26 Jun 2018

Bristol 247 reviews Bonnacons of Doom live at The Cube


They say:

Taking to the stage in floor length cloaks and with faces obscured by mirrored discs (echoing the debut LP cover) Bonnacons of Doom played Industria, Rhizome, Solus, Sutcliffe, Argenta and Plantae: essentially said debut album, albeit out of sequence and with the bonus of Sutcliffe. They did not perform an encore yet left the audience in that bittersweet state of simultaneous delight and disappointment.

Like a brooding avalanche slowly gaining momentum the set opened with a drone that gradually grew louder as a gong incessantly summoned the musicians to the stage. And then the avalanche commenced, pounding the room exquisitely. Industria was a menacing slice of Tibetan metal, chanting and building ominously without ever truly reaching a crescendo. Rhizome, with extra floor tom power, was that crescendo: a massive crescendo disguised as a cymbal splashed drumming tour de force, a riff monster. It battered the crowd, paving the way for the storm to come.

Solus, Sutcliffe and Argenta were a relentless display of power and ingenuity – music as heavy as metal but not heavy metal – eschewing all the conventions of rock to twist base metal into something harder, something different. Solus led with vocals that disturbed and soothed in equal measures over diamond hard riffs and off kilter solos. Argenta teased us with its soothing introduction, peaking with towering riffs and dipping with soothing noodling (not a pejorative), which ebbed and flowed...

Read the full piece here: Bristol 247

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