Aside from the music venue and bar, perhaps the greatest thing about The Craufurd Arms is their support of fresh young talent and they always shoehorn a local band on the bill whenever possible. Tonight it’s the turn of Abraxian, an atmospheric doom/post-metal band from the badlands of Milton Keynes who make their presence felt immediately with ‘Drowning In Circumstance’ and clobber the crowd with a bowel-loosening, soul-shaking sound. Sculpting sonics into towering monolithic structures so large they can barely be comprehended, they capture the essence of Krakatoa erupting or tectonic plates shifting to deliver a sound that’s as heavy as hell (which is exactly from where the vocals emanate). New track ‘Shadows Will Follow’ is followed by latest single ‘Autophagy’ both of which signpost a bright future and suggests that the future is all theirs.

We are no strangers to Inhuman Nature here at the Midlands Rocks having caught their support slot with Acid Reign at this very venue (reviewed here). There’s been change in the camp since they last played here with Daragh Markham joining on bass, yet it’s the same band delivering the same kind of ferocious crossover thrash for which they’ve become well known. In fact, Daragh’s punky aesthetic really suits the band and when vocalist Chris Barling appears waving a faux axe, you know you’re in for a rowdy ride. With the stage bathed in blood red light and a sound drenched in feedback this London crew make for an unsettling experience and play heavy metal how it’s meant to be played; with plenty of dirt under the fingernails and delivered with a large dose of piss and vinegar. The band operate like an unruly street gang and deliver cuts such as ‘A Nuclear Frost’ with a take-no-prisoners ethos and the closing couplet of ‘Under The Boot and ‘Holy Command’ ensures there’s no survivors. Very ‘eavy, very ‘umble.

An exhausting tour of UK and Ireland reaches its conclusion in Milton Keynes, yet American sludge masters Crowbar are showing no signs of road rust. If there were any doubts to the band’s vitality then they’re blown away by opening shot ‘Burn Your World’, and from this moment onwards, chaos reigns supreme. The pit which erupts is brutal and is symptomatic of the sound pumping from the stage; it connects with the listener on a primordial level and demands that you lose you sh*t (but in the best possible way, of course). Since dragging metal from the swamps of Louisiana in 1990, vocalist and guitarist Kirk Windstein has been assaulting our eardrums with a variety of bands, but the most fruitful has been Crowbar, and tonight’s set list pulls together fifteen tracks from seven albums to evidence what a deep discography they have.

Just like their hulking sound, Crowbar stalk the stage like the proverbial Iron Man; there’s no fancy gimmicks here, and with a sound this powerful, none are needed. The band observe the chaos their sound creates with a kind of bemused nonchalance and club the crowd into submission with some of the heaviest riffs known to man. There’s no let up in ferocity because this is the final date of the tour, rather the band have become more gnarly and the one-two punch of ‘The Lasting Dose’ and ‘Chemical Godz’ is particularly potent. Somebody will always be disgruntled with a set list selection, but few can have complaints tonight, as Crowbar set about touching all bases. However, as this is the tour’s finale the band perform an impromptu ‘Conquering’ as an encore, it’s a wise choice and ensures everyone heads home happy, and with ringing ears.

Crowbar Set List:

1. Burn Your World
2. Fixation
3. I Feel The Burning Sun
4. The Lasting Dose
5. Chemical Godz
6. To Build A Mountain
7. The Cemetery Angels
8. It’s Always Worth The Gain
9. Negative Pollution
10. Bleeding From Every Hole
11. Planets Collide
12. High Rate Extinction
13. Like Broken Glass
14. All I Had (I Gave)

Encore:

15. Conquering

Inhuman Nature Set List:

1. Taste Of Steel
2. Satan’s Claw
3. Carnivorous Lunar Activities
4. Dawn Of Inhuman Man
5. Take Them By Force
6. A Nuclear Frost’
7. Beyond The Realms Of Sanity
8. Under The Boot
9. Holy Command

Abraxian Set List:

1. Drowning In Circumstance
2. Burden
3. Shadows Will Follow
4. Autophagy
5. Ghost