Diet Pills @ The Lower Deck

Posted on 24th Jan 12 by Jonathan Keane | 0

Now here’s something that never goes amiss – a pretty interesting and varied bill, top to bottom. Firstly, Flowers of Creation (formerly Flowers of Dissonance) have been expanded to a four-man outfit since their slot supporting Monarch back in October. The harsh noise/dark ambient project certainly has its charms. One can see how these murky sounds are created whether with electronics, twisting plastic bottles into a microphone, banging kitchen utensils or their own voices. The set didn’t create the same uneasy tension that their set with Monarch did but it still makes for some enthralling sounds.

Wild Rocket provide a huge change in atmosphere following Flowers… They’ve really stepped up their game with the addition of synthesizers to their spacey rock, and it’s heaving with memorable riff after memorable riff. The only complaint to note is that the vocals are a tad low in the mix, whether that was intentional or not.

Murmur were definitely one of the night’s highlights. They churn out a lengthy set of proggy, kraut-tinged rock, which certainly makes for a break from the rest of the bill. They’ve an ambitious sound that comes across well live and its delivery is tight and near flawless which is impressive considering how deeply layered it is with beautifully vivid guitars, saxophones and pianos. Oh, and bells.

Sickener, the old reliable grinders, play a set of mostly new material. Their set was a success which was mainly due to their second vocalist, who joined the band after their demo was recorded. The new songs seem to be even more chaotic and turbulent than before, despite one or two fuck ups in the set.

Wölfbait are another band that have come a long way since their first gig. Introduced by cavernous drums and the drummer’s bellowing vocals, the band conjure up a tense and forceful din with accompanying electronics and second vocals that complement the drums and thick riffs quite well. The third vocalist doesn’t seem to be serving much a purpose though, but that may have been a sound issue on this given night; he was left rather inaudible. Loose Nut then started off with a slow burning intro, which felt uncharacteristic at first until it exploded into bouts of riff heavy hardcore, including some new songs, which came to a boiling point with the final two servings.

Diet Pills meanwhile are a ferocious fucking sight and sound to behold. Having played a set that was by no means mild within these walls last May, they’ve returned with even more vehemence and grit. It’s louder, noisier, heavier and more confrontational than before. The vocals have abandoned much of the higher pitched screeches and queasy moans in favour of coarser, throat ripping snarls. Their skinny singer lurches around topless; certainly giving the barbaric sound a perturbed image as such a huge and frenzied racket emerges. This band really has come on leaps and bounds and in a live setting are savagery incarnate.

Tags: dark ambient, Diet Pills, Flowers of Creation, Grindcore, HARDCORE, Loose Nut, Murmur, Sickener, the lower deck, Wild Rocket, Wolfbait