Comic Relief Charity Gig – Coster's - Saturday 14th March 2009

A flurry of phone calls and Bob's your uncle – a Moranic Days and Millennium Of Blood co-promotion was unleashed...

I Hate You More were on first and sporting a new line-up. Bez has replaced Beefy on drums and Nick is apparently taking a sabbatical. How would they cope as a three piece? On the whole pretty well... Let's start with the definite – Bez is also a powerhouse drummer but brings his own style to the band. Left handed for starters, he works his way around the kit differently to Jay, and uses different fills, whilst still hitting it phenomenally hard. In short he's a worthy successor. Greg came into his own too and contributed fluid and intricate basslines. Phil is a great frontman and was as entertaining as ever; he also seemed to revel in the responsibility of being the lone guitarist (nice new axe too!). I think they sounded better as a four piece though, having that chunkier sound with more vicious breakdowns; maybe this will be the norm again soon? A new untitled song finished their set and it was more than promising – if this is the result of five practice sessions, I shudder to think what it will sound like when they've had a chance to really get to grips with it! Good to see them include a cover too – Hatebreed unsurprisingly. Otherwise it was a familiar set, well executed and a fine start to the evening. Setlist; “Crossed The Line”, “Chokehold”, “Retrospect”, “Bloodshed”, “Decide”, “Smash Your Enemies”, “New Fucker” (untitled!)

De Profundis were tonight's touring band, up from London and playing a Birmingham gig at short notice prior to continuing their tour in Manchester. They played a crushingly heavy set of blackened death metal which curiously didn't get the reception it deserved. A lengthy classical “Omen” style intro set the scene well for the carnage that was to follow. I was impressed when I saw their last couple of songs when they played the Scuzz stage at last year's Bloodstock, but that didn't prepare me for the savagery and intricacy of a longer set. Two new songs nestled comfortably with older material and the Cradle Of Filth cover to finish rounded things off well. The wall of sound they generated also contained melodic interludes more associated with the Swedish strain of melodic death metal, and there were a couple of brutal doom sections for good measure too. Musically they were incredibly tight, with malevolence in abundance, and a vicious guitar tone that was almost surgical as it sliced through. Great to see a pair of guitarists prepared to unleash lengthy shredfests too. Drumming was spot on, however the real star of the show for me was the bass player who played an amazing set on his six string. All manner of techniques were on display, most notably a brutal variation of slap – stunning performance from a fine musician. On top of all of this the vocalist growled away menacingly and was the perfect accompaniment to the musical mayhem. Awesome set, hope they visit the Midlands again soon! Set list; “Delusion Of Life”, “Nocturnal Splendour”, “Ablaze In Autumn's Fire”, “A Caustic Vexation”, “Forest Whispers My Name.”

Overproof played a bit of a mixed bag really with the new material sounding far more vibrant. Don't get me wrong the tried and trusted songs still worked, but they weren't delivered with the same conviction or aggression. Maybe “beer metal” has seen its day and their sludge/stoner direction will take over? Of course, could be that I'm barking up the wrong tree altogether as the encore saw the band playing extreme metal, of which more later... It took a while for the band to get a balanced sound which may have been a factor in their indifferent start. It was a pleasant change to hear Mark's vocals more clearly and to be able to hear him shred – about time!! JD appears to provide the band with a different dynamic as he's a completely different drummer to the previous incumbent. Mark and Dom worked well as a twin guitar unit, and the Bev played a very fluid set on bass, yet still something was not quite right. Can't put my finger on it, but there didn't seem to be the usual overall flow. Maybe they just sounded a bit thin after De Profundis' set. Nothing wrong, but I've seen them much better. Their encore however was inspired, a new song and a completely different direction, as Overproof pummelled their way through this untitled tune in almost hardcore fashion! I Hate You More provided the vocals, Bez opted for low-end death metal grunts and Phil went for higher range hardcore screams, as they traded vocals almost in duelling rappers fashion. Sounds weird but it worked! Strange but compelling conclusion to the night's events... Set list; “Beer”, “King Of The Mountain”, “Names On The Wall”, “V-Twin”, “Bastard”, “Burning Rubber”, “Overproof”, “Untitled (jam)”.

Hastily arranged but an evening of good entertainment. Most importantly more than a few quid was raised for Comic Relief and thanks to everyone who contributed. Three contrasting sets, which all had different merits, combined to provide a quality gig. Good to see I Hate You More in their new formation, Overproof were impressive at times and De Profundis were staggeringly good.

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