London Hardcore/Grindcore crossover merchants Dripback are a five piece, not that you would know tonight, as sound problems ruin their set and rob them of a guitarist for most of it.
There is some potential in their brutality, but as they acknowledge themselves “we’ve had a mare tonight, ain’t we.”
Hopes were higher for Bay Area mob Lionheart, but they too endure a mixed evening. First, the sound is terrible again (the band at one points looks for the “scrawny dude who is on monitors – and you assume it wasn’t for a friendly chat) and second they rather ruin the flow of their short set by cajoling us to “step the fuck forward” or “get the fuck up” a little too often – and quite why they played a snippet of “Sad But True” is anyone’s guess.
Next up are Heights. The hotly tipped southerners received a 5K review in Kerrang for their debut album. Which probably explains why I haven’t bought Kerrang for years. Their lumpen and extremely dull, British take on Hardcore offers nothing new and impresses about five people at the front (who we assume knew the group in some way). If this is the future of heavy music then RTM is sticking distinctly retro.
Things have got to improve, and luckily, pretty much the second Biohazard hit the stage they do. Evan Seinfeld might have gone – amid talk he never actually liked playing live anyway – but Bobby - Hambel and Billy Graziadei are very much still there and the band sounds revitalized.
Comback album “Reborn in Definance” is a stone cold stormer and they play “Reborn, ” "Vengeance Is Mine” and “Come Alive” from it, and whilst the new songs sound great, it is the older tunes like “Chamber Spins Three,” “Love Denied,” and set closer “Hold My Own” which perhaps generate the best moshpit action.
That is not to say that even Biohazard are a total triumph, the sound problems which have dogged all the bands have resurfaced for the headliners meaning Hambel’s guitar sound is virtually undetected.
Then there is a problem with the security for the venue. This being ostensibly a Hardcore Punk gig the crowd are encouraged to share the stage with Biohazard which some do, but most are stopped from doing so by the bouncers, forcing Graziadei into the crowd himself for the last track.
So, it ended up being a decent night when it could have been a great one, but for some appalling choices of support band and a truly dreadful sound mix.
Unfortunately, as happens sometimes at The Institute the real winner was the venue. A shame.
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