Bloodstock M2TM North Wales, Heat 4 – Wrexham Lager Club – 27/04/2019

-



Release Date:
Reviewed by [Reviewed-by]
Score:

00 Heat 4 Poster

Bloodstock M2TM North Wales, Heat 4
Wrexham Lager Club – 27/04/2019
Review by Beth Jones

Unbelievably, the end of April loomed, meaning only one thing – the last heat of this year’s Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses North Wales was upon us! We only had three competing bands to look forward to on the night, as both Krank and Gods Of The Apocalypse had to withdraw at the last minute.
So, battling for the last two places, and also potentially one of Fozzy’s two ‘Wildcard’ spots, were The Perfect Escape, Scars Of Remembrance, and Mindriot 15. The night was to be guest headlined by Scare Tactics, who we had not heard before, but had heard great things about, so we were really looking forward to seeing them. I’m only going to write a short paragraph about each competing band this time, as they were all so close, and it was really hard to pick a winner between them!
The Perfect Escape
What a great way to start the evening. These guys were packed full of energy and quirky. It was very current, in a 90’s kind of way! They were a Metal/Hard Rock crossover with a healthy dose of Pop-Punk, and instantly recognisable influences from Green Day, Sum 41 and Blink 182. It kind of took me back to my formative years, but in the now! Kerrang would love them! They performed confidently and got the crowd into things very quickly, and they all looked like they were having a blast! Josh, the second guitarist, who also provided backing vocals, was a real livewire!

01 The Perfect Escaspehttps://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectEscapeUK/

Scars Of Remembrance
These guys have been on our radar for about a year, and how they have come on in that time, which is really pleasing to see. Their current line-up definitely works really, really well. Again, they draw a lot of influences from bands of the 90s/2000s, which I love – that was my era! This is definitely the best we have seen them, and the most relaxed we have seen them. Harris and Dawson, the guitarists, have now started adding a lot more vocals too and it really works, being clean vocals which are in total contrast to Mike’s screams!

02 Scars Of Remembrancehttps://www.facebook.com/scarsofremembrance/

Mindriot 15
Another crackingly good band, with again a very 90s/2000s vibe – this evenings selection of bands was really ticking all the boxes for me! They were good solid metal with a rap element in a similar style to RATM, which again worked really well. They were enthusiastic and got the crowd really bouncing! They were tight and well-rehearsed and brought everything they had to the competition, which was really nice to see! I really enjoyed their set, but they did play two covers, not the wisest choice in a M2TM heat, even though they were crowd pleasers!

03 Mind Riot 15https://www.facebook.com/mindriot15/

For the first time this year, this was going to be one hell of a tough call, as all three competing bands were completely worthy of a semi-final place!
While the judges deliberated, we were treated to a very special performance from a band who previously were victorious in M2TM in Liverpool, Scare Tactics.
Scare Tactics
Bloody hell! That’s all I can say! These guys are so stupidly good, its just not fair! They have a beautiful sound that balances Prog and Djent with Nu Metal in perfect harmony. With heavy influences from Dream Theater (and a good bit of Devin), their intricate cross rhythms and precision tempo changes delighted the gathered crowd, and totally blew our socks off. Everything was brilliant, and nothing overdone. The combinations of crystal-clear vocals, and harsh metal vocals worked so well with their melodies and riffs. It was obvious to see why they had been victorious in this competition in the past, and we would really recommend everyone check them out if you haven’t heard them before. We bought their album and have had it on in the car since!

04 Scare Tacticshttps://www.facebook.com/scaretacticsuk/

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, their set was over, and it was results time – it was too close to call and we really didn’t have a clue who would progress – the air was filled with nervous excitement! Seemingly the judges had as tough a time as us calling the result, and had to come down to small details, and for that reason, the two bands chosen to progress, by judges vote and he audience vote, were The Perfect Escape and Scars Of Remembrance. After speaking to the judges later, this decision was mainly reached because of the use of two covers in the Mindriot 15 set.
However, Fozzy did still have two wildcard winners to put through to the semi-finals, and I think the popular consensus was that Mindriot 15 should receive one of those wildcards.
We now know that indeed Fozzy did pick them, along with Navnlos, to progress to the next stage – no covers in the semis lads eh?
So, the bands for the semis are now confirmed as: Bad Earth, Lullaby For A Unicorn, Scarfoot, Cry For Mercy, Favela, Thrashatouille, The Perfect Escape, Scars Of Remembrance, Navnlos and Mindriot 15. This is where the shit gets real and the judging gets much harder – I wouldn’t like to have to call this now, as these bands are all great!
See you all at the semis!
Links
https://www.facebook.com/N.E.WMetalProductions/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/m2tmofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/events/2134681543280772/ (Semi-Final 1 Event Page)
https://www.facebook.com/events/2350996518296726/ (Semi-Final 2 Event Page)
https://www.facebook.com/GoodforaudioEntertainment/
https://www.facebook.com/The-Wrexham-Lager-Club-965182906991705/
https://www.facebook.com/Powerzonemetal/
https://www.facebook.com/TheImpactZoneOnRadioDeeside/
https://www.facebook.com/evermetal2017/
 
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

LINKS:

 

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of [user_login] and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Leave a Reply