Sacred Mother Tongue – Scruffy Murphy's – Saturday 11th July 2009

Adrenaline had been added to the bill at very short notice (literally hours – cheers fellas) and under the circumstances played a blinder. Aside from the sound issues – mainly practically inaudible vocals – which they could do little about, they delivered a quality set. It's always surprising how much bounce, or groove, they manage to incorporate into their savagery, and tonight was no exception. Nu metal, metalcore, extreme metal, call them what you will, Adrenaline are a well drilled, tight band, who deliver their particular brand of metal clinically. Another fine display fellas! Setlist; “The Clearer”, “This Life Is Mine”, “Playing The Role Of God”, “The Bereaved”, “Provoking The Thought”, “Kill It For Me”, “Relentless”, “Sins Of A Thousand”, “Inertia”.

Sacred Mother Tongue have been making quite a name for themselves. Aside from playing at Hammerfest and Download, this was the final night of a UK tour. It shouldn't be a surprise that they're doing well as they combine ferocity and intricacy with apparent ease. Helps of course when you possess a shredder of Andy's ability – some of his soloing drew gasps and dropped jaws in equal measure. The rhythm section of Josh and Lee were as solid as a rock, and Darrin's vocals completed a scarily precise lineup. This was the third time I'd seen them in the past four months, and it was clear that their time on the road had honed their act – and they were good before. I would strongly suspect that they are a band to keep an eye on in 2010. Setlist; “Hourglass Intro”, “Wake Up Call”, “The End”, “Anger On Reflection”, “The Man You Tried To Hide”, “Two Thousand Eight Hundred”, “Talking To The Ears Of The Deaf”, “Numb”, Force Fed”, “The Suffering”.