Gig review: Band Quest Essex Metal Heat 6 @ Edge Bar - 22/03/10
Darkened clouds hovered treacherously over Romford this night, and that wasn't just because The Furious Horde were in town. Southend thrashers Legion had pulled out late the night before meaning solo act Roy Stone was virtually flown in to save the day.
Anyone who has seen ROY STONE (6/10) will admit the speed of his guitar playing is at times inhuman. The hands move in a continual blur of guitar wizardry, moving up and down the fret board in a Dragonforce-like display of ability. The Roy Stone of 2010 is not just about guitar playing though. The time spent in classic metallers Conquest seems to have reignited his thirst for actual songs. Aided by backing tracks Mr Stone works his way though a set of 80s style metal, which is not a million miles away from Ozzy Osbourne's early solo work. The voice compliments this style but the overall effect is flawed by a guitar sound that can only be described as tinny.
IONISE (7.5) on the other hand bring a strong sound to the table, with only the vocals holding back their overall Trivium-esque attack. The songs are well constructed, making for a interesting listen. The guitarist seems to be the most confident, striking an axe player pose at every opportunity while throwing in some nice solos. The bass player looks to be the happiest person alive as he bounces around his side of the stage, his bass lines wrapping themselves around every second of every song.
Black metallers THE FURIOUS HORDE (8) have been around a while and the experience showed. The corpse-painted five-piece delve into Dimmu Borgir and Emperor territory with a keyboard led onslaught on the senses. They confidently unleash waves of blackened riffs and twisted melodies, owning the stage in the process. The keyboard sound is near perfect, providing the band with a gothic undercurrent while the extremities of the vocals demand the whole of Romford takes note of their progress to the semi finals.
The Furious Horde look like they could scare small children and tonight sound like they could scare the other semi-finalists.
Review by Alan Hicks