Chris Earl
It’s the Swedish Orbit Culture who take the stage first, fresh off the very recent release (Just two weeks ago) fourth studio album, Descent. They waste no time in introducing the crowd to their massive sounding brand of melodic death metal. With tunes like the ridiculously stompy ‘North Star of Nija’ getting heads thrown all over, despite the slightly muddy mix. Amidst fog (machines) and whirlwinds of hair, they get a gradually filling up venue moving, clapping and pitting. Frontman Niklas Karlsson is an imposing presence, yet softly spoken when not delivering his commanding growls. Mixing up established tracks with newer material, they definitely win over the still-growing crowd.
Undoubtedly the most on form and exciting British metal band right now, Bleed From Within take the stage to a rousing reception and launch straight into ‘Stand Down’, and from then on, it’s their world. Frontman Alex is almost Begby-esque (Trainspotting reference for the uninitiated) in his stage patter, commanding the crowd and inciting a wall of death on their second song, ‘Sovereign’.
Even with bassist Craig Gowan missing for a personal issue, it doesn’t affect them in the slightest. Steven Jones on guitar shreds up an absolute storm and when it comes to their stompier tracks, such as Pathfinder or the menacing, lumbering I Am Damnation, they do it better than anyone else. Closing on ‘The End Of All We Know’, one of the most ridiculously massive tracks in guitar music of the last decade, they leave to a rapturous applause that seems to genuinely move them. The next time we see the Glaswegian boys, you can almost guarantee they’ll be the headliners.
Simply the gold standard for a metal band in so many aspects, by the time Trivium took to the stage, flanked by ornate dragons, the crowd are rabid. As they launch into ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’, frontman Matt Heafy is wearing what can only be described as a “Loud” jacket. He’s having fun too, taking in the ferocious crowd who sing every word back at him like their lives depended on it. With a set that takes in most of Trivium’s storied career (Only the debut and Silence In The Snow aren’t represented tonight), they know what the crowd want. Mixing modern anthems like ”Pull Harder…’ which gets the crowd singing the main riff back at them with newer cuts such as ‘Catastrophist’, it’s a set-list designed to delight.
Tonight also represents a tour that celebrates perhaps the bands best record – Shogun and it’s 15 year anniversary. With that, we get the rare deep-cut of b-side ‘Poison, The Knife and The Noose’, alongside seldom heard “Like Callisto to a star in Heaven” and the result is an incredibly grateful and happy crowd. The biggest inclusion was yet to come though, as for the first time on their UK run we get ‘The Sin and the Sentence’, which nigh on blows the roof off the NX.
At this point in their career, it would be a bigger surprise if Trivium weren’t tighter than a ship’s welding and tonight is no exception. As a guitar duo, Corey Beaulieu and Matt Heafy are simply electric, prowling the stage, nailing solos and having the stage presence of gods. Matt even manages some Gene Simmons style tongue shenanigans, and as always, is genuinely happy to be in the UK. The now legendary set closer ‘In Waves’ treats the exhausted yet still ravenous crowd to one last blast and as it ends, each member stands triumphant. If this is the last we see of the veterans for a few years – with the band set to take some time off post tour – then this tour is a hell of a farewell.
