Often labeled as past its peak, or sometimes worse, Nu-Metal is one of those subgenres that is loathed by some and loved by others, but by some weird paradox has never failed to maintain its relevance or draw a crowd. Though djent and post Killswitch Engage metalcore is all the craze these days, I always enjoy pointing out to the naysayers that very few bands in either scene have amassed a gargantuan fanbase on the level of a Slipknot, Korn or Deftones. It is a genre that for many a metalhead such as myself and those I encountered tonight at The Bread Shed, was the first to expose them to heavy music, and its importance has clearly endured through California’s Otep, who arrive on UK shores for the first time in almost two decades for their “Art of Dissent” tour.
Kickstarting the night’s proceedings were Swiss up and comers Thola, whose brand of power and thrash metal was greeted by a welcoming, albeit minute crowd of metalheads. With a blend of speedy riffs complimented by uplifting and righteous melodies, the band seemed like they would be better suited to a support slot with the likes of Iced Earth or Mystic Prophecy than Otep’s brand of politically charged jump-the-fuck-upery. Although their overall sound was somewhat anonymous compared to the aforementioned power giants, the bands performance greatly engaged with what few people turned up early, and they successfully encouraged the audience to clap along with each chugging intro and inspiring solo, despite lacking the dramatic flair often associated with their sound.
The next act on the nights bill were Luxembourg’s genre bending exports My Own Ghost, who were even further astray sonically and aesthetically from the evenings main event. That is, aside from boasting a similarly strong and commanding female vocalist in the form of Julie Rodesch, whose warm, passionate vocals resonated awe and cheers from the growing crowd. It is largely unsurprising that the four piece had toured previously with the likes of Delain and Loudness, seen as their blend of catchy pop choruses and electronic beats in tracks like ‘Beautiful Mistake’ reflect a more modern approach to heavy sounds. I imagine they would appeal greatly to fans of bands like Amaranthe and Follow the Cipher, however it is clear on the strength of their performance that they can hold their own against the legacy of Otep also. Not only gaining a welcoming reaction from a crowd that may be unfamiliar with them, but also their genre as a whole.
The penultimate band of the evening were Austria’s Psycho Village, who offered yet another flavour of heavy to the mancunian crowd, with a sound that leaned more towards hard rock and post-grunge than heavy metal. Having the unfortunate honour of being the final band before the main attraction, it is no small feat that singer/guitarist Daniel Kremsner, who formed the band at the tender age of 15 sum ten years ago managed to keep the crowds attention through good humour, boyish charm and above all else, highly infectious choruses in songs like ‘What Was That’ and ‘It’s Okay’. Bassist Maximilian Raps and drummer Johannes Sterk equally brought rocking passion to the stage, with Sterk’s energetic drum fills in particularly spicing up an already likable performance. Though sonically a stretch from Otep, it became apparent as the show went on that the trio are daring enough to approach subject matter not often explored in hard rock on a lyrical level, such as mental illness and bullying. While I found this highly admirable in song form, their stage show was accompanied by a video recording of a teenage girl exposing her experience with these issues, which came across as a little too on the nose for my taste. All in all, this was but a minor aesthetic issue in an otherwise awesome musical performance.
After a short break, it was finally time for Otep to grace the stage of The Bread Shed, and they arrived with a punch in the gut performance of a Sevas Tra (Capitol Records) classic, ‘T.R.I.C’, followed swiftly by a no holds barred performance of their popular anthem of rebellion, ‘Battle Ready’. Both of which were greeted by a mosh pit, which for a show that only attracted 30-40 people goes to show the strength of this no bullshit, in your face (literally, in my case), act. As a band that is notorious for rarely performing in Europe, it certainly felt like a moment in time that might never arrive again for many of us, and the crowd responded to Otep’s punky attitude and jump the fuck up riffs viscerally. In promotion of their newest release Kult 45 (Napalm Records), perhaps the bands most politically charged and controversial album yet, it came as a genuine surprise that vocalist Otep Shamaya’s strong left-wing stance played such a small role in her overall performance of the songs of this album. Aside from bringing out a severed Donald Trump head before jumping into a ruthless rendition of ‘Equal Rights, Equal Lefts’, that is, the band rightfully chose to focus more on the tight delivery of crushing alternative metal anthems such as ‘Confrontation’ and ‘Zero’ instead.
Never once descending into preachiness, and interacting with the crowd on a gut level, as opposed to a political one. An encore of Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Wake Up’ was also met with much applause as Shamaya jumped from the stage and spat bars with a great emphasis on the word ‘Fuck’. Once can only wonder why after several album cycles Otep made the decision to grace UK stages so long after their debut at Ozzfest 2002, but what they did achieve last night through coming here was prove their continued worth in the metal scene. If you can catch them and the variety of support acts they brought along with them, and you can get past the politics, you will be in for a brilliant night of nu-metal nostalgia. See them while you can.
WORDS BY MICHAEL MILLER
PHOTO BY LUKE DENHAM PHOTOGRAPHY