Band: Romeo Must Die
Support: For(n)ever After, Subsilence
Venue: The Boileroom, Guildford
Date: 10/02/12
Aggressive underground group and touring veterans Romeo Must Die stormed Guildford’s intimate Boileroom in a determined attempt to rise from the ashes of former band Stampin’ Ground. In a vicious attack that the intimate Boileroom could barely contain, they spearheaded an audio charge into an audience that barely knew what hit them.
Forever(n)after had the misfortune of opening to a sparse, disinterested crowd, with a faithful few clinging to to the edge of the stage, but played on unshaken. Simple confidence and energy drove the young local band on in a brave but sometimes awkward set, the highlight of which was definitely Save Me, with a catchy, crowd pleasing chorus and some solid riffs. Despite obvious nerves and a somewhat apathetic majority of the crowd, they never missed a note, playing on fearlessly to scattered applause at the end of each screamed verse. They had the technical aspect of playing live nailed, but a mix of bravado and self indulgence made what would have otherwise been a strong performance feel forced and ultimately unimpressive. Next on the bill were Guildford’s premier doom metal act, Subsilence.
At this point, the crowd had packed out a little, and they were eager to see the show get started. Without hesitation, Subsilence obliged, in a roaring show of power that dragged the stray members of the audience away from the bar and into a mesmerized crowd. Impossible to ignore in the greatest way, they transformed the atmosphere within seconds into a sludge-fuelled pit of piercing riffs and fierce, rumbling backing provided by a bassist wielding her instrument with punishing strength throughout. Gravity Well, I am Megalodon, and Sidewinder all helped the band rule the crowd all the way through their set, with every member standing just as strong together and apart. There was never a dull moment through their abyssal setlist, expertly growled vocals and intensely technical solos resulting in unfaltering applause as each song came to a close. They left the stage to a crowd yelling approval, and doubtlessly earned themselves a few new fans.
It almost seemed like the night was over during the downtime between them and Romeo Must Die, but when they took to the stage, they took it for good. The throbbing ambience and vague disinterest left behind by the penultimate support band was washed away almost instantly. If their support acts hadn’t been enough to enthuse the Boileroom, they succeeded in frenzying the crowd in a matter of seconds, taking attention by force. This is easily the most violently active band I’ve ever seen onstage, filling the venue with almighty presence from song to song. They were driving so heavily at the frantically moving crowd that it quickly became impossible to distinguish one song from the next. Commanding the crowd with unrelenting and slightly intimidating presence, they were completely unforgiving, and everything a good underground band should be, despite the loss of clarity and lyrical substance that came with such visceral energy. The crowd ate up every shredded riff delivered with far more noise and brutality than the support bands had offered. The band are clearly out to reclaim their former title as one of Britain’s most aggressive metal exports, and they’re doing it by any means necessary.
Reviewer: Laurence Braddow
