Balls Of Steel. A night of metal with the angle towards… the full on heavy metal side of things. Brought to us by Big Dan and Little Dan, the duo of excellent YouTube Channel Heavy Metal Entertainment, and the indefatigable Warhorns Crew. This is what the country needs; promoters without any drive beyond putting on the best metal they can. And when I saw the line-up I had to go, right. So six bands in a cracking little venue with great sound, facilities and even screens for the short of height (though it’s so well laid out even I could see from the raised areas). A little merch mooching, a few friends met, and off we jolly well go…
First up was young Newcastle modern thrash crew Kilonova. Completely new name to me but within seconds of hitting the stage the energy just kind of exploded. It’s fast, it’s loud and superbly aggressive and frontwoman Ellen Hill just rips into it. She’s a real barely contained powder-keg of energy with a great set of pipes from the clean to the throat ripping harsh. Visually the band are excellent, guitars, bass and even drummer really working hard and working the audience.
The crowd get into it very quickly, helped more than a little by the singer joining them but also their song-writing is definitely working. Thrash so hard it creeps up to the borders of metalcore, fine gang style backing vocals helping it along. The excellent ‘Bleed By Example’ being a first time standout for me. Young, enthusiastic, full of energy and definitely on the right path. Very cool start indeed. Picked up their first EP.
Well, next up was a band I’ve been wanting to see live for an age and genuinely one of the bands I was most excited to see. Heavy Sentence. Manchester based and though containing various member of black metal bands like Wode, here their souls are firmly rooted in a slightly punked up NWOBHM/biker metal sound whose album has been a permanent fixture on my playlists for ages. And from the moment ‘Cold Reins’ hit the riff I was kind of transported. Vocalist Gareth Howells, bearded and sporting aviators, beer in hand just looked exactly like he sounded; that gravel voice that could still hit the high notes commanding attention and a just totally committed to the vibe attitude. Stripped down, no frills heavy metal just with glorious song-writing and sing-along refrains. The audience clearly had a lot of classic heavy metal fans as they needed no encouragement to get with the agenda. Fists pumped and heads banging.
Visually they were great, seriously. The sweat that guitarists MacMichael and Orrocks worked up was great to see. They wanted this. Songs like ‘Medusa’ just roll out those big solid, fast steam rolling riffs covered in hooks and I’m back in 1982. Except there is also something completely in the moment about their classic sound; a bit of punk in the energy, a pinch of Motorhead in the feel and for me being ancient the memories of mostly forgotten Welsh band Mad Dog in the unapologetic, metal, song-writing and lyrics.
We get recent single ‘Warriors Of Madness’, ‘Heavy Sentence’, ‘On The Run’, new song ‘Hallucination’ and they just never let up. The vocals grab every song with attitude, the powerhouse rhythm section drive it all on and the guitars just can’t resist breaking out. Absolutely outstanding and very, very well received. Seriously people check them out.
After two quality acts preceding them Stuka Squadron, who have been knocking about for well over a decade albeit with only Lord Pyre remaining from the original ranks, had the unenviable challenge of trying to top Heavy Sentence’s energised and thoroughly enjoyable performance. Though musically in the same heavy metal category the band offered far more theatrical tunes all topped off by the band decked out in their usual German soldier regalia.
Leading from the front vocalist Captain Strange stalked the stage confidently unleashing his high end vocal tones that threatened to shatter the copious video screens the stage had scattered about. His tonal dexterity was undeniable as was the accomplished guitar work from Klauss von Orlok and Generalissimo Strix, all topped off by the rousing rhythm section to craft some very catchy tunes. The band must have been roasted in their costumes as the venue was warm in itself, as the singer did eventually remove his cloak. The band opened their set with plenty of heavy metal bravado topped off by those vocals as their music had a ton of Manowar like pounding beats to them. ‘Pit Of Fire’ was revealed via a prolonged scream and in some respects reminded me of ‘Painkiller’ by Judas Priest though not quite as fast.
I believe they also aired ‘We Drink Blood’ from the bands 2011 album ‘Tales Of The Ost’. The chorus stuck in your head with the chanting of we drink your blood in the lyrics as the band strode around on stage with sureness before playing, I think, ‘On The Volga Bridge’. Again the audience was treated to some fine guitar work and whilst people didn’t seem as enthusiastic with their material, those that stuck around certainly had plenty to enjoy as they closed with a much heavier tune, which I didn’t catch the title of unfortunately. A decent set from Stuka Squadron, one that should have garnered the band a few more friends.
Then a lesson in how, as a Manchester band, to introduce yourselves to a Wakefield crowd: “Alright yer Yorkshire scumbags…!” shouts guitarist Dez. Oh yes, it’s Wolfbastard. Sober, sedate family friendly entertainment. Logic and critical faculties, even sober as I am, just go out of the window in the teeth of their drunken crust punk black metal nailbomb. It’s just a feral force of (un)nature. I mean you know you’re in trouble with a band when the drummer is the only one that looks sane. Ah, fuck it. It’s glorious. The mostly unrepeatable banter, the constant flow of beer into their mouths and being passed out to the crowd, the cheeky nod to headliners Hellripper (“A Scottish band in Yorkshire? The bar prices better be cheap…” bassist Si muses) and it’s a blast. But don’t be fooled; they are a fantastic live band.
Seriously. Songs like the classic ‘Whiskey Militia’ just batter you but you still sing along. ‘NW Sex Pest’ gets a dirty laundry airing and ‘Fear The Exxxecutioner’ is dedicated to Mike Woods with real feeling. During ‘Buckfast Blasphemy’ Dez produces a bottle of the vile stuff from his carrier bag. And it quickly gets handed to the crowd (and almost as quickly rescued by their merch team…!). Dave Buchan on drums seems almost sedate, except for his arms and legs going like the clappers, Si Fox staring wildly as he bellows out the songs and Dez kicking up a storm on the guitar discovering his inner guitar hero.
Pits break out sporadically, people grin and cheer and looking at the set timer (“It’s like being on Countdown….”) they race through ‘Sick In The Bath’ and ‘Drink Fucking Beer (Hail Fucking Satan)’ and end with a little advice as to what we can do after the gig with ‘Graveyard Slag’. And yeah, the crowd loves them for every dirty moment. Honestly, Wolfbastard just leave you aching from laughing, smiling, being bludgeoned silly and still those cracking songs stick in your head. Fucking hands down genius. Lancashire bastards….
Interesting choice to follow that was Sellsword. Equally interesting they have actually done this before and are about the only kind of band who can follow such a riot. Power metal heroes and mercenaries for hire and well known to the crowd, they open up with just the clearest of epic chords, a wave of energy to get the Captain Of Sieges himself Nathan Harrison on stage and his rousing voice launched into ‘Unto The Breach’. Immediately you are hit by the sheer quality of not just the song with its hooks and dramatic chorus but the musicians on the stage. We have James Stephenson and Henry Mahy either side of the stage with this fingers constantly flying across the fretboards, the tall figure of Tom Keely adding the superb basslines with equal dexterity and incredibly laid back Tom warner behind the drum-kit somehow nailing everything down with little more than perfect flicks.
The darker sound of ‘Battleground’ drives onwards, and the crowd are already having a ball. Now I’ve seen them so many times by now I guess it’s hard to be objective but their enthusiasm and their fantastic sense of fun never fail to make me warm in side. You glance up and suddenly the drummer has a horse’s head on, or Messers Keeley and Mahy are playing around with the fingerings just because they can – also showing just how good these basslines are – and Mr Harrison trying to play his zeihander mic stand along to Mr Stephenson. They are having an absolute ball and this just lets the crowd feed off it.
They give their current epic single ‘Saxon Steel’ a great rendition, the audience apparently knowing it already, and a crusader appears onstage to give the boys’ work a good inspection during it. ‘Pendragon’ is another into glory ride and the majestic sing along of ‘Hardrada’ rounds off another victorious set. They are getting about more and more, even down there in that London so if you see them on a bill, go and see them. They will raise anyone’s spirits.
So then it’s headliner time. It’s fair to say that Scotland’s premier speed, black tinged metal band Hellripper have been garnering the kind of live reputation that bands dream of. They have the spectacular song-writing of main man James McBain in the studio but now with a solid live line-up they have been apparently..er… ripping gigs apart? It should also be noted that their merch stall seemed to be doing very nice business from the moment the door opened. People were clearly as hungry to see them as I was.
No frills, not messing they appear on stage and McBain bellows ‘All Hail The Goat’ and that just steamrollers you. I mean jeez, it’s zero to 100mph in an instant, a Venom infused sound cranked up to ten with the distinct Hellripper song-writing. But bloody hell how tight the band is, is frankly shocking. The speed, the technique, the leads just surging out of that riffing; it’s bloody jaw-dropping. The crowd goes a little nuts, to say the least. But there is literally no let up. ‘Hell’s Rock ‘n’ Roll’ sucker punches with a Motorhead lick as you are you’re trying to get up off the floor. The energy just bleeds over the pit that breaks out (and frankly barely lets up for the next hour). McBain is a fine, fine frontman too – to the point, wild stares and always demanding more from the crowd as he pushes himself too. And ‘Nekroslut’ seems to just get fast. Which must be impossible right? Do they ever slow down? Well we do get an excellent rendition of ‘The Affair Of The Poisons’ from said album which at least has about thirty seconds of normal speed.
‘The Nuckalevee’, one of my absolute favourite tracks from the ‘Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ album is done proud. We have to namecheck the band here – Joseph Quinlan and Clark Core up front with McBain are absolutely flawless and work like animals and frankly even just the cardio of Max Southall on drums would be enough even if he wasn’t so bloody great as well as possibly possessed. Tight as the proverbial gnat’s… And fair play to the crowd, they just go with it. Bodies fly and are picked up, beer is consumed and throats get sore from shouting along. ‘Total Mayhem’ kind of sums it up and it’s all kinds of glorious to see.
‘Spectres Of The Blood Moon’s Sabbath’, ‘Nunfucking Armageddon 666’, ‘Bastard Of Hades’ get great airings and still going full tilt they close with ‘Headless Angels’ and I just kind of stand there stunned. Absolutely jaw dropping stuff. An hour of the finest satanic speed metal you could wish for; just brilliant songs delivered by a band who apparently don’t need to breathe and are just so insanely tight. Damn I have to get to see them again, soon.
So there it was. Balls Of Steel. An absolute blast of metal in a variety of sub genres but all unashamedly, unapologetically, unironically heavy (fucking) metal. Across the board the energy and enjoyment were spot on. Just a pleasure to be a metalhead and to be there.
Words: Martin Harris (Stuka Squadron), Gizmo (Everything else)
Photos: Adrian Wheeler
And special thanks to Glyn for the lift.
Heavy Metal Entertainment
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