Review – Niverse – Ivory Black’s
NIVERSE
PLUS: FIVE BAR GATE
IVORY BLACKS, GLASGOW
02.04.2011
(7/10)
BEER AND BEDLAM AS SCOTS YOUNG GUNS FIRE OFF A WARNING SHOT
TABLECLOTHS ON the tables. Lights still up. Even the odd candle burning here and there. Ivory Blacks doesn’t look itself this evening with the remnants of an early-doors jazz gig still scattered about the normally battle-worn interior. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to find its hard rock feet once Five Bar Gate hit their stride. One overheard punter sums them up as “like Moist only not nearly as pretty”; the label fits their grizzled, groovy hard rock well but there’re elements of other mainstream favourites Nickleback and Creed too. Meat and potatoes metal it may be, but it’s great drinking music and doesn’t scare off too many of the chin-strokers still hanging around the bar. For better or worse, that’s something that can’t be said for Ayrshire’s Niverse. Taking the stage as unassuming youngsters, it’s a blink of the eye and they’ve gone all “Mr. Hyde”. Roaring into life with a full-on metal assault pitched somewhere between the direct technicality of Devildriver and gob-flecked swagger of Children of Bodom their volume alone seems concussive while the crushing likes of Atlas Time point to immense underlying songwriting ability. They do falter occasionally, veering into blandly melodic territory but when they keep it heavy it’s easy to imagine these boys punching well above their weight.
Sam Law
