As the red glow of the theatre lights opposite London’s Electric Brixton bathed the waiting
metalheads in a macabre light, a storm was brewing inside the esteemed venue. One of the
most crushingly heavy lineups of the year had just touched down in London Town and were
collectively about to blow the place to smithereens. Cattle Decapitation were bringing their
Terrasitic Reconquest tour across the pond, and they weren’t coming alone. With two bands
hailing from the Northeastern USA, one from the Southwestern United States, and a fourth from South Africa, the bands on display have all taken a fairly hefty trip before getting to the Big Smoke, but the reaction provided by all in attendance shall surely have sated any desire for positivity.
First up are the aforementioned South Africans, Vulvodynia. Their intro, using the opening song of The Lion King segueing into their trademark brutal slamming death metal, was a great laugh that abruptly gave way to many hundreds of necks and heads almost hypnotically nodding in time, and a healthy bundle of arms and legs flying frantically around near the front of the crowd. The combination of abominably heavy death metal with slam and beatdown elements created a monstrous live sound, and the vocalist’s demonic gutturals just added to the carnage. Their guitarists wore very contrasting onstage attire - one in a stereotypical black longsleeve, with camo trousers and long hair, whilst the other was wearing a matching watermelon patterned shirt and shorts combo. Of course, the latter was the lead guitarist and tore up his headless guitar like there was no tomorrow.
Second up were Revocation, and the Boston death metal crew had a nice mix of influences,
ranging from the more technical end with bands like Archspire and Cryptopsy, to the more
progressive end of the genre and bands like Cynic. Gojira were a clear influence, with one or
two songs in particular feeling like they could’ve been a Gojira B-side from a bit earlier on in the Grammy winners’ careers. The singer’s bright orange guitar was quite the eye-catching axe, but truly the bassist’s instrument of choice was the most fascinating up there - it had the vague outline of the head of a Beluga whale, with such a notable curved upper body as to tuck most of the way around his torso. He was also clearly having an absolute blast all set, and throughout the moshpits and fistpumping he never stopped grinning at everyone in the audience.
Shadow Of Intent were the main support act on the tour, and the venue’s lighting situation
reflected that almost immediately. The Connecticut symphonic deathcore crew played a
blistering 55 minute set that barely gave any of the audience time to breathe, let alone the band themselves, and the lighting was just as frenetic. Bursts and flashes of purple, white, and red flew hither and thither, lighting various crowd members and band members seemingly at random, and doing their very best to look like a military demonstration of some new weapons system. The band themselves do sound quite similar to the most recent era of Lorna Shore, with plenty of crazy riffs and gutturals atop a background of violins and other string instruments creating an ominous atmosphere for all looking on. With their set never taking the time to catch a breath, it felt like the band pummelled too hard and too incessantly for everything to quite take root in our heads, but the general gist of what happened is firmly stuck there, and what happened was an incredibly heavy show full of ludicrous moments.
Finally, headliners Cattle Decapitation took to the stage to a flurry of green and yellow lights,
toned down a tad from the previous set. The riffs were lightning quick, the drums were
reminiscent of artillery or machine gun fire, and the vocals were the same old Cattle
Decapitation vocals we all know and love. With the Terrasite making an appearance (someone in a flea costume), the fun factor was also on full display. Headbanging was the order of the day, with necks being strained all set, but of course the moshers wouldn't be put to shame and they were admirable till the last. With a set that spanned multiple decades, the San Francisco crew pumped out a churning, seething hour of foam-at-the-mouth aggression and uncompromising hostility that was equally completely, wholeheartedly, and unashamedly welcoming to all who attended. With a slew of fans in the building, both new and old, Cattle Decapitation shed their anti-bovine associations and moooved us all.
Words: Jake Longhurst
Photos: Oliver Hayman
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