Huntress, Stagnant Breed, Drallion – Sound Circus, Bournemouth, 26th October 2012
Words by Nicholas Holmes
Photos by Tess Donohoe www.tessdonohoe.com
It was almost Hallowe’en and the dressing up had started already. The rather camp surroundings of Sound Circus were suitably decorated with skeletons hanging off the walls and the punters made up an amusingly costumed mix of good, bad, ugly and hilarious. It was also another special occasion. The first ever British show for American band Huntress led by self-proclaimed witch Jill Janus. Would it turn out to be a trick or a heavy metal treat?
Before that two local female-fronted bands started the night off and it was unfortunate to catch only the last part of Drallion’s set. They mix death metal with flourishes of industrial and the occasional melodic keyboard licks. Blonde vocalist Beckie has a thunderous growl and also sings cleanly in the softer moments. Definite potential there.
Next up were Stagnant Breed. A name I had seen on lots of posters locally but never managed to catch. It was a pleasantly brutal surprise. Musically there were sounds of technical death metal mixed with savagery influenced by the likes of Cannibal Corpse and the ’90s Florida death scene. This young crew clearly love the old masters and front-woman Missti could give George Fisher a run for his money. She really is that devastating a vocalist. Her super-bright contact lenses gave her a feral appearance to match the guttural roars. The rest of the band were dressed for the occasion too, looking like bastard cousins of Evil Scarecrow. Mightily impressive.
Then came the much-talked-about headliners. Lots of attention toward Huntress inevitably focusses on enigmatic and eccentric singer Jill Janus. A witch in her own individual way, as she does not ally herself to Wicca and such, she is an incredibly strong presence. Aside from the media fuss and semi-naked photos could they cut it?
The songs, taken from the band’s debut album “Spell Eater”, pack a much more powerful punch in person than on record. Lyrically there is a big fantasy influence and titles such as “Snow Witch”, “Eight of Swords” and “The Tower” speak for themselves. Sound-wise there are nods to NWOBHM tempered with American thrash influences such as Testament and Anthrax. Heavy riffs and galloping rhythms all executed by a tight band who have obviously done time on the road the old school way. The vocals cross Halford and Dio territory with a bit of angry ’70s punk-style delivery in places. A cool contrast to the more operatic style metal maidens.
On a very small stage for a five-piece band Jill did her best to make the most of the space. Appearing initially in a cape with the hood up, she stalked around wild-eyed and flailed her arms with an apparent inability to stay still. It was like watching someone, for want of a better word, possessed. The hesitant audience dropped their guard as curiosity took over and by the end they were a mixture of enthralled and drunkenly moshing. Jill did not banter much with them, but endeared herself by getting the town name right and being aware she was by the sea at one point shouting enthusiastically, “Your fish and chips are awesome!”
After the short set the band were soon out meeting and greeting. Jill posed good naturedly with lots of keen new male admirers, but the guys got their share of attention too. After three more UK shows in tiny clubs they would be back on the continent at bigger venues opening for Dragonforce. Their work ethic is admirable and with the popularity of traditional-style metal this could be the perfect time for Huntress to “slay” (Jill’s word!) audiences and justify the hype.
Huntress will play Hammerfest 5 in Wales in March 2013. More information and ticket packages are available here: http://www.hammerfest.co.uk/ (Note – It is close to being sold out!)
Huntress official website at: http://huntresskills.com/
The debut album “Spell Eater” is out now on Napalm Records: http://www.napalmrecords.com/
More information on Stagnant Breed: https://www.facebook.com/StagnantBreed
More information on Drallion: https://www.facebook.com/Drallion
Venue information: http://www.soundcircus.co.uk/
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