Ankor / Asylum / Birmingham
A trip across the midlands to catch Ankor on their UK tour at the Asylum in Birmingham. A band I’d heard lots about, but hadn’t yet been able to see. Tonight Ankor are supported by Conquer Divide and Seven Blood. All new live bands for me, and the Asylum venue seemed the perfect backdrop to the nights entertainments.
First up were German band Seven Blood. Relatively new on the scene they’ve released a number of singles with Killing from the Inside, As We Bleed and House ≠ Home in 2024, and the “Monsters” EP this year.
Unfortunately on the night Seven Blood suffered a lingering technical issue, which disrupted the continuity, requiring the drummer to leave his position between songs to manually get things working through the computer. But Seven Blood handled the set back with ease and made light of it with the crowd.
What they delivered sonically was spot on ! A surprisingly polished band the riffs and beats were suitably heavy and pounding. Their vision is for a heavy hitting yet highly melodic sound and they deliver in bucketloads.
It was such a shame they suffered technical difficulties, but they shone through, and I think they’re one to watch out for, with a great future ahead of them.
Next up from American are rockers Conquer Divide. But they’re a right diverse bunch with members from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada ! The current line up is Kiarely "Kia" Castillo (vocals), Kristen Sturgis (bass), Isabel "Izzy" Johnson (guitar) and Samantha "Sam" Landa (drums). They’ve released two albums 2015’s “Conquer Divide” and 2023’s “Slow Burn”.
Right from the start of their set, Conquer Divide displayed awesome skills and were interacting with the audience at will. The venue wasn’t packed (a real shame as it was not a show to miss !) and the atmosphere was a little reserved, but I think because of the size of the crowd rather than the bands themselves.
It’s apparent that Conquer Divide just love performing and they dragged the crowd along with them on a wild and loud journey. The mix between clean and harsh vocals was spot on. Much of the set was more recent material from the “Slow Burn” album, which to be fair is no bad thing as it’s a stella album. How therse guys aren’t commanding a far bigger stage is beyond me. Especially in light of Kiarely Taylor’s stunning voice which delivers some excellent, crystal clear clean vocals.
The place was a little more full now, ready for headliners Ankor, an alternative metal band formed in 2003 in Catalonia, Spain and consisting of Jessie Williams (vocals) Eleni Nota (drums) David Romeu and Fito Martinez (guitar) and Julio López (bass).
With six albums under their belt, their first release was 2008’s “Al fin descansar” and in 2024 they signed with Australian label UNFD and released their most recent album “Shoganai”.
I had no idea what to expect. The stage was set with a large Ankor banner at the back, and white flowers adorned the mic stand. In the dim blue lights it looked fantastic. One by one they stepped out into the limelight and, quite simply…. Owned the stage, right from the off.
They put on an epic show, delivering some sick heavy riffs early on. I liked it – bold and in your face, they put out a statement – we’re serious and we’re here ! Ankor have a very unique sound, mixing metal with elements of things like rave music, and they balance it perfectly, blending the sounds brilliantly. The result is a style that is loud, brash and fun.
Jessie Williams is a very impressive front woman, commanding the stage and the rest of the band were tight. The whole performance felt cohesive and efficient. The lights, sound, musicianship and crowd interaction, again a bad tht so richly deserves a bigger platform.
A fantastic night all round. Seven Blood are definitely a band on the rise, and both Conquer Divide and Ankor were incredible, the place was rocking at the end. Watch out for more shows from Ankor….. you wouldn’t want to miss out !
