Ygodeh

Live Review: Bloodstock’s Metal 2 The Masses – Heat 6 – The Dev, London

Bloodstock’s Metal 2 the Masses competition has been one of the best ways for up-and-coming metal bands to get their chance to play one of the UK’s largest Metal festivals. Every year fans around the country are treated to heats of bands battling it out to see who has what it takes to make it all the way to Catton Park. We went down to London’s sixth heat and here’s what went down!

Morris dancing with a metal twist is the best way I can describe Huginn Muninn. The first band took the Camden faithful by surprise. Gone were your usual distorted riffs and in was the sound of bark striking bark. As the dancer bells chimed around the Dev, it was winning over a lot of the crowd. I don’t think anyone was expecting Metal 2 The Masses to start quite like this but hey! you never know what to expect from this tournament. Foreboding drums, wild adventure and a forbidden dance that involved wearing massively inflated balloons made sure Huginn Muninn was going to remain in the minds of everyone in attendance.

Huginn Muninn

This is more what the crowd in The Dev was expecting. A no-nonsense Thrash band going by Thrasherwolf that – despite being young – captured the essence of the 80’s thrash scene and brought it to the heart of Camden. Rapid riffs, blast beats and aggression dialled up to 11, Thrasherwolf absolutely tore the pub down to the ground. The first pit of the evening erupted during the band’s closing song and they were rewarded with a roar of approval to finish off their set.

Thrasherwolf

Fresh from the wasteland, with guitars made of hover parts and bunk beds mixed, with an eccentric stage presence describes Ygodeh pretty well. The music was powerful however the characters on display were the star of the show. Each member dressed the part and they utilized their charisma during interactions with each other which left the crowd amused throughout their explosive set.

Ygodeh

Back to the heaviest of heavy now! Halberd arrived and Chugging riffs filled The Dev for an action-packed 30-minute set. Chaos would erupt from the off with the pit being in full swing from the first verse. If you were holding a drink, you ended up wearing it and the band would not stop feeding the fans’ energy. It was clear to me that these guys were a fan favourite on the night as the entire pub was edging closer and closer to the stage to catch a glimpse of what was a truly breathtaking set.

Halberd

I cannot recommend heading down to the Metal 2 The Masses heats enough, as you never know what you are in for! Considering entry was free, what are you really losing by going. These 4 bands captivated the hearts and minds of those in attendance and a lot of new fans now have some great fresh music to add to their playlist full of the same 20 songs they have been spinning for years! Heat 6 was an amazing experience and I cannot wait for the next one!