LIVE REVIEWS
Skull Branded Pirates, Waking Theo, Solitary Mass and Root Khnem
The Packhorse, Leeds 28th Feb 2008
The Packhorse is a less than idyllic gig venue but it does the job alright for local band nights like this one. There must be around 15 people present tonight and as I arrive to the sounds of Root Khnem rocking out the house looks packed out! These fresh faced youngsters look as though they’d be more at home terrorizing Girls Aloud wannabes off the stage at school talent contests but nevertheless, they do a fine job of getting heads nodding along to their set. A mixture of speedy modern thrash riffs, melodic death vocals and some decent solos makes this band an enjoyable opener.
Solitary Mass grab their spot on the stage area and lay down a competent slab of death metal. A barrage of heavy riffs are aired containing a slight nod to the Bay Area sounds of Slayer and Testament, which is no surprise looking at the guitarists t-shirt. These are met with a prominent low end rumble that drives the music through some sludgy passages, while ‘Red Mist’ sees the band dabble in a more complex style of playing as the frontman bellows down the microphone with plenty of rage. This isn’t the most exciting performance although a solid one that demonstrates a band who have a certain amount of potential.
It’s all a game of musical line ups as Waking Theo, originally billed as headliners, are up next. What these guys lack in experience they more than make up for with energy as they let out a twin barrelled attack of galloping guitars, putting a classic slant on their modern sound. The screamed vocals aren’t to my taste but they work well with the music and they have the crowd on their side.
This just leaves room for headliners Skull Branded Pirates. Their brand (no pun intended) of (and I may be stating the obvious here) pirate metal is not played to highest level of accuracy, but kitted out in full on pirate attire, this gang of sea marauders put a great deal of energy into their performance. 
The pirates ‘Sail To War’ and continue on through ‘The Stormed and Cursed Seas’ where you can almost smell the gunpowder! Cap’n One-eyed Wilson, unafraid to engage in banter with the crowd in between songs, has an animated stage presence as he recounts tales of the high seas from his captains log, sharing with us his encounter with a giant lobster named ‘Salty Jim’, playing out the hilariously titled ‘Sea Doggin’ and a catchy rendition of ‘Message in a bottle’. Looks like Conquest may have a bit of competition here.
Luci Herbert