Fleshgod Apocalypse @ Cathouse, Glasgow (15th February 2020)
with: Bloodshot Dawn
Hosted by: Hamilton Hunter
WORDS: Ross Donald
I currently seem to be picking great days to attend gigs. The last 3 that I’ve been to have been where there has been
warnings to stay off the roads due to stormy weather. This was no exception. Even better was the fact that the venue opened its doors 15 minutes late, putting everyone in the queue in a melancholy mood. It didn’t help that the
show was a victim of the ongoing Slay epidemic.
For those who don't know, metal gigs in Glasgow are now all too commonly booked at the always unopened Slay venue, only to be thrown over to a different venue at the last moment’s notice. It’s becoming extremely tiresome and this particular gig was a prime example of why it needs to stop. But I’ll get onto this later.
For those who don't know, metal gigs in Glasgow are now all too commonly booked at the always unopened Slay venue, only to be thrown over to a different venue at the last moment’s notice. It’s becoming extremely tiresome and this particular gig was a prime example of why it needs to stop. But I’ll get onto this later.
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| Image credit: Bloodshot Dawn |
There were only 2 bands booked for tonight with the first being the Portsmouth-based Bloodshot Dawn; a four-piece technical
metal band with just a sprinkling of thrash thrown on there.
I did listen to these guys before the gig, but I made the apparent mistake of listening to their latest record (2018’s Reanimation), which didn’t really impress me. It seems that their previous albums focused more on melodic death metal and these were much better listens for me.
I don’t have the setlist for the show to hand, but it seems that whenever they played tracks from Reanimation, the technical/sci-fi effects they had in the background distracted me a little bit, even while the performance was still damn good. Whenever they seemed to play tracks from older albums though, the band were firing on all cylinders. Even with a disappointingly small crowd (a result of the venue uncertainty, I assume), I found the performance to be adrenalizing for those in attendance after standing out in the rain for a bit. There was plenty of raucous guitar riffs and solos, and many moments designed for headbanging as hard as possible.
While I didn’t think much of the band before the gig, they definitely impressed me here and probably made a few new fans along the way. I think it’s time I checked out their older material. A nice energising start.
I did listen to these guys before the gig, but I made the apparent mistake of listening to their latest record (2018’s Reanimation), which didn’t really impress me. It seems that their previous albums focused more on melodic death metal and these were much better listens for me.
I don’t have the setlist for the show to hand, but it seems that whenever they played tracks from Reanimation, the technical/sci-fi effects they had in the background distracted me a little bit, even while the performance was still damn good. Whenever they seemed to play tracks from older albums though, the band were firing on all cylinders. Even with a disappointingly small crowd (a result of the venue uncertainty, I assume), I found the performance to be adrenalizing for those in attendance after standing out in the rain for a bit. There was plenty of raucous guitar riffs and solos, and many moments designed for headbanging as hard as possible.
While I didn’t think much of the band before the gig, they definitely impressed me here and probably made a few new fans along the way. I think it’s time I checked out their older material. A nice energising start.
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| Image credit: Fleshgod Apocalypse |
It was then time for the main event as Italian symphonic metal legends
Fleshgod Apocalypse made their way to the stage. As they made their way on,
it was pretty clear that the stage in the Cathouse was way too small for their
set and that the sound system wasn’t going to be able to handle what was happening.
If you’ve listened to the band before, you would know that there’s normally quite a lot going on as there's a full death metal band at the forefront whilst being accompanied by a operatic female singer, a keyboardist and any other backing tracks they can throw on there for a more symphonic effect. It was clear from the first track ‘The Violation’ that the sound wasn’t quite right as it sounded just like a wall of noise with not much of the original track being presented. They seemed to fix the sound for the next track ‘Healing Through War’ which did sound a lot better though. The good times rolled through to newer tracks ‘Monnalisa’ (complete with a lovely ending section from Veronica Bordacchini who provided some excellent vocal work) and the surreal track 'Sugar’. It seemed like the band were back on track.
Then we hit some of the heavier tracks like ‘Minotaur (The Wrath of Poseidon)’ and ‘Fury’ and it again went back to that wall of noise sound where you couldn't hear much of what was going on. I don’t blame the band for these issues at all as I’ve heard that they’re an excellent live band. It’s just a shame they’ve been put in a venue that didn't meet their needs. I was already feeling a little ill before going to this show due to having a cold and the weather certainly didn’t help, but I was determined I was going to stay to the end. But the sound issues changed all that and my patience ran thin.
I knew the setlist from previous shows and decided to leave after ‘The Day We’ll Be Gone’. Thankfully this may have been the best track of the night, as Veronica really getting to show off her vocal chops without all that pesky death metal getting in the way. Having looked at the setlist, I knew the rest of the show would largely centre around heavier tracks, and I knew that the sound would probably suffer as a result, so I just went home.
It’s a damn shame that Fleshgod Apocalypse's set ended up being so disappointing for me as the band is worth the attention. Especially after last year’s Veleno was such a great album with a ton of tracks worth playing live. Again I don’t blame the band for this at all as they appeared to try their hardest and many commendations to Veronica for a stellar vocal performance whenever she was used. But the band should have been given time to prepare in a better venue and not just thrown into a new one on barely a day’s notice.
Another Slay fumble.
If you’ve listened to the band before, you would know that there’s normally quite a lot going on as there's a full death metal band at the forefront whilst being accompanied by a operatic female singer, a keyboardist and any other backing tracks they can throw on there for a more symphonic effect. It was clear from the first track ‘The Violation’ that the sound wasn’t quite right as it sounded just like a wall of noise with not much of the original track being presented. They seemed to fix the sound for the next track ‘Healing Through War’ which did sound a lot better though. The good times rolled through to newer tracks ‘Monnalisa’ (complete with a lovely ending section from Veronica Bordacchini who provided some excellent vocal work) and the surreal track 'Sugar’. It seemed like the band were back on track.
Then we hit some of the heavier tracks like ‘Minotaur (The Wrath of Poseidon)’ and ‘Fury’ and it again went back to that wall of noise sound where you couldn't hear much of what was going on. I don’t blame the band for these issues at all as I’ve heard that they’re an excellent live band. It’s just a shame they’ve been put in a venue that didn't meet their needs. I was already feeling a little ill before going to this show due to having a cold and the weather certainly didn’t help, but I was determined I was going to stay to the end. But the sound issues changed all that and my patience ran thin.
I knew the setlist from previous shows and decided to leave after ‘The Day We’ll Be Gone’. Thankfully this may have been the best track of the night, as Veronica really getting to show off her vocal chops without all that pesky death metal getting in the way. Having looked at the setlist, I knew the rest of the show would largely centre around heavier tracks, and I knew that the sound would probably suffer as a result, so I just went home.
It’s a damn shame that Fleshgod Apocalypse's set ended up being so disappointing for me as the band is worth the attention. Especially after last year’s Veleno was such a great album with a ton of tracks worth playing live. Again I don’t blame the band for this at all as they appeared to try their hardest and many commendations to Veronica for a stellar vocal performance whenever she was used. But the band should have been given time to prepare in a better venue and not just thrown into a new one on barely a day’s notice.
Another Slay fumble.
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Thanks to Ross for his review of Fleshgod Apocalypse at the Cathouse, and thanks to you for checking this out! Feel free to leave a comment below or you can help support RWEI by giving us a like/follow on the socials. As always, we're open to submissions and/or contributions from bands and writers in Glasgow and beyond so give us an email or message if you're interested.
Cheers!
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