LIVE REVIEW: Black Moth @ The Lexington, London
Almost a decade and three records deep into their career, it feels painfully untimely to be saying goodbye to Leeds and London based stoner rock outfit BLACK MOTH. Fronted by Harriet Hyde, the band have been delivering their 60’s fuelled retro grooves alongside the likes of UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS, SLEEP and SISTERS OF MERCY, making their initial mark in the metal scene in 2012 with debut album The Killing Jar. Tonight, on their final show ever, we hail the riff with laughter, tears and balloons, as the band says farewell not only to the fans but also to each other.
Newcomers hard rock trio PARISH kick off the night with their 70s fuelled KADAVAR-esque proto doom. The audience is pleasantly surprised as the set overall is boasting grizzly guitar tones and a light fun feel echoed in songs from their demo release Famine, War. Whilst relatively still unknown, it is an intriguing concept to observe how the band will develop and progress their sound with time, tonight’s show proving a promising showcase of future potential.
Rating: 7/10
It is a difficult task to define an act like POSSESSOR, even harder to pigeonhole into a genre. Echoing a theme that is horror all round, the trio easily resemble your typical 80s thrash band both in sound and in tempo. What creeps through more subtly are the doom undertones with a splash of MOTÖRHEAD’s grit, putting a spin on the old school and resulting in a dish that proves quite a raw offering live.
Guitarist/vocalist Graham Bywater, casual both in appearance and attitude quickly becomes the highlight of this set, delivering unpretentious riffs as cuts from latest release Gravelands are showcased. Amongst older works as well as the new, an obsession of the occult emerges, with track titles like Hitchhike to Hell paying homage to horror film classics.
Feeling like a DIY outfit more than a sterile studio band, POSSESSOR delivers an honest and entertaining set, with frequent moments of crowd interaction and an overall light and easy-going tone, not once faltering in musicality or momentum. By the end of the set, many still pondering as to what or who the band is trying to be, it is evident that this three-piece is wonderfully bizarre without categorisation, each showcasing a variety of musical influences through their performance; be it KREATOR, DARKTHRONE or BLACK SABBATH. To determine which is most prominent in their sound depends entirely on personal taste and a good set of ears.
Rating: 8/10
Seducing audiences with nine year’s worth of doom galore, BLACK MOTH is a band with an undying legacy behind the sound. Refusing to forge a career on the back of yearly releases and endless SABBATH-washed riffs, they have produced three albums of quality, exploring new territories with each release. Much of the band’s allure is acquired through vocalist Harriet Hyde, who wasting no time belts out psychedelic goodness with opening track Istra having no trouble asserting her presence in the room.
Tumbleweave transports us back to 2014’s Condemned To Hope and awakens the set with meaty riffs and simplistic but no less addictive chorus hooks. Still filtering all the heavy, older tracks from The Killing Jar make an appearance sounding crisp and clean. Momentum is slightly slowed down as GRAVELINES vocalist Jake Harding steps on stage and delivers a duet performance of Tourmaline alongside Harriet. Harmonised throughout, the version sounds slightly slower, with the harmonies whilst rather blurred at times still flourishing in tone, adding sentimental value to this gem. Dave Vachon has some technical issues on bass during slithery KYUSS-like Sisters of the Stone, which, in honesty play no significance, due to harmonised guitar parts filling in for any lost bass notes. Things continue in a smooth fashion, as we are taken back to where it all began with gem Honey Lung which acts as a hypnotic reminder of BLACK MOTH’s early stoner ,grunge sound.
With the end of the set looming, tonight’s show proves a reminder of the sheer grandeur that is born from each member’s dedication to their craft. BLACK MOTH is far beyond a doom and gloom quintet, it is a transcendent force in today’s music industry and as it hangs up its wings, what we are left with is their legacy as aftermath.
Rating: 9/10