Any band that leaves the stage as their set concludes to an Ennio Morricone spaghetti western score can't be all bad. And this band is definitely not bad at all. Prior to playing, Buried Inside, from Ottawa, Canada, appears to be a bunch of quiet, unassuming chaps. But within seconds of starting their set, the carefully-controlled cacophony emitting from the stage is breathtaking. This European tour, of which Yeovil is the second date of the final UK leg, is in support of their third album, recently released on Relapse Records, entitled Chronoclast: Selected Essays on Time-Reckoning and Auto-Cannibalism.  | | Buried Inside |
This is a progressive concept album concerning how time is perceived, controlled, exploited, manipulated, institutionalised and internalised, with many of the messages taking the form of socio-political commentary within the larger scheme of this massive topic. Musically, I can see their influences are the likes of Isis and Neurosis, and the quieter interludes bring to mind fellow Canadians Godspeed You Black Emperor. These are intelligent guys and the lyrics are well written and thought provoking - not that you can easily decipher them as they are hollered over the barrage of noise that made up their set. In the 30 or so minutes they are performing, they don't pause and there is no between-song banter to spoil the beautiful intensity of their material. Unfortunately, most of the younger audience had dissipated by the time the band had commenced, and obviously this band didn't appeal to the Identikit fashioncore kids, who really don't know what an inspiring performance they missed. Lazarus Blackstar  | | Lazarus Blackstar |
Earlier in the evening, we were treated to a set by Lazarus Blackstar. This apocalyptic noise really is ugly music, played by ugly people, for ugly people. As vocalist Paul Catten (also of Medulla Nocte and Murder One) limbered up beforehand, crunching his neck and inhaling deeply, I thought he may just turn into the Hulk. During their set, however, he looked more like he'd just stepped off the set of a George A Romero flick, playing the part of a zombie priest, as he lumbered around the stage with his arms outstretched, before repeatedly throwing himself to the ground with no regard for his wellbeing. Or perhaps, this was a St Vitus dance. Paul is no shrinking violet - rather a shrieking violent. Meanwhile, the four sonic-noise terrorists that made up the band around him churned out a set of sludgy down-tuned Black Sabbath-style riffs, with bowel-quaking monstrosity. They are certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and I doubt that they'll be too concerned about the newly-reformed Take That stealing any of their fan base. Atakku, and In the Eyes of Midas Also on the bill was Hertfordshire-based Atakku (not very inspiringly named after the Japanese word for attack, and apparently previously known as Sandface). I'd hoped that maybe in their third incarnation they'll actually get a decent name for themselves!  | | Atakku |
Judging by a comment from the band at the start of the set, it appears they barely made it to the venue in time for their set, but I'm glad they did. The material they played was consistently good in quality, with metallic riffs aplenty, along with some nice variations in tempo and style and an intense vocalist in the shape of Matt Ryder. They certainly went down well with the crowd, and for a band I'd not heard before, I was suitably impressed. In the Eyes of Midas played earlier, and they seemed unimpressed with both their own playing and the feedback and sound problems that plagued their set. This youthful band played an emo/screamo/metalcore style that is all the rage at the moment. Their vocalist had a good range and they had all the right moves, but it would be good to see them try to develop their own style, rather than copy all the American bands in this genre. I'd guess on a good night, they'd be pretty awesome. | 
