Vertias, Dead Cells, Glass Artery LIVE - Luton 10/03/11
Greetings everyone!
Today - I bring you a live show as my first official review! Oh yes - ladies and gentlemen - music where it belongs, music where it shines the brightest - right here before our eyes and ears performed live.
Sod all the technology, production, mixing, the entire studio magic, tonight we had bands, pulling their own weight and did they deliver!
VERITAS
As a band that not only opens up the night but is also playing their very first show - you can guess there's enormous amount of pressure put on their shoulders. It's not only their own expectations, but the fear of failing the audience - of disappointing them, must've been next to terrifying. I'll not keep you wondering for too long - they did very well indeed!
The entirety of their show was consistently good - stage presence, musicianship and the songs - well prepared from start to finish. Sure, you get the occasional missed note, but that's the beauty of a live show and I'd not trade it for anything else, it's all those little frailties that create the experience.
Sound: Imagine ‘Parkway Drive’ detuned their guitars and made more use of “Djent” techniques; voila! The band list as their influences: ‘Monuments’, ‘Fellsilent’, ‘As Blood Runs Black’ and the aforementioned ‘Parkway Drive’. It shows, but it's not just copy & pasting, oh no.
The vocals by Jay Devlin alone stand tall and proud in the category of Metalcore. He managed a consistent assault of guttural shrieks throughout the set without as much as a cough, well done sir. Although, I'd personally prefer a more clear delivery where I can actually hear the words rather than trying to make out what's being sang. Hey - I didn't say I wouldn’t be nit-picking!
One problem that I had was that the songs started to blend into one another, if not for the breaks between each, you might feel as if it was just a single song. While it might be a good thing - it shows they’ve set a direction for themselves and are avoiding stepping out of their comfort zone - it also means that they're running the risk of being – well, boring.
I do applaud the band's ability to create a very groovy sound though - that's something you don't hear too often from the up-and-coming bands. Instant head-bobbing ensues and you won't notice until your neck starts aching!
The set was strong, if these guys can continue in the same direction with a bit of diversity - I'll be more than happy to see them again.
DEAD CELLS
Unfortunately, being friends with the band members, I'd be - well, let's be honest, my review of the show wouldn't be the most objective one :)
All I can say though, they pulled off another strong gig and yet again they can all go home with heads held up high.
GLASS ARTERY
You'd think that a band with a name like this plays some fragile, delicate music - with the only aim of soothing your soul. Right? Right?
Wrong.
Maybe with the exception of the vocalist’s clean voice, but just wait for him to put on the game face and you're in for a ride.
This band knows how to pull off a good show and I mean it! How do they sound you ask? I don't even know where to begin!
We’ve got a drummer who knows how to assault your ears with death metal double bass machinegun firing, but right after that comes progressive metal complex rhythm drumming! We’ve got guitarists who bring down a hammer blow by mighty Thor himself - with chugging riffs that will make you head bang real hard and invite you afterwards into a journey of soaring notes.
There’s real heavy, relentless and quite addictive tones that make you go: "Hey, this is like ‘Mastodon’" and before the song is finished: "Now wait a minute, ‘Killswitch Engage’?’" and just after it ends "No, that's Glass Artery". It really gives you the impression that you just heard a combination of sounds you are not instantly familiar with.Not a single moment felt too long, too short or pulled out of nowhere.
Song craft-wise these guys strike just the right balance between heavy, in your face tones - the slower, yet so well-fitted parts - to finally the occasional melody that without a doubt drives their music. It's a no small feat, when you have so many bands trying to cut a piece of the cake for themselves these days, to distinguish yourself and merge all the right things to make yourself stand out.
They took no prisoners, up until the very last song, a rather surprising addition to what would already be an exceptionally good set, a resemblance of a ballad.
And this is what I'm talking about!
The guys in Glass Artery not only show they know how to make music that just feels right, but they've shown great diversity. They've proved that they’re not afraid to experiment and show a wide range of styles.
It's oh so very important for any band to be able to stand above the crowd, show something new and offer a different perspective! We've heard so many bands who are so much alike, you'd not be able to tell them apart if not for - and it's a maybe - the sound of vocals. These guys are doing their own thing and it doesn’t seem like they give a damn about anyone else!
Glass Artery pushes all the right buttons; I can only hope they will not give up on spreading their quite unique blend of metal.
By Paul's Music Shack, please visit his blog for all his reviews:
Paul's Music Shack
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