Bulletbelt are attempting to lay waste to the homeland with this Maximum Destruction tour, and they start in fine style at the subterranean cave that is the Whammy Bar.
These Wellington merchants of Metal mayhem coalesced around 2009 when the witching elements must have been in some concordance.
The toxic brew of politicians and civil servants, along with the prerequisites of Sex (testosterone power) and Drugs (Big Pharma power) and Rock’n’roll (Tear it Up and Rip it Up) is a heady mix, which goes into barfing up a group of miscreants, intent on laying waste and scorching the earth in their path.
When one of those politicians spoke about the River of Filth in reference to the freedom protesters who occupied Parliament grounds for several weeks last year, he got the name of the Metal band wrong. As well as everything else.
Their current incarnation. Diego Attinger lead singer, Steve Francis drums, Tim Mekalick bass, Josh O’Brien and Issac Johnston-Lundy guitars.
I saw them recently, when they opened for the great Arch Enemy at the Powerstation earlier this year. They smashed out a great opening set.
They have also been on the bill for the likes of Sepultra, Carcass, Napalm Death and the Black Dahlia Murder. Gotta love that last-mentioned name.
The Encyclopaedia Metallum describes their obsessions as blasphemy, misanthropy, hatred, the occult and history. They also ring their mums after each show.
Opening thunder from Punishment of God and Deathgasm. Guttural vocals and the singer is wearing a Leather Face mask. The attitude is rage and sharply honed anger, the sort you will experience at European football matches when opposing fans call each other cunts.
Drums are complex artillery ordnance. Fast chugging guitar riffs which fuse into solid sonic walls of sound.
The mask does come off and the singer is a pretty-boy, but the mask had a certain horror movie charm.
Impaler raises the energy level, even though it seemed to be at maximum already. What I really mean is that it is brutal, with thrilling guitar breakdowns. There are screams and references to the beast inside.
Flames of Hell could also have been Friends of Hell, the way it was introduced. It also signals some heavy moshing, as people hurtle into each other.
My approach to this music is to admire from a distance. Like Jazz in that respect. Let your God shut your mouth and open your mind, as Captain Beefheart said once about his own extreme art music.
Deadhouse Gates
First curtain-raiser is Deadhouse Gates. They are Martin Needle guitar, Mark Rees drums (both from highly regarded previous Metal band Subtract), and Zac Whiting on bass and vocals.
Their sound is monolithic, meshed and somehow purer it it’s overall body assault. The vocal is throat-shredding guttural and raw.
There is a connection to the Black Gospel ministers from the last two centuries and how they used to channel the Holy Ghost and the wrath of God.
Have a listen to Blind Willie Johnson sing If I Had my Way, I’d Tear the Building Down. That masterpiece of American music comes from the tension of Church and Blues. Johnson came from the spiritual side, Howlin’ Wolf from the secular.
All you Metalheads may not know it, but you are experiencing the continuing evolution of Gospel and Blues. Rock’n’roll after all.
Metal fans are a curious bunch of people. Very genial and welcoming in all the shows I’ve attended, despite their outer camouflage pelts. Knowledgeable about the nuances in the multiple sub-genres.
Technical, deathcore, industrial, desert, grindcore, folk-gothic-neoclassical-glam-doom-this guitar-wants-to-kill-your-mama-metal.
These fans are passionate and obsessive, as well as indulging in strange practices. One jacket was emblazoned with I Kill Everything I Fuck.
3000AD
3000AD are a Metal band from Christchurch. Sam Pryor guitar, Scott Austin bass and Hellmore Bones drums and vocals.
That last name indicates the wickedly black sense of humour these bands have. As well as being gifted in playing technically difficult and demanding disciplines of this sub-genre of Rock.
These guys are closer to Punk, as it has evolved from its original breakout. The singers phrasing is recognisable as such.
It seems that the Husker Du would have been the bridge, from Ramones to modern Punk/Metal.
One song is dedicated to anyone who has a horrible disease. The drummer revs it up with fast firepower and the singer has rage in his voice.
Both support bands are trios, and the meshed squalling sound of the guitars wraps around authoritative bass polyrhythms.
Melodies spontaneously break out and occasionally they threaten to lay on some Prog Rock.
Bulletbelt
This band having two guitarists makes me wonder if the original MC5 were proto-Metal. That is Fred Sonic Smith and Brother Wayne Kramer trying to wreck everything on Kick Out the Jams.
The sheets of sound hurtling through you feels like gamma radiation. Vibrates every atom as it flashes through.
This is in some part down to the sound desk, as the music is crisp and well-defined, so nuance can be appreciated too. It is not all just a physical beating up of your soul.
They close with Cloak the Night. It is a relentless attack, but melodic elements abound. Outer space movie tones from the guitars. A slow, quiet outro which ends in an almighty scream.
Bulletbelt have great pleasure in causing Maximum Destruction. So did everyone who attended.
Rev Orange Peel
Bulletbelt
3000 A.D.
Deadhouse Gates
