aaamusic | On 08, Apr 2012

Oxford, 22nd March

Neosis noise monotonous noise that leaves you wanting to go hide in the toilet they have some technical ability but it’s so repetative it is just doing your head in and one song merges into the next so you are so happy when they end.
Revoker are getting better and better they are more polished and getting there own sound. Which still has the Metallica and Megadeth buzz but is mixed with a little bit of blues and Black stone Cherry sounding guitars from lead guitarist Chris Green. They have the audience tonight with quite a few girls coming to see them that saw them when they supported the Blackout not too long ago at the same venue. I think for Revoker the next album will be where they can show that they can step up their game, I think it’s going to be more of a Black label Society southern sound. I think these Welsh metallers would go down well stateside.
Chimaira have always been on the back burner at Roadrunner Records but now they are showing that they can deliver a good solid live show and that’s what Oxford get tonight. It’s a good solid show of pure hatred metal songs. A lot of people in the audience seem to know the songs even the new songs, I think putting the last album ‘The age of Hell’ as free CD with Metal Hammer Magazine has really helped the band out. They have a good sound that mixes Machine Head with Killswitch Engage and have some nice symphonic keyboard sounds which sets a mood which is helped by a great job by the lighting engineer of tonights gig. They seem to have some die hard fans down the front tonight banging their fists to every note and then waiting outside after for them. The songs seem to make a bigger impression live than they do on CD which I am not sure is a good thing I think they can be a little too over produced and they need to stay more brutal and precise.
Chimaira – Setlist
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Nothing Remains
Powertrip
The Flame
Losing my Mind
Year of the Snake
Born in Blood
The Venom Inside

Coming Alive
Destroy and Dominate
Severed
Disappearing Slin
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Pure Hatred / Resurrection

Daniel Cairns