It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of these events and seeing the competition progress. As we move into the summer months and we start to approach the final stages of the competition, it’s noticeably busier at the Jericho. Each week, the crowd seems to grow in size. Unbelievably, we have already reached the third of the quarter finals and tonight sees doors opening slightly early to make way for FIVE competing bands.
Bloodshot are up first and launch into the evening spectacularly with their beautiful chuggy riffs and precision engineered breakdowns. Calling the crowd forward and giving a rallying cry to action, their front man commands the room and heads dutifully begin to bang. Everything about this set is tight, precise and indicative of a band who are giving it everything they’ve got.
From the sweeping, resonant solos to at times, almost tribal, riffy breakdowns, Bloodshot gave the room an absolute pummelling in the best possible way. The drumming was relentlessly brutal and set the foundations perfectly behind the roaring screams, punishing bass and annihilating guitar. This was a confident, competent and engaging opening act with a visible step up from their set in the heats.
Reading based hardcore band Barbed Wire are up next and the set is blighted from the get-go after an altercation with the sound tech. There is clearly no love lost here but Barbed Wire slam into their set with unbounded energy and an aggressive edge. Their front man jumps and kicks his way around the stage whilst maintaining the violently visceral rhythmic vocals he does so well. The guitar tone is abrasive and raw, the drumming frantic and uncompromising.
The crowd reacts instinctively and rowdily; the pit opening almost immediately. Despite putting on a solid and crowd-pleasing performance, Barbed Wire ultimately and unfortunately let themselves down with their off stage antics which ensured their exit from the competition.
BlackMarket instantly have the whole room moving from the moment they take to the stage. The energy in this set from both the band and crowd alike is enough to raise the roof. The vocalist is an absolute force to be reckoned with, jumping, rapping, singing and commanding the room with ease. The whole band are having a ball up there and clearly love what they are doing. The bassist is jumping, the drummer has a constant smile on his face; and the crowd are so into it that the frontman even stops to comment that this is only their second time in Oxford, and they want to come back!
BlackMarket are so unique in terms of their sound, their style, and their presence and they are exactly what makes M2TM such a brilliant competition. The electronic and synth elements mesh perfectly with tight riffs and full force energy. They truly are something “a bit different” and unexpected in terms of genre, yet they bring it together with skill, passion and professionalism and put on a captivating show that leaves everyone wanting more.
Our penultimate band of the evening are hard rockers Hive Mind. They draw us all in with their clean vocals and catchy, well structured songs. They have clearly grown in confidence since their last set and it is brilliant to see them and the crowd feeding off each other’s energy.
The set is well thought through and nicely arranged and showcases their musicianship brilliantly. The energy is high for the majority of the performance but there are slower intervals too which also helps to showcase their versatility as a band.
Our final band of the evening is five piece post-hardcore outfit Funeral Solution and the crowd is building for them up front before they even start! They have an almighty presence that makes the already cramped stage feel somehow even smaller. The music is loud and devastating, with heaps of atmosphere. There are clean vocals, harsh vocals, tempo changes, momentum, atmospheric guitars and soulful intensity. Slower melodic elements pave the way back to brutality and we have circle pits galore once again.
The songs are gripping and heartfelt and the whole band put on a dynamic and engaging performance. There are layers, nuance and intricacies that all work together to build depth. The band work seamlessly together; the dual vocals perfectly coordinated. Overall, Funeral Solution brought the sound, the energy and the atmosphere to leave an impression, and were a memorable way to close out the evening.
As everyone heads off to vote (and to desperately try to find somewhere to sit down after five bands’ worth of moshing); we can reflect on what truly has been a superb evening of metal. When the results come in, we are told that the crowd vote was very, very nearly a three-way tie, which shows just how close the competition is getting in these later stages. The results are announced and BlackMarket go through on the crowd vote, whilst the judges vote goes to Bloodshot! A big well-deserved congratulations to both bands who will now advance to the Semi Finals. Quarter Final 4 takes place next Saturday.
Words & images: Kate Elfström
