (Intro song)
Dragonaut
Metal Gods
Desert Plains
Victim of Changes
Halls of Valhalla
The Rage
Turbo Lover
Redeemer of Souls
Beyond the Realms of Death
Screaming for Vengeance
Breaking the Law
Hell Bent for Leather
Encore:
The Hellion
Electric Eye
You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Encore 2:
Painkiller
Living After Midnight
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Slayer - Live at the Brixton Academy
I've finally completed seeing the big 4 live after all these years gigging! Wonders never cease...
I've somehow always managed to avoid Slayer for some reason when it comes to the live arena. Mainly due to the fact that I am not actually a huge Slayer fan. Their recent material hasn't really excited me to be honest but Repentless is a return to form. It's not an amazing thrash record but it will do. When I saw that Anthrax was the man support for this gig, I thought let me kill two birds with one stone as I've never seen Anthrax live either. I'm not a huge fan of theirs either to be honest. There was a third band on the bill Kvelertak from Norway. I've read a lot about these guys and they are very big in their homeland and Scandinavia in general but this type of black n' roll just ain't my cuppa. They played ok got a decent response although I couldn't tell you how the crowd was as the people sat on the balcony can't see the people down below at Brixton Academy.
The sound was a bit mushy for the Norwegians but they play with energy but when you can't tell one song from the next the enjoyment factor is reduced heavily. I suppose if you like a harder edged and rougher version of Motorhead this band would be up your alley. Not me though.
Next up were New York veterans Anthrax. To be perfectly honest I don't actually know the songs very well. All I can see is that Charlie on the drums is very fast and powerful, Scott Ian swings round like a loony playing fast riffs whilst Bello on bass pulls shapes. I don't know who the other guitarist is. The singer Joey is on top form energy wise and rips and round like a man half his age. It helps that he ain't carrying much timber! To be honest I found Anthrax a little bit boring. I don't own one Anthrax album apart from a best of comp so that should just about explain it. They played their allotted 50 minutes or so before leaving to rapturous applause. They must've obviously gone down very well downstairs in the hall. The new song Evil Twin didn't sound that great either although Scott was saying that if you like thrash you'll love it. Not sure about that Mr. Ian! Anthrax were ok or even great but I'm just not a huge fan but at least I've seen them live now.
And finally the band the rabid 2,500 crowd had come to see lay waste. First of all it was a nice touch by the Brixton Academy to bathe the upper stretches of the Academy in the colours of the French Tricolore in unison with France and their troubles. It took a while for the roadies to ready the stage whilst a white sheet was draped across the stage to cover their work and before long the house lights went down and you saw the band's silhouette behind the drop as the band launched in to current single Repentless. They sounded super tight and I must say Tom's vocals were pretty spot on all night. The guy has always been a slightly bit annoying but he was pretty much awesome all the way tonight. The floor must've been a heaving mass of humanity down below and even the upper seated section was packed solid with people looking for every single viewing spot.
Gary Holt on lead guitar was having a whale of a time, headbanging like his life depended on it. Kerry was doing his famous crouch down and head nodding style on the other side whilst churning out those classic Slayer riffs. Like I said the sound was much better for Slayer than the other bands as expected and they were playing like men possessed. Tom was not so animated since he can't head bang any more but more than made up for it with a perfect vocal delivery.
The stage set featured hanging upside down crosses which I find almost laughable with the lead singer being a practising Catholic! They should start acting their age and forget about the satan shit hehe. Highlights of their set were frantic opener Repentless, War Ensemble, oldies Black Magic and Die By The Sword and the final two cuts Raining Blood, Angel of Death. The set list in between was a mixture of old and new all played to perfection. People love the menacing Dead Skin Mask but I've always found that tune a bit boring but I guess it sounded pretty cool live. Some songs are not my faves and I found myself getting slightly bored during those as I don't even recognize them but when a familiar evil riff comes along the urge to head bang is strong. The final two songs of the night were the best and what a one-two combo. The perfect end to any Slayer set no doubt. So I've finally got them out of my system gig-wise, I doubt I'll ever see them live again but I did enjoy the evil thrashing machine that is the Slayer live experience.
Delusions of Saviour
Repentless
Postmortem
Hate Worldwide
Disciple
God Send Death
War Ensemble
When the Stillness Comes
Take Control
Mandatory Suicide
Chemical Warfare
Die by the Sword
Black Magic
Vices
Seasons in the Abyss
Hell Awaits
Dead Skin Mask
World Painted Blood
South of Heaven
Raining Blood
Angel of Death
I've somehow always managed to avoid Slayer for some reason when it comes to the live arena. Mainly due to the fact that I am not actually a huge Slayer fan. Their recent material hasn't really excited me to be honest but Repentless is a return to form. It's not an amazing thrash record but it will do. When I saw that Anthrax was the man support for this gig, I thought let me kill two birds with one stone as I've never seen Anthrax live either. I'm not a huge fan of theirs either to be honest. There was a third band on the bill Kvelertak from Norway. I've read a lot about these guys and they are very big in their homeland and Scandinavia in general but this type of black n' roll just ain't my cuppa. They played ok got a decent response although I couldn't tell you how the crowd was as the people sat on the balcony can't see the people down below at Brixton Academy.
The sound was a bit mushy for the Norwegians but they play with energy but when you can't tell one song from the next the enjoyment factor is reduced heavily. I suppose if you like a harder edged and rougher version of Motorhead this band would be up your alley. Not me though.
Next up were New York veterans Anthrax. To be perfectly honest I don't actually know the songs very well. All I can see is that Charlie on the drums is very fast and powerful, Scott Ian swings round like a loony playing fast riffs whilst Bello on bass pulls shapes. I don't know who the other guitarist is. The singer Joey is on top form energy wise and rips and round like a man half his age. It helps that he ain't carrying much timber! To be honest I found Anthrax a little bit boring. I don't own one Anthrax album apart from a best of comp so that should just about explain it. They played their allotted 50 minutes or so before leaving to rapturous applause. They must've obviously gone down very well downstairs in the hall. The new song Evil Twin didn't sound that great either although Scott was saying that if you like thrash you'll love it. Not sure about that Mr. Ian! Anthrax were ok or even great but I'm just not a huge fan but at least I've seen them live now.
And finally the band the rabid 2,500 crowd had come to see lay waste. First of all it was a nice touch by the Brixton Academy to bathe the upper stretches of the Academy in the colours of the French Tricolore in unison with France and their troubles. It took a while for the roadies to ready the stage whilst a white sheet was draped across the stage to cover their work and before long the house lights went down and you saw the band's silhouette behind the drop as the band launched in to current single Repentless. They sounded super tight and I must say Tom's vocals were pretty spot on all night. The guy has always been a slightly bit annoying but he was pretty much awesome all the way tonight. The floor must've been a heaving mass of humanity down below and even the upper seated section was packed solid with people looking for every single viewing spot.
Gary Holt on lead guitar was having a whale of a time, headbanging like his life depended on it. Kerry was doing his famous crouch down and head nodding style on the other side whilst churning out those classic Slayer riffs. Like I said the sound was much better for Slayer than the other bands as expected and they were playing like men possessed. Tom was not so animated since he can't head bang any more but more than made up for it with a perfect vocal delivery.
The stage set featured hanging upside down crosses which I find almost laughable with the lead singer being a practising Catholic! They should start acting their age and forget about the satan shit hehe. Highlights of their set were frantic opener Repentless, War Ensemble, oldies Black Magic and Die By The Sword and the final two cuts Raining Blood, Angel of Death. The set list in between was a mixture of old and new all played to perfection. People love the menacing Dead Skin Mask but I've always found that tune a bit boring but I guess it sounded pretty cool live. Some songs are not my faves and I found myself getting slightly bored during those as I don't even recognize them but when a familiar evil riff comes along the urge to head bang is strong. The final two songs of the night were the best and what a one-two combo. The perfect end to any Slayer set no doubt. So I've finally got them out of my system gig-wise, I doubt I'll ever see them live again but I did enjoy the evil thrashing machine that is the Slayer live experience.
Delusions of Saviour
Repentless
Postmortem
Hate Worldwide
Disciple
God Send Death
War Ensemble
When the Stillness Comes
Take Control
Mandatory Suicide
Chemical Warfare
Die by the Sword
Black Magic
Vices
Seasons in the Abyss
Hell Awaits
Dead Skin Mask
World Painted Blood
South of Heaven
Raining Blood
Angel of Death
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)