Despite the choice of thrash metal gigs on show, crust punks Doom is Voivod's support and they do seem an unusual selection. Given the UK group's lack of live events in London, it is unsurprising to see the heavily studded denim jackets and dreadlocked hair of crust punks scattered throughout the audience. Despite the occurrence of Overkill, more popular than Voivod, the venue is nicely filled with attendees even when Doom are about to set foot on the stage.
Naturally, Doom's songs clock in around two minutes and these furious bursts of ferocity equip the band with the energy of a sugar-loaded toddler. In spite of the dynamic performance on the stage, save a few model members, the audience's enthusiasm for the band does not show through beyond a strong applause; during the energetic numbers, surprisingly the overwhelming majority of the crowd remain stationary - unusually for a crust gig, particularly one concerning one of the forefathers of the genre.
Blasting through a mish-mash set of grindcore, punk and metal, the Birmingham bunch are sure to fire out the likes of 'Police Bastards', 'Exploitation' and 'Means to an End' to the slightly soporific crowd. The performance has the carelessness and rage that punk music is supposed to espouse, maintaining a formidable show but the audience's lack of enthusiasm is baffling. Perhaps they were all extremely keen to see Voivod?
Two years ago saw Canada's Voivod's last outing to London, where they played all of their debut full-length 'War and Pain' in its entirety. Given the evolution of their music, those hoping the quartet would choose a set focusing on their early days are setting themselves up for disappointment. Kicking the night's proceedings off with 'Voivod' from 'War and Pain', the wacky Canadians demonstrate that they are indeed still proud of this thrash metal classic. Vocalist Snake performs the entire track with a giant grin on his face, mirrored by all the Voivod fans in attendance.
This is the sole track from the debut album tonight and an interesting reminder as to how far the band have journeyed over their career. The progressive metal element found in Voivod is particularly different from the likes of Atheist, Cynic or Watchtower, in that they are more fixated with the weird than the technical. They could never be accused of the technical wankery that gets attached to many progressive metal acts.
Tracks, such as 'Chaos Monger', 'Tribal Convictions' and 'Nothingface' are fantastic illustrations of typical Voivod prime cuts and the audience devour them with relish, singing along and raising fists appropriately. Alongside the fan favourites, live rarity 'Jack Luminous' increases heart beats. The presence of songs from Voivod's upcoming album due to be released next year offer the audience an insight into the future; 'Target Earth' (the title track) and 'Kaleidos' will not disappoint Voivod fans. The performance is an entertaining one, with Snake's bizarre and very watch-able stage mannerisms suiting the music seamlessly. At one point, guitarist Blacky enjoys a spot of crowd-surfing through the enthralled crowd. Of course, there is the time to pay tribute to the late founding guitarist Piggy and the audience respectfully chant his name.
Following closer 'Psychic Vacuum', Voivod depart from the stage. An insistent chant from the audience follows before the band subdue them with an encore. Beginning with 'Overreaction' from the 'Killing Technology' release, the Canadians launch into three final songs, which births the first mosh pit of the night. After 'Tribal Convictions', the closer follows - the classic cover of Pink Floyd's 'Astronomy Domine', sung word-for-word by many.
This is a fantastic set and those who chose to attend Voviod over Overkill are undoubtedly very satisfied. Hopefully, Voivod will return to London next year in support of 'Target Earth' and with no other gig clashes, more people will attend.
article by: Elena Francis
published: 10/10/2012 12:02
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.