Artists: Blitzkrieg, Vendetta, Chaos Asylum & Beyond The Grave

Venue: 02 Academy, Newcastle  

Date: 10 July 2010   

So it’s night of metal mayhem in the TOON!!! and an early start with the first band on at 6pm due to the Academy 10pm curfew. Great idea that, disco taking precedent over a band and kick a captive audience oot the door and make em pay to get back in…..you money grabbing twats.  That’s me bit rant over with, let’s get down to business. 

I’ve already partaken of a coupla wodkas before I walk in the venue and I’m more than pleasantly surprised to find tonight's activities are taking place in the main room with Dan Baird relegated to the smaller room upstairs.  Added to that is the fact there is quite a healthy turnout for this night of meeeetttaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!!! And it’s a good mixture of young and old. 

So Beyond the Grave hit the stage as I walk in and the sound is half decent for these boys.   They’ve been around for about 5 years and have played Hard Rock Hell.  They have those Sepultura/Slayer/Metallica riffs down to a T.  Vocalist Adam is actually a good singer when he’s not death growling and even though Jackson can pound those skins there was just no need for a drum solo, although it got a great reaction from the crowd.  Their short set shows they are a band to keep an eye out for. 

Next up we have Chaos Asylum, Guy and Phil get two bites of the cherry tonight.  It’s straight into some classic metal, close your eyes and it could be the Metal God himself and I’m sure I saw some choreographed Priest moves at one point.   'Reign of Terror' is the song Priest never wrote and the younger members of the crowd just lap it up, while 'Born Survivor' is Slayer without Araya’s vocals.  Phil pounds those skins and Guy burns the fretboard showing a dazzling technical ability. The sound was a bit muddy to begin with but gets better as the set progresses. 'Ready and Waiting' is the bands tour de force for me and when they go into 'Kill or be Killed' the bass player wears a mask…….very fetching.  They end the set with a Racer X cover, 'Superheroes' and it suits them perfectly. They got a great reception and deservedly so. 

And so it came to pass that at 7.45pm (yes that early!!) Vendetta take the stage and launch into 'Delusion'. Ed Box, centre stage delivering classic riffing n solos and holding down the vocals.  Gary Foalle makes uses of his side of the spacious stage, prowling backwards and forwards, delivering some thundering bass lines.  Pete Thompson builds on Ed’s riffing, although his guitar is a bit too low in the mix, while Lee Lamb delivers some precise driving drums while making it all look easy….pah!!!

'My Revelation' follows and Ed’s dream of putting together a classic rock band with metal anthems shines through.  The crowd are loving this and are rewarded with 'Generation Kill' (sounds like Testament) and 'Age of Annihilation'.  The instrumental 'Skaro' shows Ed and Pete’s technique is faultless and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a band get a crowd to clap along to an instrumental.  They look comfortable on the big stage and like a bunch of rock soldiers they launch into 'New Horizon'.  Just before delivering a tribute to Ronnie James Dio in the form of 'Holy Diver',  Ed announces the band are playing Trillians on September 3^rd and wants everyone to come down cos it’s free and it’s his stag night (think I may have to pop along with a video camera for that one hehehe!)  And all too soon it’s over and they finish with 'I Executioner'.  This was a flawless performance and showed the band have what it takes to deliver on the big stage.  Maybe Bloodstock and Hard Rock Hell beckon in the future? 

And so to the headliner of the night,  Blitzkrieg’s 30^th Anniversary hometown show.  As the intro plays, Phil Brewis gets the crowd going with a kickdrum beat and as they launch into the first song, brother Paul immediately attacks the front of stage.  The sound is spot, crunching guitars, pounding drums and bass and clear vocals.  As the set progresses it becomes obvious why Blitzkrieg are invited to do festivals across Europe. Vocalist and band leader Brian Ross may have grown older, but he can still rock the hell outta these songs and with bunch of young guns (so to speak) at his side Blitzkrieg can continue rockin’ for a few years yet.

With songs in the arsenal such as the title track from the latest CD 'Theatre of the Damned' and 'Unholy Trinity' the crowd lap this up.  Ken Johnson starts off playing the Les Paul but swaps to the Dean, a guitar I prefer to see him throttle, but his guitar is a bit low in the mix for me.

The band launch into 'My Life Is My Own' and it occurs to me they have written some underrated tunes.  Then it’s straight into 'Escape from the Village' before they play 'Pull The Trigger' from the first album, with a veiled reference to Raoul Moat, Brian even gets the crowd to sing along to the chorus.  Another song from the new CD, Tortured Souls gets the crowd bouncing.  Guy has such a great tone, but when you’re endorsed by ENGL it can be easy I suppose and his technique is a joy to behold.

And so to the most eagerly awaited song in the setlist, 'Blitzkrieg' and no it's NOT a Metallica tune.  Paul leaps of the stage and runs through the crowd, ever the showman!   The band finish the night with a tribute to RJD in the form of the Black Sabbath number 'The Mob Rules' and it’s only on here that Brian’s voice falters but he can be forgiven as he and the band put in a fantastic performance. 

Regardless of the 10pm curfew, this was a great night, with 4 local bands delivering classic rock and metal in the main hall of the o2 and being rewarded with a good turnout and an enthusiastic crowd. Here’s looking forward to another night in the future

Review By: Brassy

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