Our fourth event as part of our 22nd Year Anniversary Series! It was fantastic to host another sold-out show at Wave Music! Thanks to Addy for his support of The Underground — he made all three bands sound fantastic. Shout-out to Aurelius, who worked the lights, and to Veronika and Joana, who assisted with sound!
Thank you to the three bands who performed and shared their original songs with an engaged and mostly moshing audience. And a really big thank-you to everyone who turned up — you make the metal scene so special.
Thank you to The Arrowcat for the amazing artwork and poster design for Love / Death / Metal. Special thanks to Aaron Michelson for the photos and El Jay for the reviews. A big thanks as well to Raven, our wonderful doorperson.
我哋22週年系列活動嘅第四場嚟喇！好開心又一次喺 Wave Music 搞到爆場嘅騷！多謝 Addy 一直支持 The Underground，三隊 band 嘅聲都俾佢調得超正！
Shout-out 比做燈光嘅 Aurelius，同埋幫手搞聲嘅 Veronika 同 Joana，辛苦晒！
多謝三隊表演嘅 band，帶嚟咁多原創歌俾又投入又瘋狂嘅觀眾。仲要特別多謝所有入場支持嘅朋友——係你哋令香港嘅重型音樂界變得咁特別！
特別鳴謝 The Arrowcat 為 Love / Death / Metal 設計咗咁靚嘅 artwork 同海報。多謝 Aaron Michelson 嘅相片同 El Jay 嘅樂評，仲有我哋嘅 doorperson Raven，都要大大聲多謝佢哋！
❤️ Chris B xx
Chimeras
1. Sunset Coloured The Clouds
2. Far Beyond Infinity
3. Unweaving The Rainbow
Opening the night at Love / Death / Metal is new doom metal group Chimeras, a band that impressed Chris B on socials enough to get invited to join The Underground’s Heavy canon. True to the genre, they perform just three songs across half an hour’s set, easing in slowly and softly with Sunset Coloured the Clouds. Vocalist Fraise sounds classically trained, evoking Evanescence’s Amy Lee in her gothically operatic style.
Mouse’s cymbals shimmer behind her, Winnie and Kin’s guitars twinkle, and there’s a spine-tingling sense that something is about to happen. When guitar distortion finally cuts through, the tone darkens like sun slipping behind cloud, but the song never quite commits to its own tension and it peters out.
The funereal Far Beyond Infinity leans further into solemn territory. Almost orchestral, its guitars sit thick with tremolo, delay and chorus, sculpting a wide soundstage, though neither quite pushes through the mix as strongly as it might. Still, the mood lands, engulfing the room in a reverb-laden gloom.
Unweaving The Rainbow offers the climax of the set. A droning backing gives way to firmer riffing and the room visibly stirs. Fraise alternates between operatic lines and a guttural growl as the band cycles through chords and arpeggios around her. Then, in the last five minutes, she steps off stage and becomes the observer. Winnie holds down the rhythm while gearhead Kin takes the opportunity to let rip and showcase his skills over Mouse’s crashing drums.
The set’s vibe was cohesive, but more rehearsal and attention to the narrative of the song would lead into even more exciting territory. It felt like there was an itch that wasn’t scratched, but Chimeras showed lots of promise and, with a little more attention paid to their song- and stagecraft, we’d expect them to rise quickly on the scene.
-El Jay
The Ferals
GO FISHY GO
(Delay) NO MORE
SUPERFICIAL
SCAM
THROUGH THE PARK
WOOFIE
SHOCKED
Chris B introduces her own band with a short preface to the room, saying that although The Ferals don’t play death metal, they’re here to give everyone a good time. They open with Go Fishy Go, a new song literally about a fish swimming in the sea. It carries a raw punk feel from the first bar, playful in spirit, with Craig stepping forward for a solo that has even the most metal of punters nodding in approval.
(Delay) No More follows, Avi’s bass (the only bassist on the bill tonight, actually) weaving in and out as Chris B introduces the song and delivers the line, “I confuse devotion with disappearing into you”. Verses sit in a Blondie‑leaning register before tipping into snarled choruses, Chris B, a consummate lead singer, commands the space confidently.
Superficial arrives on rubbery guitar effects and drifting smoke, bilingual lyrics shifting through a snake‑hipped grunge frame reminiscent of Alice in Chains or Pearl Jam. The Ferals have gone through a couple of lineups in their four years, but this one feels lean and settled. Jimmy drives the song into a crashing swell as Chris B spins across the stage. A mosh pit opens for the band – their first ever – apparently after someone asked Chris B for permission in advance.
“Who here has been scammed?” the room is asked. Revving rhythms underpin guitar tones that bleep like a computer alert, as Chris B ominously references “panic scam alert” and “love is not always what it seems”. Fake banknotes circulate through the crowd, the United Dollars of Ferals, as Chris B holds up a “PANIC” sign crossed through in red. It’s all quite slapstick, but it’s fun to watch a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously and loves to perform.
On Through the Park, “an anti-drug song”, a gold hat is donned as Chris B’s voice takes on a pop inflection, and clipped, staccato guitar lines push the set into a lighter frame, recalling ’90s alternative acts like 4 Non Blondes and No Doubt. Set classic Woofie and closer Shocked underline the band’s old‑school punk sensibility – Avi’s bass rattles and grunts, Jimmy’s drums tear through double‑time and Chris stays close to the crowd. This is a band made for – and comfortable on – bigger stages and more genre-diverse bills, but they change things up and entertain a packed Love / Death / Metal room with ease.
–El Jay
MIND ROT
Upside Down [Intro]
Locked Noose
Two-Faced
Pale Tongue [cover]
[Interlude]
Unanswered [cover]
Sanctified Tongues
Mindrot bring a huge crew for their headline set at Love / Death / Metal. A short, whispery atmospheric intro sets the room humming before the floor drops out. Vocalist Mayr Khan appears to a deathly bellow amid heavy, slow rhythms, as a pit opens and bodies surge.
The band is a tight three‑piece, with Aaron Mordeno (formerly of Parallel Horizons) on guitar and backing vocals and Justin Orcino on drums. Locked Noose, an original still under a working title, leans into slow, heavy breakdowns, Khan pacing the stage theatrically.
Two‑Faced, a newer single, pushes things into a more furious gear. The rhythm has a mid‑tempo two‑step feel, while Khan’s Randy Blythe-esque vocal tone takes on a classic groove‑metal bark. Mordeno’s spring-loaded riffing ignites absolute chaos on the floor.
The covers slot in naturally without overshadowing the band’s original compositions. The gallop of Darko’s Pale Tongue keeps momentum high, while Suicide Silence’s Unanswered brings a rawer edge in its wild screams and frantic drumming, Khan looming over the room, roaring “where is your gun?” with his hand in a claw shape.
After the band thanks Chris B and The Underground, unreleased original Sanctified Tongues closes the set: pig squeals lead into insane buffeting, with Khan’s voice lost in the dirge. A single ringing note meshes with an evil “reeeeee!” before descending into more riffs. The song is built on a foundation of hardcore punk but is embellished with death metal theatrics. There’s an encore chant, but the band chooses to do a group photo instead.
The sound mix was frustratingly conservative and muddy throughout, flattening moments that could have hit harder. But even through that restraint, Mindrot’s intent is clear: set the atmosphere, rile people up with riffs and rage-filled lyrics, and leave them wanting more.
-El Jay
Photos by Aaron Michelson
由Aaron Michelson、攝影。
Poster by Arrow Cat 海報由 Arrow Cat。
