Retribution Alive – Lethal Evil / Drones / Die Kur / Kill II This – The Underworld, London – 18.01.2025

 

January started slowly for us, a good way to recover from the holiday season and also a way to gather some energy for what comes ahead!! So, our first night out with concerts was on the 18^th when Alan delivered one more night of Retribution Alive!! This time it was in the Underworld and there were new and old names to see and revisit.

We lost a bit of time on shenanigans so when we got to the venue Lethal Evil was already thrashing their way around. Before heading to the floor, we stop by the bar because you need to keep hydrated and this time, I chose Deya as my choice of beverage for the night!!! The London trio have a sound that drinks from the Thrash godz like Kreator or Sepultura and opened with a lot of energy this evening. We only caught a couple of songs from them included their new single “We Fight” and must say we will keep an eye for future appearances in the city by these guys!!

Next was Drones from Margate, Kent, a young quartet that delivered an interesting alternative Metal sound with plenty of different influences very well mashed!! They brought a ton of positive energy to the Underworld, which I think infected everyone present!! Great vocals (excellent range and a great stage presence), some excellent riffs, and a thick sound on the rhythm section, makes of this new horde, one to watch out for the future!! A couple of songs got stuck in my head like “Glass Houses”, “I’m Dying to Survive” or the very catchy “Love Me/Hate Me”, so that’s always a good sign!!!

Back to the bar for one more Deya, and next on stage was Die Kur, a veteran band from the London scene, which we had the chance to see already a couple of times!! Their music is quite challenging with a lot happening in stage, from the theremin and keyboards played by the singer, to the violin pieces or the very technical bass lines, they have a very unique sound. I can’t say is my usual choice of music but being honest, it was quite a good performance with some strong songs, and you can see the band was enjoying themselves on stage, which then usually transmits to the audience.

Back up to the bar, toilet and then another beer (honestly sometimes I don’t know why I work as the intermediary for the beer as it always ends in the same place but well, still looking for the meaning of life)!!! And last band to go on stage was Kill II This, a quartet which delivers a Thrash Metal with plenty of modern influences (in the 00’s that is). My history with these guys goes around almost 30 years earlier, when I saw them opening for Megadeth in Cascais, Portugal, on the Cryptic Writings tour!!! At the time, they only had one demo and their debut album, and it was cool that on this night they played pretty much the entire demo with songs like “Crucified” or “The Flood” sounding very catchy after those three decades. They also have a new album (which is their first with the new singer) and of course they had to show some of those songs like “Deus” or “ComaKarma”, which must say, sounded very good. Very tight sound, great stage presence, good riffs (courtesy of the man which has been always there, Mark Mynett) and again one other band which seemed to be enjoying the evening very much. I think this concert also marked the return of Caroline Campbell on bass (she spent a couple of years in the band in the late 90’s) and it seemed she’s been there all her life!! Our friend Trigger was ecstatic with their show, so it had to be great!!! An excellent way to end this night!! As we had another concert the next day, we did an early exit, with a mandatory stop at Woody's for a nice meat and chips!!

So congratz to Alan for one more Retribution Alive, and to a million more to happen in the future!!!

The Infernal Sea / Necronautical / Darkest Era / Deitus – The Underworld, London - 10.02.2024

 

The 2^nd Saturday of February brought to London quite a few concerts which we would like to go but, in the end, we had to choose one, and we chose this great package that featured four very good bands!! Before heading to the Underworld, we met our friend Galas at the Black Heart for some Lightbulbs (steadily becoming one of my favourite beers) and a bit of warming up!! Then head on to THE UNDERWORLD!!

DEITUS opened the ceremonies, and early on we were being attacked by their fast uncompromised Black Metal. Presenting a new album (which came out in 2023) called “Irreversible”, the London horde did not disappoint all those already gathered in the Underworld when they got on stage. Their Black Metal has a bit of a Thrashy sound which for me fits quite well and makes some of their songs very catchy and headbanging!! There was melody, anger, great riffs, and soaring vocals, which created a very good atmosphere for this first concert of the day!!

Second band in stage, were their labelmates (hell thinking better all the bands tonight are with Candlelight Records) DARKEST ERA, a band which we had seen a couple of months before at The Black Heart, and it was very good to see them again, and this time with a bit more people in the crowd!! They are an awesome bunch, and their music is right down my alley: a mix of Doomish Heavy Metal with their Celtic heritage and a lot of epicness!! They also released an album not long ago: 2022’s “Wither On The Vine” (which I brought home in vinyl format and signed by a couple of them) which they presented a couple of tracks here like “Floodlands” and “The Collapse”. I don’t want to repeat myself too much, but these guys are a great band, and every time I see them, I think I’m more, and more into their music!! Their songs are like a journey into older times, where vocalist Krum serves as guide and troubadour. They play as tight as you could ask, with every riff being thrown at you with all their might and precision, catchy solos, thick bass lines, and drums very steady, with just the right amount of strength. I didn’t want it to end but when it came, I accepted as a grown man and moved to the bar for a pint of cold Camden Pale Ale!!

Another known name to us, and pretty much to everyone in the UK, were the next guests: NECRONAUTICAL!! I don’t think I ever saw a not so good concert from these guys, and today it wasn’t different!! They came, they saw, and they conquered, it’s my final idea!! Their riffs haunt you, hours after they finished their set, the tempo changes are immense, Naut’s vocals are the devil in disguise, there’s so much happening but in a way that seems clear to the listener. You can feel daunted by the images which seem to come out of their music, but you can’t look away from the beauty/horror of it!! I got so immersed in their music, and so tired after it, that when The Infernal Sea came on stage, I was pretty much empty and only saw a couple of their songs and went to the bar to harass the Darkest Era guys ahaha!! The fact I was going to see them twice in the next couple of weeks made me feel a bit less guilty!!

Overall, it was a beast of a night, with a great packed The Underworld, which is always a great image, and a lot of good UK bands, giving their best!!!