GIG REVIEW: What Happened on the Saturday at Masters of the Riff?
It was only around four days before Masters of the Riff II when I made the decision to take myself down to London and go see a truly stacked roster of bands in the doom, sludge and stoner genres. Would be silly not to, I guess. It was a great way to spend a Saturday (couldn't make the other two days, unfortunately, so had to miss out on Goblinsmoker, Josiah, Gnome, etc). I cidn't go with anyone, but at no point did I feel on my own, with so many friendly faces on the bill and in the audience. The sense of community you get at these grassroots events is just unparalleled and very open, warm and welcoming.
It's my first time in Hackney, let alone at Oslo. After sorting my wristband and eyeing up the bar I stumble upstairs to a mind-altering wall of noise coming from an act I'm not yet familiar with. Troy the Band are absolutely worth making that acquaintance. Their music is just mesmerising. Mixing heavy psych, shoegazey post-metal and stoner doom, they remind me a little of Bristol's Epimetheus with the textures and effects in the guitars, the Geezer Butler-isms on the bass, and undeniable grooves. The vocals are really nice, mostly quite soothing and ethereal, though he employs a bit of grit where needed to great effect. They announce mid-set that their debut album is set to be recorded this month - I'd say to ignore it at your own risk when it does drop. (8/10)
The chunky, beer-chugging stoner metal of Warpstormer is next, and they sure know how to bring a fun atmosphere with them. The riffs are killer, the drummer puts in a real shift with some great tomwork and the vocal performance at the front is also fantastic. Warpstormer play with a lot of energy, though their closing number really dooms hard, boasting some nice vocal harmonies too. I'm a big believer that stoner needs more face-melting guitar solos, and the ripping shreds on stage right really scratch that itch - hats off, sir! Overall, they remind me a bit of Orange Goblin and I'll be keeping tabs on going forward, though for the sake of honest reviewing I didn't find them to be as original as most of today's acts. (7/10)
The room really thickens out for Old Horn Tooth, who have put the event on themselves. It's a nice visual touch to see the band name on their Orange amps - in case you forgot who they were - but if you're not aware, they put on masterful, sprawling jams that gently suck you into a haze, but hold onto you with a vice grip. They are true Masters of the Riff - if they're to sit on one riff for several minutes at a time, you know it's going to be a good one. Their stoner doom is wonderfully hypnotic. They do allow their monolithic riffs to evolve and breathe over the long runtimes - with three songs performed over forty minutes - their forays into mind-expanding psychedelia very much keeps the material alive and dictates the atmosphere in the room. It's a cool touch to see a cowbell brought out for more pounding rhythmic layers, and the tolling of the bell gives a real sense of power and weight to the music. My pick of the bunch is the closing 'Old Horn Tooth' - it just boasts such an evil main riff and when they burst into a fast Sabbathy swing towards the end before running the tempo down to the ground, droney stoner doom rarely feels better. (8.5/10)
I don't have the right words for Wallowing. I didn't know what to expect and I didn't expect what I saw. Before their set, I was chatting to a friend, who asked if I'd seen them before. I got a wry chuckle in response to my negative answer. One part blackened sludge, one part doom, one part nightmarish noise, they provided the most intense, frightening and punishing set of the day. Dressed like faceless, gothic beekeepers and with one member creating a wall of sound from an array of pedals and samples, it's a frantic, cacophonous experience. The screams come from the depths of hell and the drumwork is particularly blistering. The only thing I could say is that I'm not completely sure that the sound is on their side today, and heard by us as intended by them. Once again, I don't have the words to do this justice. See them for yourself if you get the chance. Be prepared. (8/10)
The Brothers Keg always put on a great show and are absolutely lovely to chat to. Their narratives and storytelling are really entertaining, and the stratospheric guitar and vocal effects seem to send you into space. TBK are the kind of band you can mostly just sway around to in your spot - sometimes with big, fat stoner grooves, sometimes with doomier moments that are punishingly heavy. I find the lead guitar work really impressive, too, and they do come across as a well-oiled unit. What's really notable is the intangible feel-good factor that the band ooze while performing. I feel their shameless concept writing adds a layer of fun, if their wide smiles weren't enough. I'd love to see them announce a follow-up record and do a full UK run, they are definitely one of APF Records' hidden treasures. (8/10)
We're getting into the bigger echelons now, and next up is a blistering set from Desert Storm, who I've seen a good few times over the last four or so years. They're on the cusp of bringing out a new album, and the songs that they do play are just brilliant. I really like the proggy, melodic 'Cheyne Stoking', which sees its live premiere tonight, and 'Bad Trip', also played for the first time, has a magnificent, sombre sense of power to it. They open up with another new one, which boasts a killer groove, though they've been playing it for at least a year, and rightly so. Can't wait to hear the studio version. The 'Death Rattle' material feels a little more progressive and mature than 'Omens', which was gut-punchingly heavy. Sure, when they bust out 'The Machine', it's hard not to move yourself to its crushing sonic weight, but it's good that the Storm are keeping things fresh.
They look a little different these days, too. After an unchanged lineup for a long time, Matt Dennett, also of Battalions, now holds down the low end - and with a fantastic stage presence, too. With just the one touring guitarist these days as well, they have to be clever with their setlist choices, though you would only tell over moments such as where the guitar solo to 'Queen Reefer' would be - boasting such a powerful, heavy tone, they get away just fine as a quartet. Matt Ryan's lead vocals are a little quiet from where I'm standing, though that's not his fault. My set highlights have to be the off-time stoner doom worship of 'Titan', or the glorious 'Cheyne Stoking', with its rumbling basslines and pounding rhythms. The new record's already shaping up to be one of their best. (8.5/10)
I'm a relatively new convert to the Slomatics cult, having seen them for the first time at a festival I was playing last autumn, with the daunting task of having to go on after them! I'd known of them because of their split with Conan, and I guess the two bands are sonically adjacent. Conan's 'caveman battle doom' tag seems to sum them up to an extent, though I'd liken the spacey soulfulness of Slomatics as akin to the middle of a black hole in deep space. Their distinctive sound, made from two heavily detuned strings at the bottom of the guitar register an octave apart, really makes the bass reverberate around the room, letting you feel the music in your bones. It's an incredibly effective wall of noise from two complementary guitarists - no bass guitars needed! - a hypnotic, textural psychedelia lurks within, illuminated by transcendental soloing and inventive drum fills at the back.
Amongst the crushing riffs, Marty puts in a fantastic vocal performance whilst pounding out the rhythms the kit. His singing ranges from being soft and soulful to more gritty and apocalyptic when it needs to be, and it's a refreshing difference to hear some clean vocals in such crushing modern doom metal. Being stood directly in front of Chris on stage left, it's interesting to look over his pedals and notice him use a mellotron pedal for more trippy layering - it's really effective during the opening chord progression to 'Ulysses, My Father', for example, a clear set highlight for me. The return to earth and accompanying silence when they finish and the spell is broken is deafening. (9/10)
Last, but far from least, are doom overlords Conan. Playing with David from Fudge Tunnel on bass tonight, who also doubles up on the absent Chris Fielding's vocal parts really well, Conan are truly a mighty beast of a live performer. It's my first chance to hear the 'Evidence of Immortality' material, which was one of my favourite records of 2022. 'Levitation Hoax' has to be up there with some of the best material that Conan have ever released. The intro gets you air-drumming, and it's really quite cathartic to shout along to the 'unborn son' lyrics, though perhaps that's partly to do with the copious amounts of booze we're all on by this time of night. The older likes of 'Total Conquest' or 'Prosper On The Path' still absolutely kill it every time they play; every single song is very warmly received.
The crowd go wild, and we see the first and only pits of the day during Conan's set. There's something special about the way that Conan manage to fill entire rooms with fuzz, feedback and wailing vocal lines. This is the way they've gained a reputation - along with a fantastic visual aesthetic on their albums and merchandise - and this is why they connect with so many. Everyone remembers their first time seeing Conan. Johnny King has to be one of the most inventive and unique drummers in the genre, and when the band launch into the more hardcore-inspired or blast-y moments, he controls these speeds equally well as he does at their much slower moments. It's a real ballache that I have to shoot off to catch my coach home before the end of their set! (8.5/10)
A final shoutout to London Doom Collective for putting on such a fantastic event.
MN
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