FURY, Silent Resistance, Hurtseason, Steeltrooper, Revenant Dead @ Academy 3 16/6/12

These are real boom times for the Midlands metal scene. Down the road at The Roadhouse there is a battle of the bands featuring five bands hoping to get a slot at Bloodstock, while here there is the first of two bills in a fortnight featuring 10 groups in all under the Emma Scott Presents banner.

Brummie metallers Revenant Dead have drawn the short straw on this packed evening with a 7.15 start time not really conducive to a packed crowd. It seems they have spent a fair bit of time listening to Skeletonwitch, as they are from the same stable, heavy metal riffs over a harsher vocal delivery. RTM only sees a couple of songs, but they are worth further investigation.

Staffordshire’s heavy power metal mob Steeltrooper follow them and are – frankly – a revelation. Here to plug the excellent “Eternal Warrior” record, they also play a new song called “Art Of Destruction” which offers hints that the next opus may be just as good. The only downside to what would have been a total triumph are the sound problems that dog them throughout, particularly affecting second guitar man Loz, but it is a measure of their abilities that the manage to perform so admirably.

Hurtseason are making their way back after a period of inactivity. With their last recorded output coming out in 2010, the Coventry band appears eager to make up for lost time. Singer Tom Scott – clad in a Soilwork t-shirt which gives a clue to the bands influences – offers an impressive range and guitarist Mark James is capable of delivering punishing riffs, and with new single, set closer “Vanity Ruins” set for release, they could be about to enter an exciting next chapter.

Leicester’s Silent Resistance have bought a significant number of fans with them up the motorway, and as such are perfectly happy to lead a sing-along of the track that gave them their name, before launching into evident fan favourite “Echo.” They can back up the adulation by providing a vibrant and energetic set. With a fan base,  an EP in the shops and evident talent to craft decent modern sounding melodic metalcore they might just break through if they can find the one killer song they need.

Tonight, though, is Fury’s big night, and dammit if they aren’t about to take the chance with both hands. The Worcester four piece are already big enough to warrant a chant of their name when the lights go down and have enough confidence in their abilities as a headline act to play nearly an hour long set.

For a band with only two EP’s out, the self titled five track CD from last year and this years “Burn The Earth,” lets be honest Fury are astonishingly proficent. They look like they are having the time of their lives too, with singer Julian Jenkins and drummer Alisdair Davis frequently having to stop themselves grinning, as if they can’t quite believe what is happening.

It tells you all you need to know about they go down that a moshpit breaks out before as finishing number “Burn The Earth” starts up.

RTM saw them for the first time three months ago and wrote “A twin guitar attack, you know the reference points – a spot of Maiden, a bit of Priest - but that’s not a bad thing. Keep an eye on these boys, they may just have a chance.” We stand by every word of that, except two. There is no “may just" about it. Fury have a chance of being very, very good indeed.