Steelwing + Skullfist + Vanderbuyst | Live Review

Steelwing / Skullfist / Vanderbuyst - The Pint, Dublin - 19/01/11

The first Dublin Metal Event show of the new year was looking like an interesting Thursday night proposition.

Three almost unheard of young groups, all hungry and looking for any stage / bar in which to rock. Even moreseo, they’re out on the unforgiving January tour circuit and have no qualms about serving up this unforgiving cocktail of metalized rock mid-week. Such moxy deserves attendance.

Upon closer inspection, it’s a line-up that while not exactly diverse, has enough changes of pace to satisfy.

Take a slice of the resurgent Swedish speed / heavy metal scene in the form of Steelwing, add a dose of thrash attakk from Canada via Skullfist, and finally a sprinkle of hard rock fun in the form of Dutch crew Vanderbuyst and there’s the ingredients for solid evening’s entertainment.

We all know the kind. One where you can sink a couple of beers because there’s just one more work day to go. The kind where you’ll clap and whistle along but will hold off on the roaring approval. A polite evening’s rocking then.

Speaking of whistling, Vanderbuyst inspire plenty of it - as in the low, impressed kind. The power trio come out swinging and play like they’re headlining an arena rather than a half empty venue.

It’s an engaging mix that they have going on. Animated vocals trading off against tasty and snappy guitar solos, while visually they don’t stop moving for a second. They’ve got the tunes to carry it, with a set that’s even tighter than the bassist’s eye-melting spandex trousers.

‘From Pillar to Post’ is a great slice in particular, with a thundering drum intro and a night-crawling riff that leads into a all-out killer song. Suddenly the Garda vans and drunken brawls that were spotted on the way in on Eden Quay seem just right for this street fighting anthem.

There’s a tribute to Gary Moore and Phil Lynott shouted out before a note perfect version of ‘Don’t Believe a Word’ is belted out, with the bassist bopping away to the beat in an uncanny impression of Lynott himself. It’s a great, short and sweet set, that sucks up attention and has the room buzzing once they finish up.

Skullfist have a gloriously dumb sounding name. There’s a sudden jolt of recognition as it appears Steve Tyler of Aerosmith fame has climbed up onstage and strapped on a flying V to command proceedings. Closer inspection reveals the singer simply has a striking likeness and a similar lurid fashion sense.

Indeed, the Canadians have the famous rocker look down, with the lead guitarist being a dead ringer for on Marty Friedman and the bassist looking a hell of a lot like Dave Mustaine. Quick glances at fellow suspicious looking gig-goers confirms this fact - speaking volumes on the impressive set of manes that the band whip for the duration of their set.

It turns out Aerosmith meets early Megadeth isn’t a bad description of them, as they lash through a set of thrash metal that’s both speedy and enjoyable. There might not be the solid, banging songs of the proceeding group, but the band radiate energy and genuine passion for the craft - something that gets the grins spreading around the crowd.

It’s easy to forgive the singer’s never-ending shouts of ‘Fuckin A Dublin!’ when they can provide numbers as fast, crunchy and banging as ‘Get Fisted’. They’re not reinventing any wheels, but there’s a joy and genuine quality to the falsetto screams and gruff backing vocals that makes them a very easy band to like.

A final, mid-solo jump of the guitarist on the singer’s shoulders is the perfect ending and they depart to the meagre crowd giving them a loud and properly appreciative send-off.

While Skullfist displayed a knack for writing tight, self-contained trash songs, Steelwing’s set is unfortunately a polar opposite.

The group have all the bells and whistles that you’d expect - super tight spandex, what looks like a frilly pirate shirt jammed on one of the guitarist and a plenty of foot-on-monitor attitude - but a few songs in it becomes clear there’s a lack of quality tunes on display.

The diminutive singer certain does his best to keep things moving, but he’s fighting a losing battle, as only the Running Wild indebted gallop of ‘Full Speed Ahead’ seems to make any sort of impact. I’ve heard the band’s quite enjoyable latest album and tonight wasn’t a good representation of it.

The set seems too long, too monotomous and there’s simply no change of gears present in the songs to really keep attention. Any subtlities in the guitar or vocals are simply not present tonight, and it’s a workmanlike set of similar sounding numbers.

It isn’t long before the shouts for ‘Skullwing’, ‘Wingfist’ or even ‘Steelwang’ start up. The band do continue to rock out for all they’re worth and don’t put a foot wrong in terms of serving up a show, but there’s only so far the trappings of the bands they’re inspired by will take them.

It’s generally a bad sign when it’s very difficult to recall the hook or chorus of a single track, even as soon as the band’s set ends. A triumph of style over substance might be a bit harsh, but they could do with a long hard look at their songwriting before trekking around again.

Back out into the wind and rain of an Irish January, and on the bus home before 11pm - it’s clear that tonight was a short session in how to rock from very much unknown bands. The Dutch and the Canadians came out on top tonight, and it’s a virtual certainty they’ll now have this reviewer digging around to see how they compare on record. The reported packed house for A Pale Horse Called Death the following night in Dublin is also a good omen for how the year will fare out for metal shows in the capital.

Sometimes it’s well worth taking a punt on the unknown night. Spandex, steel and speed metal - it’s a decent Thursday night by anyone’s standards.

Lorcan Archer ::: 20/01/12