Formed in 1979, Newcastle's Satan rocked the new wave of British heavy metal world with their debut album 'Court in the Act' in 1983. Following a series of dissolutions and reformations, 2011 saw the five-piece reunite and release two reunion albums, the most recent one 'Atom By Atom' having been released at the tail-end of last year to favourable reviews. Now they are live in London, which feels somewhat overdue, especially given NWoBHM's relatively recent revival in the metal underground.
Support comes from the capital's own Amulet who having formed in 2010 have achieved an envious amount for a recent act - now snatched up by Century Media records with just a single album to their name. Despite being a youthful band, these five Londoners unashamedly display their influences on their sleeve, managing to convincingly ape the sounds of early '80s NWoBHM. Dynamic guitars and straight-forward compositions serves the audience well for beer-drinking headbanging tunes and their buoyant presence on stage represents their sound commendably. Although there is nothing particularly creative in their music, they audience is appreciative of Amulet and their songs come across as more authentic than the tides of other retro heavy metal acts with the same objective.
The venue is far from rammed as heavy metal icons Satan take the stage but those present are extremely excited – and for good reason. The headliner's heavy metal sounds entirely rejuvenated and lively with dazzling solos and robust riffs, perfect for the live environment. Vocalist Brian Ross sounds nothing short of fantastic and shames more youthful singers with his study voice. Many of the punters sing along to the classic material while others relentlessly headbanging through the killer heavy metal.
Unlike their peers, Satan do not rely on the strength of their classic material to keep the audience interested. Post-reunion albums 'Life Sentence' and their most recent release 'Atom By Atom' harbours a progressive influence in their guitar work, making it more intricate than their '80s material and these full-lengths together form a sizeable selection of the setlist. Naturally, the beloved 'Court in the Act' does not get neglected and the likes of 'Alone in the Dock', 'Blades of Steel' and 'Trial By Fire' served up alongside the newer 'Time to Die', 'Siege Mentality', 'Farewell to Evolution' and 'Atom By Atom' to list a few highlights. The age of the band is no impediment to rocking out on stage, a lively stage presence that maintains the spectators' collective attention. The set continues late into the night too, which feels like a rarity for smaller metal shows such as this nowadays and is a real treat for the fans (who appear more dedicated than the casual metal concert attendee as few leave to catch the last train home).
All in all, this was a night of strong English heavy metal and a reminder that England did indeed create the genre and many of these older bands can still be seen producing a stellar show and value for money. Judging by the strength of the vociferous crowd response as the band thank them and bid them into the night, all attendees left the show feeling very satisfied.
FUTURE GIGS
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