LIVE REVIEW: Max & Iggor Cavalera @ O2 Academy 2, Birmingham
As part of thrash groove pioneers SEPULTURA, brothers Max & Iggor Cavalera blazed a furious trail across the globe during the early nineties laying waste to stages with a sound rooted in native Brazilian rhythms spliced with hardcore punk influences drawn from bands like DISCHARGE and BLACK SABBATH’s darker, downtuned clamour. Iggor’s eventual departure in 2006 would mark the end of the band’s original lineup, and the subsequent formation of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY would also end the brothers’ decade long feud. The last time the duo hit UK shores was for the Return To Roots tour run in recognition of the 20th anniversary of brutal, politically charged SEPULTURA opus Roots. It was therefore no surprise that with the announcement of the Return Beneath Arise tour earlier this year, the collective shit of fans old and new alike was promptly lost. And tonight, a full run through of 30-year old classics Beneath The Remains and Arise comes to Birmingham.
It’s down to main supports CONAN and their brand of self-proclaimed caveman battle doom to whip this packed crowd into a suitable pre-thrash explosion frenzy. A rumbling mix of weighty grooves and pummeling drums, there’s weirdly transfixing appeal to the Merseyside trio. Unleashing wave after wave of fuzz-drenched guitars, bodies sway and heads nod automatically during a set that borders on oppressive in terms of its heaviness. Granted, there are occasions when even the high pitched-cum-hypnotic screams of Jon Davis are eclipsed by the doom-addled dirge of the bass lines, but it doesn’t discourage the odd pit from opening up in the process. The sheer bludgeon of Foehammer combined with Paincantation’s brief yet relentless onslaught of blastbeats and hoarse yells reaffirms the band’s status as a doom powerhouse.
Rating: 8/10
It takes approximately one supercharged riff from Beneath the Remains for Max & Iggor Cavalera to ignite this sold-out crowd. Sounding more akin to machine gun fire, the dispatch of rabid thrash classics Inner Self, Stronger Than Hate and the riff-fuelled glory of Mass Hypnosis in quick succession sends fists flying and opens up the swirling pits. The brothers’ energy is infectious; heads bang, lyrics are screamed and when Max shouts “Birmingham I wanna see you move!” during dedicated-to-the-masses Desperate Cry, the entire floor pogos. The trippy tribal rhythms that give way to Altered State lend a primitive edge before the aggressive thunder breaks loose, and an unexpected snippet of BLACK SABBATH’s War Pigs delights but the melee pales into significance with what happens afterwards. Voices hush then the bellows ripple as the duo bring Jeff “JJ” Janiak and Anthony “Bones” Roberts of DISCHARGE out on stage for an utterly hellacious rendition of old school hardcore cut Protest and Survive. A second cover of Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing rattles the barrier to the point of near disintegration. Are we witnessing the emergence of a new supergroup? Is this the birth of THE DISCHARGE CONSPIRACY? Admittedly, it’s perhaps an overexcited stretch of the imagination, but the ensuing reaction to the collaboration speaks for itself. Going out on a high via a three-song supermix encore of Intro, Beneath the Remains and Dead Embryonic Cells, it’s a ferocious conclusion to an evening dedicated to SEPULTURA’s golden era of thrash.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of supporting act CONAN from Damian John Photo here:
