By Monk and The Dark Queen
This was supposed to be the second of two dates on the island of Ireland by Lancastrian thrash veterans Xentrix, making a welcome return to these shores after far too long away… but the curse of Friday the 13th had put the kibosh on the first show in Dublin, after their van took it upon itself to lock all their gear in the back. Fortunately for the Belfast crowd, however, their quest to find a locksmith north of the border proved a lot more fruitful than that down south and so, in the best showbiz tradition, this three-band thrash fest went ahead, thus warming the cockles of our hardened metallic hearts on what turned out to be a surprisingly chilly spring Saturday night.
Kicking the ass out of opening proceedings are Wexford quartet Animator, taking to the stage just ten minutes after the doors open, but nevertheless in front of an already healthy (numbers-wise that is) crowd. They quickly launch into a set of classic, Anthrax-style thrash – although they do briefly veer into a more melodeath mien with the first of several new songs they unveil this evening – and deliver a pure sonic attack that leaves no head unbanged and no neck unsnapped as they deliver a set that is tighter than a novice nun’s fanny. Great stuff from a great band who have been standard bearers for the thrash genre on this little island for quite some time – and undoubtedly will be for some time to come \m/
Ironically, given the events of the previous day, the last time local heroes Sinocence had played live was a Friday the 13th – of March 2020, when they were part of the last bill to appear at this very same venue before the first Covid lockdown. Since then, they’ve gone through a slight line-up change, finding themselves without a drummer until just four weeks before returning to the stage. But, despite that, and the fact that they’d had only one full rehearsal, they hit hard and heavy right from the off, demonstrating pure hunger to be back and doing what they do best, while emphatically declaring that it is most definitely a ‘Long Way Down’ from here.
New song ‘Incarcerated’ sums up how we’ve all felt for the majority of the past two years, and is delivered with bucket loads of venom and pissed-off attitude, especially on the part of frontman Duane Watson, who once again proves a true force of nature and a key ingredient in the band’s revitalization. A true powerhouse at the back, drummer Stephen Brown may be only a stand-in at this stage, but he proves once again what a truly awesome musician he is, and I think he would make an amazing addition to the band’s full-time line-up, as despite the brevity of the current incarnation they are tighter than a sugar-soaped mohawk (to quote DQ’s scrawled note!). ‘Perfect Denial’ provides a tumultuous conclusion to a tsunami-inducing set from a band angry, hungry and ready for more…
…And if the Sins were hungry, then Xentrix are absolutely fucking ravenous as they power into their Big Four-inducing classic thrash set quicker than our pet wolf devouring a leftover pizza. Their taut precision just as immediately produces some serious neck-snapping, not just among the diehard fans gathered at the front of the stage but even among some of the older fogies sheltering furthering back in the room!
With the band themselves also engaged in perfectly unified headbanging sessions, it’s easy to see why they are one of the ÜK’s premier proponents of the artform that is classic thrash – and the result is nothing short of what a certain local television reporter would describe as “phenomenal”, a lesson – no, a masterclass – in how to do this stuff. There’s no faffing about, no unnecessary widdly-diddlyness – just old-school, see you at the end classicism, highlighted by the use of clean vocals in an era when so many young pretenders seek to emulate their more extreme counterparts by dirtying them down…
There’s also a very nice touch towards the end of the set, when they call Sinocence guitarist Simon Pickett back up onto the stage for an unrehearsed version of ‘Damage Inc.’ – so unrehearsed, in fact, that Si has to read the words off his ‘phone! But, hey, that’s the fun side of heavy metal for ya, and tonight was indeed a lot of old-school fun \m/
- PHOTO CREDIT: All photos © The Dark Queen/Über Rock. You can view our full gallery of photographs HERE.
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