Now listen here, chosen ones. Sometimes, I get a whiff of opinions like “Thrash Metal is stuck in the 80s” or “It’s old fashioned”. I am here today to proclaim that any views such as this are completely and utterly wrong. And I can prove it to you: the evidencecis in this new release from Toranaga UK.
Toranaga (nowadays with UK affixed) began their Metal onslaught back in the prime days of Thrash: yes, the 1980s. They were reasonably successful: records with Peaceville and Chrysalis, tours with big names. Sadly, the band folded – but they’re back now, and seemingly stronger than ever.
Witness the opening track here, ‘Desecration’. Commencing with a fiery lead, the full force riff soon barges in. It’s fast, it gets faster, a thundering runaway locomotive kept under strict rhythmic control. Track 2, ‘A New Order’, has a disarming melodic intro, before the crunching, super solid riff bludgeons its way in.
This EP delivers Thrash in the classic sense, straight out of the 80s heyday. But Toranaga UK also sound totally contemporary: the production is flawless; the arrangements are just as thrilling as anyhting else out there right now. ‘The Shrine’ and ‘Sword of Damacles’ complete this EP with power and authenticity.
All in all, this “A New Order” EP is a classy offering. Superb, katana-sharp musicianship (the vocals are awesome) and masterful composition, the only crime here is that the audience needs a full album. Toranaga UK are everything that Thrash could and should be – don’t miss out on them this time around.
Here we go with another Pentre Fest, the absolute highlight of my musical calendar! This is the crowning glory of North East Wales Metal Productions‘ festivals – and a huge deal to both the bands and the fans. I couldn’t wait to get to Mclean’s in Deeside and enjoy the music!
This year, another stellar line-up of bands from both near and far, with a good spread of genres. Ever Metal was in full force, with Beth and Mare joining myself for the festivities. With all of us in attendance, we split reporting duties to cover as much as possible as easily as we could.
And so, here are the reviews I composed all by my lonesome, concentrating on musicians that I wanted to contribute to (rather than all of them).
If you want to read the full review, try this here link to Ever Metal.
Friday
Mother Thunder
I saw Mother Thunder play in Pentre a few months back, they were superb. This time around, they were even better. MT play a hard hitting, groove laden take on classic rock/metal – think Thin Lizzy twin guitars with a bit of Maiden chug – and sublime female vocals. Heavy rock with irresistible riffs, Mother Thunder lit up the room and could’ve (should’ve) been higher up the bill.
Apollyon Rising
Filling in last minute, Apollyon Rising were a man down as their bass player was on holiday in Morocco. The selfish git. But with a bit of soundboard wizardry, the remainder of the band confidently gave us a set of prime thrash metal that didn’t shame their reputation one iota. I knew they could pull it off. As a wise man once said, never doubt a band with a killer logo (and the talent to match).
Saturday
DXRK Winter
Thankfully, I managed to catch the latter half of DXRK Winter’s set and I glad I did. They were on first on the main stage in the afternoon, their brutal metal attack was brilliantly performed and went down really well with a crowd that could’ve been chilling, but didn’t. A worthy act to play higher up the bill.
Cry for Mercy
You can’t go wrong with the blues based classic rock swagger of Cry for Mercy. Great tunes, all built around the majesty of the riff and a persuasive groove. I loved every second, it’s a shame they were on so early. Never miss a chance to see Cry For Mercy if you get it. Their new songs were just as good as old, new album is out soon!
Victim of Damp
Frank Williams, aka Victim of Damp, is becoming a popular mainstay of Pentre gigs. His bipolar set comprises one half of mellow, hangover curing melody followed by a series of playful, Pythonesque parodies. And he gets more confident every time.
Bad Earth
It just wouldn’t be Pentre Fest without these guys! Bad Earth delivered a reliably ferocious set of raucous biker rock and despite sound hiccups on the first couple of songs, soldiered on admirably. This was take-no-prisoners rock’n’roll to make Lemmy proud. Their acoustic set was also a blinder, cooking up some awesome sing-a-long responses from the crowd outside.
Mike West & the Missing Links
It’s been a good few years since I saw Mike West play a solo acoustic show at Pentre. Mike’s brand of dark country and bluegrass is now augmented by a band of drums and fiddle, adding a certain folky, Levellers feel to the tracks. A brilliant diversion under the surprisingly blue skies of the late afternoon, this set was further proof that a metal festival can experiment with genres.
The Raging Mables
Now I was really looking forward to seeing this band. I’d enjoyed viewing their Pentre Fest pre-event interview with Beany, plus they have one of the best band names ever. No arguments. The Raging Mables were like the Ramones playing ZZ Top, a 200mph Zeke-like melodic explosion of punk’n’roll. One of the most perfect bands ever.
Toranaga
Back to some welcome thrash metal, it was indeed a huge bonus to get to witness the power of Toranaga at Pentre. These guys are exceptional musicians, their shredding guitars creating a sound akin to classic Bay Area Thrash from the likes of Exodus and Testament. And that is very, very good. Their cover of ‘Mad House’ by Anthrax warmed my ancient heart, too.
Stuntface
Stuntface hail from just up the road in Wrexham, and it was great to see them finally bring their brand of flat-out, relentless hardcore punk to Pentre Fest. Their songs are furious yet melodic, played super-fast and with a huge grin on bass player/vocalist Wayne’s face. An absolute treat – Stuntface must play here again!
What a blast that was! The guys at NEW Metal Productions always put on a heck of a show and this was no exception. Didn’t get tickets for the Black Sabbath gig this summer? Get yourselves out there and support underground metal, you’ll feel better.
My favourite Pentre Fest so far? Only time will tell…
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 