LIVE REVIEWS

Evile + Grieve
Love 1:22, Huddersfield. 12 Oct 2007

Love 1:22? Could there be a more un-metal name for a music venue? If there is, I can’t think what it could be. Getting down to the venue early enough to catch the support acts, I was expecting to see Evil Eye opening but after being informed that said band have split up, they had been replaced by someone who seemed totally out of place on a bill with two metal bands. Although not exactly the type of band I would have hoped to see supporting Huddersfield’s most infamous metal outfit, they played an energetic set and managed to get a few members of the crowd fired up. The vibrant three-piece had a great inter-band rapport and delivered an upbeat variety of rock with punk attitude as the guitarist executed some rockin’ riffs with a Dave Grohl-like vibe mixed with some scintillating stick work going on behind the drum kit.

Grieve were next to take the stage and they put the pedal straight to the metal. If any locals are wondering why you’ve not heard the name Grieve before, chances are that if I mention that up until around a month ago they went by the name of Icarus, then you will know who I am talking about. Why the name change, I hear you ask? Well the band wanted to go for something more original, seeing as how if I type the name Icarus into MySpace it returns 23 pages of bands. Aside from this reason, now seems like as good time as any for change as this band, once made up of school kids (aww, bless) are now all grown up and able to legally exchange their cash for a pint at the bar (and were no doubt taking full advantage of this later on!) Well anyway, my main point is this band has matured a hell of a lot musically speaking. Newer songs such as You Will Listen and as Good As Dead are evidence that the band have upped the ante in the songwriting department, having adopted a heavier set of influences without leaving behind too much of their roots. They still have a very classic feel and the Sabbath influence is still present in their sound, yet the music sounds heavier and more antagonistic taking obvious leafs out of the book of Pantera (Their cover of Fucking Hostile is ever the crowd pleaser), while their youthful exuberance makes them an exciting unit to watch.

With the exception of the Enter The Grave launch party at Virgin Megastores, tonight was my first time seeing Evile since the release of their debut album. As I had been hoping and kind of expecting, Evile concentrated on material from their album, as they ploughed through speed-limit busting anthems such as Man Against Machine and Armoured Assault, and the ultimate pit instigating track, Thrasher. One thing that I notice is how much the bands stage presence has come along since back in the day, with frontman Matt emitting a certain Hetfield-esque on-stage charisma, whilst as a band they look every bit like the aggressive bunch of thrash bastards, which is sadly often limited to watching old videos of Exodus and Slayer in their 80’s prime. Matt has come into his own in the vocals department, while the Drake brothers hurl out a excessive dosage of treacherous riffage, with everything is player louder and faster than on the record. It all seemed to end too soon tonight, as trouble broke out in the pit and the band appeared to shout too many profanities for one lady in the crowd. The verdict? Fucking metal!

Luci Herbert