Gigs

Gig Review : Obituary – Limelight 2 Belfast

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Posted on 4 weeks ago

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Review by Richard Henry for MPM

It feels like Florida in here it’s that warm and humid, back we are in Belfast in the Limelight 2 venue tonight for a sold-out show, with Florida death metal legends Obituary, who are touring in support of the new album “Dying of Everything” an album that for me was outstanding.

We had 5 bands on the bill tonight, so a few I have no set lists for so I can’t break down song by song, but I will do my best to give you my account of them all! Despite what the bill said, the first band on tonight were:

Antichrist Siege Machine

An interesting band, just a two piece, drums/vocals and a guitarist/vocalist, now being completely honest I hadn’t heard these guys before, very in the black metal crossed with an almost Napalm style death edge to them, good use of the twin vocals with the drummer Scott handling the blacker metal vocal parts and then guitarist Ryan handling the death metal vocal parts, a great mix and a really ferocious live performance, great band to kick things off tonight

Jarhead Fertilizer

So, this is where we get a bit of cross pollination as two of the guys from this band also play in Full of Hell, again I hadn’t heard of these guys.

Really good live, like a proper mix of a band like Suffocation crossed with almost like Terrorizer and ENT, drummer David holding it down and screaming out the vocals all the while playing some pretty intense drum passages, really nice live mix as well, everything really clear and the crowd had started to fill out a bit at this point and a bit of action happening in the pit as well, I am pretty sure these guys won over a load of people tonight, great live band, tight as anything as well, definitely recommended!

Pest Control

Don’t Test the Pest, first time seeing these guys, and they did not disappoint, from the off they were absolutely on it, basically they played the entire album, it was an absolute frenzy from start to finish and I will say, they also looked like they were having an absolute blast up there tonight.

Leah the singer spitting out the vocals with proper venom, and the twin guitar attack was ferocious, some really nice balance between all out riffing with a bit of melody and some really nice solos going on as well, bassist Jack looked like he was having a blast smiling away for the whole gig and man of the match in the back was drummer Ben who as on point, if you like your Suicidal Tendencies and throw in a hint of UKHC ala Stampin Ground, you’re on the right path with these guys, definitely worth checking out the Don’t Test the Pest album, excellent!!!!

Full Of Hell

Nuts, absolutely nuts, so we have some members from earlier coming back up onstage, Sam and Dave from Jarhead come back on bass and drums respectively, joined by guitarist Spencer and vocalist/noise maker Dylan.

Dylan is about as animated frontman as I have seen, perhaps only pipped by Medulla Noctes singer Paul, there was one massive issue, I could hear anything bar the drums and bass, I don’t know what happened the mix, but the vocals where absolutely nonexistent and the guitars bar the odd occasion where the same and it didn’t happen for any of the other bands, which is really unfortunate as they were giving it their all up there and I watched some live footage today from other gigs and it was night and day difference, again the band where nuts but the sound let them down, big time.

Obituary

Redneck Stomp – This seems to be the guys opening song of choice and I have to be honest I was walking round work today humming the riff over and over, it’s a great opener as well as its one of those tracks that just builds and builds, the sound is massive, especially the drum sound it’s really clear but so god damn low end heavy as is the guitars, absolutely brutal live sound

Sentence Day – Then John Tardy jumps on stage after the opener and the tempo gets kicked up, from the self-titled album, Ken ripping off solos over in the far corner, head down soloing away, despite Johns attempts to get him into the middle he was having none of it, it’s an absolute stomper of a track and it started the pit off, that would be all night there was a constant circle pit happening, I still can’t get over the sound, its crystal clear, legitimate legend Terry Butler right in front of me all night just pounding away on the bass and Donald looks like he is having an absolute blast back there behind that lovely Yamaha kit!

A Lesson in Vengeance – A real mid-tempo headbanger of a track and one right after the track before it on the Self-Titled album, now fair play to the fella two stepping his way through the pit, marvelous job he was doing there, almost the Celtic Frost vibe off that riff, Trevor just holding it down over there, just hair and riffs all night, solid and then Ken peeling off his solos with ease on the other side of the stage, it’s such a well-oiled machine live with John being the only member of the band mobile really, walking about the stage and prowling around, the rest of the guys have picked their spot and are there!

Visions in my Head – Off to the “Inked in Blood” album for this one, with stop start double bass intro part before it launches right in, just constant double bass with that riff following it before the stop start part again, it’s just so God damn heavy live, that slow section that comes in is just savage, that’s when the real pushing and shoving kicked off in the pit before it builds up in intensity again, when it slows down again for the solo sections it’s just carnage in here, again Ken just peeling off the solos, head down, effortless!

The Wrong Time – We have the drum tech/monitor engineer up to give a hand at the start of this one, playing the floor tom while Donald then plays the tom groove around it, really cool live, the second track from the new album, more mid-tempo with peppering of double bass brought into it, that riff just swings in a totally death metal way, I love that sliding descending riff that follows the kicks, this song was like being in a rugby scrum, a few kicks to the head as people went over the top

Barely Alive – if this isn’t the most aggressive song, they have then I don’t know what is, and also for it not to be an early song but the first track from the new album, impressive! Double bass and flying tempo, and the thing is Donald is smiling away really laying into the drums, its super aggressive and the pit and the crowd surfers clearly heeding the call and responding as they should, the bouncers getting put to work, even a very quick blast beat sneaks in there, another great solo and then builds into a Slayer part with a spidery riff with the slower double bass following it before it builds in speed then the double kicks come in as we come to a savage end!

Slow Death – Off to “Frozen in Time” for this track, I love the double kick part followed by the slamming floor toms, it’s a really tribal style groove, most people would think Sepultura Roots style I suppose, then it slows way down, it’s a real slimy slow riff and its good because after the last song it slows it right down again, it’s a real just groove track, absolutely love it

Find the Arise – We get a really quick fast one from Cause of Death, now I am not sure if they played the whole song on this or if it was a truncated version of it, I know it’s a fast one as it is, but I really don’t remember much of this one even though it’s on the set list??

Weaponize the Hate – Off to the new album for this one, and it’s another mid-tempo slammer of a track with double bass just going off the whole time as was the pit, and it was literally like a rain forest in here at this point it was so sticky and humid, a really great solo on this one, I don’t think Ken gets enough praise as a player, solid rhythm player and his leads are just spot on, his stuff, James Murphys stuff, he nails all of it, and Donald, Terry and Trevor, it’s so solid, non-moving just pile driver sound from the guys

My Will to Live – Again on the new album for this one, it’s a real grindy riff with that slow ride cymbal backbeat that the band are so good at doing, again the way the guys have constructed the set, you get peaks and valleys in tempo, but the intensity never falters, that riff just is a total headbanger, lovely octave guitar solo part as well, adds a really cool texture to the riff under it, this is bread and butter Obituary that mid head banger track!

Chopped in Half-Turned Inside Out – Two from “Cause of Death”, these two have been played back-to-back for a long time, and if you are in a band writing a track and you want to know how to build up a track just listen to Turned Inside Out, slow riff with that driving ride cymbal groove, heavy as hell with the vocal, then comes in the floor tom groove and it starts to build, then it picks up into the faster section and then the solos come in, before it comes down into a slow groove then builds with the kicks and goes high hat to ride cymbal getting quicker before it really hits top gear, it never fails to make me smile hearing this song, it’s just so good!

War – After a couple of minutes off the stage the guys come back for the encore and we kick off again with a track from the new album, kicking off with a more mid paced banger of a track, to get us back in the mood, again the crowd surfing ramped up as did the pit, another class solo Ken, the guys where really into it, nodding away to us guys in the front, I think they were really enjoying the crowd being so much into it!

Dying of Everything – Title track of the new album up next, thrash drum beat with a staccato riff and a really disgustingly heavy bass line from Terry on this one, then it kicks in, this is a classic Obituary track as you will get and it’s a brand new one, venomous vocals from John giving his all right in front of me, Donald still as he has done the whole night just looking like he is having the time of his life, that middle trem picked riff is awesome, again Ken slays on the solo, before it drops in tempo with John doing a pitch shifted vocal part, another awesome solo comes in on this, sweeping, trem bar ideas, it’s all there, then it kicks into a seriously grindy riff, such a good track!

I’m In Pain – Only track from “End Complete” tonight, and it’s my favorite Obituary track, that slow riff with the double kicks and a solo before it starts to build up and then hits the tom groove part, then vocals come in but your aware the whole time that it’s building up into that riff when the tempo breaks, I love that riff, before we get an extended drum break that I will admit I was air drumming to, before Ken absolutely kills that solo before its back to that riff again, I will say it again it’s my favorite Obituary song! Even the build at the end and then the slow down and build up again, I just love the way the song keeps shifting and moving!

Slowly We Rot – What can be said about this track that hasn’t been said before, that intro is just pure classic, slow and just full of groove with that guitar melody played over the top, how many bands have copied this over the years, it’s just a sinister slow groove when that chaos solo is played over the top of it, before that Celtic Frost style riff and drum part comes in then the double bass comes in to stomp all over your head (sorry having a moment, it was the stage divers stomping over my head during this one), and on that point I love seeing the crowds in Belfast selling out these shows and having a blast and a massive age range as well was cool to see, that’s it the guys are finished, what a show!