Not Commanding enough
Halfway through the 2nd day at Bloodstock 2006 on the Darwin stage, appeared Beyond Afterlife. It was possibly a first for Bloodstock, although I hope someone will tell me if I'm incorrect, that a Welsh band has appeared at the festival. However, Beyond Afterlife are far removed from the Lost Prophets and Bullet for my Valentines of this world, instead they play good honest classic thrash.
On a positive note, Beyond Afterlife, looked like solid unit. Their presentation was excellent as was their sound, allowing tracks such as 'If I die tomorrow', and 'Time will change' to hammer home. Beyond Afterlife may not be ready to set the world alight but they're that bread and butter metal. The staple metal diet the metal genre needs to keep itself going. There was little in their set that stood out but at the same time nothing that made you grimace and wince. They are a band that metal has built itself on for the past twenty-six years, and because of that I wish them the best of luck.
Of course you can't have a positive paragraph without having a negative paragraph. Sadly, although this wasn't Beyond afterlife's fault, they played to only half a room. The crowds stayed away due to the timing of the two stages. Arguably the numbers were down at this years Bloodstock, and the overlapping of the two stages didn't really help matters.
Guitar player and six-foot plus Chris can shred for England. His solos were technically impressive as was his abandonment of the plectrum to play with just his fingers. He was perhaps a little too enthusiastic at times, but you can't blame the guy for that. Beyond Afterlife's main point of concern should be with vocalist and guitarist Dave. His vocals were adequate but his melodies just didn't come across. Either some stronger vocal lines are needed, or the addition of some simple vocal harmonies would work wonders and help the definition between verse and melody, which at times was quite foggy. On a purely personal taste level, I would also like to see Dave adopt a more 'METAL' stance whilst he's singing and playing. His bland stand at the mic didn't create an aura of control or an ability to command the audience. Take the great signer/musicians Tom Araya and James Hetfield, both have commanding stances that say "I'm in control of the audience, do as I say!" A respectable reaction was earned from the crowd, but I feel there's more to come from Beyond Afterlife if only they had more of a commanding presence in their performance.