Camden Underworld – 15/11/19
I’m sure many of you will share with me a fantasy of seeing your rock heroes play a gig in an intimate setting, events such as when Dave Grohl played a set at the Moth Club in August 2019 in front of a flabbergasted crowd. That feeling of being mere feet away from rock royalty as they blast out your favourite songs gets harder to come by as the stadiums they play get larger. Fortunately for fans of Judas Priest, Cage and Grim Reaper, this opportunity came at the Camden Underworld on 15th November.
The Three Tremors, AKA Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, Sean ‘The Hell Destroyer’ Peck, and the absent Harry ‘The Tyrant’ Conklin are joined on stage by the honourary Tremor, Grim Reaper’s Steve ‘Let’s just call him Steve’ Grimmett, who is stepping in for Harry Conklin for the European leg of the tour. Since their first European tour in 2018 and subsequent self titled debut album release in January 2019, The Three Tremors have returned to Europe, bringing their blend of vocal magnificence, blistering guitar solos from Dave Garcia and Casey “The Sentinel” Trask, Alex Pickard’s thumping bass and Seam Elg’s drums that should come with a health warning. Lineup starting to sound familiar? That’s right boys and girls, it’s Cage. Every single one of them.
You might assume having three monsters of rock at the head of a band would lead to a sense of competition, but to you I say ‘Nay, you presumptuous bastard!’. Each Tremor has a differing section of their vocal register that they absolutely excel. Ripper’s grit, Grimmett’s unending metal vibrato and Pecks impossible vocal range are equally valued and utilised in the composition of their music, the result being an unegotistical blend, each member using his talents to support his comrades and optimise the raw power of the music.
Cramming so much raw talent and bone-shaking prowess into one small venue was no mean feat. The Underworld is not a big venue by any stretch of the imagination (The stated capacity is 500 people which, to my eye, would probably include a fair few dozen shunted into the ventilation ducts and the toilet cubicles), but certainly felt roomy enough for my fifty or so co-punters who arrived bedecked in black with horns at the ready, eager to have our socks blown off by a band unlike any other.
A massive shout out must go to Forged in Black, the support for the evening, who whipped the crowd up with guitarists Chris Bone and Andy Songhurst smashing out solos straight from the 80’s dual guitar tradition with such synchronicity it could have been one guitar played with one brain and four hands. Check out the Stoakes Media review of their album ‘Descent of the Serpent’ here: https://stoakesmedia.co.uk/reviews/may-2019-reviews/forged-in-black/
The Tremors embraced the intimacy of the setting, joking that as they appeared to have been booked for a private party, someone could at least buy them a drink (Cue a steady stream of pints passed to the stage by a generous, appreciative crowd) and had no qualms about mingling with and chatting to the fans before and after the gig. Their personability made the atmosphere in the room instantly warm and friendly and their connection with the audience was solid. Here is a band that truly values its fans and loves to put on one hell of a show for them.
And that they did! Opening with Wrath of Asgard, their epic Viking metal anthem, it took only one verse before the crowd were punching the air and chanting in a longboat oarsman’s pulse. Continuing with Invaders from the Sky and Bullets for the Damned and When the Last Scream Fades, the sheer level of post apocalyptic, battling to the death and heroic last stand imagery made me wonder if any of us were getting out alive. The Tremors have created a brutal, high speed, high energy wall of force that they expertly wield to beat you into a bloody, sweaty, utterly exhilarated pulp, as only the best metal can. A personal favourite of the Tremors original is Lust of the Blade, a song inspired by Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel spree, set to a melodic guitar intro and switching in and out of a gloomy dystopian chord progression. Also, for fans of shows of guitar dexterity, in King of Monsters and When the Last Scream Fades, the guitarists treat you to some of their finest solo (and duo) offerings.
The set list included a mix of the Tremor’s own music and covers of songs from bands member’s other projects, so expect plenty of Judas Priest classics (including an insight into how Ripper spends his life after midnight being a multi-instrumentalist) and fans of Dio will be well served with a slice of Heaven and Hell, a nod to Ripper’s ongoing involvement with Dio Disciples. Steve Grimmett led an astounding rendition of Grim Reaper’s Burn in Hell, and when Sean Peck sang the eponymous Hell Destroyer, he showcased his ability to hit the resonant frequency of many pint glasses in the room.
By far my favourite moment of the entire gig was when, while the band took a brief hiatus to casually check with the venue how many more songs they had time for, a particularly enthusiastic fan stood right at the front shouted out “PAINKILLER!” with a cheeky optimism. Sean Peck had laughed off the suggestion for the slightest moment, but fate was to take its own course. Clearly sensing an opportunity to show the mettle of his metal, Sean Elg needed no further encouragement and launched into the adrenaline pumping drum intro to the Judas Priest classic, undeterred by the calls from his band-mates to stop and chill the hell out. Powerless to do anything but be dragged kicking (figuratively) and screaming (literally) into the next song, the band knew there was only one thing to do. We were treated to an invigorated, spontaneous rendition and a moment that will live long in the memory of the entire crowd, not to mention the JP fanboy whose entire year had just been made.
This gig was amazing, plain and simple. America, you are a bunch of lucky sods as the Three Tremors continue their tour on US dates announced up until April, rejoined by the Tyrant (you’ll have to see Grimmett in hell). They’re coming, and you’re going!
