Another early start to cram in 4 bands passing through the UK and stopping off in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

The first are Horizon Ignited from Finland and a band I did not know. A review of last, recent album ‘Towards The Dying Lands’ on this very site however told me that they reminded the writer of tonight’s headliners at times and someone must have been listening. They play choppy, fast melodeath and hit the ground running reminding me a bit of both Soilwork and In Flames.

They put on a dynamic display which nicely matched the over-the-top lighting. There are 6 of the band members filling up the stage, vocalist Okko Solanterä, taking up the centre and moving between snarls and clean parts, perhaps a bit too clean for my tastes but as I was jotting down these very words, he roared out a large “fuck you,” so that’s me told. Early attendees got lots of “hey, heys” and plenty of invitations to bang heads which gradually worked their way through the crowd and infected.

There’s absolutely no denying the conviction on stage and it was easy and accessible to get into the music. Tracks are played from 1st album and we are informed this was the band’s 1st ever UK show. They appeared to be enjoying it and no doubt made some new fans in the process. ‘Eventide of Abysmal Grief’ was the one title I caught and they got a lengthy set making the journey more than worth their while.

Mind you it’s not as far as Canada, cue The Agonist, well-known in the grand scheme of things for one historical move that doesn’t really need mentioning, let’s stick with the present. A total explosive injection of energy meets us as the players twirl hair like crazy on stage and attack their instruments. Its mayhem compared to the more polite sounds prior to it as they furrow into ‘Blood Is My Guide’ grabbing everyone’s full attention.

Wearing a long flowing trench-coat and looming above the monitors Vicky Psarakis leads the way effortlessly moving from extreme to clean vocals. The highs hit the rafters and the lows the beastly depths. There’s absolute shredding from the guitarists and then a sudden spot of creepy nursery rhyme singing. They totally captivated musically and Vicky takes a pause to basically tell us how happy they are to be back on the road after you know what and hope’s we are enjoying ourselves.

‘Resurrection’ is a very apt song to follow that up with after an enforced live music break. I saw Oceans Of Slumber at this very venue and at their most melodic The Agonist are a good match, there is a certain darkness to their craft at times but mainly they invigorated us. New EP number ‘Days Before the World Wept’ culminated a short but fiery set.

This multinational tour continues with a Greek symphonic overload from SepticFlesh. Normally we would have expected them to headline here and they attack things as if they are. ‘Pyramid God’ is an early highlight with that catchy refrain sounding as if it has escaped from an Aronofsky film being instantly identifiable. The band and audience both rock-out and the energy again has leapt. There power and dry ice billows off the stage and Spiros Antoniou barks out his parts like a war commander further rallying the troops.

He doesn’t get all our attention though as it is hard to ignore guitarist Christos Antoniou and his dreadlocks swirling around in time to the bombastic music like a nest of vipers. The drumming too is really formidable and beats like a pulsing vein in the neck as we are exsanguinated by ‘The Vampire From Nazareth’. It’s a savage and pumped-up performance, quickly moving from one song to another with an urgency perhaps due to the abbreviated length of time, which is still not far off an hour in length.

‘Martyr’ is stomp heavy with the floor moving in time to the bass drum heft and bounce. Spiros certainly likes his vocals loud in the mix live and they had no problems powering over the top of everything. I have found this annoying in the past especially with all the yells urging us to get active but tonight it worked and they are rewarded with several pits on the dancefloor. ‘Communion is announced as an old song, maybe not in the grand scheme of things considering all that came before it but it has a classic status by now for sure and is a definite highlight with its arcane flourishes and mysticism.

We get a lesson in Egyptology via ‘Anubis’, the singalong aspects slightly cheesy but most get into the spirit of things and with a final flourish of ‘Dark Art’ its over in a vitriolic and stirring finale, that would normally be a tough act to follow.

No problems for Peter Tägtgren and his merry Swedish abductees and it is quickly time to ‘Worship’ Hypocrisy. The drum kit looks like a Geigeresque spaceship has landed on the stage, all lit up and glowing and there has been a huge backdrop for the band with the cover-art of the latest album displayed in front of us. It all looks very impressive and the band are matching it with a huge set-list stretching back in time with the likes of deathly early 90’s songs such as ‘Mind Corruption’.

They actually play for a little under an hour and a half and pack in an incredible amount of songs. At first the sound is a bit on the dense side but quickly clarifies by the mighty ‘Eraser’ allowing all those shimmering lines to glisten. It’s a grandiose moment and when they hit the chorus the whole effect is nothing short of mighty.

Inferior Devoties is totally old-school and a treat for the elder guard. PT mixes up growls and sharp yaps as the musicians move around the stage and everything is cast in blue and yellow lighting. It seems that for every “thumper” there is a next more grandiose number making the songs flow and balance each other out. It also seems like everyone here knows all the words of recent album track ‘Chemical Whore’ and there’s no shortage of singing along to it.

Pastel lighting also seems to be utilised for the more melodic numbers and dark blues for the belters. It’s no easy task captivating a crowd for such a long set but the hits keep coming from the chunky ballast and savagery of ‘Don’t Judge Me’ to the scathing Virus that is ‘War Path.’

Stamina is not lacking and its like the band had been energised by an electrical anal probe before coming on tonight! Thankfully ‘The Final Chapter’ is not and there are yells for encores of which we get rewarded by the amazing ‘Fractured Millennium’ a song guaranteed to send a shiver down the spine.

This was a show not to be forgotten in a hurry and as we cautiously leave after climatic ‘Roswell 47’ we will be watching the skies for strange glowing lights, as we had been taken to space and beyond here tonight.

(Review and Photos Pete Woods)