The gig has been moved from The Ballroom up the road to Scruffy Murphy’s – which is, shall we say, a little bit more on the snug side. It leads you to believe that the attendance for this isn’t going to be massive.
And, unfortunately those fears are right. As a paltry Monday night crowd greets up and coming Chicago Thrashers Diamond Plate, RTM saw them support Anthrax last week and this is world away from that.
One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the fact that the five-piece are superb.
They take their cue from the Big Four of thrash, of course they do – although more Metallica than Slayer and there are hints of the mighty Overkill – but then all thrash metal has its roots in the early 1980s scene. They also offer something to set them apart from a mere retro retread.
Kicking off with the title track from 2011’s “Generation Why” album they treat us to a rollicking half hour of heads-down-windmill-headbanging stuff, including “Tomb With A View” and current single “At The Mountains Of Madness” and riff-heavy set closer “Empire Tomorrow.” Ones to watch.
Savage Messiah were ones to watch a few years ago, and with this years tour-de-force that is “Plague of Conscience” they have truly delivered. So you can understand the disappointment in singer/guitarist Dave Silver’s voice when he looks out at the crowd and says “I was from here, we played some great gigs here a few years ago, then you desert us. It’s the birthplace of the genre….”
However Metal, not that you would know it looking out at fewer than 10 paying punters, is still alive and well in its home city, and will remain so as long as bands like Messiah are flying the flag.
“…Conscience” is a stunning record and most of tonight’s 45 minutes comes from it. The title track, “All Seeing I” and “Shadowbound” mix with “Insurrection Rising” from 2007’s album and you can only wish this fine group the best in the future.
The staggering thing is that both these bands have record deals, so quite what Earache Record’s PR Department is doing, who knows? Whatever it is, in terms of this gig, it isn’t enough.
Not a night that either band will relish, you suspect, but it really was superb.
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