**Disclaimer: The opinions of this article do not reflect the opinions of the bands featured in this article. Crit is crit, you can either take it, learn from it and move on. Or you can look like an idiot when you make a big deal out of an opinion that ultimately can only be changed by improvement.
The epic Lyderkane’s ten year reign has come to an end. On the 26th of May at ROAR they teamed up with their good buddies, V.O.L. who reunited for one last show, along with the infamous Arc Reactor who opened.
Arc Reactor, I’ve said all of this before and I guess I’m going to say it again. Brilliant band, these guys’ instruments are like extensions of their very being, but for FUCK’S SAKE do something about the vocals!!! One would assume that the “bitch slap” incident (yes, a chick actually jumped on stage and slapped him or something like that at a previous gig) would have woken them from their deep slumber and realised that there is room for improvement in that department.
However, the night was about Lyderkane and they put on a brilliant show that left us all in a state of utter confusion as to why they were calling it quits.
” These people don’t know good music!!! Sorry… I meant FUCKING good music!!!” someone commented on their Facebook page, referring to the fact that the band has not gotten the credit they deserve over the last decade. Trying to make it in the Cape Town music scene is like tiptoeing across really thin ice, you either make it or you break it. And quite honestly, we’re seeing way too many great bands “break it” because the support is just not there.
The raw intensity of songs like “The Suffer Ring” will remain imprinted in one’s mind forever, kinda like a blow in the gut (in good way of cos, if there is such a thing). There is something about Steve’s vocals that oozes the kind of “in your face”, “tell it like it is” emotion. Along with Ricardo’s phat bass lines and the steady beat of Ozzy’s drumming, it makes for brilliant composition and song structure. It was definitely a sad yet overwhelming moment to see them play for the last time, I was lucky enough to get smashed on the head by Steve’s guitar!
V.O.L. ended the night with good old metal fashion, another amazing band we have lost. I pity those who have not experienced V.O.L, you missed out yo. Vocalist moshing in the crowd, now that’s metal they way it should be.
Maybe if we all pray hard enough to the “Rock Gods” they’ll have a reunion gig soon. If that doesn’t work we could just “bomb” their Facebook pages.
*Check out With Dawn, Kevin of V.O.L’s current band: http://www.facebook.com/pages/WITH-DAWN/201409226551455