UNEVEN STRUCTURE SCHIERMANN
ELECTROWERKZ, LONDON Gallic tech-metallers offer a visual and sonic grand guignol
In the smaller room of a very small venue like London’s dingy Electrowerkz, you hardly expect to be confronted by true, technical excellence. But that is what we get with openers schiermann. The solo project of lauded guitar protégé Chris Schiermann has the room scratching their heads at the wildly unpredictable histrionics that the man is able to coax from his instrument. In truth, there aren’t so many memorable ‘songs’ peppered through the set, but his mix of old-school melodic leads filtered through the prism of cutting-edge tech metal is undeniably impressive.
French quartet Uneven structure have been at the forefront of that scene for some time now, and it’s actually a tiny bit galling to see them playing in such cosy confines at this stage of their career. What it does mean, though, is that they’re able to put on a show that is far grander than most that you would witness in this venue. The lighting is impressively blinding, battering you when the band go into crunchier, heavier territories and then subtle and dream-like when they lean on their more ethereal moments.
And, although each member of the band is unsurprisingly in total command of their instrument, vocalist Matthieu Romarin is always the focal point. His voice switches from deep bark to soaring croon so seamlessly, and with his huge frame, shaved head and beard he prowls the stage looking like a tech-metal Bjorn Strid from Soilwork. After just under an hour the band end with the one-two punch of Awaken and Frost from 2011’s Februus album. If there is a small criticism it’s that Uneven Structure have never really managed to top the material from that era, but that’s no easy feat when those are songs that are as perfectly realised as the tech/djent scene has managed.
STEPHEN HILL