Carlisle isn't a hotbed for extreme metal so it's no surprise that on a Wednesday evening in November the local venue is hardly packed out, but this doesn't change the ferocity of what's in store for everyone here tonight.
Starting us off this evening is Edinburgh based outfit Disposable, who are unrelenting with their thrash assault. Combining a classic thrash base with blistering solos and breakdowns with more grove than a Pantera riff, this young four piece bring old school thrash approach and mix it with a new fresh style. Main vocals are handled by the bassist with the two other guitarists helping on other songs, giving their music a uniqueness to it.
Next up is Damnations Hammer. Formed as a homage to the avant garde metal of the 1980's, this Lancastrian quartet slow things down for now. Bringing a doom ladened and sludgier sound with leanings to more traditional heavy metal, this is a band suited to the dark evenings that winter brings with it. Longer instrumental elements bring a dark, foreboding atmosphere combined with lyrical themes inspired by horror and supernatural fiction from the likes of H.P. Lovecraft giving this band a theatrical presence that marries together to produce an outstanding set.
You can feel the vibe in the venue shift. Regardless of the quality of the support acts it is clear that the crowd is only here for one thing, Xentrix. The whole venue moves it's way from the back of the room up to the barrier waiting for the Preston band to appear. Celebrating 35 years since the release of Shattered Existence, Xentrix waste no time in slaying their way through the entirety of their debut album, this is classic headbanging and fist shaking metal at its best. The small but loud crowd are captivated by Xentrix's top class musicianship playing unbelievably tight, this is a performance that could go toe to toe with any studio release. You get the feeling from this band that they wouldn't care if they were playing to 50 or 5000 people, the energy, sound and performance would still be the same. This goes to show why Xentrix are a household name among British thrash metal and to be considered one of the "big four" of British thrash metal.
Comments