Sacred Reich/Damnation's Hammer/Cryptic Shift at Underworld, London -live review

Full of the youthful enthusiasm their genre thrives on, Leeds thrashers CRYPTIC SHIFT [6] have some unpolished edges but are entertaining nonetheless. DAMNATION’S HAMMER [5] have plenty of experience but lack the songs to back it up. They play well but it’s an unsatisfying 30 minutes. SACRED REICH [8], on the other hand, have presence, excellent songs and a cheeky sense of humour that’s granted them cult-like status in the thrash world. Their star may not have ascended as high as their peers, but tell that to the fans who have lined up for a chance to meet their heroes before they take to the stage. Tonight they celebrate 30 years and despite many here not being born when their debut album, Ignorance, was released, the response is reverential and the pits wild. Crimes Against Humanity is eerily prescient and their War Pigs cover is perfection. Sacred Reich may not be playing stadiums, but you get the feeling that they prefer it that way.