Battle Born - Plymouth Review

I have probably been to more gigs in Plymouth over the past year or so than I have done since I moved to the city in 2016. With Mutley Plain only a short walk away, and the seeming willingness of bands to get out there again following the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, I have spent a fair amount of time in The Junction of late - catching a number of established and newer rock and metal bands. I made the relatively last minute decision to head up to Mutley Plain again last night, but instead of heading to The Junction my destination this time was The Underground - a venue on the other side of the road which I had not been to for quite some time. It never seems as busy as The Junction, but it is a similar venue that is also very good for its size. We are lucky to have two such venues on Mutley Plain, and I have been enjoying my fairly regular visits up there of late - which I hope will continue! The reason for the walk last night was the newish power metal act Battle Born, who released their debut self-titled EP in 2020. It is my understanding that a full-length album is in the works, but this is likely still some way off. The band have recently been picked up by Prosthetic Records, though, who reissued their EP - which is what the current tour is in support of. I am not familiar with the history of the band, as I only became aware of them very recently, but I am under the impression that this is their first tour. First tours for unknown bands are always hairy experiences, and it sounds like Battle Born's has been pretty eventful, but it is all good experience - and I am sure that most of the biggest bands in the world can tell stories of sparsely attended gigs, van troubles, and other such hurdles to be overcome. It is great to catch bands on these sorts of tours, though, as there is often a raw passion that exudes from the stage - even if the bands performing are not quite the finished product yet. Supporting these bands, too, helps to ensure that rock and metal music will continue to thrive. There is often a narrative thrown around that there not many potential festival headliners breaking through, a view which is often espoused by those who have no interest in listening to new music, but supporting grassroots gigs is a way to counter that, frankly incorrect, statement. Everyone has an interest in ensuring that British rock and metal continues to thrive, and given that there has never been a huge amount of power metal made in the UK bands like Battle Born are all the more deserving of support.

Before Battle Born took to the stage, though, the small but enthusiastic crowd was treated to two support bands. Up first, and rather sticking out like a sore thumb on a bill filled with melodic metal, was Panic Switch - a band who were significantly heavier than the other two bands on the bill. This could have led their set to crashing and burning, but the open-minded crowd were willing to give the five-piece a go and I really enjoyed what the Cheltenham-based band had to offer. The band play a brand of straight ahead modern heavy metal, with strong harsh vocals and a collection of great riffs. The band's sound had less groove than say Lamb of God, but there was a bit more speed in their sound - with some thrashy moments to ensure that the energy levels remained high. Like Battle Born, Panic Switch feel like a bit of a work in progress, but many of the band's songs impressed. Despite the heaviness, they still managed to include a number of hooky choruses in their songs - and the amount of memorable riffing that was crammed into each track was impressive. If I had to be critical, though, I felt that the band were lacking on the lead guitar front. Whilst this generally was not a big issue, and the band's sound was much more riff-focused, the occasional solo that was played was generally quite sloppy. I am not sure that the band really need to focus on solos, though, as the riffing and vocal hooks were more than enough to keep my interest. That minor criticism aside, though, I really enjoyed Panic Switch's half an hour on stage. They added some weight to the evening, and their riffing in particular really impressed. They are certainly a band that I will be keeping an eye on going forward.

Up next were Bristol's Control the Storm, a five-piece symphonic metal act who I have been casually following for a number of years now - having first seen them back in 2015 supporting Leaves' Eyes. The band have undergone a number of changes since 2015, however, with only Raedon Mac (keyboards/vocals) remaining, but the current line-up has largely been intact since 2019 - with the recent departure of founding guitarist Rich Shillitoe being a rather major change, though. Shillitoe has not been replaced, leaving guitarist Matt Smith to handle all of the guitar parts alone, but I do not think that this slimming of the line-up has significantly affected the band's sound. If anything, having only one guitar player allows Mac's keyboards a lot more room to breathe, which for a symphonic metal band is key. The band only had half an hour to play with, too, but they made it count. It did not start in the best of ways though, as the band had to stop the opening number around two-thirds of the way through due to drummer Marc Jackson having issues with his in-ear monitors. Shaking off this early mishap, though, the band powered on through another five songs which struck a good balance between riffy heaviness and soaring symphonic melodies. Frontwoman Firouzeh has a strong voice, and she carried the melodies well - despite being quite low in the mix at times. Despite the strong melodies, though, Control the Storm are arguably a bit heavier than is typical for symphonic metal. Smith's guitar playing was generally busier than is typical, and there were a number of shredded solos from him throughout the set - which certainly added some bite to the songs. They also ensured that there was something for everyone included by playing a cover of Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out for a Hero, which saw plenty of singing from the crowd, before the set came to a close with the band's single Follow Me - which has a strong chorus and plenty of hooks.

Being the headliners Battle Born had around an hour on stage, and they impressed with their take on power metal. By this point, a few more people had trickled into the venue, but I do not think that the room can be described as busy. Those that had turned up, though, were keen on having a good time, and the atmosphere in the room was good despite the rather sparse turnout. The best comparison that I can come up with for Battle Born's sound is Gloryhammer - in the sense of how deliberately cliché it is. Their sound is not conceptual like Gloryhammer's, but there is definitely a lot of tongue-in-cheek when it comes to the lyrics - which cover lots of typical themes like battles, fantasy, and metal itself. This is very much bread and butter for a power metal band, but Battle Born had the sound to back it up. Given that Will Kerr (guitar/keyboards/vocals) played some keyboard parts, particularly during song intros and some quieter moments, there was a lot of reliance on pre-recorded keyboards though. I can understand why as bringing in another musician would likely be costly, but it was a bit of shame how much the backing track was relied upon given how important keyboards clearly are to the band's sound. It probably did not help, though, that the backing track was very high in the mix - and this reliance probably would not have been so obvious had it been mixed lower to allow the guitars to dominate. That aside, though, the band sounded great. Despite the aforementioned keyboards, the band's sound had a lot of guitar in it too - and there was a lot of strong riffing throughout. Kerr and fellow guitarist Tom O'Dell played plenty of memorable riffs throughout the set, which was good to see as sometimes power metal guitarists simply chug away to back up the symphonics. There was a good balance between the guitars and symphonics with Battle Born though, which ensured that the set had plenty of bite as well lots of melodic flair. The band's choruses were all pretty strong too, with frontman Jack Reynolds having the personality to carry them. He might not have the biggest range, but his voice still has enough personality for the material - and the vocal melodies that he sang generally stuck in the brain after only a couple of listens. Battle Born held my interest throughout their set, too, from their self-titled opening track to the closing Bring the Metal Back. Elsewhere, songs like the very Gloryhammer-esque Power Force and the epic Sovngarde Awaits particularly stood out - and helped to keep the energy levels high throughout. Overall, Battle Born impressed throughout their set. They are still a bit of a work in progress, but with a bit more experience they have the potential to be a strong British entry in the wider power metal world. I will be following the band's progress going forward, and I look forward to hearing the debut album when it is ready.

Overall, last night's gig at The Underground was very much worth the effort with all three bands putting on strong sets. It would have been great if a few more people had turned up, but the sparse crowd did not deter any of the bands - who still gave it their all. It was also great to return to The Underground as it had been a few years, and hopefully it will not be too long before I return again.