REVIEWS GATHERED IN THEIR MASSES BLACK SABBATH PLUS; SOUNDGARDEN, FAITH NO MORE, MOTORHEAD, SOULFLY HYDE PARK, LONDON. 04.07.14
SABBS AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE
SUMMER BLOODY SUMMER
WORDS: JAMES HICKIE
PHOTOS: TOM MARTIN
IT'S FITTING that Sabbath should be playing a Royal Park.
They are, after all, metal royalty, and Ozzy himself is The Prince Of Fucking Darkness. That they're doing so with a suitably regal entourage in tow only serves to make today even more of a right royal knees-up.
First up, it's SOULFLY (KKKK), who blossom rather than wilt in the oppressive heat. Excitement levels peak when Igor Cavalera joins them for Roots Bloody Roots - highlighting that there are more original members of Sepultura onstage than there are of Soulfly. The only thing that could match that in the cool stakes is "We are MOTÖRHEAD (KKK), and we play rock'n'roll," once again after his long illness. Unfortunately, what comes after isn't quite the steamrollering we were hoping for. The usually hammering Overkill seems to go by the motto 'everything slower than everything else' today, but just seeing Lemmy back onstage where he belongs is enough of a treat.
By comparison, FAITH NO MORE (KKKKK) are a religious experience. Not least because they arrive dressed as priests - albeit, in Mike Patton's case, with (fake) facial tattoos. They don't just exorcise their classics either, although Epic and Midlife Crisis are offered up for worship. There's also the premiere of two new songs (that may or may not be entitled Leader Of Men and Motherfucker). With so little fanfare from Mike, you'd think they'd been playing them for 20-odd years already.
In contrast, SOUNDGARDEN (KKKKK) focus only on the old, playing their essential 1994 album, Superunknown, in its entirety - "for the last time", according to frontman Chris Cornell. And, as if that wasn't enough to send the plaid-ometer into the red, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready's cameo during the title track ensures we're taken to grunge heaven.
There's a similar sense of nostalgia when BLACK SABBATH (KKKK) arrive - not just for the band's heyday, but for their arena tour late last year, which this set doesn't deviate from too much. The main difference is that Ozzy's vocals are improved during the likes of Snowblind ("You know what that's about," he impishly winks), while projections on the vast screens add a spectacular dimension to some of the trippier moments (Fairies Wear Boots, Rat Salad). At a lean - but rather fitting - 13 tracks, we could arguably do without the embellishments of the bass and drum solos. But when Sabbath are on this form, we'd take these metal overlords however we can get them. All hail!
