RFTK Promotions

I’m a bit later than usual with my M2TM heat round up (Heat 5 this time).

Believe it or not, in the crazy world I live in, after the gig I got on an over night bus to London to film a pop music video cover of an RnB classic. No, really.

Where was I? Heat 5, yesss…

Opening tonight is Coma Violet. It’s only their second gig. They’re a kind of Fuzz-Pop. Although it’s their second gig, plenty of familiar faces from other bands, the guys have experience and they make it pay off. Plenty of catchy powerful songs. They bounce their way into the semis.

Pretty Livid Imps are fairly well known although are saying goodbye to a member tonight. They deliver a very enjoyable 25 minutes of rock n roll – pretty entertaining.

Vindicter have some moments of brilliance, they’re another band with some fairly familiar faces – metal, metal and metal is the order of the day. Metal as fuck, to say the least. With some cool melodies and harsh vocals they were unlucky not to go through, but a touch more consistency would tip them a long way.

First and last is the order of the day, Molasses deliver some blistering metalcore which seals their place in the semis and lays a brutal ending to the evening.
So much energy and power crashing around.

So that’s the 9th and 10th bands through to the semi finals. This is going to cause some serious headaches because the quality of bands hitting the semi finals is unreal.

So, next up, April 20th… round 6…

Cor, round 4 has thrown up some interesting ones.

Creature have helped shake the curse of the opening slot by being the second band to go through despite drawing the early lot. 90s grunge throw back, they like their Nirvana like – but there’s enough enjoyment about them that helps tip them through. Sweet. Just like Honey.

Potentially the band with the furthest to travel – Vigil – they are a powerhouse of modern melodic metal. I thought they were going to lose it when announcing “the next one is a Drowning Pool cover” – but opting for a triumphant ‘Sinner’ (that much forgotten second single!) stunning. The bar is raised and set. They’re like making love on the edge of a knife. Hope they’ve plenty of petrol money handy… they’re through

Auto-Immune exitted at this stage last competition – they’ve come an awful long way since then. Some more 90s grunge but this time more shouty. Their energy is appreciated and they make a good effort despite having such a difficult act to follow. They help contribute to the inevitable headache of who goes through – I guess that’s why I’ve always got the blues.

Odin’s Revenge – you know – I was well into the whole female fronted metal thing. What can I say – Delain are probably one of my favourite bands and I’ve seen them 5 times despite having never headlined here. Anyway. My point… yes, fuck… that voice. Holy shit. Not heard a voice like this in metal for a while and that was stunning. Her lips spoke gold and honey. I think, now, I want to keep these write ups positive, so, they’re a band I would like to see again and I’d like to see how they come along because natural confidence and progression will bring them along nicely.

To finish the night, we’ve a guest headline appearance from Souls of Jack Ketch – it’s funny, I remember their first gig in this last year and me liking them cos they sounded “a bit like The Haunted” and I quite like The Haunted. Incidentally, any bands who sound “a bit like Tiamat” or “a bit like Paradise Lost” or “a bit like My Dying Bride” are very welcome and encouraged, but to be a dick I’m not saying which era of each band.
Anyway. Back to point. Holy fucking Christ… how much they’ve come on since the competition is unreal. They just ooze confidence. Brutal and superb. This lads and lasses – this is your bar. Keep raising it.

Anyway. Class. Enough ramble. There were loads of gigs on in Newcastle tonight, thanks all who came to ours. I wanted to go see The Jesus and Mary Chain – so, for all the bands tonight, take it as a backhanded compliment you collectively were worth missing JAMC for… I have been adding their lyrics to your reviews.

Although most of our heats are a Thursday, to avoid other clashes, Heat 2 was a nice midweek warmer.

Four competing bands again this week and interesting mix of bands and styles.

“We’re from the bad side of the Tyne,” announce Sunderland band Razorjack who play an enjoyable and competent slice of modern metal, influenced by the likes of Slipknot, they’ve a mild stage presence and some interesting songs.  A cover of ‘Gay Bar’ is also quite amusing and they warm up nicely.

It’s another good way to start the evening, good quality and hopefully they will grow in confidence.

Teeside Thrashes Trendkill (I love alliterations.   Mr Scorer called them the Parmo Pantera.  If you don’t know what a Parmo is, then, you need one in your life… your arterys don’t, but you do.)
Fuck me, what they been feeding kids these days?  The teens deliver face-melting thrash.

They’ve travelled quite a distance to be here, but are going home with some new found friends.

Horrorbilly band Dead By Dawn remind me one of the things I dislike about the competition is the inevitability a good band will have to go out.  They’ve got a bit experience and play a very enjoyable set of songs about zombies, more zombies, reanimation of zombies and general horror songs.  Massive kudos that they carried on despite illness to their drummer, borrowing Dan from the bar to drum their set in his break.  He did this for Lovely Wife last year.  He’ll get through one day.

I did wonder, with the standards tonight, if last year’s finalists I’ll Play the Villain could fall at the first round.  But, they play tonight with a massive whim of confidence, added to their mix of melodic metalcore (alliterations!) and they take the competition and grab it by the balls and punch it a few times.  Last time round, I enjoyed them in the heats, loved them in the Semis but they weren’t on top form in the final, tonight’s performance is probably better than their semi performance last time and they’re going to be one to beat.

Talking to IPTV afterwards I discuss that the 4 bands already through could make one Hell of a final already – and – there’s still 4 more heats to go…. eek…

So, genuinely, there were no bad bands tonight, but congratulations to Trendkill and I’ll Play the Villain who join Kraken Waker and Blood Moon Bandits in the semi’s in May.