The Anvil, Bournemouth
As with always, whenever there five bands on the bill, I arrive late and miss the first one. In this case it was Portsmouth’s Southern Doom blues outfit Victus. I caught the last bit of the last song and was fucking around with the camera too much trying to get (my one and only shot) to even gage the music. Luckily I have seen them before and they are always good live but I can’t really comment on this shows performance.
Victus
Duskwood I did manage to catch, which is good because they were the first band on at a previous gig and I had missed them then. The Yeovil stalwarts delivered an accomplished set of Stoner grungy style rock, which had the Anvil crowd nodding their heads in appreciation. See our review of their album here.
The third band on the bill were the mighty Thuum, local lads that stepped up the proceedings with a brutal set of Sludgey Doomy goodness that had the front row head-banging in unison and mosh pits breaking out on the faster songs. The Skyrim influenced band engaged the audience thoroughly, conducting multiple forays from the stage into the thick of things, even getting the Anvil’s doorman to introduce the song Hafgufa. Great stuff!
What can I say about 2nd on the bill Conjurer apart from the fact that they are one of the best bands on the circuit right now. The mix of progressive Death/Doom/Extreme metal has the crowd standing slack-jawed watching what could be the new “I saw them when they played a 100 capacity venue” shtick. Blistering riffs combined with a mesmerizing stage presence make Conjurer a band looking to conquer the world and judging on the performance they gave… they just might!
The headliners Monolord make a good fist of having to follow a band on top of their game and do an admirable job in serving the audience their methodical Doom, but seemed a little deflated on the first two numbers. They slowly started warming to the gig and proceeded to get more into their Sabbath inspired thunderous grooves, finishing with an epic rendition of Empress Rising. Solid end to their set.
Setlist
Monolord
1. Where Death Meets The Sea
2. Lord of Suffering
3. Forgotten Lands
4. Wormland
5. Rust
6. Empress Rising
Links
http://monolord.com
https://www.facebook.com/conjureruk
https://www.facebook.com/thuumuk
http://www.duskwood.co.uk
http://www.victus.band
Words and photos: Dan O’Gara
