Vader Return To Plymouth

Its not often that we get an international death metal tour package coming to Plymouth, events like this are rare. As a result I jumped at the chance to see this line-up and would have thought that many others would too. I was sadly mistaken.

I arrived at the venue at 7:35 to hear the first band on the bill, Plymouths own sons WARCRAB, doing their very best to deafen us with their blend of sludge and death metal. I say us, I mean the 15 or so people at the gig so far. A very meagre turnout, but it was still early. The few of us who did watch WARCRAB were treated to a short but great set from the 6 piece. WARCRAB use their three guitarists to great effect, creating a wall of sound that you can feel vibrating through your body, an interesting experience! They delivered a very tight and heavy package, ending their set with the title track of their new EP “ASHES OF CARNAGE”, a release that I’m sure to get my hands on soon. They were the perfect choice for the opening slot, representing the local scene in fine form, well played lads!

Next up were Israel’s SHREDHEAD. Certainly the least extreme band on the bill, but by far the most energetic and violent. SHREDHEAD opened their set with thrashing ferocity, all four members frantically moving and writhing. Their sound sits somewhere between Pantera, Lamb of God and 80’s thrash, a great blend of solid metal. Vocalist Aharon Ragoza is reminiscent of a Far Beyond Driven era Phil Anselmo, which is no bad thing! Unfortunately, the crowd are really not having any of it. No one is doing anything more than nod to the beat apart from one lone dancer in the pit. Its quite a sight to see, the guy is dancing like Bez from The Happy Mondays, Aharon smiles and fist bumps the lonely dancer. It’s a shame that the predominantly black/death metal crowd were uninterested, SHREDHEAD are a very good live band, they would certainly bring the house down at a more mainstream metal gig. Amid the huge riffs, breakneck drumming and Dimebag-esque solos the crowd gradually warm to SHREDHEAD, eventually a four man mosh-pit breaks out. That’s something at least, and Aharon looks a little happier. These 4 young men execute their craft with conviction and style, mixing excellent musicianship, solid songwriting skills and a raucous live show.

HATE are a band that should need no introduction. But, alas, this world is a cruel one. They are so often overshadowed by fellow countrymen Behemoth which is very unfair. Their albums are consistently brilliant and their live show is weapons grade precise. They take to the stage, corpse-painted and clad in black, to the sound of thunder and trumpets heralding the upcoming storm. HATE waste no time in blasting out what they do best; Furiously technical blackened death metal that incorporates a huge ladle full of atmosphere. Vocalist and Guitarist Adam “The First Sinner” barely needs to say a word and the crowd are at his beck and call. We are treated to songs from a variety of their albums, from the newest album “Crusade:Zero” and from earlier efforts such as “Morphosis”. HATE exude absolute and unquestioned confidence as the give Plymouth its first taste of what Polish death metal is. If Vader is the main course, Hate are an appetizer to be reckoned with. Adams growls are effortless as he delivers wave upon wave of snarls and bellows; “ARE YOU WITH US?” he calls multiple times throughout their set. The crowd loudly confirm that they are as the band launch into their newest single “VALLEY OF DARKNESS”. After the first two bands provided a warm up, the crowd are sufficiently inebriated and start to beat the shit out of each other in true heavy metal fashion. HATE change the pace again with “ALCHEMY OF BLOOD” and increase the speed and intensity with ease. They make playing this kind of music look simple and untaxing, and as a musician in a death metal band I can assure you that it is quite the opposite. Their set is constructed with perfection and it is played flawlessly, ending on “THRENODY” from their “Morphosis” album. If you have ears and enjoy heavy music, then you need to listen to this band, they are truly great and deserve to be greater still.

If you’ve listened to any death metal in your life, they you’ve heard of VADER. If not, you’ve not been paying any attention. The Polish four piece are veterans of the scene, starting and leading the extreme metal scene in Poland since 1983. Their sound is old school based, but with a modern appreciation for technology and clarity. They sound incredible, like a cranked stereo (although I couldn’t quite hear Piotr’s vocals at the front, it might have been different at the back). The death metal titans blast their sound out into the crowd (that is now a lot bigger, but still not as big as it should have been) and the pit opens once more. Truth be told, I spent a lot of my time windmilling and headbanging to their fantastic set, and not a huge amount of time standing at the side, looking studious and taking notes. You’ll have to forgive me for that, but that in itself should be enough information to let you know how good they were. With over 30 years of experience VADER are perfect live, as one would expect. They look like they are really having fun on stage, Piotr’s polite inter-song banter with the crowd is a breath of fresh air compared the shouting and gurgling that normally accompanies these kind of events. As is expected, all the musicians are on top of their game, but I’m most blown away by their drummer, Englishman James Stewart who might actually be a machine, a most ludicrously talented gentleman. VADER treat us to a selection of songs that span most of their albums; “SILENT EMPIRE” from “De Profundis” and “DECAPITATED SAINTS” from “The ultimate Incantation”, 1995 and 1992 repectively providing the older tracks, with “ COME AND SEE MY SACRIFICE” from “Welcome to the morbid reich” and “TRIUMPH OF DEATH” from last years “Tibi et Igni” providing the more recent fans with what they want. VADER leave the stage and return shortly as the baying crowd demands more music. They treat us one final time with “GOD IS DEAD!” from “Impressions in Blood”, a personal favourite of mine.

Each band on this line-up was truly excellent; a shining example of why metal is so much fun and so essential to people. The fans, however, need to get some priorities sorted. The people who were there were privileged to see a top-class gig, their dedication paying off. But so often the scene is rife with people who moan and do nothing to support the tours that pass through, and I fear the future extreme metal tours will bypass the south west entirely if this continues. Until then, I’m going to hope that another equally good tour package comes along, although this one will be difficult to beat.

Review by Andy Prowse

Photography by Jo Young

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