Krokodil - Photo by @taskew_
Krokodil are first to step to the stage. The 6 piece comprising of members of Gallows and SikTh start-off with ruthless aggression. Singer Dan P. Carter stomps his way across the stage, his screams adding a much more hardcore element to the band, whose three guitarists add a depth to their music. The band end their set with The Collapse from their newly released album Nachash leaving to a considerably fuller audience than before they started.
Big Business - Photo by @taskew_
Big Business are the next band on. The duo, usually a trio, from Seattle are without their guitarist but still lead an ear shatteringly heavy, feedback induced set comprised of tracks from their 2014 album Battlefields Forever. Jarred Warren’s throaty vocals, his oversized bass riffs combining with Coady Willis’ pinpoint precision drumming, and the multitude of fuzz and distortion pedals that line the floor, hits the crowd like a wall. They end on Lonely Lyle, which starts off as a slow, single string bass riff accompanied by Warren’s haunting vocal tone, but soon comes crashing into the force that is Coady Willis’s drumming, producing a wall of sound from the mass of amplifiers and microphones that surround the pair.
Mastodon - Photo by @taskew_
Mastodon have grown to be one of the biggest bands in metal. Songs from the new album including Ember City and High Road sound incredibly robust and show why for 14 years Mastodon have been an unstoppable force within the genre. Digging into older records, Bladecatcher, Megalodon and Crystal Skull highlight how much Mastodon have grown as a formidable force since the early 2000’s.
Throughout the set, Mastodon combine their patented thick guitar riffs with their own unique harmonies allowing for a contant rotation of styles and sounds. Troy Sanders and Brent Hinds employ a harsh but somewhat hypnotic vocal technique, whereas Brann Dailor’s clean vocals in fan favourites such as Oblivion provide the perfect balance of aggression and natural talent. The band finish their set with Blood and Thunder from 2004’s Leviathan and it has the crowd eating out of the band’s hands until the end of the show.
Mastodon, Big Business and Krokodil played at Rock City on Monday 01 December 2014.
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