BASEMENTFEST Day 1: Point Blank Fury, A Thousand Enemies, Salvation @Roadhouse Birmingham 25/8/12

RTM has never found itself at Basementfest before, but the chance to see a pretty decent line-up of unsigned metal is enough to tempt us from a Saturday night by the tele. Even if the Saturday night does contain the Gypsy Pistoleros as the headliners – but we have no intention of hanging around to watch them this time.

We also have little time for the compare for proceedings either. And if we may offer a word of advice to the organisers for next year it would be simple: The last thing a metal festival needs, or metal fans want, is a fella in a suit talking about the raffle and making crap jokes before the bands come on.

What we do want is new metal bands to have a look at. And thankfully Basementfest has these in abundance. Indeed part two of day one has a band who are playing their very first gig. Despite their inexperience Salvation are actually pretty good and showed great potential. Sort of a retro groove metal band – think Pantera covering a Rival Sons song – they race through 25 minutes of their stuff. “Pray For Me” is a highlight, but they are worth keeping an eye on.

A Thousand Enemies have been going for a little longer than that and the Nottinghamshire mob are beginning to make some waves for themselves. RTM saw them support the execrable The Morning After earlier in the year and by all accounts they were their usual selves during a storming set in the New Blood tent at Bloodstock the other week. Even the loss of their usual drummer tonight can’t dampen their ebullient frontman Bane, who has evidently got himself as annoyed with the “comedian” as RTM: “Where’s him in the suit,” he says, as the band are ready to start. “Come on pal, aren’t you ready to talk shite before we play. “ There followed some rather painful banter before ATE get down to business. And what business it is. Enemies attack their set with gusto. Ok we have seen it before, even down to Bane making his joke about them playing a song called “Fucking Ages” (It is actually called “Forever And Day”) but by closing number “Valve” even the people who have never heard them previously must surely have been won over.  Bane then wins extra points for telling the compare to “fuck off” to rapturous cheers.

So to Point Blank Fury. As far as RTM is concerned the Fury boys are the headline act tonight – possessing considerably more talent and songs than the aforementioned band of Gypsies. The last time we saw them, back in June, they were breaking in a new bass man following the defection of their old one to Absolva, Chris Appleton’s post Fury UK venture, tonight they sound even better than they did that night. 

Essentially they play the same set as they have been since reforming, and you know the drill, “Ashes,” “Change Tomorrow” “Love Ain’t Always Easy” and more. This is their last gig of the year, according to Dale Jones, the guitarist, who promises they will return with a new album in 2013. They have already reclaimed their crown as the Midlands most promising band this year, so you hope he’s as good as his word.

So they last song they play of 2012 is signature tune “Night Skies” which sounds as superb as ever, before bidding us farewell.

And with that its time for RTM to disappear too, partly because the compare is back. With raffle tickets. And also the Gypsy Pistoleros are setting up behind him.

HOSTILE, Captain Horizon, Point Black Fury, Zombie Xtras, Chemikill @Academy 3 30/6/12

Its not often, in fact it will most probably never happen again, that RTM finds itself fighting through crowds of people waiting to see the Olympic flame on our way to a gig.

And yet that is the rather odd spectacle that greets us on the way to the Academy 3 tonight. It is a shame that more of these flag waving saps hadn’t made their way to the venue instead, as for the second time in two weeks five local bands are gathered together under the Emma Scott Presents banner.

Tamworth’s Chemikill are first up. Playing music for over 20 years, the five piece are interesting affair. Frontwoman Natalie is growling one minute and hitting high notes the next, indeed it is hard not to think of Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow on occasion, except the music is more heavy than death metal. Set closer “Psycho” is perhaps the high point, but it’s not a bad start at all.

If you judged Zombie Xtras by their name you might think they were some horror punk outfit out of the Mifits school. If you judged them by the appearance of their bass man Rich you would think of a Black Metal band (he is wearing something approaching corpse paint and a t shirt urging us to “smoke crack and worship satan”.)

 Well its time to think again, because Zombie have a sound that veers from groove metal, moves through some Saxon-esque chops (“Killing Fields” and the Jack the Ripper homage “Fry In Hell”) and ends up at hard rock with “Redneck Agenda” and “Devil in the Flesh.” Their’s is a set to confound expectations and they are band worth checking out.

 It is perhaps a surprise to see Point Blank Fury this far down this type of bill. A while ago they were amongst the most promising of the unsigned Midlands metal crop, but then they split and are almost having to start again. However, since a triumphant return in March, they seem to be taking a serious stab at things. Not even the loss of their bass player to Chris Appleton’s post-Fury UK band has perturbed them (tonight’s replacement has had one rehearsal with the band).

So what of the songs? Well “Ashes” sounds as good as ever, “Change Tomorrow” is the type of trad metal epic that gets White Wizard selling records around the world, and signature tune “Night Skies” is just a brilliant five minutes. Lets hope the second time around is a good one for Fury.

On our notes for Captain Horizon, we have written just one thing: Witty. This is not a reflection on their joke telling abilities, more the man christened as Steve Whittington. Witty is just about the best frontman in the Midlands. He could sing the phonebook and make the damn thing entertaining.

Less straight ahead metal than the other bands on the bill, with some almost prog and poppy elements to their sound, they draw the evening’s biggest crowd by quite a way. Indeed, there is an argument to suggest they could have headlined this thing, but no matter. “Light Years” is a fine rocking moment and the new EP (available for free download on their website) is a statement of intent. They will be back.

The first time RTM saw Hostile was when they opened for Hatebreed a couple of years ago. The intervening period has seen them make some headway. Having the patronage of KK Downing (the Priest legend produced their album) and Alex Hill the son of another Priest man, Ian Hill, on bass, has helped them gain a double page spread in Metal Hammer and plenty of hits on Youtube. What it hasn’t given them at this stage – if we are being honest – is any great originality.

 In the changeover between bands the PA is playing Lamb of God and it is from them and groups like Pantera that Hostile take their cues. That is of course not a bad thing, and both are great bands. However, second song in singer Jay Mills is encouraging us to “put our middle fingers in the air” over a song called  “I Don’t Give A Fuck,” which probably gives some clues about where we are headed.

 "Addiction” is an attempt to bring the tempo down mid-set, but just plods along, but after that Hostile do hit their stride and begin to show what the fuss is about, “No Salvation”, “Blood For Blood” and set closer “Dig Up The Power” are free of angry clichés and much better for it.

Hostile could be pretty good if they could channel their anger a little better, you feel, and maybe that will come with time. But on a night that started with the Olympic torch relay, it was Point Blank Fury that took the gold.

The Metal Ball (Point Blank Fury, Intense, Fury, Maidallica, Shades Of Avalon)

A good idea, this.

10 new and unsigned metal bands in one place, for a fiver. Excellent value.

Five of the bands have already been on by the time RTM shows its face, but we are there in time to see Manchester mob Shades of Avalon. “Here’s a song about killing Vikings,” explains singer/guitarist Tobias Gray and thus the tone is set. Think Amon Amarth with slightly more melody and you would be in the right ball park. There is much merit to their set.

Next up are Maidallica, and I will bet you can’t work out what they were doing. Kicking off with “Aces High” and moving onto “Blackened” – they are ok, but it’s a tribute band, For God sake strap your guitars on and play some tunes of your own, even if its derivative its still better than copying perfection.

Strapping their guitars on is just what Worcester’s Fury have done. The young four piece were a late addition to the bill after Scream Arena pulled out. This is good news for us, though as they have started to make waves recently and have just released their second EP “Burn The Earth.” 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.

Main support is RTM favourite leather clad metal men Intense. When they were last in these parts in October it was to celebrate the release of “The Shape of Rage” album. The intervening five months has allowed them to hone their delivery and, as a masterclass in underground Brit metal they are hard to beat. “Anubis” pounds, “The Elemental” tips his hat to the Irons then moves off in it’s own direction and they really are the real deal.

Headliners Point Black Fury were former stalwarts of the Brummie metal scene, before they disappeared about 12 months ago, when it turns out, they split up. This represents their comeback show “its ok, we like each other again now” points out guitarist Dale Jones, helpfully.

Their 40 minute set highlights why they were so good in the first place, and also allows them to showcase some new songs including “Love Ain’t Always Easy” which strays a little into power ballad territory at first, but then redeems itself by the end. They close, just like they always used to, with “Night Skies” and as a welcome back the job is very much done.

This event is apparently going to be repeated, which is to be welcomed. There are much worse ways to spend a Sunday evening then at a metal ball.