GiggingNI.com

Machine Head

With Hatebreed; Bleeding Through;

Approaching the doors to the Ulster hall, I expected to see more hairy, sweaty bearded men pouring into the smoking area with their drinks spilling over their hairy manly hands. But the crowd at the over 14s gig was far more diverse, as hundreds pilled in to watch Bleeding Through, Hatebreed and Machine Head deafen a crowd thirsty for (is it cheesy for say it?) metal.

Bleeding Through came onstage earlier, and to a smaller crowd than expected. After hearing a few rumours stating that they wouldn't be playing, it was more than a relief to see them take to the stage. However, with such high expectations, the first ten minutes of their set was a bit of a disappointment, and it seemed the light-show outshone the band. Perhaps it was the sheer loudness of it, and the lack of crowd, but it did take a while to find myself getting more into it. But, thankfully, they redeemed themselves, and the rest of their short six song set was amazing. Brandan Schieppati's vocals screamed through their solid riffs, and it was difficult to remember why I thought they weren't as eye catching when I first entered the hall.

Next up were Hatebreed. Having seen them at Download last year, I knew that they were capable of putting on an incredible show, but even that didn't give this set any justice. Infact, they gave Machinehead a tight run for their money, and if it were coming down to 'Band of the Night', it definitely would have been a close call. By now the hall was filling up, and when 'Live for This' oozed out of the speakers, an element of fear struck me when I thought the crowd were literally going to bring the venue down. Their varied set list, churning out anthems from all their monster albums kept the crowd on their toes, no doubt caused a lot of injuries to the punters, and mounted up to an indescribable atmosphere and overall memorable experience.

This really got the crowd going for Robb Flynn and the boys. It had been a while since I had been in the Ulster Hall, and was quite disappointed when I heard of the venue change from St Georges Marker, as I'd only heard good things about it. But this place was perfect, the sound and acoustics were note perfect, and was a nice change from the usual gigging venues. Machine Head came and delivered. I found myself becoming nostalgic as Robs distinctive voice growled out numbers from their 'Through the Ashes of Empire' album, and when they threw in a few classics, such as 'Imperium' and 'Davidian', the pit circulating the entire centre of the hall grew bigger and bigger, and the beer was getting thrown higher. The immaculate riffs that they write and deliver so well sliced through the hall and pumped through the fans, accumulating to an all round incredible experience. Machine Head are seen as 'pioneers' on the American metal front and it's easy to see why, especially if every show they did was as intense as that one. Once they exited the stage, leaving everyone crying for more, the crowd shuffled out onto the street nursing their aches and pains and bruises from an undeniably amazing Monday night.