Slough Feg / Centurion`s Ghost / Messiah
31 October 2005
The Hope & Anchor, Islington, London

Unfortunately Johan couldn`t make tonight`s show so all photos are from my compact digital.

Spandau Ballet, Madness, The Damned, Joy Division, U2, Ian Dury, The Stranglers, The Police, Dire Straits and erm, me. What have they all got in common? Well, whilst hardly metal legends, they`ve all played shows in the tiny, and I mean tiny, cellar at The Hope & Anchor in Islington. The venues stage, which isn`t big enough for a band bigger than four, is just a step, leading to very close contact between band and audience and a very intimate setting.

"You`re not the Messiah you`re a very naughty boy!", shouted someone just as the band of that name took the stage. They certainly looked very young. Vocalist Robert Paul would undoubtedly be questioned for ID at the bar. What a surprise then when the band kicked in with a very professional sounding brand of power metal.

The band`s sound initially harked back to 80s American power metal, rather than the double bass drum fuelled Euro type. The song Messiah itself was a sprawling epic with an atmospheric middle section. As keyboard player James Messenger departed the stage however, the rest of the band launched into a heavily Maiden influenced collection of songs including Spitfire 909 and The Norseman`s Clan. These were very well performed with great guitar harmonies and Paul, who due to the (lack of) stage is eye to eye with the front row, belting out high notes and performing with bags of confidence.

Whilst this wasn`t the second coming, Messiah clearly have talent and youth on their side and more shows like this should see them develop considerably.

Messiah set list:
On Hallowed Ground / Messiah / The Norsemen's Clan / Spitfire 909 / The Tormentor / Templars of Valour

Centurion`s Ghost are greeted like local heroes as they speed into The Eighth Deadly Sin with hair flying all around. Vocalist James looks set to kill as he spits out his vocal with an Udo like gravel, before a gloriously heavy riff has heads nodding and fists pumping.

In a small room, Only The Strong sounded like a B52 taking off as it roars out of the speakers, whilst at the other end of the spectrum Requiem slows things right down to snails pace. The two show the contrast of the band`s style, merging up-tempo heads-down metal with doom, in a wall of metal noise.

In Defiance motors along on a riff reminiscent of Sabbath`s Children Of The Grave whilst Ancient Rites throws Celtic Frost into the cauldron, in an alco-brew welcomed by all on this Halloween night.

The band appear well rehearsed, merging some of the songs together in a fashion that sees their set fly by in the blink of an eye, expertly leaving the crowd wanting more. Centurion`s Ghost debut cd A Sign Of Things To Come has just been released and its title couldn`t be more apt.

Centurion`s Ghost set list:
The Eighth Deadly Sin / Only The Strong / Requiem For The Haunted Heart / In Defiance / From Hallowed Ground They Came / Empyrean (Circle Of God) / Ancient Rites

Following two great performances Slough Feg (aka The Lord Weird Slough Feg) some how managed to take things even higher, into the stratosphere in fact, with a jaw dropping performance. Seriously, the band`s set left me gob smacked as to why their profile is not higher.

There`s no stage crew so the band are left to soundcheck themselves as the audience waited expectantly. When they are ready they huddle around drummer Greg Haa`s kit deciding what to play first, which continued through a set with a loose vibe with no pre determined setlist.

In fact as they commence an opening instrumental, there`s a real 70s feel to the way that with lots of eye contact they slowly fuse as the distinct instruments lock in together. Then it`s off through a run of five conjoined songs from latest album Atavism culminating in the swinging Starport Blues. It`s a breathless start and at it`s conclusion when someone in the crowd hollers the first line from High Passage / Low Passage, mainman Mike Scalzi whips round and instructs the band "Yeah, let`s do that one!". The song, which is something of a crowd favourite causes mayhem at the front amongst a group dressed like they were on their way to a Dungeons & Dragons evening - well I guess it was Halloween after all! The song itself features some amazing guitar interplay from Scalzi and Angelo Tringali, trading solos in a style Dave Mustaine would tip his hat to.

Throughout the set Slough Feg mix twin Maiden/Lizzy guitars with Irish folk, sub-thrash and out and out METAL (capital letters essential).

Scalzi himself makes for an intriguing frontman. He comes across as a bit shy but with deadpan comic warmth, not unlike Mike Åkerfeldt of Opeth. During the mellow, strummed Baltech`s Lament he adds muttered comments between each vocal line, shrugging "Was that the right lyric?" and, on seeing me with pen and paper out, "Hey, that guy`s taking notes!".

With things running late, a lot of people have to head off for last trains, most of them simply nodding their heads and saying words such as awesome as they make their way to the exit. A final one-two of Gene-ocide and the swagger of Hiberno-Latin Invasion finish off the evening.

Personally, I was only recently introduced to the band, hence a lot of the older material was new to my ears, but not unwelcome. Certainly, Slough Feg deserve to be heard by a lot more than the lucky few packed in to the Hope & Anchor tonight. Performance of the year? Quite possibly.

Slough Feg set list included:
Intro / Eumaeus The Swineherd / Curse Of Athena / Agnostic Grunt / High Season V / Starport Blues / High Passage Low Passage / Asteroid Belts / Wickerman / Baltech`s Lament / Gene-ocide / Hiberno-Latin Invasion


LINKS:
Slough Feg
Centurion`s Ghost
Messiah