Attila might well be the heaviest guilty pleasure in existence. In their 10 year tenure the four piece (front man Fronz especially) have taken joy in being as divisive as possible within the remits of metalcore. In fairness, it’s lead to the band garnering an audience who seem openly prepared to stick with them through thick and thin – a trait most outfits in alternative music would probably die for. The atmosphere insides Birmingham’s Asylum Venue sits somewhere in between awe filled gazing and a jovial punch up, as tonight’s support band Veil Of Maya sit on almost the complete opposite end of the spectrum to Atilla’s musical output. While the gelling of the two may seem like an incompatible exhibition on paper – the mix of technician based efficiency with crooked tooth aggression moulds together well on a cold evening in the nations second capital. Veil Of Maya 8 are effortless in their flamboyant delivery of technical metal meets prog metalcore. Their proficiency as they burn through ‘Whistleblower’, ‘Nyu’, and ‘Leelo’ is particularly impressive, but vocalist Lukas Magyar’s effortless pitch changes throughout is what truly implodes the scenery. ‘Pool Spray’ and fan favourite ‘Mikasa’ add shimmers of titanic choruses and mind blowing riff assaults to proceedings, but the fact is: the crowd were won over the second Veil Of Maya took the stage – their set just confirmed their sonic brilliance. As you’d expect, the tone shifts somewhat for Attila 6 who at the very least: bring a party atmosphere. It’s a difficult set to pick apart, as front man Fronz undoubtedly has a noteworthy stage presence (and a bludgeoning growl to boot), but elements of what’s on show here feel out of place in 2019. Whether it’s the vocalist asking why girls weren’t throwing their bra’s on stage, or some of the gimmicky textures that grind throughout most of the set: the band are as polarising as you’d expect in a live setting. With that said, there’s much more adoration from the crowd than contempt here, and tracks like the rhythmically putrid ‘Villain’ and ‘Subhuman’ summon mosh pits galore. But it’s bland lyrics like “I don’t give a fuck I’m already at the top” on ‘Moshpit’ that snap you back into reality. It’s a shame too – as the low ended ‘Proving Grounds’ and ‘Party With The Devil’ hit with such a force you can often excuse any ill-advised behaviour that surrounds them. Attila’s whole stance is summed up by encore track ‘Pizza’ – a song dedicated to Fronz’s great disdain for pineapple’s on the fine Italian cuisine. As the front man struts on stage with pizza, and soon to be pineapple in hand – you realise that more than anything else, Attila play perfectly to their target audience. The crowd chants for pizza, and they get it – Fronz launches the meal into the crowd before dropping into his low end growls, purists are likely to hate it: and that’s probably the whole point. You’d be brave to suggest that Attila are nothing but clueless jokers with breakdowns. As they may play the nonchalant fools at time, but the fact is: we have a band here that know exactly what their target audience wants, and they give them it. If you came here hoping to find patterned metalcore played with a purpose you’re in the wrong place, if you’re after a party atmosphere with some breakdowns: come on in.