GIG REVIEW: Amulet / Parish @ The Dev (London, UK)

A double dose of underground British Heavy Metal. Though back in March, this was a superb gig and I wanted to talk about it!

First up, Parish open the night with some excellent Black Sabbath worshipping doomy goodness. Absolutely nailing the 70s Heavy Metal origins, this 3-piece had a strong, crunchy and otherworldly feel to their entire set which was draped in occult gloom and mystery. A veritable feast of chilling vocals, spectral riffing and hard-hitting drums to invoke that tribal feeling that causes the head to bang. Iommi and co would be proud!

London NWOBHM-revivalists Amulet roar into life with “The Satanist”, my favourite song by them, to open the set (coincidentally followed by my second favourite song of theirs “Burning Hammer”). Delivering pounding, furious Heavy Metal with gallops, shredding and operatic vocals, these guys channel the spirits of Iron Maiden, Angel Witch and early 80s Judas Priest to triumphant effect. Sadly missing some of their set to get a coach, what we saw was a blinding show that grasped the full-to-capacity venue with an onslaught of the pure Heavy Metal glory that can never be killed. This was one of those underground shows where everyone there was stuck in the moment with nothing but passion and loud music holding the room together for a night of ecstatic rocking.