Black Peaks, Ruby Lounge

HEAVY rock does not normally attract the masses.

But whatever the ceiling is for this kind of music surely Black Peaks are going to hit it pretty soon. The Brighton band released their debut album, Statues, last year, and have been on an upward curve since.

Their show at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge showed the hype is very much deserved. Singer Will Gardner was a natural frontman, working the crowd right from the off as the front half of the crowd transformed into a mosh pit.

Crammed into the small club with a capacity of 375, you usually expect shows like this to be rough and raw. But the gig was a masterclass in technical guitar work and the sound quality was excellent throughout. Immaculate even.

Black Peaks’ sound is somewhere between Oceansize’s post progressive rock and Mastodon’s big metal anthems. Highlights included Say You Will, which builds and builds to a stunning crescendo, and Glass Built Castles which features massive riffs and shows off Gardner’s vocal skills.

DAVID MORGAN