Bat Sabbath is arguably one of the most interesting projects stemming from the metal world at the moment. Thrash heads Cancer Bats, impersonating the iconic satanic gods of Black Sabbath. Those are big boots for anyone to attempt to fill, for those who are unaware, Cancer Bats have always been known for doing the outrageous. So no one could be more suited to the role. I for one could not afford to pass up a show like this.

Opening tonight are God Damn, a heavy three-piece who certainly got the ball rolling. Their level of gritty riff and flailing hair was more than enough to induce the hardcore vibes needed to get the night started. God Damn’s enthusiasm throughout their set really added a great amount to their sound and each of their vast array of distortion and fuzz pedals really did make a distinct difference to each of their tracks, a great foreshadow for the madness to come.

Following on from an intro from Led Zepplin’s ‘Immigrant Song’, a blackened stage sees the Cancer Bats boys enter. Vocalist Liam Cormier wears the iconic leather boots and shimmering cape that Ozzy Osbourne was so keen to take up and the band unleash a torrent of energy as they burst into ‘Children of the Grave’. The crowd are instantly melting in the palm of their hands and find themselves screaming along to every word. The room is simply a kaleidoscope of noise and electricity and energy as Liam’s eager frontman style bounces perfectly off the harsh sound and only adds that extra bite to the set.

I’ve never typically been a fan of cover bands. They’re cheesy, unoriginal and above all tedious to watch, but Cancer Bats have done an excellent job in making these songs their own. Whilst the core riffs maintain Black Sabbath’s familiarity, both the vocals and overlapping guitar solos from the shredding machine that is Scott Middleton, are beyond the humane. Scott’s fingers are simply a blur and created a noise that I haven’t heard produced by a mere six string and were truly a privilege to see performed live.

The energy is only set to increase further as the band lead into the iconic riff of ‘Iron Man’, and immediately the room starts throwing their bodies into one another and fists start truly flying. There were certainly times where I did forget that I was seeing a cover band due to the level of precision and talents being showcased here. This is of course until Liam brings out his hilarious Ozzy impression. Forcing a crude British accent and speaking of praising the “God’s that are BLAAACK SAABATH!” A phrase which he continued to repeat over and over, hyping up the crowd each time before smoothly heading into the unmistakable intro of ‘Paranoid’ as yet another flourish of fists is released upon the ever-increasing sweaty room.

As the set continues to grow progressively warmer and warmer, the room continues to equally become a pure torrent of chaos and disarray. The band are not short of energetics either as they find themselves bouncing around, doing 360° spins and thrashing their instruments across their bodies. Despite the incredible Black Sabbath tribute, Cancer Bats end the evening with a prolonged five song encore of their own material, which acted as the highlight of the entire evening. ‘Hail Destroyer’ and ‘Pneumonia Hawk’ made for fantastic ends to the show and leave the crowd feeling that not only have they been able to witness a reflection of Black Sabbath, but still got to experience some incredibly high quality original metal.

Covering another artist’s track is always a risky effort for any well-established band to make, but to perform an entire set from one of the single most iconic names in rock history is almost unheard of. Cancer Bats however have more than done the black gods justice in their rendition, in a manner which emphasises, above all, the amount of enjoyment that there is to be had within music. The band have certainly changed my view on cover bands and provide not only an evening of incredible talent, but unencumbered humour.
Ben Walker

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