Reviews
War Shepherd/ Vulture God/ Shadow of Icarus
The Croft, Bristol - 5th June 2026
Words : Richard Hayward
Photographs : Keith Conlin Photography
WHAT THE FLOCK?
War Shepherd take The Croft by storm, as a massive Friday night of rock and metal shakes Bristol to its core!
Okay, so if you’re looking for a full-blooded melodic death metal band, with massive depth of sound and an exciting and dynamic stage show, look no further - War Shepherd are here and they have it all in spades!
From the moment they hit the stage, the stunning combination of Dan Aston’s drums and Tom Rimmington’s bass lay down a relentless, earth-shaking barrage of sound. Aston is an absolute machine, he makes it look deceptively easy, but holy hell, the stuff going on behind that kit is beyond belief!
He seems to have no upper speed limit and can play flat out for days on end without flagging.
The fills fly by at lightning speed and it seems as though he can cover every piece of the kit in less than a second. Of course, if you have a phenomenal drummer, you also need a phenomenal bass player, and would you believe it… there’s one right here.
Rimmington’s bass playing is just fantastic to watch. The archetypal hairy, headbanging metalhead, this is a man having entirely too much fun with four bits of string.
When you do eventually manage to tear your gaze from Aston and Rimmington, where are you going to look next?
Oh hey… there are two phenomenal guitarists just over here! Chris Jones-Day and James Dishart combine their incredible talents to create a gloriously rich tapestry of raw power, superb melodic hooks, and massive riffs.
The chemistry between them is glaringly obvious as they exchange knowing looks and huge grins - two more fun-loving musos you would have to look hard to find.
Occasionally, they even reach over the top of their respective fretboards to play a bit of the melody line upside down, throwing in cheeky little harmonics and perfectly struck percussed notes with consummate ease.
These two have the art of cool flamboyance down to a T and just watching them play makes you want to learn guitar, form a band, and do exactly what they are doing right now!
Pacing slowly around the stage, casually surveying the pandemonium raging around him, John Graham Hart besieges the crowd with vocals that could probably strip the rust off the Titanic.
Lung capacity is obviously not a problem here, as “Die”, the very first word of “The Red Pages”, is held for ten seconds at maximum scream, with the rest of the lyrics being delivered at break-neck pace and not really allowing much time for breathing. I know these exponents of the harsh vocal technique have a few tricks up their sleeves, but as a mere human being, it’s hard to understand just how they do it.
All in all, War Shepherd put on a tremendous show with stunning musicianship, superb visuals and expertly crafted material. The songs are hard, fast and dramatic, and the writing and arrangements are absolutely first class. Go and see them right now or I’ll give you a Paddington hard stare… and you
don’t want that!
Well, I honestly didn’t think I would have much to say here because it’s not that long since I reviewed Vulture God at Southwest Heavyfest.
However, this band seems to be maturing in massive leaps and bounds, and I think I’m safe in saying this is the best set we’ve seen them play to date.
With five people on stage there is a lot going on.
Tom Noakes is one of those drummers I could happily stand and watch all night. He has a mean turn of speed and throws in so many brilliant fills and flourishes that the drums become far more than just a source of rhythm. At times they actually become the dominant component of the song but not in an intrusive way, rather they wrap themselves around the keys and guitars like some sort of musical ivy.
Phrases such as “melodic drumming”, run through my brain as I stare in disbelief at the things Noakes is doing. I don’t know if there is actually such a thing, but who cares?
Vulture God’s sound is especially full-bodied thanks to the keyboards of Ben Price, who provides a richly coloured sonic wash, over which the strings of Milo Clack and Ben Fisher can daub their sound.
Fisher’s lead work is really excellent – powerful, melodic and brilliantly thought out. Lead vocalist Clack is no string-slouch either and is quite happy to deactivate “Chug Mode” and pluck individual strings when required.
Indeed, the general motto within Vulture God appears to be “share and share alike” - if you have the skills, you’ll get your chance to shine.
This sharing philosophy even extends to the vocals, with the lead role frequently shifting between Clack, Price and Fisher, giving us three great voices for the price of one and keeping everyone guessing as to where the next line will come from.
Unfortunately, bassist Ben Reygate is unable to play this gig “because he has too many ribs” (please don’t ask), but thanks to the excellent depping skills of Max Thakray, there are absolutely no discernible holes in the sound. I don’t envy Thackray the job of keeping pace with Noakes’ drumming, but that’s why he’s a first-class musician, and I’m standing here with a notepad.
In my humble opinion, everything about tonight’s performance is noticeably more fluent than it has been at other times, and the whole set now flows brilliantly from start to finish.
Vulture God have gone from 60 to 100 in just a few months and are already one of my favourite bands. I strongly suggest you
check them out at the first opportunity.
The prospect of opening for the likes of Vulture God and War Shepherd is one that would have many bands running away in fear, but luckily for us, Bristol-based Shadow of Icarus accepted the challenge and stepped up to the plate.
Behind centre mic, vocalist Josh Gladwin pulls double duty covering rhythm guitar, leaving Josh Lee free to handle the lead guitar work.
That said, there are numerous moments when the dividing line becomes extremely blurred, and the two of them are effectively sharing the lead with some pretty nifty pick-work on show.
Lee and bassist Keri Tubb also help out Gladwin by pitching in on backing vocals from time to time.
The entire structure is underpinned by some nice solid drumming from Matt Fowler, working hand in hand with Tubb on bass.
For the time being, keyboards are on track, but who knows – that might change in the future. Whether it does or not, keys certainly aren’t a major part of the band’s sound at the moment; the two strong guitars definitely rule that roost.
It bugs me greatly that I can’t quite put my finger on the band(s) that Shadow of Icarus reminds me of.
There is definitely a certain “familiarity” to their sound, and it will probably come to me a day or two after this review has been published.
For now though, my best stab at it would be something from the early 80s underground post-punk scene. It’s a raw, uncompromising sound, better suited to ramming the goods down the throats of a rabid, headbanging live crowd, than sitting in a nice clean studio drinking tea.
At least the use of clean vocals means you can safely sing your favourite Shadow of
Icarus song in the shower without the neighbours calling an exorcist!
