Considering that we are the proud birthplace of Heavy Metal we really only have three venues for hard rock in Brum and Scruffy`s, as it`s known locally, does put on a fair few reasonably priced live rock nights.
Italian power metal maestros Stranger Vision hit the UK to play a few exclusive shows following last year`s third studio album, ‘Faust Act I: Prelude to Darkness’, an album which explores themes such as the nature of good and evil, the pursuit of knowledge and pleasure, and the transformative power of love.
The joys of public transport mean that i arrive to catch Huddersfield`s Skies Turn Black, a five piece electronic metal band according to their social media site. There`s a mix of new and old tonight with tracks from their debut album `No Place Like Home` such as the reflective `This Too Shall Pass` which raced along with guitar riffs aplenty and the keytar driven single `Sweet, Sweet Solitude`. But there`s new stuff such as the forthcoming single `Angel` which had for me a nod to The Darkness before closing out with the apocalyptically titled `The Skies are Falling Down`. There was a lot to enjoy from this Northern quintet and they`re definitely a band to look out for.
Fellow Italian metallers Aether Void are up next and hail from Modena famous for the manufacturers of upper-class sports cars. Their name may come from a game that takes place on different worlds, which were colonised after Old Earth became less and less habitable but there again that might be a misnomer. They play a few numbers from their last album `Of Rage and Grief` with the driving pounding `Nemesis` and the anthemic `Ungrateful`. Other numbers seemed to include `Really Dark` before closing out their thirty five minute set with `Rise Again`. I felt they were a mix of Iron Maiden and at times Judas Priest and definitely worth catching again.
Stranger Vision who comprise of Ivan Ademi (vocals), Ricardo Toni (guitars keys), Daniele Marini (bass) and Alessio Monacelli (drums) are sons of the Italian Emilia-Romagna region, a centre for food and automobile production. Their latest album ‘Faust Act I: Prelude to Darkness’ was released last November and the opening track `Prologue in Heaven` is piped through the pa as this quartet take to the stage. `Strive` from the latest release races along and lays a marker down for what`s to follow as the reflective `Nothing Really Matters` with its delightful melodic tone from the same album brought to mind Queensryche at their best.
`Wasteland` the title track of their 2022 album has a real Maiden `Fear of the Dark` vibe before its back to the latest release for the questioning `Look Into Your Eyes` and thumping `Carpe Diem`. There`s a pretty faithful cover of German power metallers Blind Guardian`s `Bright Eyes` before the guys close out with the meditative and melodic `Desolate Sea`. This intimate and enthusiastic audience scream for one more song and the band relents and leaves us with `The Road` a wonderfully anthemic number to send us all home on.
This was a really captivating forty minutes of soaring melodies, thunderous rhythms and thumping drum beats an overall immersive power prog metal experience which felt all-encompassing in this really intimate venue.
I really hope that a bigger venue awaits these guys when they next deem to grace our city with their presence.
