Live Review: Grave, Wehrmacht, Primate

When it was announced that members of Brutal Truth and Mastodon were coming together to form a grindcore supergroup, expectations were sky high. Perhaps that's why Primate's Draw Back A Stump LP was met with such a muted response – the inflated expectations could never really be fulfilled. Live however, Primate were a completely different beast. With frontman Kevin Sharp prowling the stage like an escaped ape, and guitarist Bill Kelliher teasing inhuman sounds out of his axe, Primate delivered a phenomenal master-class in brutality. This was perfectly executed sonic blitzkrieg delivered with a decadent grinding swagger. The quintet churned through their Draw Back A Stump LP and then sat back to watch jaws being picked up from the floor. Set of the night hands down – it's just a shame barely anyone was there to see it.
There's a reason why DRI and Cryptic Slaughter are hallowed crossover royalty and Wehrmacht remain somewhat of a historical footnote: the former simply had better tunes. Barring a ridiculously overextended intro there was nothing actively wrong with Wehrmacht's performance. The small crowd lapped up a set heavily weighted towards 1987's Shark Attack and the boys played with obvious enthusiasm. But truth be told the band's material simply wasn't that engaging. Put it like this: a cover of Iron Maiden's Wrathchild got the loudest response of the night. 'Nuff said.
Grave's live show embodied the attitude that the veteran Swedes have adopted over their entire career. They strode on stage, plugged in and then with a minimum of fuss proceeded to deliver slab after slab of no-nonsense meat and potatoes death metal. Sure, classics like Christi(ns)anity and Into The Grave got huge applause but it was telling that selections from last year's Endless Procession Of Souls were equally welcomed by the faithful. This was a performance that showed why Grave has survived for over 20 years – no frills, no fancy tricks, just well crafted aural brutality straight from the pits of hell.