Triggerman + Confessor
Top Of The Town, Omagh
11/05/2007
The last time a metal band from outside Tyrone came to Omagh was when Belfast bands Interrogate and Choke played Molly Sweeny's last August. The gig resulted in Interrogate losing a lead singer and the subsequent break up of Choke due to their lead singer joining Interrogate. The attendance merely surpassed double figures and now nine months later Omagh sees its first metal gig since then. Oh and it just happens to be on the night that all the 7th Years have finished for study leave and the pub next door is flaunting it like there's no tomorrow.
As I only saw Confessor six weeks ago it would have been more appreciated to have seen a different band such as Derry metallers Libidoswitch open the proceedings but there's only one logical act in Omagh to support any band that uses a guitar properly and Confessor fits the bill. As the eleventh hour approached Confessor were tuned up and ready to go. Opening with the Judas Priest classic Heavy Metal they got the relatively small crowd going well but ultimately it was the same old story that was in Strain's over a month ago. Metallica's Jump In The Fire and Seek and Destroy were lost causes, as I prefer another band of the same era beginning with 'M' and none of their material were on show at all. A few of their own songs closed the lacklustre and uneventful set which, although it contained great musicianship, just failed to excite. 6/10
Triggerman is also a band that I've seen recently at what has to be any musician's dream in supporting the immense Mastodon in both Belfast and Dublin. The Derry four-piece exhibits a thick slab of guitar-fuelled metal with narrative songs that both enthrals and involves the crowd. The band have also supported power metal band Dragonforce and will support British metal band Orange Goblin again in the summer but first they'll give Omagh a good going over.
As Triggerman tuned up and got their gear ready, the stage turned from a small-elevated tier to a platform with amps to the roof and immediately from the first note, Triggerman's hard dirty riffs along with front man Bap's raw voice was an instant infection among the evidently increased crowd who were all under the Trigger. Songs like I Caught The Lurgy and Worms literally had the whole floor headbanging and they're instant likeability helped shift a notable amount of Triggerman too.
There's not much an Irish metal band can do if they don't strike a record deal but gig around the country and hope for the odd major support slot and for many bands that just isn't enough. However Triggerman seem more than content to play on the small Omagh stage and although it's hard to compare this with the Ambassador in Dublin it ultimately shows that a bit of fame hasn't went to Triggerman's head. The plugging bass along with the thumping drums created a loud and solid sound throughout the whole of the Top Of The Town and it's hard to know what Triggerman's direct influences are but hidden in the guitar there are elements of Down, Life Of Agony and even Thin Lizzy. Whatever the fusion Triggerman manage to capture a balance of all their influences to create their own personal sound. As the night crept up to one o'clock the boys wrapped up with Son Of Solomon, a heavy thrash filled song from their 2003 demo and closed an unquestionably better night than what next door had to offer. 8/10
