RTM owes Dendera an apology. We arrive too late to catch all
their set, but the 15 minutes or so we do see leaves us hoping to catch them
again. Hotly tipped by the likes of Terroriser Magazine, and having supported
many metal bands in their native south. Now out on a proper bone fide UK tour,
they look in the mood to enjoy themselves. An uproarious cover of “Run To The
Hills” is as good a way as any to get the sparse, but enthusiastic crowd on
side – especially as it is done with Gloryhammer’s Thomas Winkler, while “Bridges
Will Burn” is bombastic metal fun. More please.
Irish metal mob Darkest Era are a little bit at odds with
the slightly light hearted air of the main band, as there are not a lot of
grins in their set. That doesn’t make them any less entertaining, and the Irish
do this sort of thing very well - think
of Primordial and Mael Mordha. Era are in a similar vein, but arguably there
more of a British doom quality about songs “Seasons End” and “Serpent And The
Shadow” while closing number “The Last Caress Of Light Before The Dark” is as
epic as it sounds.
If you have heard Gloryhammer’s album – the most
ridiculously brilliant, OTT power metal album of the year – then you might expect
this not to be the most po-faced set you have ever seen. We are dealing after
all, with a group that will play a song called “The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee”
during the course of the evening.
You might not, however, be expecting the unscheduled
appearance of a band called Bummerlingus in the change over between bands. They
play a song which appears to be called “Hungry For Shit” in a death metal
style. If we explain that Bummerlingus are an amalgam of the bands of this
evening and include Christopher Bowes on vocals, then that might give you a
clue.
Alestorm mainman Bowes will be in twenty minutes or so –
indeed after Tay FM has blasted out songs like MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” –
be behind the keyboards in Gloryhammer, dressed as an evil wizard with an
invading army, and if that sounds ludicrous it is, if it sounds like you wouldn’t
enjoy it , then fine, Gloryhammer aren’t for you.
Those that like their Power Metal so gloriously daft that
people dress as knights and in armour to sing their songs – and there aren’t many
of us judging by the crowd – are in for a treat. The aforementioned record “Tales
From The Kingdom Of Fife” is one of RTM’s absolute favourites of the year. They
play most of it. During the course of the set, Winkler (aka Angus McFife)
molests an invisible princess, crushes an invisible pineapple, calls us
warriors repeatedly and has a fight with the “filthy scumbag” wizard in the
closing song. If it helps he does all this while playing excellent versions of
the finest power metal around.
The evening ends with members of the bands on stage having
their photos taken. This is the last night of a tour that all have clearly
enjoyed. And well might they have too, because if it was all as good as this,
then it was very special indeed.
Bluntly, you either like this sort of stuff or you don’t. If
you do, then tonight was as marvellous as it gets.
No comments:
Post a Comment