Metal & Prog Picks: January 2016

Henry Rollins

St. George’s, Jan 10

OK, so Angry Hank isn’t actually playing a gig as such, but that doesn’t mean he won’t do that thing where he gets so irate that the veins on his neck start to throb. Fellow rockers Scott Ian from Anthrax and Danko Jones from, erm, Danko Jones might have leapt aboard the spoken word tour bandwagon in recent years, but workaholic Henry was there first. This is the first date on his new Charmingly Obstinate tour, and it’s safe to assume that he’ll be his usual amusingly opinionated self. Perhaps he’ll even share some yarns about He Never Died – the new comedy-horror flick in which he stars as an immortal cannibal who’s become bored with life.

The Black Dahlia Murder

Fleece, Jan 16

The title of their new album, Abysmal, might be a gift to the hostile, but it’s hard to resist song titles like Vlad, Son of the Dragon and the unarguable if grammatically challenged That Cannot Die Which Eternally is Dead. Heavily influenced by our very own Carcass, these melodic death metallers from Michigan have the benefit of headlining the first real metal tour to reach us in 2016. And on a Saturday night too. Infernal support comes from French technical death metallers Benighted and, all the way from Cardiff, Venom Prison. Yup, they play death metal too.

Jason Isbell

O2 Academy, Jan 20

You could make a strong case that Alabama’s Jason Isbell doesn’t belong in this section. But, hey, it’s a quiet month, and he was a member of the Drive-By Truckers when they toured the world’s greatest Lynyrd Skynyrd concept album, Southern Rock Opera, so we’ll have him anyway. (Hands up all those who remember seeing him play with the Truckers at the Bierkeller.) If you must have a pigeonhole, Americana will probably do the trick, though Isbell’s latest and most successful solo album, Something More Than Free, hit number one on the US Folk, Country and Rock charts (as well as number six on the overall Billboard chart), which suggests that nobody is quite sure where he belongs. It also scored his first solo UK top twenty hit. Like the Truckers, many of Isbell’s storytelling lyrics explore his conflicted feelings about the American south and its history. “With his honeysuckle drawl and unrivalled knack for lyrical detail, Jason Isbell is arguably the most revered roots-rock singer-songwriter of his generation,” enthused Rolling Stone.

Steven Wilson

Colston Hall, Jan 26

Those of us who despise the reliably boring, box-ticking, tokenistic Mercury Music Prize are occasionally asked who we’d nominate instead. At the top of a very long list is Steven Wilson. The multi-talented former Porcupine Tree frontman can turn his hand to almost anything from avant garde music to metal, but is most closely associated with pr*gressive r*ck – which is presumably why the snobs won’t listen to him. As a sound engineer, he’s been working his way through the catalogues of such greats as Yes, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant to produce brilliant audiophile surround sound remixes. And as a solo artist, he continues to, well, progress. 2013’s macabre, Poe-inspired The Raven That Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) spawned two great animations by regular collaborator Jess Cope. Her haunting film for Drive Home even won the Audience Award at the 2014 Encounters Film Festival.

Last year’s outstanding Hand. Cannot. Erase. took an entirely different lyrical tack, inspired by Carol Morley’s drama-doc Dreams of a Life. Cope rose to the occasion once again, creating a magnificent complementary animation for Routine. In a five-star review, the Grauniad described Hand. Cannot. Erase. as “…an album rooted in sonic and spiritual modernity, largely eschewing early prog tropes in favour of an inventive blend of bleak and brooding industrial soundscapes and rugged, muscular ensemble performances from Wilson’s virtuoso henchmen.” Expect another rich multi-media show at the Colston Hall. It’s divided into two halves, the first being a complete performance of Hand. Cannot. Erase. (with a guest appearance from Ninet Tayeb, who sings on Routine) while the second features songs from the upcoming 4 1/2 album and old faves. But if you’re late to the Wilson party, be warned: it’s been sold out for months.

Soulfly

Marble Factory, Jan 31

Something of a late booking for the Marble Factory, but a welcome one nonetheless, Max Cavalera performs on the same stage occupied by his former Sepultura chums a couple of months back. Soulfly’s new album Archangel didn’t exactly set the charts alight. But given Max’s recent disparaging comments in the press, the inevitable reunion of the original Sepultura line-up is still some way off. Still, that’s good news for us, as we have two ace Brazilian world metal acts top enjoy. Max is the only constant member of Soulfly, which seems to have something of a revolving door policy for musicians. But he’s keeping it in the family by employing his own son Zyon on drums and percussion. And he’d be wise to cling on to excellent guitarist Marc Rizzo.

Support comes from scary ornithological Australians and Phil Anselmo faves King Parrot, who make Mick Taylor look like Dame Edna and are perhaps best known for their highly entertaining videos for Dead End, Like a Rat, Home Is Where the Gutter Is and the evocative Shit on the Liver.

Further Ahead

Here’s our essential diary of upcoming gigs that should be of interest to anyone of a rockin’ disposition.

The Winery Dogs, Academy, Feb 2

TesseracT, Thekla, Feb 3

Bowling For Soup, Academy, Feb 15

Kataklysm, Fleece, Feb 15

Thunder/Terrorvision/King King, Colston Hall, Feb 16

Black Peaks, Exchange, Feb 17

Symphony X, Bierkeller, Feb 18

Ensiferum, Marble Factory, Feb 18

Therapy?, Thekla, Feb 18

Graham Bonnet, Bierkeller, Feb 19

CJ Wildheart, Thekla, Feb 25

The Cult, Colston Hall, Feb 25

Decapitated, Marble Factory, March 2

Reckless Love, Thekla, March 4

Stiff Little Fingers/Ricky Warwick, Academy, March 6

Sabaton/Alestorm, Academy, March 8

Exodus, Fleece, March 9

Purson, Louisiana, March 9

Deafheaven/Myrkur, Fleece, March 13

Fleshgod Apocalypse, Fleece, March 16

Hard Rock Hell Tour: Quireboys/Faster Pussycat/Bonafide, Academy, March 18

The Enid, Redgrave Theatre, March 18

Amorphis, Fleece, March 18

Tracer, Thekla, March 24

The Von Hertzen Brothers, Fleece, March 24

Overkill, Fleece, April 12

Conan, Stag & Hounds, April 15

Hey! Hello!, Fleece, April 26

Korpiklaani/Moonsorrow, Fleece, April 27

Chris Cornell, Colston Hall, April 30

Yes, Colston Hall, May 4

Steak Number Eight, Stag & Hounds, May 13

Gov’t Mule, Academy, May 13

Magnum, Academy, May 29

Temples Festival, Motion, June 2-5

Frost*, Thekla, July 29