I have mentioned many times that local hotspot The Firehouse is often the one of the best places to showcase new talent from the best unsigned and upcoming acts within Rock and Metal. Last night saw Endless Pain Promotions present this mind-blowing evening of some the best Melodic Metal bands within the south of England whilst giving us a sense of togetherness and community. Arriving at The Firehouse to see an already promising turnout re-assured me that support for local Metal is still alive and kicking.

First up to show Southampton what they were made of were Bristolian Melodic Metallers ALATYR; this was my first time experiencing this sound and I have got to say I was impressed. The first thing that was heard was the incredible vocal talents given to us by Steph Kiddle; she mentioned after the show she'd rather give the element of surprise when she performs, that certainly was correct. Suddenly hearing the aggressive growls amongst clean crisp singing was a brilliant shock to the system as it is the classic contrast; this was only one crucial element to their collection of top notch tunes also accompanied with blistering riffs, pounding bass riffs and thunderous drums. With that being said I hope you have gathered that they were the ideal choice to kick off tonight's proceedings.

 

Hailing from Devon and Somerset Alternative Metal outfit PRETTY LITTLE ENEMY have only been in our community for several months and it seems they are making an impact on the local scene already. I caught them first when they were just starting out and quite honestly wasn't immediately taken but last night definitely showed a marvellous development in their sound. Their brilliant melodies encompassed with all the crucial elements including a dominant stage presence from charismatic vocalist Louise Body, slick guitar licks and rolling drums. This strong performance of their melodies sat very well with Southampton's punters and we await another return from this Alternative quartet.

 

To say dual fronted Progressive Metal outfit METAPRISM are storming through the metal scene would be an understatement; with appearances at Bloodstock, Wacken and touring with the likes of SACRED MOTHER TONGUE and I AM I their presence is certainly becoming distinguished. Their live shows are often praised for their high energy, passion, excellent team work and incredibly tight sound; last night's show was no exception. They have graced Southampton with their presence before and last night saw their biggest crowd to do date; I am pleased to see it shows their talent and passion is being acknowledged, the crowds responded incredibly well as they belted out songs such as "Firesoul" and "Reload". Another top class performance from METAPRISM.

 

Ever since watching them earlier this year and getting my hands on their debut album "Beast Inside" Bristolian Power/Melodic Metal hexad CONTROL THE STORM have been my radar since. From the moment they kicked off with attention-grabbing opener "Day Of Days" they were well underway; their debut album is absolutely flawless, their live performance gives this already potent sound showcased on this debut a lot more dominance and supremacy. To say their prevailing tunes that will no doubt become Melodic Metal classics such as "Nothing Hurts", "Hysteric Silence" and "Stronger" went down extremely well with the crowds would be an understatement. They were welcomed back with the open arms of the community who had seen them before, those who were new to the Melodic Metallers sound seem to show their high appreciation through the fist pumping, head banging and the odd dancing. The only way the Metal heads show their appreciation.

 

So this night gave us a lot of great aspects of a top class Metal show; passionate, energetic performance from each band, the sense of community and togetherness a lot of us feel in the Metal community and a lot of hair and sweat. A top class night of free night of influential metal put on by Endless Pain Promotions. Huge hats off to Dave Bass for putting on the show.

*Photography by Tomasz Wrobel

For the rest of the photos click here.