Wailing Banshee / Rattlesnakes / Death Warmed Up
Sheffield Network – September 18th
The Network is a small venue but tonight hosts some some big noise, sadly traffic hold up meant I missed Death Warmed Up, and I hope to catch them soon.
Rattlesnakes set up their equipment in full view (I said it was a small venue) and got to work kicking metal ass! Singer Rowena Neale, like Alanis Morissette if she was possessed by The Great Kat, a whirlwind of hair and ripping vocals. Embracing their 80s influence, they go full throttle on Dokken soundalike “Shadows in the Night” and the gritty rocker “Love Me Harder” with its fast lyrics and a band that sound great. Definitely going places.
Wailing Banshee are becoming a force to be taken seriously, an underground band loving 80s metal and giving it a modern edge into a style that just hits, named the New Wave of Heavy Metal! Great riffs announce opening track “All Guns Blazing”. Iron Maiden-esque harmonies and singer Dani Louise's powerful vocals set the theme for the night: powerhouse metal!
Another band wearing their classic metal era influences proudly, and Dani shows she can sing melodic during the intro to their cover of “Bible Black” by Heaven and Hell, a tribute to Ronnie Dio. Guitarist Ali McKenzie handles the Iommi riffs superbly.
Single “Lord of the Flies” has a hook that grips you and shakes your head for you, along with a bridge you don't hear much anymore. Fantastic.
Wailing Banshee treat the small club like it's the local arena. Dani walks the front row eyeballing the crowd, the guitarists throw shapes on their knees. This is proper rock music, and they are going to be massive. It's inevitable.
Review John Mather
★★★★★
