Tonight was Core's night so, although musically a mile away, it was gratifying to see a band like Coma Toast, not only provide solid and creditable suppport but go down really well with the audience, most of whom were present throughout the set. The band, for those unfamiliar, are a mix of rock, funk and fusion, but with some wondrously flowing songs and strong, streaming instrumentation. The lead singer, a tall dude with flowing dreadlocks, has this gruff roar of a vocal that sounds like a rockier George Melly, and for the uninitiated, it seems a bit out of place at first hearing, but the more you get into this band, the more you warm to its charms and realise exactly how well it fits the material. The arrangements of the songs are consistently engaging, so much so that you stand there mesmerised at the whole thing, unaware that very little of it is the stuff of hooks and choruses. There's a real cohesive quality to the band and whether it's the tasty guitar work, often recalling the likes of Frank Zappa or Funkadelic, or the throbbing, pounding electric bass work that's full of floor-shaking funk thunder, allied to the ever dependable drum work that lurches and drives the songs through or the rhythm guitar depth, you're always under its spell. Like the best concept albums, you don't single out any one thing, you simply enjoy it all for what it is. Simply put, a Coma Toast gig is a thoroughly rewarding experience - and you can dance to it.
Deliver Us From Evil were almost a straight down the line hardcore metal band and the problem here is that there are tons of these things around - they breed like rabbits and are just about as indistinctive. To be fair to the band, it wasn't until about half way through that you could hear both guitars out front and then the sound became a whole lot chunkier. Despite this, however, for there was some solid guitar interplay, the songs just didn't rise above the "heard it all before" category, only occasional glimpses of potential coming through towards the end. Someone once said about my reviews that the worst thing for a band is not that I disliked them, but that I couldn't think of a thing to say about them - this one was close!!
Core, however, shone - like a thousand suns!! That they pretty well played the whole of the new album straight through with only the shortes of breaks in between was a testament to the confidence with which they approachded the songs, now sounding hotter, more cohesive than ever, heavier and altogether tighter, all would by a ferocity that's jaw-dropping and a sense of dynamics in the arrangements that is what sets the band apart from their peers. For a trio, the depth of sound that they unleash is awesome, with drums so crunchy and powerful, you think the whole kit will crash through the stage at any minute as Gav whips up this storm of driving rhythms to grind your head into a positive pulp. This is underpinned and propelled by Robi's stomach-churning electric bass work that vibrates to your very soul as this monster bass thunder makes the likes of Gene Simmons sound like Bucks Fizz. On top of this, Bri paves the way with guitar work that flares, burns, sears, glows and explodes, veering through all points between psychdelic swirl and death riff overload. Add to this, one amazing vocal that ranges from snarl and sneer to roar and holler, and you have simply the finest metal trio in Scotland right now. Every song is a heavy rock fan's wet dream, as the dynamics of arrangement make them sound even heavier, even more nuclear, the highs being as high as they come, the drop-downs even more sinister, the building process so natural, it's like watching someone building the pyramids at high speed in front of your eyes before demolishing them only to rebuild almost immediately.
The rock power is blinding, the songs breathtaking, the album stunning - and performed live, the effect is one of molten intensity. But it didn't end with the album - no way!! They launched into the crowd pleasing RATM cover that they do so well and that had the audience dancing and leaping like dervishes. Now you might havge thought they'd have ended it there - the whole album, a crowd-pleasing cover and out - but they had two more aces up their sleeves. The first was a cover of The Prodigy's "Firestarter" and trust me when I say that they stomped over the original, improving it a hundred-fold, substituting the annoying accented vocal and pseudo industrial dance beats of the original with a density of explosive power that stops you in your tracks as they metallise the song into something where the only misgiving you have is why no metal band ever thought of this before!! I normally hate this track, but in their hands it was absolute perfection and possibly the best ever metal cover of a dance track that I've heard to date. But, even through all this, what came last was as surprising as it was welcomed. They announced a new number - and proceeded to launch into this mind-blowing track that was Core at their fastest, but - and get this!! - a track that Motorhead would have killed to have produced!! Yeh - this was unbelievably great - metal commercial potential wrapped in a fiery furnace heat of awesome blazing power on a song that couldn't have you fail to headbang, dance, leap and just stand there letting it take you over, depending on your persuasion. If this is an example of what's to come, this band are gonna be immense. For now, thewy've produced a debut album that's massive, a live set that's even bigger and a stage presence that's electrifying - the only way is up!!