Exhumed/ Dust Bolt/ Hades Lab/ Anoxide at The Underworld, London - live review

Tonight is London death dealers ANOXIDE’s [6] last gig tonight with Omar Swaby before welcoming new singer Ben Friston from Divine Chaos. Omar’s loud, nu metal-tinged vocals jar with the band’s sound, so the change is welcome. HADES LAB’s [7] heavy, raging riffs animate the crowd and overcome the drum issues, even if the highlight is a rough cover of Suffocation’s Infecting The Crypts. DUST BOLT [8] don’t have as many fans here tonight, but they definitely gain some after their set. The exuberance and dynamism of these German thrashers is electrifying and their savage, groovy riffs revisit the golden years of the scene. The crowd flip out for EXHUMED [9] with neverendingstagedives and moshpits, while the band shout obscenities, wield chainsaws and parade severed heads in a performance that has all the ingredients for a memorable gore metal gig. With feral riffs and duelling vocals, they keep it brutal while swinging between the old and new repertoire, even teasing the audience with a few riffs from Sodomy And Lust, recalling the days when they were big thrash fans.