Ohhh what a great night! You know the best concerts are those which leave you thinking “This is what I live for!” It is a feeling that you might not have for quite a while but after all the excitement of the show, the adrenaline, the moshing and being completely lost in the metal, there is a feeling of complete relief and wellness.
It has been quite a stressful couple of weeks at work, I have been struggling not to think about the enigmas of my job (I am a scientist) so being in the present moment has been difficult. But the therapeutic effect of the best live music seldom fails to make one present and grateful, especially death metal.
The pre-show atmosphere was one of distinct excitement. I overheard a group of eager young lads “that’s them! I am sure I recognise him with the beard!”, anticipation was painted on everyone’s face. There is something about the death metal scene in England that is just so accepting, I know that is a trope but it is true. Every single person who I caught eyes with nodded and smiled at me as if I was an old friend. Although I rocked up alone, I felt completely at home and surrounded by good company.
Sadus opened the night with “In Your Face”, immediately commanding the crowd. Because I discovered death metal after it had outgrown itself – I can often tell when a really old school band is playing their earlier stuff, it sounds more fragmented to me, like the riffs just don’t flow so well together or are perhaps more purposefully composed using pauses between them. This distinction could be heard in the opening songs. I got the impression that this was written for an audience who were happy with the simpler pure old-school sounds of death metal, as if our job was to stand and soak up the sound of that era, I suppose that was a bit incorrect – it wasn’t written for that effect – it actually came from that era.
Their music was tight, every performer a master of his craft and they carried themselves with a kind of relaxed composure which demanded respect as they looked so at-home on stage. A pleasant-sounding guitar tone that is sweet and gentle on the ear contrasts with distorted rhythm guitar playing single strum bar codes rapidly moving up and down the neck. Relatively high pitched fast paced and dynamic vocals convey the essence of the genre alongside the rapid thrashy drums. As the set progressed, we were treated to the evolution of their song writing in which the vocals perfectly complement the transition from riff to shredding solo.
It was during this new material that I turned to of the crowd, clearly enjoying it to ask for the name of the song – “It’s called very fucking Metal” was the answer I got, well, he wasn’t wrong. They mixed the old back into the new with Chemical Exposure and The Shadow Inside, before ending with their favourite song to play – Certain Death. Despite being called a Thrash band by many of the fans here, I openly differed in opinion, this set especially seemed very Death Metal to me. Seeking clarity and context from bassist Bobby Real he explained that the sound that Sadus created came naturally to them as a fusion of Bay area thrash with the Death metal that was beginning on the East coast. This earned them the badge of “Death – Thrash”, being compared to the likes of Possessed; which I think is more apparent when listening back to the records. I decided to probe the crowd after the set for their opinions. There was complete consensus, from everyone who had discovered them that night to those who already know and appreciate them, that this was great stuff. I will certainly listen to them more.
It got me thinking about what it is about bands who originated at certain times in the history of metal that makes them last. How are legends formed while others are forgotten? It might be simple: really great riffs. I think it also has something to do with being able to evolve the music suitably towards something that is refined, without ever losing their identity. Both Sadus and Obituary do this without a doubt.
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Obituary never disappoint. Their music is written for live performance and it always makes for an energetic and spectacular show. That is what I love about them, there are no gimmicks, no nonsense, they don’t need it, the riffs are enough, it’s that elegant. They opened with “Redneck Stomp”, that familiar groove that gets everyone hooked in. Thrashier riffs followed, meaning the crowd didn’t take too long to transition from headbanging to forming a pit, but there was pro pacing to the set allowing plenty of pauses to headbang in unison to the slower old-school beats, seamlessly woven through the music in flowing composition typical of the Florida death metal scene.
I was transported by the music immediately to my happy place, time was lost in riffs and the set was over before I knew it. No worries, because they came back with no less than three encores, including “Slowly We Rot”, in response to a crowd that refused to stop shouting for more. Afterwards, there were handshakes high fives and hugs shared all round between those who were moshing together. That is a sign of a really good show.
We had young people who were at their first death metal show tonight, moshing in their first pit! Many people in my age bracket, who have been around a little bit but still too young to have witnessed the death/thrash scene of the late 80’s, most of whom stood holding beers and looking tired at the back. As well as more seasoned fans, also in the pit, and of course the legends in the bands themselves. The general attitude is unity in sharing the vibes of our favourite sounds with each other regardless of stage of discovery.
I got a chance to chat about this topic with Sadus’ newest member, bassist Bobby Real (Deconstruct, ex-Dedvolt). He was on the floor greeting fans in turn when I approached him, he just seemed to have this beautiful attitude, like he was a fan too, just sharing the music. In fact, he even confessed to me that there is no filling Steve Di Giorgio’s shoes on bass, and that his job was to do the music justice whilst being blessed to be standing up there. What a sweetheart!
I shared my observation of how diverse in age the crowd was. His face returned the enthusiasm “yeah I think that’s so great!”. I confessed that I also wasn’t there for the evolution of the genre and asked him if he had any words of encouragement to people still exploring it: “Music is like food. There are lots of different flavours and you have to try them. Start in the 80’s with the first albums, see what was happening around that time and explore out from there.” I think that makes sense, because early death metal doesn’t actually make so much musical sense when taken out of context and listened to with hindsight. “If you don’t like something, listen to it again in a couple of days”, now this is great advice to people just getting into metal in general I think, since the genre is known for being an acquired taste and we agree that everything should be tasted at least a few times. Personally, I love discovering bands live, old and new, but the final piece of great advice, in perfect contrast to this, is when listening to studio albums to “put headphones on”, let’s hear the full sound production. These guys work hard. Sadus have “a bundle of riffs” and plan to hit the studio for recording already on the 14th of January, immediately after wrapping up their tour in , so we can look forward to the new album in the making.
I should devote more space to Obituary, but how can I describe a show by a band that is already so well loved? Well, in keeping with the theme, if you are new to exploring death metal – Obituary is a really great place to start. This is a perfect example of the genre, that is refined in a sense that it is catchy and it flows, but without the more gimmicky (though no less cool) elements of virtuoso shred or breakdowns which later evolved. Yes, there are great solos, but they still have soul and feeling. Yes there are dynamic changes in the pacing and slower beats, but they don’t need to kick the arse out of it. That’s what we mean when we say ‘straight up death metal’, I think.
And as for the live show? Consistent. Sometimes when you want to go to a death metal show for the sake of it, without knowing the bands, it can be a bit hit and miss. We still have attempts at chuggy riffs which are bland or immemorable. But then there are bands like Obituary and Sadus which formed in the 80’s and stuck around, they lasted for a reason. You will never be disappointed at an Obituary gig, I promise. The only reason they get less words from me here is that I didn’t get to talk to them. And how can I describe a band that I just want you to listen to: put Slowly We Rot on, right now, and plan to see them.
I only noticed the rip in the knee of my jeans during the interview after with Bobby Real – “Ah you have had a good night eh?!” I felt so metal. It was an excellent night.
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Photos by Topher Maher – note that these pics are from the 6th when Sadus were not ing
