PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Tonight at the Asylum 2 we had three female fronted bands, all signed to the Rocksector label. Aside from them being on the same label and having female singers they share little in common. Incassum are heavy as f**k – melodic death metal being a good description of their music, Triaxis are classic heavy metal, and Hanging Doll are Gothic or Symphonic metal.
First up were Incassum. This was my first time seeing them play live, so I was looking forward to it, especially as their album “Rite of Passage” is such a great album. Watching them live they certainly didnt disappoint either. They kicked off with a short instrumental section while singer Sharleen Kennedy windmilled away, her long hair coming close to taking other band members eyes out. Once she started singing though things got really good. The music was loud and heavy with a good sound, and Sharleen’s vocals were clear and impressive. The vocals are a mix – sometimes they are growling death metal style vocals, but at other times they are clean singing, and Sharleen handles both with ease. The small crowd that was present at the start grew steadily during their set, andby the end had doubled in size. A great performance that went down well with the crowd.
Rating 9/10
Next up were Triaxis, a band I’ve seen a dozen times before and who never disappoint (and there aren’t many bands I’ve seen that many times who have been consistently good). Tonight’s set was mainly songs from their latest album (Rage and retribution), with just two songs from their debut album (Key to the Kingdom). Triaxis play classic British Heavy Metal and were clearly a popular choice for tonight’s bill – almost as soon as they started playing most of the audience shifted further forward towards the stage. Triaxis singer Krissie Kirby is on top form tonight as she belts out the vocals. The rest of the band are in equally fine form and put in flawless performances.
Rating: 9/10
Triaxis setlist:
Sand & silver
Under blood red skies
Gates of damnation
Sker point
Some things are worth dying for
And shadows creep
Lies
Black trinity
Finally we had Hanging Doll, playing on their home turf – Drummer Alex works at the recording studios downstairs. As you’d expect from a local band they had plenty of fans in the audience tonight, and Sally Holliday soon got the crowd moving even closer to the stage. Hanging Doll are the least heavy band on the bill, with a much richer more polished sound, but just as Incassum and Trixis had gone down well with the crowd, so too did Hanging Doll – which must say something about how open-minded many fans of female fronted metal bands are, to embrace three totally different bands equally.
Like Triaxis, Hanging Doll based their setlist mainly around the latest album (The Sacred and Profane), with tracks including Lacrimosa, Cradle to the grave, Carnival of Sin, and Sacred and profane all making an appearance tonight
Rating: 9/10
Overall it was a superb night of music at the Asylum 2, with three great bands all putting in excellent performances. It’s not often you’ll find DJ Jim Beerman lost for words to describe how good bands are, but tonight even he was stunned into silence. All three bands were great, and all came out to talk to the fans, sell and sign merchandise, and to support the other bands on the bill. I look forward to seeing all the bands again soon.
