LIVE REVIEW: Mutoid Man @ Oslo, London

Frustratingly, tonight’s show doesn’t have noisy duo HAGGARD CAT playing thanks to the promoter removing them due to curfew constraints – despite the band alleging they tried to work with the venue to resolve this. It’s a dampener to the evening, but the other two bands, including headliners MUTOID MAN are determined to make the most of it. The Stephen Brodsky-led thrashers have one hell of a back catalogue of off-kilter party thrash, including the excellent recent Mutants that they’re celebrating with this tour. 

It means opener SILVERBURN find themselves promoted to sole support, and they’re determined to get the crowd moving despite the oppressive summer heatwave. More accurately, they have to try and move what little crowd there is; despite the bar downstairs venue doing a steady trade with many long haired, denim clad people, they’re very slowly filtering upstairs. The trio play a heady blend of hardcore aggression, sludge and post-metal, one part CULT OF LUNA to one part END and some flourishes of thrash alongside it. Mainman James Isaac summons cavernous bellows as they throw in chugging breakdowns amidst the churning carnage with occasional forays into more psychedelic territory. The room fills out nicely during their set, but ultimately they’re a serviceable opener with solid riffs that veer a little too often into basic chugs. 

Rating: 7/10

MUTOID MAN are so keen to get the thrash party started that they’re on quarter of an hour early and tear straight into Setting Sun followed by Bridgeburner, Brodsky grinning as he yells “oh shit London it’s so good to be back!” before its beers aloft riff kicks in. Before a raucous Melt Your Mind the band gleefully point out someone’s playing HEALTH through their monitors (“can I get some in mine?” Brodsky quips at this point), the band then going into it full tilt. Even with the oppressive humidity it’s near impossible not to have a good time; MUTOID MAN‘s tunes are custom built to plaster grins on faces and get beer and bodies flying.

There’s more than a few people struggling in the heat, but that doesn’t stop the pit going apeshit for the stomping groove of Kiss Of Death or the rampaging melodic thrash of Call Of The Void. Unfortunately it’s so hot that more than a few people are seen struggling out, but the room is so heaving it makes no difference to the charged atmosphere, and MUTOID MAN keep their own energy levels up with frequent towel use – though they’re probably so saturated by the end you could have the world’s most disgusting shower. The hour-ish set is a reminder of not only how brilliant Mutants is as an album, but that MUTOID MAN are simply a phenomenal heavy metal band. 

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Sarah Tsang here:

Like MUTOID MAN on Facebook.