On a school or work night the chances of a full venue for a live show seems rather farfetched. This wasn't the case when Thrash legends EXODUS graced (more like stormed) Southampton's Talking Heads with their iconic presence. They had equally powerful support from LOST SOCIETY and DENDERA.

Local support came from Heavy Metal quintet DENDERA; it's no mistake they are storming the scene with their huge melodies consisting of huge voices, iconic guitar riffs and pounding drums. They provided a more Melodic vibe to this Thrash based evening. Their performance was inarguably full of passion, energy and power but out of the bands picked for the bill, they did seem like the odd ones out in this case. Overall a great performance.

 

Up next to show Southampton what they were made of were Finland based LOST SOCIETY. It's a well known fact in the metal community that Finland is well known for producing high quality metal, LOST SOCIETY are the latest band to uphold this claim. The first thing that catches the eye is lots of hair, LOST SOCIETY's blistering guitar word, aggressive vocals and rapid drums sparked a lot of hair swishing from both band and audiences. It was evident they were the perfect choice for the main support. Mosh pits, headbanging, fistpumping from the whole venue reinforced this.

 

In the Thrash Metal community Bay Area California is a holy ground and one of their bands EXODUS are a household name. They proudly held their reputation and legacy with their killer live show that show a new generation of fans you are never too old to mosh and rock out to some brutally heavy music. One of the beautiful things about Thrash is its brutality yet simplicity when it comes to delivering a great live show. There was certainly a lot of brutality as the mosh pits broke out almost instantly, there was a lot of sweat from the constant moshing and headbanging; also by the time EXODUS made their way to the stage the room was like a sauna the moment fans walked in.

 

Talking to fans before the show a lot of them were excited for their setlist of mainly older material so it's also evident they are passionate of giving their fans what they want and a new generation of fans their classic material on a live show pallet. One of the perks of journalling is free show entry, meaning you are able to get a lesson in genres of metal you aren't too familiar with. EXODUS provided an excellent lesson in old school Thrash.

 

To sum up this live show it was a brutally excellent performance showcasing only three of the best bands in the industry.

*Photography by Chris Green