LIVE REVIEW: Root Zero @ Tiny Rebel, Cardiff

The first day of the Autumn months often bring something new to the season in terms of shows and music. As the city gears up towards the WWE event of Clash At The Castle, another show is also gearing up to rock one of Womanby Street’s popular venues in Tiny Rebel. Inside, along with a host of other amazing bands, ROOT ZERO prepare for a small but jam-packed show filled to the brim with their ethereal prog goth music. After their excellent performance in the Metal 2 The Masses competition, despite not progressing further in the competition, the show had a lot of promise waiting in the wings. So, did the night live up to expectations, or peter out under the noise of the night?

Beginning the show with Waste, vocalist and keyboardist Giacomo Fiderio started the show slowly but atmospherically, opening the audience to their sound and what they had to present for their show. Welcoming the listeners in with each note played, each member of the band delivered exceptionally, especially with vocalist Sasha Bannister’s dulcet tones over a lush bed of full and heavy sounds that blend harsh and melodic tones beautifully. Despite the fact Home is currently the only single out right now, each song was special to hear live and craved that same release as Home does currently, taking the listener on a journey through all progressive gothic metal the band delivered exceptionally throughout the whole set. Burn Scars is a special highlight of the show, exemplifying the skills from both guitarists as well as drummer Joshua Powell-Gibbs’ skills behind the kit. 

One major criticism for the set, unfortunately, was more on the venue as opposed to the band themselves, however it’s a criticism that affects the band sadly. Essentially, the sound system within Tiny Rebel was not operating at its finest, meaning there were multiple moments where the sound was muddled and in some cases, impossible to hear. The balance was not there, and for a band that required intricate details and layers to be heard live, it falls upon the venue to make sure the sound is correct for all performers and it’s such a shame that dampens upon a notable performance. Whilst it’s nothing against the band and their music, it does detract from the whole set and what was delivered was marred by the unpolished sound direction. 

Overall, if the sound was correct and properly layered, ROOT ZERO would have delivered one exceptional set, and they still managed to showcase the best of their abilities despite the setbacks. As the last note of Dead End Dreams rang out, it was clear that the band are a fantastic group delivering unique and stylised progressive gothic metal that more should delight and transcend the listener to an ethereal and atmospheric plain. The group performed very well and could definitely bring it to any stage, especially with some dark and gothic lighting to match their sound. With the more songs they release, the bigger their setlist will be and the show will become grander for them. But as it stands, ROOT ZERO did a great job with their show and the future is bright for this Welsh group. 

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery of the action in Cardiff from Stu Rowles Photography here: 

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