Kerrang Competition Part 2

And now a 150 word review of one of the worst gigs I ever went to:

Rise to Addiction
Rios, Leeds
18/10/2007  With more room to swing a coalition of cheetahs, let alone a cat, Rios is looking rather sparse to say the least. Unfortunately that’s probably for the best. The local support band may fail to announce who they are but do succeed in mauling three System of a Down cover songs and only two of their own. Although to be honest they could also have been covers just defiled beyond recognition.
  This bodes well for showing Rise to Addiction, which includes ex-members of Blaze Bayley’s band, in a good light. Sadly for them there’s not much light down in Rios and any there is appears to be bad. Fresh from playing to thousands at Bloodstock a small show such as this should be a breeze. The bands lack of effort and bland, uninspiring metal reflects the night’s mood leaving the few attending fans wondering why they, unlike the band, bothered.

Kerrang Competition

A 150 word review of one of the best gigs I ever went to:

Machine Head
O2 Academy, Newcastle
25/02/2010

  Three years after the release of The Blackening, Machine Head finally bring their headline tour in support of said masterpiece to the UK. Last minute replacement Man Must Die kick things off with their Scottish death metal followed by keyboard infused madness from Bleeding Through. This leaves Hatebreed, on a near successful mission to steal the show, as the perfect warm up.
  Having toured The Blackening for three years Machine Head could be forgiven for taking it down a gear but instead they step it up. From Robb Flynn’s opening roar the crowd ignites as the venue heats up, along with the band being on fire tonight, dash any thoughts of the Arctic temperatures outside. Drawing on material mostly from The Blackening there can be no complaints about the set tonight, they even include a rare outing of Spine. It’s shows like this that make you wonder, future festival headliner?