So here we are, almost at the end of the road, two semi-finals down and number 3 on the way. Tonight is yet another curiously mixed bag of bands, two of Northern Ireland’s biggest hitters in Sinocence and Cursed Sun up against newcomers Teras and Domhain, but as we have found to our peril absolutely nothing can be taken for granted anymore in M2TM.
It’s always weird when you land down and the room is empty, everyone’s outside socialising and you have this thought aww Jaysus nobody has turned up! But when the first band has kicked in and you see an army of people soaking in a wall of metal, you know all is good in the world. And that is how it played out once again as Sinocence kicked off proceedings this evening, with a blistering set they took no prisoners unleashing a cacophony of powerful metal tonnage on the voodoo faithful.
A crowd came out of nowhere to rock out to a collection of tracks to set a very high bar for the rest of tonight’s bands to follow. Tossing in a new track into the mix shows the confidence these guys have as a band, solid, Passionate and with the stage presence to match there’s not a lot to fault about tonight’s performance. There is a reason why they are regarded by many on the local scene as one of the finest and hardest hitters, and they showed us why tonight.
A short breather and we have the second of tonight’s heavy hitters Cursed Sun up next, again much like Sinocence these guys are highly experienced and rarely fail to deliver on performance. That is an understatement, they deliver a behemoth set this evening that has Voodoo rocking to its core, a savage attack on the senses that makes this evening’s proceedings another cluster fuck to call. A behemoth performance tonight really set out their intent that they are here to take home the prize, often taken for granted with such a consistent ability to deliver they turned more than a few heads tonight. Two monstrous bands down Teras up next and newcomers Domhain closing off tonight’s Semi, I don’t think even the baby Jesus and his wee donkey could call this one.
So Teras return after skating it in their heat. We have been looking forward to seeing the progression of this band with their grungy, fuzz-laden rock they have an angsty vibe that is hard to shake. They make an impression every time we see them and are a band who spark conversation, dividing opinion and challenging those who witness their performances to think about what they want from the modern rock and metal band, what more could you ask for in a semi-final of a battle if the band’s completion! Teras have their own unique sound that sets them apart from the other bands in tonight’s semi, s it will be interesting to see how the voting plays out, they do know how to play the game and have brought strong support in tow!
Last up by no means least are Domhain, a band that took our breath away in the heat, I have been looking forward to catching them live once again in the semi. Just as before they delivered an Awesome Sauce-inspiring set of crushing brutality fused with ambient nuances that take you as a listener on the most amazing sonic journey. One to watch for sure, a fresh band to the scene they will deliver something pretty special over the next year I am sure, They have a powerful stage presence that screams out for your attention and you cant help but be pulled in by their hefty gaze, a really enjoyable set once again delivering a fresh sound amongst Belfasts metal scene.
A big thanks as always to James + Voodoo for the craic!
That is it, the semi’s are now done and it is up to the voters to make the call on tonight’s proceedings, I run for cover as I fear there may be a MURDER when the results are called out and I wake up to see both Cursed Sun + Teras have progressed, you just honestly couldn’t have called that last night, it was so tight, a group of death for sure.
Congratulations to both bands for proceeding and to all who played so well on the night, so here we are just a few weeks away now from the final. #totesemotes
Many congratulations to Teras and Cursed Sun on qualifying from last nights final Metal 2 the Masses Semi-Final. They’ll join Acid Age, Gravepath, Imperial Demonic and The Boat Sank in what is shaping up to be classic final on Friday 12th May in Voodoo Belfast! Tickets from the link below
As always you’ve been lovely, i’ve been Mark – feel free to share any images on your socials guys just tag us here @rocknload – Till May 12th #laters
Photography: Mark McGrogan
@flashartmark #flashartmark
