Gig review: Band Quest Kent Metal Heat 4 @ Red Lion - 26/02/10
After seeing such a close call between Subversi0n last week, it was suprising to see an even closer call this week, demonstrating that there really is an overflowing abundance of talented metal in the area.
Into Exile (9/10) stormed up first and let rip a roaring set of modern thrash tracks. The drummer played complex, uncompromising beats and the riffs drives the songs forward at a stomping pace. The tempos changed seamlessly, the tight rhythmn section holding it together, while Darren stands shouting confidently through his hair. The solos had the same flavour as Machine Head's most recent material, but suited Into Exiles style well. The sound quality was decent and a mosh pit rioted in a fairly full room, despite this only being the first act. With all the experiemental acts in the area at the moment, it is great to see a band that sticks to their guns and delivers quality local thrash metal.
In the intermission I caught a glimpse of Tempest Love (6) setting up. The singer donned a gothic dress and twisted black and red hair. Very cool. I looked forward to their set with interest. The guitar and bass provided a decent rob zombie-style backing to some catchy, if basic metal. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had somehow turned on Scuzz to find a heavy metal single or two playing. The solos and breakdowns were simple, but brought the raw elements of some decent guitar playing While not having the most supportive of crowds (some kind of drunken barn-dancing could be seen where a mosh pit should be), the singer lacked confidence and seemed to shy from facing the crowd. Overall a good performance. With some new material and more gigging, this band could be one to watch in the not too distant future.
The night closed with Folk metallers Training Icarus (9). The Four-piece's set brought both Melodic and Powerful metal together, a love-child from the likes of Iced Earth and Epica. The singer sang and performed unflinchingly, while the guitar wailed, full of harmonics and catchy licks. A pre-programmed synth track played along, resulting in a very big and atmospheric sound for a quartet. The melodies were intricate and the synth and guitar latticed together to create some emotive lines. TI's playing was crisp and their timing impeccable and, though they didn't getting the crowd moving as much as the first band, they had definitely gained some new fans by the end of the night.
Review by Adam Evans