Review by John Hegarty for MPM
As we make our way into Belfast the city is busy due to the Fleadh however, with only a few diversions we make it to the Limelight in good time.
Once parked we notice the Pieter Smit Entertainment Logistic Mini Buses outside the venue. I didn’t realise until after the show that as we walk in that members of Vio-lence were sitting outside the Limelight having a pre-show drink. Entering the venue we are greeted by the legend that is James Loveday, the mastermind behind The Distortion Project. If it wasn’t for James we wouldn’t have the opportunity to see such a variety of Metal Bands in Belfast and we’d have no other choice but to travel to Dublin more frequently. We check out the Merch and we see various Shortest Straw, Cutthroat and Vio-lence items on display in order of tonight’s line up. The Merch was reasonably priced around £20/5 per t-shirt. There is a decent crowd for a Monday night especially given that it is the summer holidays and also the Festival Season.
Once seated we wait for Shortest Straw to take to the stage. Early Bay Area Thrash blasts through the PA which was co-ordinated tonight by Brian. There is a variety of Thrash Metal band T-shirts such as Forbidden and Death Angel and Vio-lence amongst the excited gathering. The majority of the crowd are in the older age bracket which would indicate the die-hard love amongst us for Thrash Metal here in Belfast. It’s great to see that it is still alive and kicking!! Next thing Shortest Straw take to the stage with Paul O’Rourke on vocals, Lucas Todesco on drums, Daryl Hill on Bass and Brian Gribben on guitar. Not knowing that the lads are local I assume they are American and have been playing for a while due to how well they perform on stage. Songs like Spinkick, Hostility and new track Narcissist’s Prayer get the crowd going. The professionalism is inspiring for such a new band and they are tight in their sound and rhythm, especially the blast beat drumming which was impressive.
Paul’s presence and metal core singing style is well honed and reverberates through the Limelight. Paul is a sound fella who is more than happy to chat about the band and their journey from 2024 to date including, releasing three singles, competing in Metal for the Masses and how they appreciate the support from James Loveday regarding support slots at gigs. Despite a hilarious and traumatic story from life on the road, Shortest Straw have survived to tell the tale and have a new EP – A New Normal, due for release on 11/08/26 and are excited to be going out on their own Headline Tour. I have had the privilege of listening to the new EP ahead of its release and it’s an absolute cracking collection of heavy duty tracks. Don’t miss Shortest Straw on their upcoming tour. Shortest Straw appear at the Merch Stand and take time to chat with the fans during whilst Cutthroat are carrying out their sound check on the stage.
The LA/Sao Paulo lads take to the stage at 8.30pm and play for 45 minutes. They blow us away with their mix of hard-core and thrash metal cross over. Neil Roemer (vocals) is a force to be reckoned with as the stage wasn’t big enough for him to bounce around. Three songs in, Roemer is in the pit with the fans and really giving it his all, involving the crowd in the bands performance as the fists pound the air. Tracks such as Nothing to Prove, Bulletproof and Trash have the Limelight bouncing along. It was a great sight to see both the vocalist and the fans involving an eager fan in his wheelchair amongst the fun. Roemer himself comments on how beautiful a country we live in and talks about how about how music creates unity and brings us all together – dedicating the song to Belfast. That’s what a Metal gig is all about looking out for one another. The rest of the band brothers Dan (guitar) and Art (drums) Banura and Jesse Gomez (bass) remain on stage delivering sheer Brazilian beats from Sao Paulo intense and technical yet raw.
They bring to mind Ratos de Porao from Brazil. Cutthroat capture our attention from start to finish and we would like to hear more!! I would definitely like to see the lads on a headlining tour. Neil invites the fans to meet him at the Merch Stand after their set saying that they have some nice vinyl for sale. The band request a group photo from the stage ‘for a fucking memory of this tour’. Chatting with Neil after the intense show I am not surprised to learn that he is close friends with Billy Graziadei of Biohazard whom has produced Cutthroats first two records. The Biohazard influence is evident throughout the set. They will be touring with Biohazard in Manchester next week so don’t miss the opportunity to catch these fellas on tour they are a powerhouse. They have a new EP out entitled The Purge check it out.
The Limelight is warmed up and we are all ready now for the main reason we are all here tonight. I have always loved Thrash and Vio-lence’s ‘Eternal Nightmare’ released in 1988, was the ultimate Thrash Metal Album for me. I still have it on Vinyl and it possesses some killer tracks. In the early days Vio-lence were a part of the Thrash Scene alongside Death Angel, Century and Nuclear Assault all signed by Megaforce records. Sean Killian vocals remains the original member and they have had numerous other well-known musicians playing in the band over the years such as Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel of Machine Head. The current band members are all serious musicians in their own right consisting of Nick Souza (Hatriot) on drums, Ira Black (Dio Disciples and Metal Church) on lead guitar, Jeff Salgedo (Psychosomatic) on bass and Claudeous Creamer (Possessed) on rhythm guitar.
When the boys take to the stage and get the music blasting, Sean then appears on stage with a cracking battle jacket with patches from all his favourite bands. The dedicated vocalist lives, sleeps and breathes Thrash Metal. The highlights of the Setlist for me are Eternal Nightmare, Calling in the Coroner and Serial killer. Sean chatted throughout the set with the fans and as he is picking out the names of individuals he met pre show. The calibre of bands such as Vio-lence is clear – whether it’s a Festival or a small pub or an arena they appreciate the fans and do not charge for meet and greets. They spend time with their tribe and share the love of Metal. Similar to another gig this year I feel transported back in a time machine to my youth when Thrash bands were big players in the World of metal. It was great seeing the vintage t-shirts worn proudly this evening.
The energy reflects from the stage to the pit- Sean commands a mosh pit and the Belfast gathering were happy to oblige. The frontman tells us “I’ll Look you right in the fucking eye this is what this shit is about, it’s how it started and how this shit will continue as long as I am playing this crazy music”. The calibre and talent amongst the Vio-lence fellas is intense and the sound is amazing from start to finish. It’s fantastic to hear the fans singing along and singing the lyrics for the Sean – fist pumping the air with great nostalgia. Once off the stage Vio-lence were humble, walking about meeting people taking the time to ask the fans their names and distribute plectrums. A shout out to Jeff who took the time to come and meet a mate with mobility issues, this kind gesture made his night. Our journey home is filled with conversations of tonight’s three bands, not only enjoying a fantastic night of music but meeting the bands and chatting and getting photos which was something else.
07/08/26 – Jaroměř, CZ – Brutal Assault (Festival)
08/08/26 – Vienna, AT – Viper Room
09/08/26 – Munich, DE – Backstage
12/08/26 – Košice, SK – Colosseum
13/08/26 – Salzburg, AT – Rockhouse
14/08/26 – Zabok, HR – Cuk Regenerator
Russia & Asia:
16/08/26 – Moscow, RU – Pravda Club
17/08/26 – Saint Petersburg, RU – Kosmonavt
20/08/26 – Shanghai – Cave Art Venue
21/08/26 – Wuhan – Three Live
22/08/26 – Tianjin – Liu Li Space
23/08/26 – Taipei – Pipe Live House
24/08/26 – Tokyo – Koenji High
25/08/26 – Tokyo – Koenji High
28/08/26 – Seoul – JS Art Hall
More dates TBA. For more information, visit Vio-lence’s official social media pages: Instagram (@vio_lence_official) and Facebook (Vio-lence).
