Gods Of Hellfire

The Exchange Bar, Bradford

29/3/08

     With Black Clouds looming and the heavens opening above Bradford this evening, it seems only fitting that The Gods of Hellfire bring their monolithic metal to the floor of the Exchange Bar. The two support bands provide quite a contrast; the old school thrash of Asmodia and the dirty, slowed down sludge of Bastards of the Sky, both do an excellent job, though in different ways.

    The Gods of Hellfire - a band consisting of ex-Lazarus Blackstar guitarist Rich Savage, vocalist Al Calderbank, drummer Aldo (of thrashers Let 'em Burn) and bassist Ian (from Bloodstream) – have just unleashed their demo Dagon's Gift. A three song Doom-metal thrash assault. They explode onto the stage with opener Kicked Out of Hell, which is also the first song of the E.P. A five minute riff frenzy that gets heads banging from the off, and really sets the tone for the next forty or so minutes. The chugging almost militant riff of Bastard War Machine stomps the crowd into the dust next before the band slow it down with two of their doomier tracks. The morose, de-tuned sound of The Bridge of Fateful Doom and the Sabbath-esque classic doom sound of Dagon's Gift, a song that starts with a massive sounding riff that lumbers towards us like a behemoth rising from the waves, this track also really brings the best out of vocalist Al with the soaring pinnacle of the chorus. It is refreshing to see a band with a real front man that can actually sing.

    A new track is then introduced to us, Judged Before Zeus is like the bastard union of Trouble and Carcass. Then Army of Stone provides us with a real platform to be introduced to the suffocating heaviness of Devoured by Space; this song really is the money shot. A nauseatingly slow and heavy start explodes into a gigantic classic stoner riff, which plays us out for the last five minutes of an immense set, and leaves every head banging.

Chris Thompson