PHOTO – Down The Barrel Photography © 2023
Opening up tonight is the fantastic cross-over HC/Thrash Leeds quintet, Pest Control. Having recently witnessed their razor sharp live show at Bloodstock a few weeks back, I had no doubt that the band would quickly win over tonights audience, as they smashed through their set with fierce, focused intensity.
Front woman, Leah Massey-Hay barks her lyrics with buckets of visceral as she stalks the stage, wide-eyed and grinning, which, despite the raw aggression the band create, is strangely uplifting, and thoroughly captivating.
With most of the setlist drawing from the brilliantly titled ‘Don’t Test the Pest‘ LP, the band evoke elements of second wave Thrashers, Forbidden, in a brawl with late ’80s Slayer, all the while weaving in and out of some filthy hardcore, two-step arrangements.
As predicted, tonights crowd lapped them up, and by the midway section of their set, pits were in full swing and their debut in the Irish capital was, without doubt, a major win for the band. If you’ve not had the chance to check out Pest Control, then you can do so via this link.
With little pomp or circumstance, the opening riffs of ‘Redneck Stomp‘ explode from the stage as Obituary begins tonights triumphant performance. As always, the band are on top form boasting multiple backdrops, and just enough dry ice to give it that old-school aesthetic, while they pummel the rabid audience into submission with ‘Sentence Day‘, ‘A Lesson in Violence‘, and the sensational ‘Buried Alive‘ (among others).
The Tardy brothers are in fighting form, particularly, John whose vocals are equal part gritty, menacing and corrosive as he screams and bellows from the lip of the stage to a sea of pits which are erupting on all sides of the venue.
Immaculate sound throughout the show just heightens the overall experience when hearing the likes of their new stuff, ‘War‘ and title track ‘Dying of Everything‘, alongside classics such as ‘Chopped in Half‘, ‘Turned Inside Out‘, ‘I’m in Pain‘, and the genre resilient classic ‘Slowly We Rot‘.
Tonight was simply a masterclass. A bonafide legendary Metal band that are doing what they do best and, by all accounts, loving every minute of it. Having seen Obituary many times over the last three decades, it’s safe to say, they are on top of their game right now and have never sounded so good.
Catch Obituary and Pest Control on the remaining dates of this run. Click here for details.
Oran O’Beirne
Photos – Down The Barrel Photography
www.overdrive.ie 2023
