Hell On Earth - Barfly - Friday 13th June 2008.

The final date of Meltdown Records' Hell On Earth tour. Unfortunately missed the majority of Last Chance At Rampton's set (not fair to review them on a song and a half!) so the three bands appearing were;

Godsize. Thanks to Kris for the setlist, cheers fella! I've seen these guys a lot recently, but tonight's set was explosive. Started off with a riotous version of Until You Scream and it was clear from the off that the band were having immense fun and playing incredibly tightly. Kris was his usual charismatic self, taking advantage of his radio mic and rampaging around the venue in customary style. Great vocal performance and an entertaining frontman to boot. Kieron battered the living daylights out of his kit, this was a truly brutal display of power drumming. Dave continues to amaze with the fluidity of his basswork and Scott ground out the riffs relentlessly. For You and Beer Slag continued the onslaught before the new, and yet to be titled, song Love Gun/Sex Knife/Love Glove/Fuck Spear (delete as applicable in due course) was delivered savagely. Born From Anger preceded the inevitable set closer Start Her Up and the slaughter was complete. Devastatingly good performance.

Slab had the unenviable task of following that - and did with another stunning set. It's no secret that I rate these fellas very highly. If you haven't got their album yet buy it now, it's superb. And they are even better live. The musicianship was as flawless as ever. It's fascinating seeing these songs develop and how the dynamics and staging are changing with each performance. The subtle changes in tempo and overall timing ensure these songs keep getting better. Brave move starting with a new song, but The Bite was aired first and nailed clinically. Familiar set from here on in, although as usual in a completely different order, I haven't seen them play the same set yet. Devilwalk, Vines and Conspiracy continued the carnage before Chaos Bastard, held back uncharacteristically late in the set, was performed in breathtaking fashion. Kris from Godsize reappeared on stage to assist with the screams during Yi Zi Er Shi. Strangely enough this worked remarkably well and it's certainly the longest I've ever seen Kris on a stage! Tetradon concluded the set and was as ever superb. This band just keep getting better and are a must-see if they are appearing anywhere near you. Go and see them and be amazed...

Follow that, part two... and I Am Colossus were also up to the task. Great set, end of. As with my comments regarding Slab's set, it's intriguing watching these songs being tweaked and re-worked. Again they keep getting better. Started with the lengthy, but always engaging, In The Name Of The Father and performed it horrifyingly well. Monolithic doom is not going to be to everyone's taste, which is a pity as the power they generate is immense. Sounded to me as if they had tweaked the tone a little tonight, the bass tone especially was brutal. Monolithic was up next, before the band concluded with the double whammy of Revelations and Still Life. Daz again gave his kit a fearful pounding, some of the snare hits were almost concussive in their level of ferocity. Overall an incredible performance, the band were mindblowingly tight and continue to deliver their take on slow, brutal doom in devastating fashion.

What a gig! Three bands who collectively I've seen eighteen times in the last nine months delivered sets of incredible quality and were spellbinding in their own vastly disparate styles throughout. If there is any justice in the fickle old world of music they all deserve to be huge; please act on this recommendation now and go and see them as soon as you can - you won't be disappointed. Great evening and thanks for all involved in putting on one of the highlights of the metal year so far.