Live Review: Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards @ Indigo O2 London (17/06/13)
The yearly Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards are a star-studded affair & you can expect to see the cream of heavy metal taking to the stage to present & accept awards.
Additionally several bands play during the show, short sets designed to keep the masses gathered entertained.
The first band to take the stage are Coal Chamber or as I like to call them, Dez & friends. You see Coal Chamber’s history is well known, them being part of the nu-metal movement & having serious drug issues. The singer, Dez Fafara would go on to create Devildriver, one of my favourite bands. Unlike a lot of people I do not want to see a Coal Chamber reunion if it means Devildriver suffers. However I can enjoy shows like this where its a complete nostalgia thing…I mean Dez even comes out wearing the make-up he wore in Chamber. It’s a throw-back, he knows & so do we.
They smash their way through several classics, Loco & Sway being absolute riots. It’s amazing to see but it is all about Dez as he stalks the stage roaring his way through songs 15 years old. He has one of the best voices in the business….
Paradise Lost make the smart move of steering clear of their more doom & moody songs. Sensing that the crowd wants sing-alongs they power through one of their own before inviting Christina Scabbia to join them onstage. Her appearance perks up quite a number of the crowd & the song, Say Just Words goes down well. They round off their appearance with a stellar cover of Black Sabbaths Into The Void alongside Gus G.
Five Finger Death Punch are probably the most popular band on the bill but I’m not sure why. It’s heavy & there are bucket-loads of rhythm but once the vocals kick in it becomes all so generic. They plough through some of their better known songs & while it is a rocking set but it just feels like it lacks that killer edge.
3 bands down, 2 to go….Airbourne are my most anticipated band on the bill. Last time I saw them I was just getting into them, now I’m a huge fan. It says a lot about the strength of the new album that they can play 2 new songs & everyone sings along like they are old favourites. Live It Up is a particular favourite that just sounds massive. They round their way too short set with a rousing rendition of Runnin’ Wild. The band of the night….
Which just leaves the timeless Motörhead to come out & show the young ones how it is done. There are no surprises in their set & after the energetic Airbourne they have a tough act to follow but they manage it as expected. That’s the thing about Motörhead, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them play badly. They are one of the most consistent bands out there & the word ‘solid’ always comes to mind. The set is good & ended with a flourish as fan-favourite Overkill is played. Everyone looks exhausted….I know I was!
