Some music just belongs underground and grindcore is one such genre that just seems out of place anywhere other than a sweaty shoebox of a venue. How apt a venue the Undertone turns out to be then, being as it is a cellar bar (albeit beneath a trendy city centre wine bar) whose floor space is about the equivalent of a studio flat. However tonight it would provide the perfect environment for a real back to basics grind bill of the highest order.

First up are local noise terrorists Atomck, who since I last saw them across town with Insect Warfare, have changed their style considerably. Gone are the industrial noisecore nuances and in come more traditional grinding elements. It would appear that this is their final local appearance before more changes but based on tonight's performance there's little broken that needs fixing so lets hope the changes maintain the quality and intensity at least.

Northampton's The Atrocity Exhibit storm the floor next (no stage here) and their crustier edge immediately hits the spot, mixing old-school Malignant Tumour riffing with a healthy dose of Terrorizer. Being the only band on tonight's bill to sport the traditional two guitars, drums and bass musical ensemble, they also bring a welcome dose of seriously heavy riffing to proceedings, as well as the customary lightning pace. Drawing heavily on their recent 'Damned And Blasted' EP they really up the intensity and split a fair few eardrums in the process.

Brighton's Evisorax are up next and give another slant on the grindcore blueprint with their technical riffing mixed with total spazzcore intensity. They remind me of Californian nutters Ceremony speeded up about a million times and, having just returned from an enforced two year hiatus, they blast through their fairly brief set with frightening intensity. Catch them if you can because this lot are a fucking blast.

Despite a top-notch trio of support acts tonight was all about one thing. Three unassuming blokes from Singapore who over the past couple of years have released two albums, which have given grindcore (and indeed extreme music in general) such a kick in the bollocks that its eyes are still watering now. Wormrot have finally assumed the torch-bearing duties left vacant by Nasum and their untimely demise and having released two monster albums in the shape of 'Abuse' and this year's masterpiece 'Dirge' it was time to see how it all measured up in the flesh.

Simply wandering onto the floor, plugging in and letting rip it takes approximately five minutes (or seven songs) to get the feeling that this is something more than special. That tonight will be an "I was there" moment of years to come.

Intense doesn't really do the Wormrot live experience justice. Maybe it's the fact that vocalist Arif is left gasping after each barrage of a couple of songs (partly due to those damned cigarettes he claims) or maybe it's the fact that the crowd has become a huge swirling pit, encapsulating an already claustrophobic space as the place is now totally rammed.  Combined with the sheer ferocity of guitarist Rasyid and drummer Fit's musical onslaught and the sheer brilliance of the blasts from both albums and this gig is a winner on all fronts. Tracks like 'Murder' take on a new form live and new track 'Breed To Breed' shows that they're intent on continuing in their current vein in some style.

By the time Wormrot get cajoled back for an impromptu encore the crowd has gone totally fucking spazz, and as first encore and the song that first revealed Wormrot to the world 'Lost Souls' kicks in, it's hard to think of a more intense live experience available today. This is absolutely peerless stuff, an incredible gig in a venue that couldn't have been better suited. This is gonna take some beating.