Gallhammer @ The Water Rats 12/03/2008

Arriving at Kings Cross’s theatrically chandeliered little venue, the Water Rats, through horrible winds, the heavy stagnant atmosphere of hair and battered leather was almost comforting as we walked in. Tonight’s headliners – Tokyo’s all-girl doom metallers, Gallhammer – have been signed to Peaceville for a while, which might help explain the rather classic aesthetic of the crowd gathered for their first UK gig. There’s none of the self-righteous ‘new-band’ buzz in the air here then tonight; the excitement is purely anticipation of what everyone already knows can’t fail to be a damn awesome show. Openers ‘Leech Woman’ were three guys chugging hard to a heavy industrial backing track that sounded at times like it might have come from the musical ‘Stomp’ (metal poles and dustbin lids and all of that). Their unconvincing grimaces, especially from the munchkin-faced pink-dreadded vocalist, kept us totally entertained as they worked their way from ‘cunt’ t-shirts to bare chests. And it was the sense of fun and entertainment the whole way through that justified their presence when really they could have just recorded and looped themselves along with the percussion track for the same musical effect. And if nothing else, as an opening act, they were really reassuringly Loud. The Sontaran Experiment were louder. And their nearly vein-popping snarls and maniacal grins seemed alarmingly real. Their sound was alternately dense, soaring and frenetic, as tortured apocalyptic vocals (“there is no hope left for us”) were contorted and transformed into horrific artificial screeches through wierd machines and frenzied outburst of twisted prog solos were enveloped by feedback. I could literally feel my eardrums rattling: it felt like we were trapped inside a dark box as soundwaves shot through us and bounced off the walls again in all directions... in fact I felt like the autistic kid in the red room in Cube. No real need to elaborate on Gallhammer’s set then. Satisfyingly amazing, like a plan coming together... you couldn’t help but bang your head and clench your fists, but then you noticed that everyone around you was doing it too, and everything was fucking great. The only let down was the lack of encore when it should have been on the cards.... but what can you do? The music stops, people become aware of their surroundings, and the creeping ghost of London nonchalance starts to infiltrate the crowd and no one bloody keeps shouting. Disappointing, but we still left as stupidly grinning and happy as kids from a sweetshop, full of metal like it was made of e-numbers and sugar.