Hello folks! Season’s greetings,
and all that jazz! Hope you’re doing well, and your festive cheer hasn’t been
worn down to a stump by the current pro/anti ‘top ten/five’ internet article
grumbles, debates, and rants that have been circulating. It hasn’t? Well, that’s
jolly good! Because, guess what! Underground In Prydain is going to hit you
with another one! This is our Fave Five metal moments of 2015!
Before we start firing out any
names, however, let’s lay out the parameters. This isn’t a ‘best album’ or ‘best
band’ list. 2015 has been an absolutely fantastic year for underground
releases, and pitting them against each other to pick ‘winners’ would be nigh
on impossible. Instead, this is, as the title suggest, five favourite moments
which have occurred in the circles of Underground In Prydain’s - and Critical
Events’ – corner of the UK scene.
It’s also worth pointing out
that, even with the list broken down to five, it’s difficult, if not
impossible, to choose between these, so there is no order of preference – one entry
is just as exciting as the next to us! So, without further ado, UIP’s Fave Five
Metal Moments of 2015!
Reign Of Fury’s UK attack
2015 saw this lot change the word
‘Reign’ from merely part of their band name and into a purpose of being. Anyone
would be forgiven for thinking they had just been signed to some significant
indie label, such was the veracity with which they assaulted Ol’ Blighty this
year. A steady stream of fairly high profile live appearances was backed up
with a blinding array of rewards for investors in the crowdfunding campaign for
their second full-length ‘Death Be Thy Shepherd’. Not only were there copies of
the album on CD, but also coloured vinyl, blood-splatter imports (we know where
at least one of those ended up), test pressings; it was quite simply a lot of
fun to watch this enthusiastic group at work, and to witness what former
manager Andy Pilkington helped them to achieve.
(Reign Of Fury opening up Bloodstock Open Air 2015)
Diesel King covering Toto
It’s not all business here. Everybody
loves a laugh. Everybody also loves Toto, right? Or at least two of their
better known songs – Africa and Hold The Line. Diesel King certainly do, as
they unleashed a video cover of the latter this year, with a tongue in cheek
character which left many beaming, entertained faces in its wake. This was a
side-line to the release of their Concrete Burial platter, and a significant
helping of live appearances in the UK and mainland Europe, but it was a great
laugh, and likely won a few more followers of their sludged up, death metal
stylings. It’s a great reminder that while you have to be somewhat serious to
get anywhere, laughter brings people together, and can be a fantastic way to
show your human side and connect with the masses. The track has had more than a
few plays at this end, and it almost always leads to the album getting fired
up.
(Diesel King's cover of Hold The Line by Toto)
Krysthla campaign
Aside from having one of the best
releases of 2015 (in our humblest of opinions), A War Of Souls And Desires, and
a killer live show, Krysthla have been all over the metal media. Terrorizer
called them ‘ruthlessly precise’,
while Metal Hammer described AWOSAD as a ‘perfect gateway death metal album',
and tipped them as their Hot New Band. Gracing metal charts and HMV’s in store Recommended
Buy stalls, they surely made an impact not usually accessed by underground
bands. This was thanks in no small part to the exemplary PR work of Stampede
Press, although we get the feeling that Krysthla’s fantastic sound and solid
effort may have had something to do with it, too. For those who want some more
information on this campaign, read UIP’s interview with Stampede’s boss, Rob
Town here.
(Krysthla's video for Luminosity premiered via Metal Hammer)
TBFM launching Breaking Bands
Few radio stations can lay claim
to doing as much for up-and-coming rock and metal talent as TBFM. They even
started a record label, acting as a stepping stone for emerging artists looking
to develop, and aiming to take them to the next level, rather than take them
for every penny they make. Following the ethos of the rest of the TBFM
universe, in 2015 the company launched Breaking Bands Festival; a three day
event designed to ‘bring the very best of
the bands of the future into one place’, putting them alongside the likes
of Breed 77 and Blaze Bayley. The bands who were chosen to play, performed at a
sold out event, which was also shortlisted for Best New Festival at the UK
Festival Awards & Conference 2015. The second Breaking Bands Festival is
due to take place in Bromsgrove, from the 27th to the 30th
of May in 2016, and it will be interesting to see how things pan out for the
venture in future.
(The Heretic Order live at Breaking Bands Festival 2015)
Fear Factory’s nostalgia tour with Dead Label
Whether you love ‘em, hate ‘em,
or fall somewhere in between, Fear Factory were pretty big news to us back in
the mid to late 1990s. While some might feel that they have lost their edge on
recent releases, there’s no arguing that Demanufacture stamped its existence
all over the metal world, and recent touring has seen it performed in full at
every show. If you didn’t already know, the term for this is ‘nostalgia
touring’, taking old classics that people know and love out on the road for
almost guaranteed financial return. Big bands have been doing it for years, but
in FF’s case, it was an exciting occurrence for two reasons. First, this is
traditionally the territory of giants, so, while everyone is saying there will
be no festival headliners in the future, if bands of FF’s vintage are doing
nostalgia tours, they might just be the resounding answer. Secondly, being
pretty sure that it was going to be successful, they grabbed hard working (and
self-booking, from the looks of it) Irish band, Dead Label, as touring support,
showing that the upper end of the industry isn’t closed to underground bands
with a solid work ethic.
(Dead Label performing Ominous live in Madrid on Fear Factory tour)
Bonus entry No. 6 – Hordes Of Belial turned six
Yeah, at the beginning we agreed
on a list of five things, but being part of Critical Events (the company behind
Hordes Of Belial) UIP was incredibly pleased to see Hordes make its
way through a sixth year, putting its existence past the half-a-decade mark. Despite
the ridiculously good line-up for the 2014 edition of the metal showcase event,
the finances didn’t work out that year, and it took a bit of thinking outside
the box, a fistful of scrabbled cash, and some stubborn determination to see the
show go on again this year. Experiencing new bands taking part in something
bigger, and established names play to an intimate, appreciative crowd is its
own reward, but none of us have infinitely deep pockets. However, everything
came together for ‘The 6th Verse’ this year, and we’re very happy to
tell you that arrangements for ‘Hordes Of Belial – 7 & Hell’ are well
underway, with the venue booked for October 1st 2016, and some
brilliant bands already in the works!
(All Consumed live at Hordes Of Belial - The 6th Verse)
Well, we hope you enjoyed our
list. Maybe you’ve just discovered a band or someone working in the industry
who really impressed you, too, or maybe you want to get more involved in our
corner of the music world. Then again, maybe this article has just filled you
with rage at our inadequacies. Either way, feel free to share and comment, but
please, do keep it as polite as you can!
Until next time!
