In the world of extreme metal, it is no longer good enough to simply go faster or harder than everyone else. We have (to steal a phrase) been there, done that and bought the t-shirt. To be truly distinguished requires a level of focus, innovation and forensic aural blood-letting. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Brutality Will Prevail
Jailbreak – Ash Gray of Venom Prison
Something is stirring on the fetid island of Great Britain at the moment as rearing their ugly heads is a new breed worshipping the deathly hallows. One of the emerging hydra-heads are South Wales outfit Venom Prison, a band who made their mark on Temples Festival earlier in 2015 and have followed it up in some style, with their début EP The Primal Chaos (Soaked In Torment).
A noisy, aggressive fucker combining death metal (old and new) with elements of hardcore, with a powerful live feel that keeps the fists flailing while sluicing a “proper” death metal feel over the riffs that have origins in over 25 years of the sickest end of metal, from Scream Bloody Gore (Combat) to more contemporary death metal acts.
“Our intentions whilst writing this EP was to really push forward on a Death Metal vibe” begins guitarist Ash Gray. “It took a lot of binning songs that were written to get to the point the EP is at. It’s a new band, so finding our feet with our sound is very important to us at the moment, but I think we are heading in the right direction.”
Mixing modern death metal without the clickiness and sterility too many contemporary bands inflict on nauseated ears, and with a natural hardcore feel to it but without heading into breakdown overload territory, The Primal Chaos has a great feeling of balance to it. Gray is happy to acknowledge the main ingredients in the Venom Prison melting pot, pointing out “We aren’t interested in triggered drums that sound like machine guns. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t fault a rank slam band with hilarious snare and kick but that’s not what Venom Prison is about.
“Getting the balance for our songs is something that takes time. We didn’t fancy writing blast, beatdown, blast, beatdown, we wanted to make it a bit more legit and something that has character.” In the ultimate death metal vs hardcore streetfight, who wins out…? Glen Benton or Jamey Jasta? “I want to say Glen Benton, as Deicide and what he did in Vital Remains was sick but I’ve been into and going to hardcore shows for years, and Hatebreed got me into a lot of shit. I’m going with Jasta.”
“Venom Prison basically started with me and Larissa wanting to do a Death Metal band which is something different for both of us” continues Gray, quick to dismiss a past that includes his being in Brutality Will Prevail, a fact that, while an interesting footnote, is something he gives short shrift to. “(The) background to this band, I really think is irrelevant. Venom Prison is something that we wanted to start all over again and build up as a band, straight back to square one.”
After mentioning the bands break-out performance at Temples Festival, for a group that seemed quiet and polite, the onstage reality was a fervent blast of aggression and violence. So… where does that rage come from!? What happens when you enter the Venom Prison? “Everything that makes you mad, (you) just let it out when you play.”
And speaking of breakout, this calendar year has seen Venom Prison rise from unknowns to a band creating a buzz of anticipation around their next steps. “2015 has been pretty good to us” agrees Gray. “Shout out to John and Kaine from Soaked In Torment Records for wanting to put the seven-inch out and being a great help to the band.” So, what is next to escape the Venom Prison…?
“It’s time for an LP, which I can say is being worked on right now.”
WORDS BY STEVE TOVEY
Sonisphere UK Part II: Live at Knebworth, UK
SUNDAY
Sunday sees the sun come out again, and the weekend rapidly coming to an end. To ease the pain of Sonisphere being over for another year, ska-punk legends Reel Big Fish run riot on the Bohemia stage with a setlist made up of happy-go-lucky, bouncy ska hits. Disappointingly, the sound cut out for ‘Where Have You Been’, causing the audience to flit between chanting to get the sound back on as soon as possible, to helping the band out singing along word for word when the chorus kicks in. The ever notorious ‘S.R’ (‘Suburban Rhythm’) and the bands penchant for playing parts of the song in varying genres throughout the duration gives fans a chance to skank, mosh and any other form of dance that tickles their fancy.
Boston-Irish punks Dropkick Murphys are next, their whisky soaked bar room anthems in full swing today, kicking off with the well suited ‘The Boys Are Back’ before following it up with raucous renditions of ‘Black Velvet Band’, ‘Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya’ and ‘Shipping Up To Boston’. Despite a hefty collection of songs from previous albums, the Celtic boys opt for playing a fair few from their 2013 album Signed & Sealed In Blood, and it’s a credit to the guys that these tracks are as well received as ones that have been around for years, ‘Rose Tattoo’ being a notable favourite of the crowd.
Over at the Apollo stage, grunge legends Alice In Chains are in full swing, singer William DuVall once again proving his worth as he throws himself around the stage, his vocals mixing perfectly with guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s harmonies. ‘Dam That River’, ‘Man in the Box’ and ‘Stone’ all make obvious appearances in the set, sounding as good now as they ever did back in the day. After their comeback five years ago, Alice In Chains certainly set the record straight for any disbelievers whose opinons may have ever swayed towards their comeback being an unsuccessful one.
Finally, Metallica bring the weekend to a blinding close, the songs they perform chosen entirely by Sonisphere attendees and fans who’ve spent the last few months casting their votes in the run up to the festival, some of whom were invited on-stage to announce them to the audience. Obviously, there were the odd grumble here and there as some songs are cut from their usual set list, but in all honesty, it’s hard to argue with the likes of ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘One’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and all the other hits they cram into their two hour performance. It’s a shame that the screens at each side of the stage were unfortunately hindered by the lack of backdrop due to some issues earlier on in the day, meaning that it wasn’t until dark that those of us vertically challenged and/or stood further to the back were able to watch the performance properly. Striding back on stage for their encore of ‘Whiskey In The Jar’, James Hetfield announces ‘…And Justice For All’ as the song that had won the vote from the ongoing polls, before ‘Seek and Destroy’ brings the main stage to a close for another year.
With just enough left in our vocal chords to have a sing along to some classic 90’s grunge, The Defiled top off the weekend with their ‘Nirvana Defiled’ set. Playing Kurt Cobain, singer Stitch pays homage and does justice to the raspy, gravelly vocals that Cobain was notorious for, as well as pulling off a performance whilst seemingly a little bit too tipsy. Playing the part of Courtney Love, The AvD wanders the stage in a skimpy dress as his band members crash their way through ‘Rape Me’, ‘Lithium’, ‘Heart Shaped Box’ before ending with the obvious choice ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.
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WORDS: EMMA QUINLAN
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SONISPHERE (WITH PERMISSION)