Live Review: Gutlocker w/Secreum and Helestios at Alton Lounge Bar!

At the end of another tough week at the daily grind, what better way to get the weekend started than a few beers and witnessing some beasts from the Underground Metal scene at a venue that has to be considered one of the lesser lights of heaven? Tonight promises much with a venue known for its superior sound quality playing host to a trio of bands who know how to reduce it to rubble in Helestios, Secreum and Gutlocker. They’ve been fanning the flames of excitement on social media and so now is the time for them to put their money where their mouths are. We want blood, sweat, tears and riffs!

There is a confidence about Melodic Death Metal quartet Helestios [8/10] which has grown dramatically since we last saw them a few years back. They have injected a lethal dose of verve and swagger into their performance, they’re having fun and it’s infectious. Cuts like “Fight” ooze groove laden chug with a fist pumping attitude and an electric solo to raise the hairs on the back of the neck, the energy they pour in returned to them by the audience. The title track of their new album “Road To Ecstasy” is just one of a number of cuts forged in the furnaces of Valhalla that have the punch of a prize fighter wrapped around a firecracker solo. Pounding rhythms give vocalist and guitarist Henrijs Leja the perfect soundscape for his hellish growls, the wider range of influences in their new material giving them a more well rounded sound. As a band they stick to a formula that is as old as the hills but in the right hands, their calloused hands, it yields results. It’s little wonder then that they have fans all over Europe in places like Portugal, Turkey and Poland because their old school sound is exactly what Metal heads have wanted since the age of the Vikings.

Earning the award for the best bearded band tonight Secreum [9/10] prove they are far from style over substance as they smash out a collection of Death Thrash cuts that bring tears of joy. Watching them destroy a small venue with a phenomenal sound quality brings back all that 80’s nostalgia for the early days of bands like Morbid Angel because there is no doubt that had they been around then, they would be on the World stage by now. The London four piece have stage presence and charisma, the witty stage banter from vocalist Sonny Antoniou between songs giving their set a theatrical quality despite their crushing heavy sounds. As seasoned musicians they have a wealth of experience in performing, not only in this band but a myriad of others and that is something that shines though. “Unspoken” is a masterclass from their February released EP, the pummelling kit work and gravelly low vocals the perfect backdrop for some face melting soloing. Then they bring out guest vocalist Charlotte Jones for “Voice Of Reason“, reprising her role as the main vocalist on the studio version of the cut. Her roars are just as ferocious as anyone else’s as she breathes pure fire, adding a few sultry dance moves for good measure. Antoniou reminds us that is Jones artwork that adorns the cover of the record and her presence here is something special.

Tonight’s headliners Gutlocker [10/10] may have a new drummer in the fold but they don’t miss a beat, taking extra care over their sound check and churning out a plethora of famous riffs and bass lines in the process. Once they’re given the green light their set is a free for all of a rage fest as vocalist Craig McBrearty rips through the title track of last year’s debut album “To Be Alive” like the Energizer Bunny on steroids. Leaping from the stage, he writhes around on the floor like he’s trapped in a vacuum and the microphone is providing the only air supply before returning to berate the crowd. He demands energy and movement he can thrive on and his requests are met with headbanging, fist pumping and roars that match his ferocity. Tonight the musicians that surround him are on absolute fire, Pete Tucker firing riffs in all directions while making all kind of gnarly facial expressions, something which adds another dimension to their performance. “Send Them All In” is another a scream along classic as is “Make My Day“, the pummelling five string bass from Ben Rollinson behaving at times like a rhythm guitar and driving the band forward. Bringing back Jamiroquai cover “Deeper Underground” to the set is a masterstroke, a piece of fun that everyone can get involved in and one that they haven’t sold their souls to create. It’s heavy, funky and the last thing you’d expect them to have in their arsenal but it works so incredibly well. When the fans chant for one more song and the sound tech says there is five minutes to curfew the band whip out “Absence of Change” for one last groove laden blast to bring the curtain down on what is a powerhouse performance from a band who absolutely love what they do. They’re gradually building momentum and having signed with Unearthed Music have Rabidfest and Coalville Metal Invasion on the horizon. Before then however, rumour has it that there might be new material on the way…