Youthful thrashers DIVINE CHAOS [7] make the best of a ridiculously early start with a frenetic set of tight, crunchy riffing that mixes new and old school with a harsh, in-your-face triggered drum assault.
At thrash metal’s peak in the late 80s, UK crowds seemed fairly indifferent to the charms of many of Germany’s finest (Kreator being the exception), preferring more fashionable sounds from elsewhere. Trends may come and go but Tom Angelripper’s love of Motörhead is a constant and so a new generation has discovered the joy of SODOM [8].
Thirty-one years after their first EP, the Teutonic masters have finally found themselves fêted as founding fathers for many thrash and black metal bands. Delayed by technical gremlins, they finally take the stage to a sold-out crowd and plough through a set spanning over 30 years of bestial fury. A mass of bodies turns the room into a sauna, and getting close enough to see is a Herculean task, but the reward justifies the effort.
Opening with My Final Bullet, there’s no letup for over an hour as they pummel their way through savage classics such as Blasphemer and Agent Orange. Some bands are slick and polished; if Sodom cut you then you would need tetanus shots.
It may be a cold winter night but a corner of Camden burns briefly with the fierce fire of a band that cares not for fashion./o:p
