Cellar Darling/Black Orchid Empire/Kassogtha -
Corporation, Sheffield, Saturday, 22nd October 2022
Kassogotha hail from Switzerland. Their sound is very unique and listening to them for the first time, I was intrigued.
Their melodic sounds were blaring through Corp, and their chugging riffs made the crowd move. They had put an interesting spin on prog metal, not sounding typical, however paying homage to the prog giant that is Opeth.
In fact, their sound was very similar to Opeth's in its composition of Growls and Clean vocals. Stéphanie Huguenin's vocals are amazing. She has the capability of switching from harsh to soft instantly.
She was pulling no punches as she danced and moshed around the stage. 'Kassogtha (The Call)' made the room violently shake as its heavy and hard hitting riffs and drumming broke the sound barrier.
The way the band commanded the room through music was amazing, as people who hadn't previously heard them were immediately fans.
Kassogtha's take on prog metal, with a female vocalist, will be very interesting to follow as they continue to release new tracks.
10/10
This hard rock outfit, Black Orchid Empire, based in London blew the Corp crowd with their take on melodic power rock. The three piece showed no nerves, they knew their place on that stage
Chugging out hard riffs with clean vocals, a groovy bassline, and drums that were skilled, tamed but crazy. 'Natural selection' seemed to be the crowd favourite (hard to notice because the crowd loved them!) everyone sang along.
The Vocalist/Guitarist was very in touch with the crowd, keeping them on edge for the whole show. A good change of sound for me, it was nice to deviate from the heavier sound I am used to hearing.
Overall a really good band and an unforgettable performance at the Corp on the small stage.
9/10
Finally, the headline act, Cellar Darling. Another three piece, also from Switzerland. Their heavy Prog-Rock made for an eclectic mix of sounds
With their folky mix of instruments the sounds soothed yet also stimulated the Metalness in the crowd. Anna Murphy's vocals and multi-instrumentalism really drove that porgy sound and gave me an Opeth-y vibe.
Their set was diverse in sound and made for a spiritual experience with the folk side of the music.
8/10
By Alex 'Reaper' Holmes