Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The deep rumblings of discontent, the explosion of a megaton bomb and the urgency of a siren warning of an impending attack, all fade into the ether when the growl of Thrash and Heavy Metal gets going, when it breaks loose of society’s moorings and allows itself the free range in which to catapult its quarrel and blistering beautiful argument into the ears of those receptive to a different kind of outbreak.
When that outbreak sounds from within the borders of Merseyside, the ears find that they prick up just that little further, they stand on edge hopeful that the sound is not an illusion, that it is as true and straight as an Olympic arrow fired at the sun and the awaiting eruption that follows is spectacular and not like the gentle puff against a withering and uninspiring candle. The genre may not have a big following within Liverpool or its fortress like outposts but that following certainly deserves musical heroes in which to rage alongside with.
From out of the depths of St. Helens, a town more attuned to its glass production and the sound of Rugby League, Deified come across the lands battle hardened and roaring with fire in their stomachs. The sound of marching anger and the clash of scars fresh in the memory of a group ready to take on the best but with the understanding that with great power between the drums and guitar comes responsibility; an accountability to the genre to keep it real, to know that others will be watching and salivating at the prospect of failure and the hopefully entranced stirred enough to feel the pulse of a breathing beating well oiled machine.
Supporting two greats of the genre is not easy, especially when of them is Exodus but Deified more than held their own as they performed at the 02 Academy. As Jamie Hughes raging vocals rang out in tandem with the power from Matthew Pike, Alistair Blackhall, Tom Simm and Stew Brown’s trustworthy instruments of pleasure, songs such as S**twreck, Paralyzed, Wet Work, Betrayed, No Solitude and Ascend all filled the air inside the venue and drew confidence from the night ahead.
The British arm of the genre may have been sluggish over the last decade, it has found few friends and allowed the great charm of groups from Scandinavia to overtake them but where there is an explosion waiting to happen, then there is hope and for those in the Academy early enough, hope found an ally of great importance. Deified defy any damage done, class work.
Ian D. Hall