{"id":34544,"date":"2015-07-31T00:00:23","date_gmt":"2015-07-31T00:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=34544"},"modified":"2015-08-02T17:18:55","modified_gmt":"2015-08-02T17:18:55","slug":"live-review-mordred-31-07-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/live-review-mordred-31-07-15\/","title":{"rendered":"MORDRED – O2 Academy 2, Islington, London, England (July 31st, 2015) | Live Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

MORDRED<\/span>
\n\"\"
\nO2 Academy 2, Islington, London, England<\/strong><\/span><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nJuly 31st, 2015<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
Danny White<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Pic: Neil Arnold<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

It was just like the old days, San Francisco metallers Mordred visiting UK shores twice within the space of a year (see review<\/a> from August 2014). Scott Holderby (vocals), Danny White (guitar), Jim Sanguinetti (guitar), Art Liboon (bass), Jeff Gomes (drums) and Aaron \u201cDJ Pause\u201d Vaughn (turntables) taking to the stage just past 8pm. The band bathed in stage lights, Holderby with menace in his eyes and the crowded venue gagging for a veritable feast of funky thrash.<\/p>\n

\u2018State Of Mind\u2019 starts the assault; the expected chunky thrash barrage we\u2019ve become accustomed to since it first appeared on the band\u2019s stunning 1989 debut Fool\u2019s Game<\/em>. Holderby is ever playful, ever prowling and naturally spasmodic in his stage cavorting, while behind him the straight-laced, straight-faced funky bass master Art Liboon thuds, slaps and trickles his way through Mordred\u2019s ever-versatile set. But such a combo would not be complete without Sanguinetti\u2019s driving riffs, White\u2019s soaring leads, Gomes\u2019 spine-shaking percussion and DJ Pause\u2019s effortless scratching.<\/p>\n

When one watches such a band, it\u2019s difficult to know who to focus on as each member owns their segment of space; the energy the band showcases has the crowd drenched in sweat before the mini moshpit has begun. Tonight there\u2019s an excitement in the air though because the band are showcasing a handful of new tracks, reminding me of the night I saw them in the early 90s at London\u2019s Marquee (supported by The Organization) when they exhibited upcoming material from the 1992 Vision<\/em> EP.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re not disappointed. A glut of us are already familiar with the jerking tomfoolery of \u2018The Baroness\u2019 which nods, twists and jerks aided by Holderby\u2019s choppy raps and DJ Pause\u2019s cool scratch licks. But it\u2019s the likes of \u2018I Am Charlie\u2019, \u2018Dented Lives\u2019 and \u2018The Eyes On The Prize\u2019 which mesmerize. It may be because they are delivered in a live environment, but the new cuts seem to display an air of punk attitude beefed up by some truly chugging riffery and thrash wildness bridging the gap between the Fool\u2019s Game<\/em> and 1991\u2019s In This Life<\/em> records. The choruses are raw yet soulful, typical of Mordred\u2019s suave yet cutting nature as they fuse thrash metal with groove-based rock long before a whole host of bands jumped on the bandwagon and bewilderingly enjoyed greater success.<\/p>\n

But Mordred remain that one cool cat of a cult outfit, sprinkling funk-spattered stardust upon the manic audience with the likes of the poignant \u2018The Vagrant\u2019, the epileptic \u2018Everyday\u2019s A Holiday\u2019 and the sublime \u2018Crash\u2019, while those seeking meatier, faster thrash outbursts needed to look no further than the rampant \u2018Sever And Splice\u2019 and the orgasmic \u2018Killing Time\u2019 before ascending to the lofty peak of \u2018Falling Away\u2019, which for me still remains the greatest thrash groove composition of all time.<\/p>\n

The lighter shades of Mordred\u2019s flavour are again unveiled with the soulful croon of \u2018West County Hospital\u2019; a truly wondrous cosmic journey of self-exploration and struggle as Scott Holderby commentates on his own experience amidst a sea of trickling guitar chords. Meanwhile, DJ Pause demonstrates the band\u2019s grittier side with the pounding hip-hop jaunt of \u2018Close Minded\u2019. It\u2019s a true alternative metal anthem if there ever was one and proof that there is no limit to Mordred\u2019s arsenal of variety.<\/p>\n

This crunching, slamming tune seems to walk hand in hand with the streetwise shuffle that is Thin Lizzy\u2019s \u2018Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed\u2019 which Mordred have made their own since it appeared on the B-side of the 1991\u2019s \u2018Falling Away\u2019 single so many moons ago. Indeed, it\u2019s a cover version that symbolises the band\u2019s flexibility and kaleidoscopic nature as through their career they\u2019ve nodded to many musical realms in their quest for originality. There\u2019s never been a band like Mordred, and in spite of thousands of imitations there never will be again.<\/p>\n

However, suddenly it\u2019s 9.30pm. Time certainly flies when you\u2019ve had so much fun, but the night feels somehow cut short. Maybe it\u2019s because the tracks have been delivered with extra whip, speed and crack or that we\u2019ve not been spoiled with the ever-present classic \u2018Esse Quam Videri\u2019, the interstellar \u2018Reach\u2019 or \u2018In Time\u2019. After all, fans new and old just can\u2019t get enough of these guys, and so Mordred bid their farewells with the tumbling nuances of \u2018In This Life\u2019 introduced via the tickling bass of Liboon until White and Sanguinetti join in frenetic tandem to once again contort our souls.<\/p>\n

As always, Mordred leave us hungry for more. but with the new album due for release in the not too distant future sure to get us worked up into a sweat once again I can only quote an immortal line from the band\u2019s \u2018Killing Time\u2019 when I say, \u201c\u2026until we meet again\u201d.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MORDRED O2 Academy 2, Islington, London, England July 31st, 2015 Danny White Pic: Neil Arnold It was just like the old days, San Francisco metallers Mordred visiting UK shores twice within the space of a year (see review from August 2014). Scott Holderby (vocals), Danny White (guitar), Jim Sanguinetti (guitar), Art Liboon (bass), Jeff Gomes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1313],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mordred"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34544"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34560,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34544\/revisions\/34560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}