{"id":18376,"date":"2019-04-24T13:40:13","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T12:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/?p=18376"},"modified":"2019-04-24T13:44:04","modified_gmt":"2019-04-24T12:44:04","slug":"review-metal-to-the-masses-heat-5-at-duffys-bar-sunday-21st-april-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/review-metal-to-the-masses-heat-5-at-duffys-bar-sunday-21st-april-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Review – Metal to the Masses heat 5 at Duffy’s Bar, Sunday 21st April 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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with BlackHawkDown, Omen Machine, InSickness and Diceratops<\/h2>\n

Reviewed by Liz Marriott.<\/a><\/p>\n

Organised by\u00a0Metal 2 the Masses, Leicester<\/a> and\u00a0Resin events<\/a><\/p>\n

Last Easter Sunday at Duffy\u2019s bar saw the final showdown in the first round of Metal 2 The Masses \u2013 and four stalwart contenders entered the arena to give it a sterling send off.<\/p>\n

First up were BlackHawkDown<\/strong>, an immensely watchable five piece, whose hard-rock flavoured brand of classic metal had shades of Mastodon<\/strong> and Metallica<\/strong>. The group has been taking time away from gigging recently in order to record their latest album, but despite this, their performance was extremely well executed.<\/p>\n

Singer Ben snarled through the set, his swaggering vocals a flawless foil to their riff-driven arrangements. Rousing choruses, solos sprinkled with pinch harmonics, and artful breaks combined to create well-structured, memorable songs, which soon had the crowd shouting along.<\/p>\n

\"\"BlackHawkDown Photo: Kevin Gaughan<\/p>\n

InSickness were next to shoulder their way onto the stage, their serene, euphonic intro initially lulling the audience into a false sense of security, before thumping them in the face with a muscular blast of noise. The onslaught did not abate, with drummer, Valkan, displaying an almost pneumatic ability to pummel the double bass pedal into abject submission, at one point doing a solid four bars of blast beats.<\/p>\n

Doomy, sludge-filled breakdowns, and more chugging than a student pub-crawl, contributed to create the kind of raw, barbaric belligerence that one expects from a metal gig. It wasn\u2019t all uncompromising brutality, however \u2013 final track \u201cAnother One Done<\/em>\u201d featured more melodic, sustained chords, with a cleanly sung chorus, reminiscent perhaps of Killswitch Engage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"In Sickness Photo: Kevin Gaughan<\/p>\n

Playing in third position were Nottinghamshire-based newcomers Omen Machine<\/strong>, who transfixed the crowd with an earnest, energetic performance. The group\u2019s dual lead guitarists seamlessly transitioned between primal, synchronised riffs, delicate, diaphanous picking, and merciless, monumental solos, providing the perfect counterpoint to their uncompromising rhythm section, which was impeccably tight throughout.<\/p>\n

The band had great chemistry onstage, particularly vocalist Matt, who sang, shouted, and screamed his way through the set with utter conviction, proving himself a natural frontperson. They acquitted themselves so well that I was stunned to later discover that this was only Omen Machine\u2019s fourth gig \u2013 they are definitely ones to watch.<\/p>\n

\"\"Omen Machine Photo: Kevin Gaughan<\/p>\n

Last, but most certainly not least, were Diceratops<\/strong>. Distinctive though their dinosaur-inspired name may be, it was nonetheless eclipsed by their eclectic, multifaceted sound, which exhibited an expansive range of influences. Aspects of prog, hard rock, and tech-metal (amongst many others) added nuance and variety to their core, classic style. This incredible versatility was matched by lead singer Rory\u2019s remarkable voice, which ranged from an ultra-sonic, Iron-Maiden<\/strong>-esque scream, to harsh, guttural, lows, with a rich vibrato-tinged baritone in between.<\/p>\n

The effect was further enhanced by drummer and backing vocalist, Gee, who found time amidst his intricate rhythms to underpin Rory\u2019s incendiary high notes with his own growling lows. Throw in a fretless bass guitar, and some cracking, shredding solos, and it\u2019s no surprise that Diceratops received a response of prehistoric proportions.<\/p>\n

\"\"Diceratops Photo: Kevin Gaughan<\/p>\n

It was a night of exceptional performances, and the audience stood by with baited breath to see who would make it through to the quarter finals. It was worth the wait, with not two, but three winners announced: Diceratops, Omen Machine, and finally \u201cwild card\u201d entry BlackHawkDown.<\/p>\n

Watch this video of Liz Marriott interviewing Diceratops and their performance of Waking the Eye at this gig.
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