Noisy and brilliant; REVIEWS UNHOLY ALLIANCE III Civic Hall, Wolverhampton.

Byline: MARK WOODWARD

FORGET the whys and wherefores surrounding the decision to switch this show from the No Excitement Centre (or NEC for those fortunate enough not to have been there) up the road to Wolverhampton.

It's difficult to form an alliance, Unholy or otherwise, if the crowd are specks in the distance so the more intimate surroundings of the Civic was always going to make for one hell of a night.

At first glance Trivium may have sat a little uncomfortably on the same bill as thrash titans Slayer - but any fears they might suffer a hostile reception were soon blown away.

Literally.

Slayer did what Slayer do and slayed. The twin guitar attack of Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman was simply relentless, while drummer Dave Lombardo machinegunned the band through a breathtaking back catalogue.

War Ensemble, Seasons In The Abyss, Dead Skin Mask, South Of Heaven, Raining Blood, Angel Of Death.

They were all there as the Bay Area behemoths produced an unholy noise which was utterly brilliant.

Rating: *****

MARK WOODWARD