It’s hard to believe that the last time I headed out under the auspices of SonicAbuse, it was early 2020 but, of course, the ravages of the pandemic rendered live shows impossible, and the return to normality, or at least some semblance thereof, has been slow. So, it is with no small sense of excitement that we stand outside Leicester’s best kept secret – The Musician, preparing for a triple bill of metal, featuring Italian thrashers, Extrema; Malta/UK horror rockers The Heretic Order and London-based industrial rockers Die Kur.
The Musician, a converted pub with a decent stage and typically impressive sound may seem a slightly incongruous venue for so heavy a bill, but you shouldn’t be fooled. Despite its modest appearance, the venue has played host to a wide variety of bands, the emphasis very much being on quality over genre alignment, and it features not only fantastic sound, but also a well-stocked bar with a better-than-usual selection of Ales. Damn, it is good to be back again, even if I fear that work tomorrow may prove… uncomfortable (note – it did).
It’s a small crowd braving the cold on this rather dank Wednesday night, but an enthusiastic one, clearly excited at the prospect of three fantastic, diverse metal bands playing in so intimate a setting. Things are running a tiny bit late, with The Heretic Order still sound-checking when we arrive so, after a friendly greeting from the venue’s owner (often to be found on hand at gigs), we decamp to the bar to stock up on Burton Bridge Bitter. It’s nice to have a moment to perform the mental gymnastics necessary to realise that yes we are back in a venue at long last and then the first band takes the stage.
The first act on this ludicrously high-quality bill are The Heretic Order, who always impress. A band who understand the nature of a good show, they take to a stage complete with flanking skeletons, plenty of smoke and Danny Felice’s trademark Goat Skull Mic Stand. What follows is a near-perfect display of heavy metal thunder as Danny whips up the crowd, while the band simply pour energy from the stage. Opening with two new songs (named Children and King on the setlist, although these are almost certainly abbreviated titles), The Heretic Order are taking no prisoners and tracks like Unholy War sound utterly epic. Meanwhile, there’s room for older favourites such as Forest Of The Impaled and Mortification Of The Flesh, a track that starts slow only to build into a beautiful, brutal monster. The set ends, and all too soon, with the crushing Burn Witch Burn, the band’s unofficial anthem and a brilliant closer to a set that simply does not put a foot wrong. Endlessly entertaining, The Heretic Order set an incredibly high bar for the night and, if the new songs are anything to go by, that third album is going to be something truly special.
Next up, Die Kur take a very different approach. With a unique line up, comprising two guitarists, a bassist (five string), a drummer, a synth (and theremin)-playing singer and a violinist; Die Kur deliver a searingly heavy take on industrial that takes the fire and fury of Ministry, the unsettling changes of jazz and adds, perhaps, just a touch of Coal Chamber at their heaviest. It’s one hell of a combination and it makes for a sound that manages to be unique even in this cynical “been there, done that” era.
Like The Heretic Order, Die Kur are here to put on a show and frontman Ays spends a good deal of the show doing everything possible to elicit a reaction from a willing crowd. If I have a criticism, it is that some of the nuances of the band’s multi-layered sound is lost due to a punishingly heavy mix, which serves to partially obscure synth, violin and vocals in fine tracks like Conceptualising The War Machine and It Must Be Destroyed. Nevertheless, it’s fair to say Die Kur added a few more fans to their growing base, and with good reason – they’re ferociously tight and genuinely passionate about what they do.
[A digression] Back at the start of the night, as we enter the venue, a chap standing near the merch desk asks me if I’ve heard Extrema before. Slightly embarrassed, I have to admit that I have not come across the band, to which he simply responds “you soon will!” His confidence is not misplaced either for, despite the quality of both The Heretic Order and Die Kur, Extrema simply devastate the stage.
[A further digression] Formed in the mid-80s, Extrema honed their skills, touring with the likes of Slayer, Metallica and Death Angel and it shows. They’ve released seven albums to date (two of which are clutched under my arm by the close of the night) and yet, despite such a pedigree, they remain relatively unknown on UK shores, which is a shame because, on the strength of tonight’s showing their passion and commitment to the thrash cause is resolute.
[Back to the present – sorry about that] Like the pros that they are, Extrema take to the stage like they own it and proceed to steadily deconstruct The Musician. The mix is crystal clear but, once again, crushingly loud. As a result, from the off, the razor-sharp guitars and explosive percussion seek to replace your heart as the dominant beat powering your body. What follows is nothing short of a thrash masterclass and the band deliver riff after motherfucking riff, recalling the likes of Overkill, Anthrax and Testament in the process. Time and again you find yourself double checking, just to be sure that really are only three instrumentalists on stage, such as is the power of their delivery. Meanwhile, singer Tiziano “Titian” Spigno is the band’s secret weapon – an eminently capable mix of Joey Belladonna and Mats Leven, he’s comfortable with bringing an almost Anselmo grit when required, but he also carries one hell of a melody (something of which the band make good use on the excellent Headbanging Forever Album).
The setlist leans heavily on 2019’s Headbanging Forever, the band not having had much of an opportunity to tour the impressively diverse collection, with The Call, For The Love And The Lost, Borders Of Fire and the title track all serving to set heads banging from the front of the venue to the back. Covering Judas Priest’s The Ripper is a generous gesture from a band who clearly eat, drink and shit (well, maybe) heavy metal, but it says much of their own material that we’re eager for them to offer up another pair of originals – This Toy (from 1995’s The Positive Pressure) and Life (from 1993’s Tension At The Seams). It’s a cataclysmic finale and not a head leaves un-banged. Extrema – the fault was mine, you fucking rule and made a fan for life!
All in all, it was one hell of a night. Three fantastic bands, each bringing their own brand of heavy and each demonstrating just how much fire and fury lies within the metal underground. From The Heretic Order’s more traditional approach, through Die Kur’s blistering take on Industrial to Extrema’s ferocious thrash, the night passed in a whirl of flying hair and raised horns – what more could you possibly want?
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