Slowly but surely expanding their scope over the years Impericon have become a force to be reckoned with, returning once again to London the carnival of Hardcore horrors arrives for yet another year of breakdowns and blast beats. Fronted this year by Hatebreed with their imminent release of the new ripped The Concrete Confessional arriving next week however before the imperious perror acne of our Hardcore underdogs we had some new blood to sink our teeth into.
[date]May 3rd 2016[/date]
[venue]The Forum[/venue]
[city]Kentish Town, London[/city]
[support_bands]Northlane, Emmure, Blessthefall, Chelsea Grin, Despised Icon, Heart of A Coward, Eskimo Callboy, Hundredth, Hellions[/support_bands]
Kicking the all dayer off saw the double header of Hellions and Hundredth injecting a sufficient amount of energy into this hazy mid afternoon start the band performed admirably. Followed by the arrival of Hundredth delivering their high energy posi-Hardcore with a contagious enthusiasm given their cold entrance and it being still so early in the day the band deliver in every aspect easily stating their case to be on a bill like this. Before the appearance of Eskimo Callboy which signals the other side of the spectrum here tonight, mixing between breakdowns and electronica who despite my dislike for the genre do themselves proud regardless of the bad light that the bands are subjected to finally rounding out with the appearance of Heart Of A Coward. Having previously released Deliverance last year, the boys are growing from strength to strength with frontman Jamie Graham absolutely devastating The Forum here tonight.
Having not performed in London for almost as long as the band have been broken up Despised Icon are rightfully nervous. Yet as the septet take to the stage and unleash upon The Forum their tracks with a sense of vehemenece that only a band who’s fire has been reignited deliver. With both singers working in tandem belting out the likes of “Day Of Mourning” and “A Fractured Hand” stopping on a dime their ability to collectively perform as a band is nigh on faultless. Covering the higher end spectrum of vocal ranges frontman Alex leaps into the crowd before the booming overtones of Steve Marois bring us back to earth.
Set to release their brand new album Beast and despite the short half hour tag ending on blistering, crowd annihilating “MVP” the band have left us waiting with baited breath for their forthcoming full length and have shown that despite their absence haven’t lost a step.
Chelsea Grin have definitely got their work cut out for them, after the high energy just seen before us its somewhat of back pedal as the lethargic down tuned notes sleepily lumber out contrasting to the breakneck speed of the previous band. Nevertheless the band emerge to shrieking girls owing no doubt to the frontman’s air. The band are very much poster boys for the new wave of Metal based breakdowns. Performing tight guitar solo’s guitarist Dan Jones delivers whilst holding down the rhythm section sees Jake Harmond who’s gold specked guitar is mesmerising.
Before a retro throw of a bra, which I personally haven’t seen in a long time, mind you Cattle Decapitation shows hardly have the allure of Guns ‘n’ Roses! Bounding into new cut “Skin Deep” The frontman quite rightly points out that despite the songs recent release fans are already singing through the lyrics with the band. No doubt a poignant moment for the band building on their already established fan base the band turned some but not all heads tonight.
Fortunately the arrival of Blessthefall rectifies the pace tonight with another machine precise change over the band are bang on time. Bursting onto the stage with a limitless sense of energy singer Bokan showers both crowd and photographers with water in a fantastic explosion of hydration in “Hollow Bodies” . Much needed as when the band kick in their anthemic tracks are belted back out to them. However the most the most enjoyable aspect of the band is that they entertain to no end.
The nimble frontman Beau Bokan flits from side to die of the stage, bounding onto drum kits and into the crowd whilst bassist and guitarists constantly spin kick whilst delivering some fairly tricky harmonies. Not to mention the music here actually warrants a good mix as harmonies sing through the PA. Ignoring time and space Blessthefall happily immerse everyone here tonight in their brilliant songwriting and triumphantly burst off stage just as energetic as when they emerged.
Line up issues are somewhat of a curse within band’s, faced with a slight exodus last year Emmure’s Frankie Palmieri was largely left to go it alone. As with the tendencies of Hardcore, spitting in the face of adversity the ,an returned for this tour with members of Glasscloud. Arriving in contrasting Persil fresh white flanked by his blacked out bassist and guitarist the man once again comes into this lethargic persona looking more gangsta than Metal, nevertheless the crowd are lapping it up.
Proving themselves regardless of the simplicity of the music the Glasscloud boys deliver and harvest energy to release when appropriate though mimicking the sluggish beat downs it scarecely is unleashed. With the future certainly more concrete than previously thought Emmure have out together a tight line up that deliver.
Our main support tonight Australian borne Northlane, forgoing the coined Aussie beach look aided no doubt by Parkway Drive instead tonight the band are blacked out. Sleeves, necks and even beards! As our purple hued quintet take to the stage it’s clear that from the moment the frontman steps out in his cloak the crowd are hooked. Working as simultaneously some of the softest material heard today the echo driven sections of “Dispossession” bring a nice contrast to the band’s sound despite slight gimmicks like blacked out sleeves. Not to mention the amount of energy put forward by the singer and bassist.
Treading the line between Metalcore with slight progressive tendencies Northlane tonight have won over more than just a few fans no doubt. With the likes of “Rot” and “Masquerade” delivering decisive blows to the crowd it’s a statement of the band’s worth particularly in a modern Metal scene. Which given their fairly new arrival is a fantastic compliment and judging from the fans faces many share the same opinion.
Unveiling their latest slab of brutality Hatebreed are awaiting the imminent release of their brand new album The Concrete Confessional next week. After a long day of waiting the die hards are granted their wish as distortion explodes out of the speakers and the untameable Jamey Jasta launches out onto the stage expelling his boundless energy for the brilliant “Destroy Everything“. Having the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand Jasta commands our legions of two stepping soldiers with a sense of immovable purpose. Though perhaps the festival might have peaked somewhat the crowd are in no way shape or form tired. The battering ram of “To The Threshold” sees The Forum engulf all that surrounds it turning the put into a veritable war zone. Owing to the lack of time here tonight the band scarecely speak in between the barrages, making the experience unrelenting. Showcasing new material “Looking Down The Barrel Of Today” simply shows just how masterful not only Jasta’s writing but understanding of the Hardcore scene is.
The call to arms that is “I Will Be Heard” reverberates long after its absolutely monstrous chorus is hurtled out to the crowd. Seeing the pit somehow double in size appropriate for the timing of Divinity of Purpose number “Honour Never Dies” ensuring that our punters’ feet will be sore in the morning the bouncing “Never Let It Die” bruises its way through the crowd, greeted with arms wide open fan favourites “Live For This” immediately quash any sense of tiredness that might be creeping up. As a fan of the band I personally had never seen them perform before tonight, the urgency in his delivery, the uncompromising guitars and the military drums all coalesce tonight to embody absolutely everything the band strive for.
Perhaps owing to their shorter time schedules bands have truly brought their A-game here tonight delivering knock out sets but the undisputed kings of Hardcore once again reign supreme. Dominating any stage they step foot on Hatebreed are an absolute ferocious force, among the aggression lies a positive message, particularly in London the entire ethos of Hardcore is togetherness, loyalty, something that is rarely truly experienced at a London Hardcore show but tonight Hatebreed are the epitome of Hardcore.
