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Orange Goblin, Solace, Firebird, Obiat @ O2 Islington Academy, London |
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Orange Goblin
Solace
Firebird
Obiat
@
O2 Islington Academy,
London
|
Tonight sees the final stop of stalwart British metal providers Orange Goblin on their 15th anniversary tour and round comes the OG annual Christmas show. The band let it be known that there’s to be a few golden gems from their back catalogue to boot.
First come psychedelic doom heroes Obiat. As the band take the stage to the back-drop of a hallucinatory projection and vivid lighting scheme the scene is perfectly set for the titan doom riffs and effect laden vocals, culled from the bands latest opus ‘Eye Tree Pi’.
Next up is Carcass shredder Bill Steer’s blues-rock outfit Firebird, also consisting of bassist Greyum May and drummer Ludwig Witt. The axeman throws out some vicious and ferocious soloing on tracks taken from latest album ‘Grand Union’. Towards the end of the set, Goblin’s guitarist Joe Hoare and Solace axeman Justin Daniels hit the stage to perform a crackin’ rendition of the Stevie Wonder classic ‘Superstition’ with Daniels on vocal duty. The collaboration is a blistering performance that the crowd relish with ecstasy.
Hailing from the Jersey Shore, USA, stoner metal legends Solace come out with all guns blazing. The band are a true delight of gargantuan riffing and pummelling, groovy bass lines and they deliver riff after riff and many blistering solos by dual guitarists Justin Daniels and Tommy Southard.
However, everyones fully souped up for the headliners to take the stage as Goblin’s theme tune of Dario Argento’s ‘Suspiria’ rings out. Its hard to believe Orange Goblin have been going strong for 15 years but they show no signs of lagging. Frontman Ben Ward rages wildly in all his towering glory, working the crowd perfectly and dedicates ‘Shine’ to the late, great Ronnie James Dio which goes down as a reverent storm. Goblin deliver classic after classic with hard-rocking greatness and you really notice the band savouring every minute. Seeing this you realise why the band have lasted for 15 years. During the encore, Ben utters the immortal names of Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward as the band launch into an electrifying version of the Sabbath classic ‘Symptom Of The Universe.’ As the band finish theres a little mention of an upcoming new album and the night is truly capped off. Outside, it’s cold, raining and wholly freezing, the antithesis of all that was witnessed within. |
Review by Oran Tarjan
Photography by Oran Tarjan
Orange Goblin
Solace
Firebird
Obiat
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