In the same week that the Foo Fighters packed out the Principality Stadium a mere 40 miles East, a more prestigious and important event, months in the planning, finally comes to fruition. The culmination of the 2024 South Wales Metal to the Masses event, the annual battle of the bands which sees hopefuls fight it out in the friendliest manner possible for a place on the New Blood Stage at the Bloodstock Open Air Festival.
It’s important to recognise that this is grass roots music at its best. In 2023, the promoters [Alyn Hunter (Agrona, Ofnus) and Tim Hill (Agrona)], having used Fuel Rock Club as its base for many years, called in the help and experience of William Sheldon, in-house promoter of the Bunkhouse venue in Swansea. Switching the previous format, the heats, quarter and semi-finals were spread across Fuel and the Bunkhouse, providing those West of the capital with a less arduous logistical challenge and building on the already lively Metal scene that William had been instrumental in crafting over the past decade or more. It worked well, and culminated in the Grand Final held in Fuel once again selling out as Torchbearer took the prize.Â
Ambition is an essential criterion though, and the cramped surroundings of Fuel took some of the shine off what is essentially the annual showcase of the Metal Scene in South Wales. So, with a big leap of faith, the promoters mooted the idea of hiring a bigger, more prestigious venue for the Final.
Enter the Patti Pavilion, a venue for the performing arts, situated off the Mumbles Road in Swansea, opposite the St Helen’s Cricket Ground and the miles of golden sand that is one of Swansea’s jewels. Named after the great 19th century opera soprano Adelina Patti, the building was originally sited in her winter garden at the Craig-Y-Nos Estate, before being donated to the City of Swansea in 1918 where it was relocated to Victoria Park. A Grade II listed building, a renovation project was completed in 2009, with the venue now established as one for those on the 500-900 capacity circuit.
And so, it dawned. A beautiful Welsh Day with blue skies and warm temperatures greeted the six finalists as they gathered at the venue mid-morning to load in. House rules established and the running order drawn, the anticipation and excitement were palpable. With early soundchecks completed, doors opened at midday, and a steady stream of eager early fans made their way to the bar, the barrier and spread around the venue as they waited for their favourites to play.
A glorious setting then, and one befitting the jewel in the crown of the South Wales scene. Taking the lead from the established Uprising event in Leicester, the six finalists from the competition formed the first part of the day, with a stacked main event to follow, with Silverburn, Mother Vulture, Inhuman Nature, Raging Speedhorn and the legendary Discharge all booked, making the ticket price, even on the door, an absolute steal.
Verletzen
The Welsh Black Metal of Verletzen draws the shortest straw and opens the event. Formed in 2016, the trio play a raw, permafrost-soaked style, rooted in the sound of those early waves of Nordic Black Metal. Elements of Burzum, Darkthrone and Mayhem are evident in their songs.
For a trio, they fill the stage well, despite limited movement. Finalists in 2023, Verletzen impress with a solid showing and their hardcore fans scream their approval.
Thrakian
One of the truly joyous things about the local scene is the variation in genres that evolves. With their roots in Bulgaria, Thrakian are relatively new to South Wales as a band, although the musicians are established.
Led by the emotive and intense Atanas (vocals / guitar), the band described their music as “Crushing, tribal, atmospheric, emotional and confrontational.” Named after famous gladiators in Roman times (the Thracians), Thrakian play with the same ethos. It’s ferocious, a wall of punishing intensity with little space to breathe.
A crushing delivery sees them blast through their allotted 30 minutes in what feels like double time, the filthy feedback which is a part of their sound bringing sludgy elements of Eyehategod and Crowbar into the mix.
It’s a passionate performance that rightly earns huge applause.
Confessions Of A Serial Killer
Third up is possibly the most inexperienced band on the bill. Confessions of a Serial Killer do not show any concerns, although singer Cozy tells me afterwards he was a bag of nerves beforehand. You could not tell as he morphs into his psycho killer character, presenting initially in a straight jacket and mask and prowling the stage hunting his ‘victims’.
It’s not long before he is on the barrier, prowling the crowd and generally providing a slightly unnerving air of intimidation as he urges those at the back towards the stage. It’s a primal feel, with the band’s aggressive aural assault reminiscent of early Slipknot sans percussion and samples.
It’s raw, energised, and compelling to watch. It’s a show that deserves the bigger stage, and for a band under a year old, this is impressive stuff.
Kill By Mouth
A total change of style next as the crushing Groove / Thrash of Kill By Mouth threatens the very structure of the building. Seasoned veterans, but relatively new to M2TM itself, there is little ceremony, merely an aural assault for 30 minutes, which shows everything good about the band.
Thick riffs with an unrelenting pace are unleashed, combined with the raging vocals of guitarist / vocalist Cassar and heads are nodding around the room. It’s a solid performance that makes many look up from their phones and actually watch the show. 
Kill By Mouth delight in grabbing the room by the scruff of the neck, and as they rip into their final song, many are enthusiastically banging their heads. The fourth variation in sound so far, it’s proving to be a tough choice for the judges.
Rites To Ruin
With concerns about the volume levels, there’s a slightly muted sound for penultimate band Rites To Ruin, a band who are well versed in the M2TM format but who also possess higher profile musicians than you may expect at this level.
With New Blood alumni Zak Skayne providing continued sterling cover on the kit, the band take their cue despite a smaller audience than anticipated, mainly due to the sunny weather, which is holding people outside with their beers.
It takes more than this to put Krissie Kirby and the band off, and they race into their set, which flies by. I’ve eulogised about the quality of Krissie’s voice many times, but there are few singers who can get away with such distance between mic and mouth, such is her power.
With the ferociously talented shredder Lee Cartner ripping out solos for fun, this is another sweet set that finishes with the powerhouse track Fire.
Root Zero
Thankfully, Rites To Ruin’s power has pulled many in from outside. Final band Root Zero fills the stage. They are a six-piece, so they welcome a bit more space than they would have been afforded at other venues.
It’s worked, for their atmospheric Gothic tones provide a calming experience as they bring their unique style of Metal to the day. With Sasha Bannister leading on the symphonic vocals, it’s down to keyboardist Giacomo Fiderio to deliver the harsher growls, which he does with aplomb.
They’ve grown on me, I won’t lie, and the bigger stage gives the band room to spread out. As a result, they’ve got confidence, which I thought was absent in the semi-final. They give an assured set, ebbing and flowing with crushing heavy segments that intertwine with ethereal passages.
With a strong fan base cheering them on, it’s a fitting finale to the first session, and one can only wonder at the challenges for the judges after three hours of high-quality and varied music.
Unfortunately, Inhuman Nature break down outside Manchester and are unable to complete the journey. This provides an hour’s respite and time for those not working tirelessly in the team to enjoy the pleasant grounds that surround the venue.
A few take advantage of the Indian restaurant attached to the venue. Not sure I would have wanted a vindaloo before the evening’s entertainment, to be fair, and it’s reasonable to assume that the grinding sludge of Welsh legend and musical virtuoso Jamie ‘Jimbob’ Isaac’s Silverburn rumbled more than just my guts.
Silverburn
This isn’t music for relaxation, but there’s an earthy heartiness to the power and energy that Silverburn bring. His album Self Induced Transcendental Annihilation blew a hole in my tiny mind last year. The harshness of tracks, including Annihilation and Bathe In Fire, that bookend the set (which is drawn almost exclusively from the debut release) is both abrasive and compelling to watch.
The small audience slowly swells, and towards the end of the set, you can see more and more of those present enjoying what is admittedly a challenging listen. Having been unable to catch Silverburn before now, I am in a happy place. 
Mother Vulture
If you talk about levels of intensity, then the aural battering of Silverburn is quickly countered by the visual chaos that West Country chaos kings Mother Vulture bring. Their anarchic punk-edged rock shakes the entire building, with guitarist Brodie Maguire his usual animated self as he flies around the stage.
This is a band that is slowly increasing in popularity, and it’s easy to see why. On every show I’ve seen, the effort level has increased by 10%, and this one is no exception. It’s simply an explosion of vibrant and joyful self-expression, combined with some edgy songs that are all delivered in magnificent style.
There are leaps, jumps, kicks, and songs from their debut album, Mother Knows Best, to enjoy. For those in the know, this is 45 minutes of sheer joy. For those who don’t, this is 45-minutes of discovery. By the time Mr Jones and Rabbit Hole have closed things down, Mother Vulture have added a few more fans to the list.
Raging Speedhorn
All has been running smoothly to this point, with the stage crew (all members of local bands and doing it for the love of the music), sound engineer and team working in tandem and comfortably hitting the needed time frames. Enter Raging Speedhorn.
If you wanted to book a band that could help the wheels fall off, then these would be your go-to outfit. Arriving from another show at Abertillery they had played earlier in the day, it is evident things aren’t right. Several of the entourage are intoxicated, and there is an air of tension backstage.
They eventually take the stage for a severely curtailed set, damage equipment, abuse the venue manager and assault one of the local team.
Unprofessional, arrogant and totally unnecessary, it’s reasonable to think that they won’t be back in Swansea for some time. In 30-minutes all the feel good that has built over the day is scattered.
I’m still bewildered by their behaviour now.
Discharge
It’s left to punk legends Discharge to bring a semblance of normality. We’re way behind time, but Discharge brings us the full show. They roar into The Blood Runs Red, with vocalist Jeff JJ Janiak a particularly hyperactive ball of sinewy muscle and snarling lyrics.
He does not let up for the entire hour, prowling, pacing and constantly striding around the stage. By the time he gets to closing track Decontrol, you would expect him to be flagging, but he looks like he’s just warming up.
Original members ‘Rainy’ Wainright, ‘Bones’ Roberts and ‘Teez’ Roberts do what they do, which is to hammer the band’s songs home. A set that spans their career, it’s drawn heavily from debut album Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing which pleases the old heads in the crowd.
Discharge is a fine choice of closing bands.
As the old Punks disperse, the promoters hit the stage to announce the winners. It’s a tight call, and every band put in stellar shows. However, it’s Root Zero who take the win, and head to Bloodstock in just over a month.
An amazing day, something that not even the behaviour of a few drunken idiots could spoil, and proof that the South Wales scene is in fine form.
With plans already underway for 2025, this day represented a huge gamble. For the promoters, their small grins at the end imply they are quietly satisfied, despite the unnecessary challenges they dealt with.
We will be back for more next year. 
