LIVE REVIEW: Casket Feeder - at the Craufurd Arms
Casket Feeder are, in their own words, a blend of the chainsaw fury of Swedish Death Metal with UK Hardcore sledgehammer groove, and a punishing trifecta of brutality, rage, and power. With that hard-hitting recipe, we thought we’d better check them out.
The eve of 23rd July brought a hefty show to their hometown venue, The Craufurd Arms - situated in Milton Keynes, with headlining band Freya and Rig Time also joining them on the line-up.
Photo credit: Casket Feeder
The band went straight into the face-melting, hard-hitting, death metal they’re known for, and with a name like Casket Feeder they certainly put any doubts to rest. These guys are unforgivingly good, and if you’re a fan of the brutal stuff then this is a band you’ll need on your radar.
Opening with “Sentenced to Death”, a track from their 2022 album “Servants of Violence”, we’re thrown in to Casket Feeder’s pure power. It gets the crowd going, readying them for the rest of the set. There are some nice contrasting vocals performed by frontman Matt Downes, who also picked up the bass for this performance. There’s a great level of talent that’s obvious across the bandmembers; a craftsmanship of composition, fine-tuned into a hardcore live rendition.
“Wormwood” is also an honourable mention. It nosedives straight into a dark, furious rampage on self destruction and corruption. The moshing continues from the front row, and the crowd gets more into it. There are fists and devil horns being thrown up for the quartet, who continue to prove their worthiness.
Part way through the set, the band gave a little Black Sabbath tribute by strumming out a segment of “Crazy Train”, which filled the room with smiles and nostalgia - before melting them back off again.
Other tracks included “Void” and “Echoes”, which were just as gnarly. In the 30 minutes we had in their presence, Casket Feeder solidly performed a heavy set, which sparked input from a lot of the crowd. They demonstrated their skill and energy, and it’s safe to say they’re on their way to great, sledgehammer-fuelled, things.