THE LIMELIGHT, BELFAST - 05th September 2015

Brenda P McTaggart

Vicious Nature rocked! ‘Salvation’ lifted the atmosphere in preparation for the hosts of the night, smothering everyone in deep, chugging rumbles. The Birmingham boys thundered their way through a heavy/power based set with ease and elegance, and looking into their impressive individual CVs it’s understandable why, having gained more than enough confidence and supreme experience through previous bands such as ‘Cloven Hoof’, ‘Marshal Law’ and ‘Realm’ and supporting acts like ‘Dio’, ‘Wasp’ and ‘Motorhead’.

Front man Andy Pyke is energetic and entertained the privy few with swathes of enthusiasm. Exclaiming that he was finishing the set with a ‘delightful ballad’, Pyke had everyone laughing as they ripped out one of the heaviest of their set, and as it happens, my favourite. ‘Fight For Your Life’, might indeed have been a fight after all, as it became clear the general sound all night was less than perfect. There were indeed still a few sound issues; the band told me afterwards that they couldn’t hear themselves on stage, which definitely explained a lot.

Birmingham power crew Vicious Nature had the unenviable task of filling the “special guest” slot: but, the veterans – the band is made up of former members of Marshall Law and Cloven Hoof – set about doing so with gusto.

Their thick, chunky sound is a mix between the classic British metal sound of their collective backgrounds and sub-thrash.

The experience of the band definitely shines through in their easy professionalism – and especially vocalist Andy Pyke’s interaction with the crowd – and their tight, solid delivery.

The politically-charged ‘System Of Disorder’ manages to encourage a two-man mosh pit and evokes as good a singalong as they’re going to get from this still surprisingly sparse crowd, while ‘Dream Stealer’ is classic British metal, very much in the vein of ’90s era Priest, while they save the best to last with the suitably rousing and fist-punching ‘Fight For Your Life’.