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The Through Space and Grind Tour rolled through town. We had a chance to attend the show and speak to Mark “Barney” Greenway, lead singer of Napalm Death. Here’s a review of the show with Brett and Mo and a few minutes of audio they got with Barney.

M: First on the stage was The Black Crown Initiate for a short set. They were definitely limited by the amount stage that had to work with. The Republik, who hosted the event, is a pretty modest place anyway, and with 5 bands needing to access that most of it was filled with equipment, leaving them very little to work with. Still, they came out and rocked hard for 20 minutes. They benefit from having two singers, Andy Thomas doing the “clean” vocals and James Dornton doing the majority of the singing which allows them to layer the sound. Dornton only was on stage for a little while but he put every part of his soul into it. They were a strong start to the show.

B: My biggest problem with the Black Crown Initiate was the mix. I was really digging on the clean vocals, but I found that it was pretty buried behind the guitar and drums. But on the plus side, they offered something different on the bill, so I appreciated that. Like Mo says, a strong start.

M: Next up was the part band of the night, Iron Reagan. Their lead singer Tony Foresta is meant to be on stage and you’re not, because he can out sing you and even more he has more charisma than just about… Well… Anyone. I swear they played 15 songs in just over 30 minutes, and it was great.

B: I had no idea what was going on with them at the beginning of their set. They started playing, but they seemed to have no singer. Then Tony bounds on stage and just starts hammering the vocals out. I was hooked immediately. Super energetic, with an old school thrash feel Iron Reagan was the highlight of my night. A completely unexpected turn for what I was expecting out of this concert.

M: Exhumed is a veteran band lead by Matt Harvey on vocals and guitar. It was a bit of an adjustment from Iron Reagan’s crazy energy but they have a strong catalog of songs from nearly 20 EP’s and Albums and mixed in some Alice Cooper style theatrics to bring something unique to the event.

B: I appreciated the theatrics, and like the fact that they try to add some fun to the show. Their music is exactly what I was expecting out of the concert, and you could see they had a lot of fans in the audience. Exhumed is very good musically, and they certainly showed why they have been around so long.

M: I could have watched Voivod play for hours. They were in a great mood on this night and owned the building with a quiet confidence that is achieved only once you’ve hit the legendary status they have. Complicated music at a blistering pace led by drummer Michel “Away” Langevin. Hard to imagine anyone being better at his craft than him.

B: I have seen Voivod play before, but this was the best I have ever seen them. Snake was in fine form, leading the group through a great variety of songs from their last album, as well as classics going all the way back to their first album. Voivod can be a tough sell because they are so technically proficient, and they go places that you would never anticipate, but that is also what makes them so unique and such a joy to behold live.

M: The last band of the night of course was Napalm Death. It was amazing to watch the energy of the crowd hit a new level even though by the time they hit the stage the show was almost 4 and a half hours old. A mean, no nonsense, legendary Grindcore band and they got the reaction deserving of that. And of course lead singer Barney has unparalleled stage presence that’s awesome to be around. You can hear more of him in our interview below.

B: Barney is a great guy, and it was a little disconcerting seeing the engaging British gentleman that we were talking to earlier jump on stage and blast into full Napalm Death mode. He has a lot of energy, and he focuses it on their music and the fans which meant for a winning evening for everyone at the show. You can’t complain about having 5 bands play for that length of time and getting it all for under $40.

(Warning Strong Language)

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