Metal Hammer Boat Party @ The HMS Splatter, London

Metal Hammer Boat Party

Golden Gods 2010

@

The HMS Splatter, London

Though intended as an appetiser to the main event, the HMS Splatter looks set for a spectacular outing, with swashbuckling fun and brutality in equal measure. Transporting guests across the Thames to Metal Hammer’s glittering awards show, the vessel boasts an almost Halloweenish appeal as revellers are handed hockey masks on arrival at the pier. Having sufficiently unnerved a group of tourists aboard a nearby barge, Metal Hammer’s motley crew set sail on an odyssey of extreme entertainment.

Opening on a nostalgic note, Nonpoint evoke nu-metal’s glory days with a catchy mix of grooves and hooky choruses. Having toured with genre giants Linkin Park and Staind, the Americans’ textbook sound is inevitably dated in places. Though Elias Soriano's clean vocal sections lack volume, the performance is nevertheless peppered with death grunts. Featuring chunky, anthemic riffs, fan favourite ‘Bullet With A Name’ sees the climax of Nonpoint’s bicep-flexing set. Oozing studio-slick precision, Sonic Syndicate are a well-oiled metalcore machine. Hinged on Killswitch Engage-style harmonies and rapid-fire axemanship, the band’s technical expertise is matched by an equally polished, eyeliner-smudged image. Despite their considerable number, the sextet demonstrate great onstage chemistry with multidirectional screams and synchronised moshing.

Fresh-faced enough to be mistaken for a gang of truant teens, Rise To Remain turn out an entertaining show tinged with excitement from their recent stint at Download. Oblivious to the boat’s stomach-churning motions, these enthusiastic Brits leap unsteadily across the stage, creating a rather inexperienced wall of noise. Riddled with vocal flaws and Bullet For My Valentine-like melodies, their style sometimes borders on generic, but ultimately delivers the goods with titanic waves of aggression.

Raw and luxuriant as a shot of Southern Comfort, Hellyeah take the capital city by storm with an all-American selection of stoner grooves and beefy power chords. Featuring former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, the supergroup’s old school connections produce an unmistakably traditional assault. While ‘Cowboy Way’ makes for a strong, stadium rock anthem, the bluesy refrains that follow evidently strike a chord with the band’s cheering fans. Lingering somewhere between a party and the morning after, Hellyeah leave the audience drunk on a cocktail of raging speed and bittersweet melody.

Reviewed by Faye Coulman
Photography by Asif Salam