Devildriver, God Forbid, Malefice, Solitude

Islington Academy, 14th October 2007

"Immense". That's the only real way to describe this gig. A night of solid, modern metal from both sides of the Atlantic with leading lights from both the 'new and 'established' ends of the spectrum.

First up come the Brits, with the opening slot taken by Southampton natives Solitude. I've never heard of them and they weren't even announced on the bill - it was only apparent that a fourth band had snuck on the lineup when you saw their CD on the merch stand. But what a surprise. Honest to God, I've never seen an opening act go down so well and that shine through with so much quality and promise. Usually the crowd during an opening act are... swaying at best, checking out the young guns but holding back for the headliners. Not once before this gig (outside of a festival) have I witnessed a fully flowing circle, plus a hefty wall of death that immediately spiralled into a crowded fight pit, within the first couple of songs. In front of a barrage of shredding breakdowns and neck-breaking riffs frontman Chris has the crowd hanging off his every movement with a cocky friendliness, and it's good to see a metal band who actually use keyboards well - i.e. you can actually hear the notes and it adds something live. Watch out for these boys - it'll be worth your while.

Reading's up and comers Malefice are next up. To look at you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them - five heavily stocked lads made of hair, ink and metal - vocalist Dale has the biggest arms I've ever seen on anyone, ever. But they're fucking nice guys, with a sincerity that immediately makes a bond between them and the audience that you only see at a handful of very special gigs. This is the enarest they'll come on this tour to a hometown show and it's also the end of the tour so the love is in the air (as much love as can exist in a room of 600 people battering into each other). With a sound that mixes thrash, death, hardcore and just good old metal chugging their precise musicianship and quality is undeniable, demonstrated through a set of heavy-hitting numbers from current album Entities.

So the English end of the bargain's been fulfilled - two amazing young bands who can only move upwards if they keep playing like they did tonight. What about the Americans? Can the two established acts keep the momentum of the night ramping upwards? Well... yes.

Metalcore old-hands God Forbid have never been very high up in my favourites list. I don't know why, it just hasn't clicked with my tastes. On CD, to my ears, there's too many tedious twidly solos, and it maybe doesn't help that I was listening to them when I had a car crash earlier in the year. But live's a whole different ball game. Opening with The End Of The World and never letting up their sound's tight and flowing, flitting from melodic choruses to heavy sections and back again. There's some interesting characters in the band as well. Head shouter Byron leads the crowd masterfully with a cheeky grin and swagger, although bassist John does looks like the weird uncle everyone wanrs you about. Again the mood in the room rises and rises - it's the first time God Forbid have been to England for quite a while and it's also guitarist Doc's birthday. My only complaint? The singing bits. It reminds me of Spinal Tap, the bit about the druids with stonehenge.

On to the headliners. Every band that's come before has given tribute to Devildriver and that, along with the rowdy crowd response that comes from the simple reveal of the band's banner, shows just how quickly they've cemented a place as forerunners of modern metal. Not experimental, not genre-bending - just good, solid, modern, let's-fuck-this-place-up metal. Dez Fafara's definitely come a long way from the Coal Chamber days, taking to the stage like the meanest looking wrestler/wild west barman you've ever met, a thick beard hiding his facial tattoos. The set is fast, furious and covers all three albums from Come Meet The Wretched's 50-metre circle pit (pretty much the width of the venue) through to the aural assaut of The Axe Shall Fall and End of The Line. There's not a lot to say about the music except that it's even better live than on CD, by a hundredfold. But it's worth pointing out again the bond between the band and the audience. At one point they call out some kid called Nico to the centre of the gaping circle pit. He's got blonde curly hair, looks about 15, dressed like any little skater metaller you get hanging around. But according to Dez he's the biggest fan in that whole room. How many other bands could, or would, call out and recognise a fan in a city halfway across the world from their hometown. This is why Devildriver should and hopefully will last. Obviously the instruction is to then kick the shit into little Nico in the pit but from the grin on his face that's what he's here for.

Hopefully should be able to spot myself in the DVD when it comes out, I was almost the only one in the venue not wearing black that night...

Adam Green is a Music TV Producer and Freelance Writer.

http://www.myspace.com/chilligreen

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