The Metal Column – April 2011

As we slink into April, rolling news coverage continues to resemble about a dozen simultaneous disaster movies. Whilst continuing to be pummelled unmercifully by axe-wielding government penny-pinchers, the Middle-east and North Africa have gone absolutely bat-shit crazy in their quest for political freedom and mother nature has unleashed a sobering wake-up call to us all by flat-out waging war on both New Zealand and Japan; the latter left teetering on the brink of nuclear fallout.

So, allow me to present you with some metal-clad entertainment to see us through this month. Because, let’s face it, if we’re to keep our heads down right now, we might as well be bangin’ them. Kicking us off are Tennessee death-metal miscreants Whitechapel who head up a packed-out night of visceral chaos at the Cathouse, joined by aptly-named Californians Impending Doom and Massachusetts-born juggernauts The Acacia Strain (8 Apr). Aberdonian metalcore upstarts Dividing The Silence then blaze a trail across the country, taking in a hometown headliner at Aberdeen Tunnels (7 Apr) alongside shows in Edinburgh (The Store – formerly The GRV, 8 Apr) and Dundee’s Dexters (10 Apr) before taking to Glasgow’s Classic Grand with brothers in arms, Sacred Betrayal (11 Apr).

Also in Glasgow, US underground thrash masters Malevolent Creation lay waste to Ivory Blacks (12 Apr) two days before seemingly invincible UK metal titans, Saxon, descend upon the ABC (14 Apr) with the recently reunited Wolfsbane, though don’t expect original vocalist and short-lived Iron Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley to be back on pipes as he makes his own appearance at Ivory Blacks at the end of the month (30 Apr).

Elsewhere, Skinny-approved Scottish death metallers Cerebral Bore set their murderous sights on Edinburgh, looking set to slay Bannerman’s ahead of releasing their debut album, Maniacal Miscreation on legendary metal label, Earache. Support comes from Aeon and Flayed Disciple (22 Apr).

Back in Glesca, Canadian wrecking crew Comeback Kid head up a night of gut-churning, arm-flailing hardcore at the Garage (18 Apr), joined by fellow Canucks Gravemaker, Californian melodicists The Ghost Inside and Norwegian miscreants Kvelertak.

Rounding off, metalcore poster boys Bring Me The Horizon return to Scottish soil, joined by an army of new-school riff-merchants – namely Parkway Drive, Architects and The Devil Wears Prada – and are sure to reduce the Garage to a sweaty, slam-dancing mess (26 Apr) while Swiss sludge-peddlers Knut hit up Nice ‘n’ Sleazy alongside Cleveland stoners Keelhaul to pulverise your bowels (28 Apr). Enjoy yr fix.