Devil Sold His Soul, The Defiled, Gojira and Ghost at O2 Academy Bournemouth 22/3/13

Post-hardcore band Devil Sold His Soul opened the show, and with their energetic stage performance they definitely set the tone for the rest of the night. The harsh vocals from lead singer Ed Gibbs were outstanding and blended well with the harmonic guitar riffs. Devil Sold His Soul bring a fresh take to post-hardcore music and they received a great crowd reception in Bournemouth.

After recently getting signed to Nuclear Blast Records and having finished recording their album new ‘Daggers’, the past couple of months have been great for metal band The Defiled. Their performance proved exactly why they were chosen for the third time to play on the Jagermeister tour: their energy on stage is contagious and it’s almost impossible to stand still whilst watching them perform. ‘Call To Arms’ was definitely a crowd favourite and it will be interesting to see what musical direction they take when their new album is released later this year.

French metal band Gojira are well-known for being an incredible live band, and tonight in Bournemouth was no exception. Opening with ‘Explosia’ from their latest album ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’, Gojira definitely rocked the O2 Academy. The crowd reception was incredible, there were mosh pits and headbangers everywhere. The heavy riffs and harsh vocals from lead singer Joe Duplantier were amazing, especially in the metal anthem ‘The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe’. Gojira are definitely one of the best live bands in the metal scene at the moment and I’d highly recommend that you see them at least once!

Swedish heavy metal band Ghost have always been somewhat of a mystery to many, mainly due to five of the band members wearing hooded robes, whilst lead singer Papa Emeritus wears a cardinal outfit. Despite their identities being a secret, Papa Emeritus managed to interact with the crowd perfectly, instructing them when to sing and clap, whilst the crowd obeyed him as if he was the real pope. With a backdrop of a church, lots of smoke and incense being burnt, it almost felt as if you were in a real church, apart from the metal music and hundreds of metal fans. They played classic songs, such as ‘Satan Prayer’ and ‘Ritual’, as well as their impressive new song ‘Year Zero’.  All in all, it was an incredible night of metal music for only £5! 

Check out Devil Sold His Soul here: http://www.facebook.com/devilsoldhissoul
Check out The Defiled here: http://www.facebook.com/thedefiled
Check out Gojira here: https://www.facebook.com/GojiraMusic
Check out Ghost here: http://www.facebook.com/thebandghost

Klone, Trepalium and Gojira at Mo’ Club Southampton 15/11/12

The Mo’ Club is a small music venue in Southampton, which also serves as a roller-disco venue. With powerful lighting and good sound quality it’s a great place to see bands and enjoy live music.

Klone burst onto stage, full of energy and passion.  Formed in 1999 in France, they were a great start to an evening of live French metal music. Opening with ‘The Eye of Needle (Part 2)’ Klone were impressive from the start of their set due to their unique sound. Yann Linger has incredibly powerful vocals and also performed some entertaining dance moves on stage.  ‘All Seeing Eye’ seemed to be a crowd favourite, and it had a very powerful bass line. Klone’s new album, ‘The Dreamer’s Hideaway’ is out now.

Next on stage was Trepalium, another French metal band who formed in 2000. More in the death metal genre, they impressed the crowd with heavy riffs and breakdowns. Singer Cédric Punda has strikingly deep vocals and the crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy their set. Ending their set with a song called ‘Usual Crap’, they proved they were a strong live band and all notable musicians. If you’re a fan of death metal, I’d definitely recommend them.

After two impressive support bands, the eagerly anticipated Gojira arrived on stage. After impressing both critics and fans with their fifth album ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ in June, it was fairly obvious that their set tonight was going to be incredible. Opening with their latest single ‘Explosia’, the crowd instantly descended into a sea of headbanging and moshpits. Joe Duplantier is one of the best metal vocalists around today and he’s even better live than on record. It was guitarist Christain Andreu’s birthday so the crowd all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him, which was a great moment of the night. Gojira had a strong setlist of both old and new songs, and when they started playing ‘The Heaviest Matter of the Universe’ it was obvious it was a crowd-pleaser. Mario Duplantier played an impressive drum solo which wowed the audience. Ending their incredible set with ‘The Gift of Guilt’, Southampton definitely got an amazing night of French metal here at the Mo’ Club.

Check out Klone here:  http://www.facebook.com/KLONEBAND
Check out Trepalium here: http://www.facebook.com/TREPALIUMBAND
Check out Gojira here: http://www.facebook.com/GojiraMusic