Onslaught, Anihilated, Beholder at The Fleece in Bristol- Live Music Review
Posted on: 2016-11-21
Our rating:
Anarchy and carnage ruled on Friday night, demonstrated by three thrash metal powerhouses who came, conquered and kicked some serious musical backside.
A trio of thrash metal monoliths raised the rafters and whipped the assembled masses into a schizoid whirlwind of fist-pumping, brow-sweating, growl-emitting fury when they played The Fleece in Bristol on Saturday 19 November 2016
Bristol's very own Onslaught took centre stage to kick off the thrashing threesome. Long-haired, big-bearded (or at least mildly goateed), black-clothed and impressively well-inked, these rabble-rousers immediately got proceedings off to an excitable, energetic start.
Loud, snarling, beating the bejeezus out of their instruments, spitting their barbed lyrics with a passionate venom and gut-busting intensity that left you reeling - bowled over and helpless in their devastating, furious wake - their early-days transition from second-wave hardcore punk band inspiration (The Exploited, Discharge, and the like) to a slicker, more immediate thrash mental timbre was a winningly potent set list.
Let There Be Death rubbed shoulders with Chaos is King and Fight With The Beast and vied for desperate attention against the likes of Metal Forces, Tested to Destruction and 66F*****g6. Intense, impassioned and brutal but possessed of a ferocious, dynamic control, bestial resonances emerged gloriously from the bellowing depths of their savage, masterfully conceived songs.
The gleefully orchestrated sonic mayhem and anarchy continued valiantly and viciously well into the night. Anihilated followed, basking in the primal glow of being one the UK's oldest thrash metal bands, raising hell, revelling in the increasingly-inebriated, spirited multitudes (oh yes, I was one of them). Skinned Alive, Enter The Realm, Zombie 13, A Vile Congregation. They kept 'em coming to the point the exhilarated crowd was on the verge of a adrenaline-fuelled hyperactive meltdown.
Beholder completed the thrashing tryptich. Their songs of abject disillusionment with the state of the nation, the flagrant abuse of wealth and power, the increasing schism between rich and poor and the proliferation of those insufferable contemporary staples such as politicians, non-celebrities, media, futile wars and relentless bureaucracy gave their sonic blasts an extra bilious layer of depth, meaning and relevancy.
Anarchy and carnage ruled on Friday night, demonstrated by three thrash metal powerhouses who came, conquered and kicked some serious musical backside.
Gutsy, brave, full-on, venue-shakingly loud, brimming with passionate, fervent fire and tapping into the darkened minds of twisted worlds and tortured souls, it was, without question, also a hell of a lot of fun.
4/5
Article by:
Jamie is a writer, blogger, journalist, critic, film fan, soundtrack nerd and all-round Bristolian good egg. He loves the music of Philip Glass, the art of Salvador Dali, the writings of Charles Bukowksi and Hunter S Thompson, the irreverence of Harry Hill, and the timeless, straw-chomping exuberance of The Wurzels. You can sometimes find him railing against a surging tide of passing cyclists, or gorging himself senseless on the Oriental delights of a Cosmos all-you-can-eat buffet.
