Tonight’s bill of SYLOSIS, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, DARKEST HOUR and HERIOT is in serious contention for most stacked bill of the year, uniting four bands across the metal spectrum as well as oceans to lay waste, while it’s also the only date on the bill where the two top bands are co-headlining.
It’s an early start for openers HERIOT, on just twenty minutes after doors but it’s already filling out nicely for them. Those that are here already get treated to the quartet’s most monstrous form, the tone ugly and abrasive as co-vocalists Debbie Gough and Jake Packer screech and snarl. The breakdown in Siege Lord is particularly heinous, while Near Vision practically opens sonic portals to hell. It’s irresponsibly heavy, grooves kicking like a pissed off mule and an overwhelming feeling of being crushed by an entire planet. There’s snare bombs, thunderous bass and a near-total jettisoning of their more melodious moments in favour of full-scale bludgeoning, without sacrificing an iota of their menacing, evil atmosphere. They’ve not only levelled up, but near levelled the building.
Rating: 10/10
Washington D.C.’s DARKEST HOUR have a tall order following the sheer obliteration of HERIOT but they make a bloody good go of it. Opening with the title track of latest album Perpetual | Terminal, they’re living proof that AT THE GATES-inspired metalcore never went out of fashion and rips just as hard now as it ever has. The veterans make the most of their extensive back catalogue, the admirable consistency of their output shining through in their twin guitar harmonies as much as anthemic riffs and choruses. Closing with the mammoth Goddess Of War, Give Me Something To Die For, DARKEST HOUR prove there’s no need to teach on old dog new tricks when the ones they’ve done for twenty years are this fucking good.
Rating: 8/10
FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY don’t fuck around, bursting into Lower Purpose with a feral roar of “I am a product of my fucking environment” then splitting the room for a furious mosh pit. Their angular, grooving deathcore sounds positively seismic tonight, frontman Joe Badolato a towering presence as he commands the surging crowd. Only three songs in they drop Red Horizon, its scathing commentary on the ongoing horrors in Palestine landing with all the subtlety of a brick, particularly its “the bodies burned so bright that God closed his eyes” before a breakdown with pick scrapes and groove straight from the GOJIRA playbook but made their own. Delving back to year’s The Sea Of Tragic Beasts for its title track gets a deafening reception, the pit well and truly warmed up for the carnage expected of them as crowd surfers start making their way over the barrier. The band might just be on the form of their lives, the likes of Savior Of None / Ashes Of All cataclysmic in their weight and delivery, particularly the cavernous roars that emanate from Badolato’s throat before he surprises with some more vulnerable melodic singing. A masterclass in brutality, not just for its own sake but to deliver their incredibly potent message that’s only grown more urgent.
Rating: 9/10
Unsurprisingly, SYLOSIS are in gloriously riffy form. Empty Prophets into Pariahs and I Sever hit like a truck, while The Path celebrates Josh Middleton’s lifelong love for heavy metal in true SYLOSIS fashion. It also sees a throat-shredding guest appearance from HERIOT’s Debbie Gough after their triumphant showing earlier. SYLOSIS haven’t even been home three days from their US tour before beginning this latest run but there’s not a speck of tiredness showing; Middleton remains as imperious as ever and their guitar work is again, spotless like during the technical thrash of Conclusion Of An Age and Empyreal (Part 1).
The crowd love it too, bellowing back the words, throwing horns and even the odd air guitar or air drumming. There’s also a very welcome surprise as recently-departed guitarist Alex Bailey receives a hero’s welcome as he rejoins them for the second half of their set, including Poison For The Lost and a rampaging Calcified. It’s hardly surprising they’re this good though; the members have all been involved in, or still are, with beloved projects in the UK scene like CONJURER (now-guitarist Connor Marshall) and BLEED FROM WITHIN (drummer Ali Richardson). The cumulative experience makes them a well-oiled machine that dispenses towering, anthemic metal as easy as breathing. Striking a deft balance between their more technical early work and modern output, though naturally leaning more toward the latter, it’s a real treat of a setlist sure to please even if it does fly past all too soon.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Sarah Tsang here:
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