An early start means Brazilian Teutonic-styled thrashers NERVOSA [6] don’t get the best of crowds for their debut London show, but they play tautly – even if this limits the movement on stage.
PSYCROPTIC’s [7] jazzy grooves and highly technical death metal get a rather more polite reaction than hoped for – until the barely dressed Tasmanians raise their energy levels massively and hair begins to fly. While it might be a tad odd to see half of the Mexicans’ lineup read like a British extreme supergroup (Jeff Walker, Shane Embury and Nick Barker), the Spanish stage banter of BRUJERIA [8] make sure the show feels like the real deal.
The rough’n’ready deathgrind is deceptively tight and overtly brutal, and the stage invasion that accompanies a post-set Macarena is deserved. The challenge of following a set that sees a lady onstage wearing very little but armed with a whip is perhaps why CRYPTOPSY [7] aren’t initially at their most exhilarating, but as time wears on the furious barbarism of their slickly delivered tech-death takes hold and inflicts just the right amount of pain. They do look like a well-oiled touring band, but the barely organised chaos of Brujeria tonight makes Cryptopsy look a touch more safe than usual.