ALIEN WEAPONRY MORTISHEAD/EMBODIMENT
THE EXCHANGE, BRISTOL
Maori-minded metallers bring bedlam to Bristol
The illiciT lovechild of
Lamb Of God and The Black Dahlia Murder, local heroes eMBodiMeNT open tonight’s sold-out show with half an hour of bruising, hellacious death metal, warming everyone up nicely. In Finn Maxwell they have a superbly gifted guitarist, in Harry Smithson a composed, captivating frontman, and songs like The Beast and Infested sound truly colossal. MoRTiSheAd, also from Bristol, are just as pulverising. They bring a healthy industrial edge to proceedings and their chaotic stage energy is very reminiscent of the early Slipknot days. Gorenado and Eat Shit (Or Die Trying) are the pick of the songs played, but all hit home with the power of a well-aimed petrol bomb and by the end of their set half the band are in the audience.
The upward trajectory of AlieN WeAPoNRY has been nothing short of astonishing since the release of their debut album, Tu, last year, but even more so when you consider just how talented they are for a band so young. They have average age of just 18 and only drummer Henry De Jong can legally drink in the UK, yet their technical prowess and savage delivery extends impressively beyond their years. Watching the likes of Kai Tangata and Holding My Breath cause utter bedlam across the Exchange is a complete joy and by the time they throw out a final devastating slab of groove in the shape of Ru Ana Te Whenua there’s not a single person who isn’t cheering fervently or coated in sweat. One may wonder just what kind of voodoo went on in New Zealand to make this trio so gifted at such a tender stage in life, but it if this is the future of metal, it’s in very safe hands indeed.