Review: NEKROGOBLIKON, The Bastard Sons, At Dawn We Attack and A Born Disaster; Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton – 1 February 2016
Like a lot of people I discovered NEKROGOBLIKON through their amazing 2011 video ‘No One Survives’. The video tells an endearing story of a lonely goblin, John Goblikon, who works as an insurance salesmen. Anyone who has ever worked a soulless office job or been the only metalhead at work or school will empathise with John. We follow him on an average day which climaxes with a well meaning but misplaced act of chivalry. I’ve watched the video countless times and still can’t help but laugh out loud at the ending. My love of John Goblikon and the band’s melodic death metal mixed with humour led me to snap up the chance to review them on their UK tour.
Fortunately for everyone, the first local support band of the night, A BORN DISASTER, did not live up to their name. Despite the fact that the crowd are a bit thin on the ground, the band came out all guns blazing. Vocalist, David ‘Woody’ Woodhouse, gives a formidable performance, hanging over the barrier, shouting into the faces of the audience. I overhear him say he can’t get back on the stage before running round to use the stairs. The band lay down some heavy grooves which are perfectly complemented by Woody’s gruff voice.
Next up is Walsall lads, AT DAWN WE ATTACK. They’re clearly popular in the local area because they draw a pretty decent crowd. They deliver a lot of energy and do a good job getting the crowd going. Vocalist, Bryan Hancox, is a striking looking frontman with his bright red dreadlocks and ZZ Top beard. Some of his intense facial expressions remind me of Peter Lorre’s performance in the trial scene of the 1931 film ‘M’ – a reference only fellow fans of classic German cinema will understand! The band are clearly enjoying themselves tonight – treating us to some crazy disco moves as they play ‘Jungle Boogie’ by Kool And The Gang.
It wasn’t THE BASTARD SONS’s night. York’s bluesy groove punk outfit seemed like a strange choice of support for some silly goblin melodeath. They had less of a crowd than the previous support acts and I think by the end they realised that the audience had lost interest. Their lack of goblins was exacerbated by quite a few technical problems that they never really recovered from.
The anticipation was palpable as Europe’s ‘Final Countdown’ is played in before the goblin onslaught. California’s NEKROGOBLIKON hit the stage and when the goblin himself appears the crowd roars. Dressed in his trademark shirt and tie, he has clearly come straight from work, but this doesn’t stop him going absolutely wild onstage and in the crowd. I’ve been to many gigs at the Slade Rooms during the week and they are often quite subdued affairs but not tonight. John knows how to get the crowd going, splitting his time between the stage, the pit and backstage (presumably eating skin?). Did you know goblins can fly? Me either, but then I saw John dive 10ft headfirst into the crowd. He headbangs, moshes and skips around with his fans and they are loving it.
Highlights of the set included tracks from their 2011 album ‘Stench’; ‘Bears’, ‘Prince of the Land of Stench’ and ‘No One Survives’ and ‘Powercore’ from the 2013 EP ‘Power’. Although vocalist, Scorpion, seems to be enjoying telling us that every track is a cover of another band ‘The Hampton Wolves’ or ‘The Wolves of Hampton’. Just when you thought he’d grown tired of his own joke, we’d be treated to another track from the infamous ‘Wolves from Hamptonshire’.
It would be easy to write NEKROGOBLIKON off as a gimmicky band. They admit it themselves, in a tongue-in-cheek way with their 2015 song ‘We Need A Gimmick’. However, tonight’s tight performance proves that they cannot be ignored. The fast growling vocals are spot on, we are treated to some wicked guitar solos and the keyboard work adds a fun fairy-tale quality to their sound.
I defy anyone to go to a NEKROGOBLIKON gig and not have an amazing time. I had the most fun. Unfortunately, the encore was cut short by an alarm and the crowd were told to leave the venue. What an anti-climax! I was feeling pretty disappointed but then John Goblikon spotted me in the carpark from the back of the venue. He ran over and scaled a wall just to give me a high-five. The band work hard to please their fans – magical.
Review by Rebecca Collins
