With a name like The Burning Hell, you might expect this Canadian group to be a masculine petrol bomb of political rage, apocalypse drums, & screaming metal guitars. And although they feature political rage, apocalyptic songs, and pretty masculine beards, they’re definitely not the band you’d expect from the name. They are a group that seem to evolve and shape-shift with every song they sing, inhabiting a world of engrossing stories and tales.
It’s good then, that they brought along their pal, Nick Ferrio, to support them tonight – as he is perfectly capable of spinning a good tale himself. In song, or just with his hilarious stage banter about broken vans or broken tape decks (his impression of a ruined cassette grinding to a syrupy stop has the crowd in stitches)
His songs, too, have elements of fun in them – about his dog staring out a window all day for example. It’s not all Flight of the Conchords silliness though, and with his warm voice, capable of crackling high notes, he mostly sings about love & relationships. Highlight of the set has to be ‘Fall In Love’, which features a crowd singalong, a whistling solo, swooshing digital FX, and a chord pattern so 80’s pop that it makes me think of Phil Collins. Getting all these things in one song can only be admired!
The Burning Hell aren’t afraid of experimenting either; constantly throwing interesting surprises into their set. Funky drums are followed by shamelessly extended ’60s guitar solos; slow grooves blend into football chant-style choruses – and at one point they get so retro and huge sounding they come across like a dreamy hipster Fleetwood Mac. In a good way.
But all this is just an anchor; something to soundtrack and set the scene for the most important element of the band: the honest, funny, and moving lyrics. Lead singer Mathias Kom leaves no thought dormant, singing about the quirks and strange things most people ignore, or dismiss as irrelevant.
It’s this, plus a habit of running each simile & metaphor as far as it possibly will go that leads songs to such fun & interesting places. For example, their big hit, ‘Amateur Rappers’, starts musing on how a dog might be too much responsibility then goes and goes and goes until we’re at the apocalypse needing a dog companion!
The Burning Hell create an amazing world of tunes and tales, and it’s the perfect world to escape to if you’re fed up of the real one!
- Neil Landstrumm - 16 March 2016
- Ben Klock - 28 December 2015
- Yak / Hidden Charms/ DTHPDL - 8 December 2015