Another packed evening at the Jericho Tavern as we kick off Heat 5 of the road to Bloodstock. It is heartening to see such enduring strong attendance at these gigs and it’s no wonder – the line up tonight is strong as any despite another last minute change. Away With The Seas join us from Reading, alongside Talassum, who are returning to the competition after making it to last year’s final; and Didcot based Sabertooth, for what promises to be yet another fantastic evening of metal. 

Away With The Seas absolutely jump start the evening, storming onto the stage with the kind of experience, passion and power that would have left no one believing they were a last minute addition to the bill. Despite an initial few guitar pedal gremlins which the band worked through well, the entire venue was jolted awake by the sheer volume and raw brutality of the sound. 

The vocals were gnarly, harsh and guttural, yet powerful enough to slice straight through you. The guitars were heavy and crushing, the drums fast and frantic and the filthy breakdowns kept on coming. Away With The Seas had a strong stage presence and fantastic engagement with the crowd; their frontman moving through the audience and hyping up them up for what was to come. 

Their set was a consistently energetic one from start to finish, and consisted of some nice tempo changes that gave us all a breather before things ramped back up again. At one point during the set things slowed considerably and their frontman knelt amongst the crowd asking us to “just vibe with him.” These more melodic and ambient elements were a perfectly blended addition to the overall sound that added an extra layer without taking anything away from the utter brutality they are purveyors of. 

Four piece Talassum are up next and return after their strong performances last year at both M2TM and Rabidfest. It is clear to see the band has evolved, returning more experienced and having grown in confidence. This was the tightest I have seen them play and it felt like their whole performance has been refined to another level in the intervening months.

A high contrast to the sound of the previous set, Talassum brought us lots of groove with a dark and spooky edge. Beautifully executed violin brings a folk twist to the heavier sounds and frontman Hristo brings some great engagement and the crowd responded immediately. Ending with a lively number, Talassum commanded the room and by the end the whole crowd was chanting along. 

Sabertooth pulled in by far the biggest crowd of the evening and brought huge riffs; an absolutely massive and refined sound with a modern twist on a classic and old school feel. Monumental drums accompanied fast and galloping riffs and a sound you’d be forgiven for thinking that maybe this stage is a touch too small for. Their performance was highly crafted, with extremely tight musicianship and perfectly coordinated backing vocals and momentum that continued to build throughout. 

Sabertooth brought an engaging and fun to watch performance and it is obvious to see how much they clearly enjoy what they are doing. The crowd are clearly very into it too and the floor is awash with beer by the end of their set as a result of people enthusiastically waving their pints around. It’s rare that I struggle to find a spot to take photographs from the in tavern, but the crowd Sabertooth pulled in was so vast and so tightly packed in that it was a different story tonight! All in all, a distinctive and hugely memorable performance. 

Another heat and another very tricky decision on everyone’s hands. We weren’t expecting to have another decision this close to the wire so soon after the last heat. All three bands brought distinctive sound and performances and all three are undoubtedly deserving of progression in the competition. With a crowd that huge, it’s no surprise to anyone that Sabertooth go sailing through on the crowd vote, and his leaves the judges with a horrible decision to make. After some deliberation, Away With The Seas are deservedly given the judges vote and will go through to the next round, meaning a sad and shock exit for Talassum. M2TM is back on the 4th April for Heat 6.

Words & images: Kate Elfström