Full Metal Racket | Live - Mandela Hall, Belfast

DECAYOR

Decayor are the first band to take the stage this year, and they fill it with a seemingly nonchalant air of veteranship, despite being a young band. Indeed, taking in the name, logo and cover art of the band, one would be forgiven in assuming they were a black metal band as grim and frostbitten as all the other nordics, but Decayor grab the early birds getting acquainted with the Mandela’s dark interior and absolutely pummel them with some remarkably thorough death metal.

They’ve covered all their bases here; the playing is tight and well rehearsed, they look like a proper band onstage, the songs are great and completely individual, and it’s a shame not enough people catch them play. Safe to say, this’ll be the last time anyone will see Decayor opening a festival, a higher billing status is already well deserved. This reviewer went straight to the merch stall afterwards and nabbed their two demos quick smart. A band to keep an eye on for definite. [DmcB]

FOR RUIN

After an unfortunate incident which results in a Sinocence member being rushed to hospital, For Ruin quickly steps down to fill the gap, and after declaring that this would be their last gig for quite some time, they proceed to show the masses exactly why they’re going to be missed. A great set is aired which, especially considering the Rotting Christ influence, builds up the crowd’s excitement for later on nicely. For Ruin have been building themselves up inexorably since their first release, and when they return with their upcoming album, the general consensus on the day is that it will be world class. [DmcB]

AIRGED L’AMH

Airged L’amh are up next, and despite being somewhat unknown outside the true metal scene, manage to win over the crowd by sheer enthusiasm for what they do. Vocalist Steve never once lets up with cheerful grinning and metal god-esque posing, and judging by the number of fists being thrown and lyrics being bellowed back at the band, they’ve made several new fans today. Quite possibly one of the most under-rated bands in Greece, their playing unavoidably early does deprive them of more boozed up bar-fixated fans discovering this hidden gem. [DmcB]

SORROWFALL

Sorrowfall come on to a pretty rapturous response, made slightly poignant by the knowledge that vocalist Sleeve is departing from several years behind the bass and mike stand after the performance. He makes it clear from the opening scream of ‘The Forest’ that he doesn’t intend to go quietly, and the blackened thrash assault that surrounds him proves that the band intend to give him a damn good send off. And what a performance to end it on.

The crowd get well into it, singing along with head and fist banging, and the band play a blinder. Their noted cover of Bathory’s ‘A Fine Day To Die’ gets the mob going even more frenzied than before, and the guest appearance of FMR promoter Corey Barkley on guitar during crowd favourite ‘Wicked Potion’ adds well to the mix. It’s sad to see Sleeve go, but it will be very interesting to see who they get to possibly match a hellacious screamer like him. [DmcB]

CELTIC LEGACY

Celtic Legacy suffer the inexplicable fate of relative indifference when they take the stage to the already-classic ‘Live By The Sword’, and it’s only the faithful few who venture down the front. This beggars belief to be honest, the band are one of the most professional in Ireland, and have a steadily growing worldwide following. They play a great Iron Maiden / Thin Lizzy style set with class and skill, and it’s the fools who choose to skip it who miss out. The singalong to the epic ‘Resurrection’ is brilliant though, and it does manage to tip a few more unbelievers a bit closer to the stage. [DmcB]

SCALD

Scald have been off the live circuit since 2005, and having previously displayed a genuine lack of desire to ever play live again, it’s a coup for the festival to entice them out of their hermit reclusiveness. Opening with the antagonising ‘Maggot Farmer’ gets a good few interested heads down the front to find out exactly what the fuss is over them, but they leave the hall in pretty short fashion when annihilating tracks like ‘Confusexcremental’ get played. By the end of the gig, the only people left are those unafraid few who have seen or heard them before, and who have taken the time to actually get what the band are doing. It’s a horribly brilliant performance, harrowing and enthralling, hateful and exhilarating. Let’s hope it’s not another 4 years between gigs. [DmcB]

STEVE GRIMMETT / GRIM REAPER

Steve Grimmett takes the stage quickly, and catches at least one person by surprise in the bar upstairs, fresh pint in hand. This non-dilemma is quickly dealt with as the pint gets hastily flung into a Monster Energy Drink can, which neatly circumvents the venue’s “No drinking downstairs” rule. And let’s face it, how the hell can you watch a man as mighty as Steve Grimmett, playing a set solely consisting of Grim Reaper tracks, WITHOUT a beer in hand?

So it’s a happy and prepared reviewer who sprints down the front while roaring along to opening track ‘Rock You To Hell.’ Pretty much everything a fan wants to hear gets played, ‘Fear No Evil’, ‘Dead On Arrival’ and the simply storming song of the set ‘Rock Me Till I Die’ which proves to everyone present that you can keep your Eric Adamses and your Russ Norths. Steve Grimmett is THE greatest vocalist from 1984 that still performs today. It’s utterly ludicrous to suggest otherwise. The huge singalong to set closer ‘See You In Hell’ captures everyone’s attention and leaves the crowd completely reaped. [DmcB]

ROTTING CHRIST

So to the first of the main headliners, and Rotting Christ hit the ground running with a glut of numbers from their latest return to form, ‘Theogonia’. It’s with this album that the band have regained the powerful riffing and striking melody that typifies their best work, and frontman Sakis exhorts the swelling crowd like a pro, leaping from monitors and spitting the vocal lines with venom. Set standard ‘King of a Stellar War’ is an obvious highlight, but things lead up to a natural high with the slow burning magic of the title track from 1994’s ‘Non Serviam’. It’s eaten up, garnering the best crowd reaction of the night. [LA]

PARADISE LOST

Paradise Lost, scene forefathers in their own right, purvey a very different type of sound, but command equal respect. This is instant evoked when they choose to open with ‘Hallowed Land’ from their classic ‘Draconian Times’ release. Continued returns to DT material is a feature of set, inciting prolonged singalongs, as the wounded yet powerful vocals of Nick Holmes are complimented by the sound desk delivering a crushingly heavy guitar tone.

Sound gremlins are hard at work onstage though, Holmes’ famously dour demeanor being brought to the fore with regular stops for techincal hiccups. Despite this, the pure quality of the group’s songwriting wins over, with the likes of golden oldie ‘Ember’s Fire’, ‘As I Die’ and even that relic from their ill fated electro-pop era, ‘Erased’ having enough power to reduce everyone in the vicinity to grinning goons. The crowd is tired out at this stage, and when encore of ‘The Last Time’ falls apart due to yet another technical glitch, the group call it a night and retire. An oddly sudden end to proceedings, but there’s a firm sense of day’s success in the air as the crowd troops out into the night. [LA]

Reviews by Dónal McBrien and Lorcan Archer ::: 30/04/09
Photo by Simon Ward