The Unholy Alliance Tour - REVIEW!

Doors open at 4.30 for tonight's Unholy Alliance show - far too early for any normal rocker. Some of us are more concerned with buying in a round of Carling, but the sparse crowd that do pay attention to openers Thine Eyes Bleed aren't terribly impressed - it's ten-a-penny metal tricks with nothing in the way of stage presence. Bassist Jeff Araya is brother of Slayer's Tom - hence their inclusion.

Children of Bodom blast out awesome cheese-laden guitar metal that wouldn't be out of place on a Sega Megadrive game. Their devoted 'Hate Crew' army are spread throughout the huge crowd, and although some of the loud-mouthed Slayer elitists don't appreciate their being here, most of us marvel at the stunning musicianship - especially that of Alexi Laiho, banshee vocalist and lead guitarist, his fingers ablaze in a torrent of solos. "Needled 24/7" is arguably the best anthem of the night - power metal genius.

Wall-to-wall pits and the most brutal noise of the bill - Lamb of God have arrived. They shred their way through classic American metal, "Redneck" and "Now You've Got Something To Die For" the standout moments. Randy Blythe delights in telling us how "fucking crazy" we are - which is fair enough, because we are pretty mental by this point. Punch the nearest stranger - it's a good day to be a metalhead.

Lead guitarist and sole original member Jesper Strömblad is not with In Flames tonight, citing undisclosed "issues to deal with" back home in Sweden - as the band hammer on with a friend filling his shoes (or, ehh, guitar strap), there's an air of makeshift about them. They squeeze in obvious choices like "Trigger" and "Come Clarity", perfect for a mosh, and end on a high note with "My Sweet Shadow".

Thrash gods Slayer's reputation as a premiere live act is well documented - they've blazed across the music world with some of the finest metal ever written. This is something that should rank as one of the best moments of your headbanging little life.

But when you're counting on two hands how many times you've seen them in recent years, the shine just isn't there any more. Stick your head out the window and you'll catch Slayer - supporting Slipknot, undertaking their own extensive tours, doing Donington after Donington, and even cropping up at Reading & Leeds!

There's no surprises here - some new stuff aired alongside "Angel Of Death", "Raining Blood", "Seasons In The Abyss", "Mandatory Suicide", and all those other classics that irrevocably changed your CD collection for the better 20 years ago. Beer in one hand, horns in the other, get your head down for a good hard headbang - there's no doubting that it's awesome fun, but certainly not any better than the bands before them. A gambling man would have had Slayer down to steal the show - but the Unholy Alliance bands gave the old school thrashers a real run for their money on a night of sheer aural chaos.

http://www.slayer.net 

http://www.lamb-of-god.com

http://www.cobhc.com

http://www.inflames.com

http://www.thineeyesbleed.com

Graeme Johnston