Live Review: Mastiff - The Asylum, Birmingham
Support: Gorgonchrist, Shrykull
23rd November 2024
Words: Cat Finch
Photos: Tim Finch
The Asylum in Birmingham hosted a night of unrelenting chaos organised by those great people at RoadtoMasochist, with Mastiff headlining a lineup that included Shrykull and Gorgonchrist. From the first crushing riff to the last guttural roar, the night delivered an onslaught of heavy music that left the crowd exhilarated and battered.
Kicking off the evening, Shrykull unleashed a sonic maelstrom that set the tone perfectly for the night. As showcased in their recent album ‘Beyond Subconscious Realms’, the band blends elements of sludge, grind, and hardcore into a sound that is both abrasive and compelling. Their live set emphasized these qualities, with cavernous vocals and seismic riffing that reverberated through the venue. Standout moments came from the unrelenting shifts in pace, dragging the audience from slow, sludgy doom to blistering grindcore with whiplash-inducing precision.
Gorgonchrist are not just a band but a visceral experience, and their set at The Asylum proved why they are one of the most entertaining acts on the circuit. Kicking off their frty minutes with the remark “We’re Gorgunchrist and this is a song about a toaster” set the crowd up for what was to come next. Their bizarre yet oddly cohesive catalog saw the band dipping into chaos with tracks like 'Dick Pic Graveyard'and 'I Cum Brûlée' while managing to interweave humour with punishing riffs and unpredictable structures. 'Pork Sword of Damocles' highlighted their knack for absurdity paired with genuine heaviness, whilst 'Abubbleabbath', had the crowd was both bemused and enthralled. Utterly wild and undeniably fun.
When Mastiff took the stage, the mood turned darker and more oppressive. After a false start with bass issues, the Hull-based purveyors of doom-laden hardcore delivered a set that was unrelenting in its intensity. Opener 'Bite Radius' set the tone with its punishing rhythm, and the devastatingly heavy 'Everything Is Ending' followed, plunging the room into a cacophony of despair.
Mastiff thrives on creating a sonic environment that feels almost suffocating, and tracks like 'Void' and 'Repulse' embodied that perfectly, with their monstrous riffs and guttural vocals swallowing the room whole.
'Pitiful' and 'Worship', saw a sea of banging heads that carried the energy through to 'Acid Breather'. Not content to leave it there, Mastiff returned for a devastating closing number with 'Vermin' that felt like the exclamation mark to an already obliterating night.
Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography
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