Review: Twelve Foot Ninja

SO, I went to see a Twelve Foot Ninja gig in the Barfly, Camden and damn was I greeted with some pleasant and unexpected surprises.

Up first were Shattered Skies: a four piece progressive metal group. I had only heard rough studio recordings of their stuff so I wasn't expecting a miracle, but what I heard was not far off. Energetic and tightly executed songs with impressively consistent clean vocals. Intricate bass lines and melodic riffs and solos from the guitarist definitely had the crowd 100% engaged throughout their set.

Next up were Hypno5e. Now, I had never heard what the French could do with their metal but damn was I in for a treat. I had honestly never heard such beautiful dissonant breakdowns with delicate clean interludes like I have with these lot. The synergy from section to section was creative and unique, an inspiring style of songwriting. Consistent flurry of emotive and captivating harmonies between the guitar parts was a definite highlight to their performance for me. Tied with a well equipped lead vocalist with soft, falsetto cleans and whipping out the brutal and sharp screams for the breakdowns, I was very impressed with my first encounter of Hypno5e.

Now onto the Twelve Foot Ninjas, the group from Down Under. The crowd seemed to flock from the woodworks as soon as they went on stage. Their second song, Mother Sky, promised them a crowd at their complete mercy. We were putty in their hands, moulding us from a wave of head-bobbers with their funky, jazzy, reggae-y verses, to a mosh-pit with their heavy breakdowns and choruses. The floor literally warped as the collective reception shook the foundations of the building. It being their first gig ever in Europe the group were flabbergasted as I quote, "we were not expecting this kind of reception," and neither was I, despite my admiration for such a pioneering band. Also, interestingly enough, they hold a record $52,000 raised in 28 days solely by fans in funding their next music video and production of their upcoming album!!

Overall, we have an eclectic collection of three bands bringing to the table, melodic groove metal with epic vocals, the French's impressive showcase of their creativity harmonies and dynamic vocals, with clean interludes contrasting with heavy, brutal passages and lastly, the icing on the cake - Twelve Foot Ninja.

Twelve Foot Ninja - Bandcamp
Hypno5e - Bandcamp
Shattered Skies - Bandcamp