Throne of Demise.

This was the second time for me to see both of these bands, but it was the first time that I really noticed Throne of Demise and was witness to how much they really shine out as the professional and outstanding act that they are. The last time I saw them, they were the final act in a four band evening and frankly I was exhausted and had to head homewards, so seeing them again while I was fresh and awake was a real treat.

So, who are Throne Of Demise? Well, they are a group of young lads on guitar and drums and a lead singer with a side line in stand up comedy. While the band checked levels and tuned up guitars, the charming lad fronting the band warmed up the gathered crowd by telling us the oldest, cheesiest joke he knew and frankly it set the tone for the rest of the evening, these guys are cuddly death metal, the sort of Death Metal that your Gran will make a nice Victoria Sandwich for, before giving the sign of the horns and raging in the pit!

Sadly, at the very beginning of their set, there were some minor issues with feedback, but these were quickly tackled by the engineer and got pretty much under control so that the aural brutality could proceed uninterrupted. For those of you who do not know Scallys, it is our local Biker Pub in Weston Super Mare and every week they support Bike Night by providing food and live music. I will admit that the clientele are more attuned to AC/DC than to Deicide and these lads acknowledged that fact with good humour and gentle jokes poked at themselves before they proceeded to leap at full speed into a song that utterly destroyed the audience with the ferocity of the music!

Now I wish that I could avoid trotting out a cliché here, but when you look at this band, they are so adorable looking, there is no way that you could expect such dark and brutal musical violence from such sweet looking boys, the vocals alone must rip their throats to ribbons and yet that singer can hold a note for the length of time that requires me to take two breaths! The guy is really very, very good. The music has such a quality to it that it demands your attention and to see non Death metal fans clearly enjoying this band was treat not only for the fans present, but also for the band too. The warm reception for the band from those watching was only equalled by the warmth coming from the stage, these guys really do want you to have a good time, they truly want you to enjoy what they do as much as they clearly do themselves and in that respect, they shall remain unsurpassed. There is an earnest truth in their performance, a dedication to being the best that they can be and it is this showmanship and the good nature of this band that deserve to make them a big success.

If you get the chance to see this band, then do so because it will be such an enjoyable experience and you will not find a friendlier Death Metal band anywhere else. Remember though, they might be friendly, they may tell you innocent jokes, but the music these guys make is as brutal as any of the less good humoured bands out there. If you really must compare them with another band, try Whitechaple or even Cannibal Corpse, but to be honest, they have a sound that is utterly unique even in Death Metal. This is a band I look forwards to listening to on album very soon.

Gelgothen

Now, I have to come clean here, I will admit to being quite excited about seeing Gelgothen again. When I heard that they would be playing Scallys for Bike Night some weeks ago, I had pretty much decided that I was going to be leaving the sea front early just to see these guys again. Last time I saw them, they reminded me of Napalm Death, but this time, they reminded me of Gelgothen, only more brutal, more energised and with even more over flowing enthusiasm!

The music is polished and performed with an immediate intensity that even Slayer would be envious of. The vocals are dark and brutal. There is a deeply professional attitude to this band, a desire to make the most precise and aggressive music that any band can. Every note and every mark is hit perfectly; you could set an atomic clock by these guys! Yet when you look up on stage, what you see is a group of young lads who utterly love the scene and what they are doing with in it. Again, a death metal band playing a gig in a laid back biker Pub is going to be playing to a difficult audience, but that did not stop these guys from utterly slaying and those who stayed and gave them a chance were rewarded with a great musical experience.

Gelgothen are absolutely ready to storm the world, one day soon these guys should be headlining a big stage on their tour, but sadly for us fans, it wont be right now because University is about to take three fifths of the band away to study. This is a bombshell undoubtedly, but one not wholly unexpected from such talented musicians.

When I start to look for a highlight of the night, it was probably being given a poster for the gig by Johnny of Gelgothen after I begged for one, however when the whole night is a highlight in your week, when you have looked forwards to a gig for over a month; it is very hard to pick out just one moment above all others. This evening saw two excellent and very talented bands playing my favourite type of music in my favourite pub, there was never any doubt in my mind that I would enjoy this gig.

We here at Biker Rock would like to wish the both bands a great deal of success in the future. It was an utter pleasure to see them again and as soon as they give us the tracks to broadcast, we will play them for you. We would also like to say thank you to Dawn at Scallys for putting on such a great night of entertainment. Finally, I would like to extend a big thank you to both bands for making my night and putting on such a friendly and enjoyable show of utterly evil and aggressive music.