LIVE REVIEW: Devil You Know @ The Cluny, Newcastle
Since their inception DEVIL YOU KNOW haven’t had the greatest of luck attempting to conquer the shores of the UK, unfortunately having to cancel their tour with MACHINE HEAD and their appearance at 2016’s Download Festival but you could sense the joy and relief on their faces that this tour entitled Third Times A Charm was well underway.
BRUTAI have amassed a considerable following in the Tech Metal community and its easy to see why. Their combination of accessible riffs, catchy choruses and charisma made their performance look effortless and despite the crowd still finding their bearings they welcomed BRUTAI with open arms. The vocal coalition of frontman Felix Lawrie and keyboardist Alex Lorimer worked brilliantly in adding an extra level of depth to the soaring guitar riffs and their harmonic prowess shone through particularly in songs like Deep and Lucidity. Sharing a stage on a tour with some highly regarded personnel in the metal scene may seem like quite an unenviable task but BRUTAI showed no signs of nerves and Felix did a great job of interacting with the crowd and warming them up nicely for the nights proceedings.
Rating: 7/10
When a band is composed of members from trailblazers like MUTINY WITHIN and SACRED MOTHER TONGUE there is already an inevitable air of trepidation as to whether they can bring the same level of vigour and intensity to the table but WEARING SCARS made a firm declaration that they are more than equipped for the task, displaying an abundance of flair and technical proficiency courtesy of Andy James and his technicolour guitar wizardry. With only one album currently under their belts they didn’t have a wealth of material to cherry pick from but their debut single Butterfly was as intense and emotional as the recording and the majestic high notes achieved by Chris Clancy were spine tingling.
Rating: 8/10
ONI were not initially billed on this tour but after WESTFIELD MASSACARE unfortunately had to vacate their position due to scheduling commitments ONI were cast into the spotlight and there is no doubt that they will leave this tour with an abundance of new fans. Despite only releasing their debut album Ironshore in November 2016 they showed exactly why they are destined for greatness and are certainly the dark horses of this tour. They left The Cluny shaking to its very foundations with their incendiary blend of ferocity and melody. The crowd were awestruck with the sheer chaos that unfolded before their eyes with the man-mountain Jake Oni leading the procession of devastation with his bellowing growls. The only hinderance which the Canadian sextet encountered was due to the venue being quite intimate they struggled for space on stage which sadly left some of the band resigned to the background but this certainly didn’t detract from the phenomenal performance. The inclusion of Johnny DeAngelis and his Xylosynth was a unique but formidable addition to their arsenal as they powered through the 11 minute epic The Science with frighteningly meticulous perfection. ONI will undoubtedly be on every bodies lips and be a staple of the live scene for many years to come.
Rating: 9/10
After the sonic onslaught provided by ONI the crowd would be excused for starting to feel a little drained but this was not the case as The Cluny exploded as soon as DEVIL YOU KNOW hit the stage with pits galore and plenty of audience participation. Howard Jones burst onto the stage like an energizer bunny rarely stalling to catch his breath and it was immediately evident that he hasn’t lost a step as they played through a very The Beauty Of Destruction heavy set which was somewhat perplexing when you would have expected them to showcase more from their most recent album They Bleed Red, there were no complaints from the crowd however as they lapped it all up and had the venue bouncing. Francesco Artusato was at his imperious best nailing every riff in sight with ease and the recruitment of drummer Nick Augusto (from TRIVIUM fame) for their live outings added even more intensity to the occasion. Howard took his time to thank the crowd and display his love for the UK fans stating how grateful he was to recapture his love of music again which was a very touching moment considering the internal hardships he has encountered over the years. DEVIL YOU KNOW maintained an incredible level of intensity throughout providing a thrilling climax to what turned out to be an incredible showcase of musicianship from involved.
Rating: 9/10