Overoth + Solace Of Nadir + Last Judgement | Live - Katy Dalys, Belfast
Despite the fact that they’re tight and reasonably well rehearsed, there’s still a few things that Last Judgement need to clean up. First, they need an injection of something genuinely unique. At present their mix of 80’s thrash sensibilities with something just about death metal is totally fair enough, but indistinguishable from many others doing the same. Exodus and Kreator influences are great and everything, but in the current day and age need more in order to cut the mustard. It’s a bit fusty.
Their cover of Death’s ‘Crystal Mountain’ is well played and well received. It’s during the final song though that problems come to a head: while playing his utterly absurd B.C. Rich Thing, the guitarist turns on all manner of midi effects, while using the trem like the last detail of a paintbrush. Sadly though, cause the tone’s crap, the audience cant hear a note of it. Worse is to come. A string breaks, and the unedifying sight of man rifling through paper Ernie Ball packets (while the band continue) and trying to replace the offending steel is pure comedy gold. Discretion, as they say, is the better part of valour. There’s promise in this band though, and they would have been good were two utterly super bands not following.
Solace Of Nadir: shit name, but boy can these guys play. They are the surprise of the afternoon. Mixing black and war metal to come up with an unexpectedly powerful imitation of Angelcorpse’s defining style, they show enthusiasm, presentation, and a good tone off to the assembled, who start noticably looking up from their beers.
This band’s greatest asset is its drummer. He’s got to be one of the fastest in the country, and rockets through their set like a missile. The consistency, the power and the clarity of the lightspeed blastbeats are simply on another level, and all the while with no surplus movement and total concentration. It’s as if the lad was trained by the Spetznaz in Death Metal Drumming. Needless to say, it is riveting to watch. It’s complimented though by an up-for-it attitude from the rest. The guitarist knows a decent sound, keeping it simple and letting the power exit the amp, while the singer engages the crowd and is visibly into what he’s doing. Their demo doesnt do this live show justice - but that’s actually an excellent state of affairs, given that it’s usually the other way round.
Overoth kill. The band, their tone, their tightness and their command of the stage have improved tenfold since this muppet last caught them, and even then it was shit hot. Their sound blows the forerunners off the stage, showing what lots of practise and quality gear can offer. The drumming is the most improved of the instruments, and to be honest this band now look like they can churn out classic sounding DM as if it aint no thing. New songs rule, and the ‘Pathway…’ stuff sounds so much more huge and full of life than the CD. There’s only one direction for these guys, and it’s to be found on a tour bus supporting a name DM act. They need the exposure, and they need it yesterday - because they’ve got everything else, in spades.
Oh, and you should have seen the rain. Total rinse out.
Ciaran Tracey ::: 21/08/08