Catharsis…that’s one way of explaining MUTATION…another and quite frankly more appropriate description would be an exorcism…because that’s practically what GINGER put himself through recently while writing the band’s latest material. He invited EXIT INTERNATIONAL’s Scott Lee Andrews to his caravan in order to put demo’s together for what would eventually become the album “Dark Black” released earlier this year and the process was grueling…fueled by a mixture of deep depression, alcohol abuse, anxiety, alcohol abuse, inner torment and a complete hatred for society (and some more alcohol abuse) they put together one of the fiercest and most unforgiving collection of tracks ever recorded…but could the extreme hostility of this freshly butchered slab of punk-inspired metal work as a live concept? Could they channel so much bile on tour night after night? Well recently we found out as they rolled in Cardiff with an act of depuration rarely seen on stage…and they didn’t come alone…let’s see what went down…
The gig gets underway thanks to a specially reformed ALL THE DAMN VAMPIRES [7] and this whole thing takes on a somewhat incestuous feeling…let me explain…drummer/vocalist Matt Riste and guitarist/vocalist Gavin Jessop were previously in a band you may have heard of called MIDASUNO…so was Scott Lee Andrews, who now plays for Mutation…who are headlining tonight…I don’t know whether to classify this as a mini-reunion or to put it out there right here and now that Welsh bands have been inbreeding…regardless, after walking on stage to “Cry Little Sister” from "Lost Boys" (where their name derives) they get things going with a fantastically feral performance! Gavin, utterly restless performing just as much of their opening set in the crowd as he does on stage…with their brash brand of hardcore alternative punk taken to the utmost extremities…the impact is both intense and impressive. The sound quality on the mic was often overshadowed by the animalistic nature of their music but their sheer energy and charisma carried them through what was ultimately a fun, albeit ferocious start...with a new lease of life and new material on the way next year, this was promising!
Next up were fellow Welsh mental dental rockers MADE OF TEETH [5] who have recently dropped their newest self-titled mini album, continue in grating the audiences faces against a mesh of stoner-inspired aggressive punk-metal…tracks like “Drunk On Bleach” and “Bleak Phlegm” sounding as charming as you’d imagine as guitarist/vocalist Chris West growls his way through their set…having been on the underground circuit for many years in a range of psychedelic stoner/doom bands their performance is tight despite the obvious insanity of their sound, and though while we can appreciate the professionalism it lacks the entertainment value that tonight’s opening band had it ever so slightly brings the mood down…
Finally then, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…not so much as excited fans ready to see their favourite band in the world…no…this is more like an experiment…this was a collection of scientific minds stood in anticipation waiting on the Manhattan Project, ready to detonate…and boy does this bomb go off. From the moment MUTATION [8] open up with “Authenticity” we are hit with a near visible shock-wave of brutally uncompromising sludge…with Ginger, Scott and drummer Denzel all lined up at the very front of the stage, they form a wall of noise that would put Donald Trump into an orgasmic seizure the sheer weight and scale of it…the majority of tonight’s set focuses primarily only the new album…with “Toxins” sounding positively insane, and “Hate”, despite its surprisingly infectious groove, totally pummeling the audience into satisfaction, it’s wonderful! There’s a mid-set of older tracks taken from “Error 500” to appease long-time sufferers, before they end the night with a double (over)dose of “Dogs” and “Deterioration”…having witnessed tonight’s show, it’s a wonder Ginger’s caravan is still standing, I dread to think what that poor little holiday home went through…but on the flip-side, this is a project that simply has to be respected. There is no leniency here, there is no mercy…this is more than music, this is the perfect encapsulation of a troubled frame of mind, wound wonderfully around sonic bombardment…to the three men on stage, I quite simply have to say well done. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and get my ears syringed…
The gig gets underway thanks to a specially reformed ALL THE DAMN VAMPIRES [7] and this whole thing takes on a somewhat incestuous feeling…let me explain…drummer/vocalist Matt Riste and guitarist/vocalist Gavin Jessop were previously in a band you may have heard of called MIDASUNO…so was Scott Lee Andrews, who now plays for Mutation…who are headlining tonight…I don’t know whether to classify this as a mini-reunion or to put it out there right here and now that Welsh bands have been inbreeding…regardless, after walking on stage to “Cry Little Sister” from "Lost Boys" (where their name derives) they get things going with a fantastically feral performance! Gavin, utterly restless performing just as much of their opening set in the crowd as he does on stage…with their brash brand of hardcore alternative punk taken to the utmost extremities…the impact is both intense and impressive. The sound quality on the mic was often overshadowed by the animalistic nature of their music but their sheer energy and charisma carried them through what was ultimately a fun, albeit ferocious start...with a new lease of life and new material on the way next year, this was promising!
Next up were fellow Welsh mental dental rockers MADE OF TEETH [5] who have recently dropped their newest self-titled mini album, continue in grating the audiences faces against a mesh of stoner-inspired aggressive punk-metal…tracks like “Drunk On Bleach” and “Bleak Phlegm” sounding as charming as you’d imagine as guitarist/vocalist Chris West growls his way through their set…having been on the underground circuit for many years in a range of psychedelic stoner/doom bands their performance is tight despite the obvious insanity of their sound, and though while we can appreciate the professionalism it lacks the entertainment value that tonight’s opening band had it ever so slightly brings the mood down…
Finally then, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…not so much as excited fans ready to see their favourite band in the world…no…this is more like an experiment…this was a collection of scientific minds stood in anticipation waiting on the Manhattan Project, ready to detonate…and boy does this bomb go off. From the moment MUTATION [8] open up with “Authenticity” we are hit with a near visible shock-wave of brutally uncompromising sludge…with Ginger, Scott and drummer Denzel all lined up at the very front of the stage, they form a wall of noise that would put Donald Trump into an orgasmic seizure the sheer weight and scale of it…the majority of tonight’s set focuses primarily only the new album…with “Toxins” sounding positively insane, and “Hate”, despite its surprisingly infectious groove, totally pummeling the audience into satisfaction, it’s wonderful! There’s a mid-set of older tracks taken from “Error 500” to appease long-time sufferers, before they end the night with a double (over)dose of “Dogs” and “Deterioration”…having witnessed tonight’s show, it’s a wonder Ginger’s caravan is still standing, I dread to think what that poor little holiday home went through…but on the flip-side, this is a project that simply has to be respected. There is no leniency here, there is no mercy…this is more than music, this is the perfect encapsulation of a troubled frame of mind, wound wonderfully around sonic bombardment…to the three men on stage, I quite simply have to say well done. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and get my ears syringed…
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