Will Marshall
Opening the evening are last-minute additions Forlorn, whose winding, emotive post hardcore/metal is a perfect fit for tonight’s bill. The ebb and flow of their songs does sadly get somewhat lost in the mix and the intricacies of the guitars aren’t always audible. But regardless, frontwoman Megan Elliott is a whirlwind of barely constrained energy, her clean vocals soaring in a stark contrast to the acidic screams. That clean singing is again sadly occasionally overpowered, while her shrieks are far more commanding. Despite the early set time though, there’s still a reasonable crowd and they make the most of the eyes and ears they do have in front of them. Despite of the static crowd and the uncooperative mix, Forlorn are unfazed and deliver a stirring opening set that shows a band with some serious promise.
Having been bumped up to main support, Urne make full use of that. Packing four songs from last year’s excellent debut Serpent & Spirit, they prove they’re not ones to rest on their laurels by playing an as-yet unnamed new song, too. Opening with the towering title track, they’re far heavier than any three piece has a right to be and suffer none of the sound woes that plagued Forlorn. Their music may not carry the post- prefix of tonight’s other bands but is no less atmospheric, jam packed with classic-sounding riffs as it is. ‘The Palace of Devils and Wolves’ sounds truly monolithic, and its instrumental interlude is even more captivating.
The crowd has already swelled by the time they’re on and are more than receptive to their timeless take on heavy metal. Frontman Joe Nally lays down both their thunderous bass work and cavernous bellows, but between songs he’s jovial as they come, cracking jokes and cheerily recounting previous shows, as well as calling out predatory venue practices – that tonight’s venue (as O2 venues are at last becoming known for) will be taking a cut of merch then joking “we’ll never be allowed to play here again”. They close with an imposing ‘Desolate Heart’, having set the bar remarkably high.
Devil Sold His Soul take to a smoke-wreathed stage and rapturous applause from a near-capacity crowd. They launch straight into ‘Ardour’, its soaring chorus sung back by the gathered throng almost as loud as the band themselves. Following latest album Loss‘ tracklist, they follow it with ‘Witness Marks’, whose earworm lead sounds even more immediate in the packed venue. Tonight’s set understandably leans heavily on latest album Loss, but Devil Sold His Soul still have a few surprises up their sleeves, as they demonstrate throughout their set.
The dynamic between co-frontmen Ed Gibbs and Paul Green is obvious from the outset, feeding off each other’s energy and bounding across the stage; it’s clear that the choice to welcome back both singers into the fold is working wonders for them on record and on stage. Their songs, already stirring on record, gain even more poignancy tonight. Even older material, like ‘Devastator’, feels more urgent with it being reworked for both singers, and the band don’t skip a beat as they deliver both the emotional peaks and troughs. If there’s any complaints to be made it’s that occasionally the vocals are a little quiet but it’s never so much that they are lost in the mix; otherwise everything sounds clear as day, ensuring not a shred of the emotional impact is lost.
One of tonight’s many surprises is an outing of ‘The Starting’, which goes down a storm, as does the beloved ‘Crane Lake’. The sextet are on top form throughout, with no sign that it’s their first headline tour in so long nor that they’re at the end of this run of shows; arguably the time off and both singers writing an album together with their band mates has strengthened their bonds and brought them back better than ever. A shortened version of ‘Loss’ ensures there’s barely a dry eye in the venue, before they delight with two cuts from their debut EP (‘Darkness Prevails’ and ‘Like It’s Your Last’) to close the set. It’s an emphatic statement from a criminally overlooked band and they’re welcomed back with open arms.