Forlorn – Madhouse Bar – Friday 26th June 2009

Insomnicide were the first band of the night and were playing their first gig. To say they were ragged at times is an understatement, but every band has to start somewhere. In their defence when they did get things together they were solid enough. Fellas it's simply a case of rehearsing like mad and playing as many gigs as possible. Setlist; “Call To War”, “The Wyvern”, “Purity”, “Spineless”.

Upon Descent, by contrast, have clearly been around the circuit for a while, and delivered a punchy, dynamic set. Their stage presence was good and they were very tight as a band. In overall style they most reminded me of Sepultura, Soulfly, and Machine Head, and played a precise set which included some particularly punishing breakdowns. The closing track was a real bruiser, and they are a band I'd like to see again, on a bigger stage, in the not too distant future. Setlist; “Chainsaw”, “Iron Will”, “Fallen From Grace”, “Tainted Messiah”, “Social Pariah”, “Mother's Vengeance”.

Brawl slowed things down somewhat, but not at the expense of power – actually savagery would be closer. Crowbar are the band I'd most liken them to, their four songs were all vicious in their execution. If you like your stoner, sludge, or doom, then Brawl will not disappoint. Even a malfunctioning guitar couldn't put them off their stride, and I'd recommend them highly. Setlist; “Gutless”, “No Hope”, “Meat”, “King”.

Forlorn served up their usual helping of doom tinged old school death metal very effectively. For the most part it was a familiar set, although they did play one new song (“The Rotting”) which worked well. The final section of the set was dedicated to covers. On the day that the news of Michael Jackson's death first shocked the population, it was only appropriate that they should start this section with a heavily beefed up version of “Beat It”. Sepultura and Metallica covers concluded their stint. Setlist; “In The Face Of Terror”, “Culture Shock”, “Law Of Hate”, “The Rotting”, “Ferality”, “The Forlorn Hope”, “Mindless”, “Doomed!”, “Worlds End”, “Beat It” (segment), “Arise”, “Damage Inc”.