Kaine/Dismanibus/A Bribe for the Ferryman/Conform to Serve

Asylum, Chelmsford 24/2/17

Review By Phil Bruce

My local venue is without doubt one of the most welcoming I’ve ever been to & with Kaine handpicking the bands for the first of several showcase gigs booked there this year I was confident it was going to be a success.

Herts/Bedford based Conform to Serve (8/10) opened proceedings at the early hour of 8pm – the first thing I noticed was the venue was packed for an out of town band on this early which had to be a good sign….and it was! Their triple guitar assault of blackened Death/thrash was a refreshingly heavy take on the genre & the one man pit at the front of the stage clearly agreed! With a bassist who looks like a cross between Cousin It & Cliff Burton & some serious blast beats flying at us this was a great start from young band who, with more live shows under their belt should become a force to be reckoned with. ‘Theophobia’ was an utterly brutal stand out moment for me.

 

Next up came Colchester/Suffolk based A Bribe for the Ferryman (9/10). I’d heard of these guys but had no idea they’d be quite the revelation they were! Despite string based technical issues (which allowed a funky slap based improv section) their brand of thrash/melodic Death had the packed venue in awe. A cover of ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ had the appropriate reaction towards the end of their set but to be honest their own material is so good they really don’t need the cover. Highly highly recommended. New EP coming shortly too.

 

Live legends (to me anyway) Dismanibus (8/10) were up next & it’s easy to remember why I deem them live legends – an utterly insane rhythm section of Will ‘Metal Gurner’ Price & the visual & musical skills of drummer Josh Moreton are enough to entertain me for the whole set! New guitarist AJ seemed totally at ease on the stage along with main man & shredder Simon Reeves. Frontman Ben Hargreaves has a devastating set of pipes (when you can hear him). If they can sort that minor gripe their inventive crustacean based brand of melodic Death Metal really should see them stepping into a different league.

 

Headliners Kaine (10/10) had suggested a special night was in store & it really really was. Constantly overlooked by the mainstream as a band & with passionately outspoken front man Rage Sadler showing his true colours live I’m already fairly sure if their new album isn’t my album of the year it will come very very close. Drummer Chris MacKinnon, bassist Stephen Ellis & guitarist Saxon Davids create a superbly tight & professional live show with Rage & are remarkable musicians playing heavy metal at its purest. Hearing Chris singing solo for the first time made my night but then it just got better & better as ex-members joined the stage. Bass legend Dan Mailer took the mic for one of the finest tunes he sang with them when he was in the band (Solidarity) before former drummer Josh was invited onstage to play ‘Iron Lady’ which he’d never played before. This he duly did like the natural he is allowing both Dan & Chris to sing it.

One of those nights I can proudly say ‘I was there’ & I hope this will help get people paying Kaine a lot more respect & attention as one of the finest bands in the UK so richly deserve.

Kaine: https://www.facebook.com/kaineband/?fref=ts

Dismanibus: https://www.facebook.com/Dismanibus/?fref=ts

A Bribe for the Ferryman: https://www.facebook.com/abftf/?fref=ts

Conform to Serve: https://www.facebook.com/Conformtoserve/?fref=ts

Asylum, Chelmsford: https://www.facebook.com/asylumchelmsfordbar/?fref=ts

 

 

 

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