Blog Post
The Death Wheelers / Loyds Trip / Mould - Billy Bootleggers, Nottingham 19th August 2024
Reviewed by Sam Fuller • Aug 20, 2024
On Monday night Nottingham was visited by a vehicular reaper, in the form of The Death Wheelers and their onslaught of heavy Canadian psychedelic rock. Setting off the night were local hardcore group Mould, who opened fast, chuggy and hard on the mic-cupped gutturals. They blended the speediness of thrash with the sludginess of stoner rock in a way that made one feel simultaneously high on both uppers and downers, as songs transitioned repeatedly from slow to fast. Alongside their hardcore influences, you could hear elements of thrash through their choice of darker diminished chord patterns, aligning themselves almost with early 90s Sepultura. All in all, Mould got Billy Bootleggers bouncing, hyped and ready for stage 2 of the night.
Next up was possibly the best surprise for me, in the form of Loyd’s Trip, who truly raised the bar that evening. Starting strong with a heavy, chuggy 12-bar blues riff that later transcended into something much faster and more aggressive. By the end, the band made the entire rhythm section pulse and bounce off the walls and skulls of all who bore witness. The music reeked of the 70s influence of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, modernised to the likes of Clutch or Foo Fighters and bringing the experience into the 21st Century. The bass was powerful yet warm, with a virtuoso player who managed to transcend the barrier of the lower register to cover both bass and rhythm guitar in one. The vocals and harmonies were tight as a wire, with the singer, despite appearing inebriated, showcasing his excellent voice and mic control. The whole band was a well-oiled machine, with real potential moving forward. Loyd’s Trip are definitely someone to watch for!
Finally, as the sun set and we headed back in, The Death Wheelers greeted the crowd with a hard-hitting, low-tuned wall of sound straight into the chest. The mean biker imagery, Zakk Wilde look-alike frontman and guitarist wearing a WW2-era US Army helmet showed that this is a band that means business. The drummer’s snare hits you like a punch in the face, with the immense sound striking a death-blow like a crowbar through the skull as The Death Wheelers blast through songs like Divine Filth. Alternating between speeding thrash and mid-tempo heaviness has the crowd moshing, windmilling and full-body headbanging arm in arm. As the crazed frenzy continually kicks itself up like the lapping of a tumultuous tide, the swell calms like the eye of the storm as the band enters the final song, with a Sleep influenced droning intro preceding a sudden burst back into thrashier waters. Between the Celtic Frost speed, Motorhead volume and chugginess of 70s Sabbath on crack, The Death Wheelers helped to cement my mindset that Canada may very well be the new home of metal!