GIG REVIEW: Corrosion of Conformity Bring the Heavy to Belfast Supported by Slomatics and Ten Ton Slug

24th October 2018

It’s October in Belfast which can only mean one thing. It’s freezing outside. Luckily for one little square of Belfast some heavy riffs are about to heat the place up as three bands take the stage in the city.

After the release of their 10^th studio album, No Cross No Crown, in January of this year Corrosion of Conformity have been touring like it’s going out of fashion. So far this year the band have toured South America, the US and Europe and return to Europe now playing dates comprising the UK and Ireland only. COC are part of the NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) sound typifying the sludge genre created with other bands like Pantera, Down, Eyehategod and Crowbar who just visited Belfast a couple of weeks ago too. What a time to be alive! We also have the pleasure of Galway-based Ten Ton Slug who have opened for COC on all stops of their Irish tour and tonight we’re joined by local group Slomatics on the billing too.

First to the stage are Ten Ton Slug who’ve been kicking ass all around the country this week. The best way to describe their live performance is screaming vocals, shredding guitar, deep bass grooves and awesome drums all working together to create a dynamic sound that bounces off Limelight’s walls. They get the crowd going drawing a roar from the venue each time they goad us with a mention of the impending COC. From a tempered sledge-hammer sound to breakneck pace Ten Ton Slug bring it all playing tracks like Matriarch of Slime and Slug Grinder from last year’s Blood and Slime EP. On their last song they give a thank you to the crowd and thank COC for the chance to open for all three dates.

Slomatics are next to take the stage, the deep groove bass sounds out of Belfast is a celebration of the heavy part of heavy metal. The three piece with drummer Marty Harvey on vocals and edgy synthetic guitar sounds provided by Chris Couzen and Dave Majury kicked off as the crowd swelled with greater numbers even throughout their set. The band are fresh off the release of their split 12″ record Totems released this year with Black Row Records. With a sound that is tempestuous and building all the way through their set Slomatics are whetting everyone’s appetite for more. To get a feel of the band live why not pick up their live recording from last year’s Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands.

These were two really great support choices for COC both coming from similar sounds and leading nicely into the main event. After three back to back nights in Ireland COC stride out on stage like they play Belfast every week (we wish!) with Reed Mullin’s stand-in and drum tech John Green first to take the stage. Green is taking over the drumming duties on this tour after Mullin injured his knee earlier this year. Next up come the three amigos, Woody Weatherman on guitar, Pepper Keenan (vocals/guitar) and Mike Dean on bass. The band kick off with the first two tracks from No Cross No Crown Novus Deus leading into The Luddite. Next up, It Is That Way from the In The Arms of God record followed by Diablo Blvd. and Seven Days from America’s Volume Dealer and Deliverance, respectively. We have Blast off.

It’s easy to see the influence of one of the band’s favourite bands, the Irish legends Thin Lizzy, particularly on the powerful rendition we’re treated to of Forgive Me. Born Again for the Last Time from Wiseblood is next and even has an impromptu jam added with Mike and Woody killing their solos to lead the crowd into the rip-roaring Who’s Got the Fire from 2000’s America’s Volume Dealer. From the same record is 13 Angels which the band don’t even stop after, going straight into the hard hitting Paranoid Opioid followed by The Door.

Pepper stops now to talk to the crowd a bit and tell them the next song becomes poignant again every once in a while. Like in the United States of America right now. Vote with a Bullet sounds as great as ever and I’m pretty sure they’re playing it at a faster tempo.

They close out their set with the classics Albatross and Clean My Wounds as well as No Cross No Crown’s Wolf Named Crow. We look forward to welcoming them back to the city again soon.

Setlist:

Novus Deus

Luddite

It Is That Way

Diablo Blvd.

Seven Days

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Forgive Me

Born Again

Who Got The Fire

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13 Angels

Paranoid Opioid

The Door

Vote With a Bullet

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Wolf Named Crow

Albatross

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Clean My Wounds

Review by Joseph Cullen

Photography by Darren Mcveigh