Mayhem Messiah at the Masons arms – 6th December 2013.

By Barry Bungalow

This 4 piece band were the only band to play on the night, due to another band pulling out, which delayed the start time of the performance until 10pm, and for those who waited around to listen to Mayhem Messiah they were in for a real treat.

Mayhem Messiah’s  set included a range of their own music, written by their guitarist, and covers ranged their style of music from soft rock with outstandingly played clean guitar solos and clean vocals similar to Whitesnake, through to heavy metal songs reminiscent of Iron Maiden, whilst their cover songs were spot on.

The band had great stage presence and high energy during songs, and the  entertained enough to keep the crowd going between the songs. The band refined their sound before playing, which paid off as they complimented each other perfectly.

The vocalist had a range from  the hard rock styles of Jon Bon Jovi and David Coverdale (Whitesnake) through to the operatic style of Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) while touching on the industrial styles of Glenn Danzig (Misfits / Danzig).

The guitarist played a clean and technical set, switching from lead parts of the song into the solos seamlessly, and occasionally touching on the heavy metal aspects of the guitar spectrum, while never distracting you from, or over powering the sound of the stage.

The bassist played amazingly – a pleasure to hear the instrument being played so well. Executed perfectly, complimentary to the other musicians, and played point-perfect. A great feeling to hear the bass being played, as well to feel it in your diaphragm simultaneously.

The drummer played technically, but never over played or even over powered the kit, even during the heavier songs, allowing you to clearly hear the other instruments. Although the drum kit he used is smaller than some I have seen, he managed to use it to its full potential, better than musicians with bigger ‘pretty’ kits.

The band also used a keyboard section in only a few songs, albeit running through a computer, helped to add a little bit more atmosphere to an already incredible sound.

Overall, an amazing band that have rekindled my love for live music. Their set of 5 original songs and 3 covers, got the crowd excited enough to call for an encore which they obliged to do, playing a song they had only created the night before this gig. Another thing about this band, this was only their 3rd time playing live together, indicating to me that if they do find a way of improving themselves, they will go from amazing to exceptional.

A band well worth watching, even if travelling is the only way to see them, you will not be disappointed.