FUMING MOUTH, CELESTIAL SANCTUARY, HOUR OF REPRISAL and FINAL NAIL
Another evening of polite, genteel, relaxing death metal and grindcore at the Waterfront Studio.
Ah, Norwich. When I can normally get to the venue within 15 minutes of leaving home. Tonight’s journey was somewhat more of an odyssey than normal, thanks to a burst water main closing one road and an accident closing another. So, somewhat fraught and flustered, I arrive much later than planned but still in time for FINAL NAIL’s brutal mix of chugging riffs and hyperspeed attacks, complete with blast beats and 80s NYHC style vox with added death grunts. Their set was derailed by tech issues after one song but was back on track as soon as these were sorted. Prompting the first (of many) circle moshes of the evening, Final Nail’s songs may be more straightforward and perhaps simpler than anything else on show this evening but their’s was the set of the night for me.
HOUR OF REPRISAL are self-proclaimed straight edgers but they are heavier and play with more precision than most other straight-edge bands. With the untamed vocal yelps and tasty use of bass feedback, they’re kinda reminiscent of Poison Idea, one of the least straight edge bands ever. As with their set supporting Terror last year, Hour of Reprisal are damned impressive and well worth a look.
CELESTIAL SANCTUARY take to the stage to Wig Wam’s Do You Wanna Taste It. Fortunately for this audience, that is the only glam-metal we get tonight and Celestial Sanctuary are soon blasting into some old school thrash with death metal overtones. They get an enthusiastic response but, to be honest, they’re not really for me. Great musicians technically and I warm to them more as the set goes on but not really my bag.
Hailing from New England and playing their first UK tour, FUMING MOUTH start slower, with a more grinding sound before mixing up doom with 80s Peaceville style hardcore and I think I may have heard some d-beat in there too. Delivering a high energy set - if somewhat short for a headliner at 40 minutes - Fuming Mouth get the biggest, most energetic pits of the evening and their’s a fair few in the audience that are word perfect on every song.
Bizarrely, no one calls for an encore when Fuming Mouth leave the stage, pretty much everyone assuming that the set was over and the 21:30 curfew had kicked in. The band return anyway, eliciting a call for one more song, and duly deliver the shortest and probably fastest song of the night.
All in all, this was an excellent night of underground, extreme music. I can have few complaints although a bit more variety in the line up wouldn’t have gone amiss. and, whilst I don’t get the Power Rangers on acid, fist-swinging, arms, high-kicking moves of some of those in the mosh pit, there is a good natured feeling of community in the room tonight.
