We’re back at Academy 2, and Johann and I actually allow ourselves a joke that we should possibly setup residency here such is the number of gigs we’ve covered at the venue recently. Tonight was originally listed for Rebellion, but was upgraded well in advance of the date (we later find out that tonight is completely sold-out too). As I make my way through the front entrance I can already see that it was a very good call by the promoter to allow even more people to witness what could be the start of something special.

First up though are Space of Variations. They’ve travelled across from the Ukraine just like the headliners, and take to the stage at the mighty early hour of 7pm. Fortunately there’s already the decent crowd in Academy 2 and they set about their work with confidence and vigor. There is an obvious hardcore-metalcore hybrid style on display here, and bands such as Polaris and Stick To Your Guns immediately come to mind. Having said that, they call upon many more influences to flavor their sound throughout their dynamic set – elements are as far reaching as the blustering electronics of Combichrist, brutality of Betraying the Martyrs, vocal switch-ups of The Amity Affliction, and dirty punk-metal of Cancer Bats. The guys are clearly chuffed to be on this tour, making the most of it with an impressive display, and hopefully they’ll be allowed the opportunity to play these shores again soon. 

Finland’s Khroma take to the stage next, following a lengthy and wordy soundcheck, delivered in Suomi (so we’re still not sure what the issues were). They eventually deliver a crushingly heavy yet refreshing and professional brand of electronic groove metal. They’re reminiscent of the more coarse and abrasive material by Godflesh and certainly must be influenced by Front Line Assembly. There's a decent enough helping of syncopated beats and djenty guitars to keep me interested from start to finish, and the vocals are a curious mix of futuristic industrial and post-hardcore. Holistically though it does drift into being a slightly mid-paced, stompy and forgettable continuous wall of sound – there’s a need for some space to breathe and allow dynamics. It seems like they’ve already set their stall out for the future with their singular focus in sound, and for a good few this will be worth checking out.

The Agonist have a very intriguing name, but are actually a fairly generic female-fronted metal band from Montreal, Canada. They do their utmost to switch between high speed, high octane metalcore and sinister, theatrical clean sung segments - but it’s curiously akin to Avenged Sevenfold. Victoria Psarakis provides impressive guttural growls with powerful clean vocals as well, and on occasion the band surprise with schizophrenic The Blood Brothers-esque segments. However, there’s not a great deal more interesting here than what other bands of a similar ilk offer. At their core, they’re a generic extreme metal band with relatively static stage presence, not a lot going on visually, and limited crowd interaction. I’m obviously not bowled over and to be honest there are probably better options to go see if this genre is your bag.

A countdown clock, with green sparks dropping from a waterfall wheel, ticks down to the moment that Jinjer will take to the stage. The atmosphere is electric now, and Academy 2 is packed (once again, thank goodness they upgraded this from Rebellion). The band take to the stage once the clock hits zero, and the crowd go absolutely nuts. Jinjer are a great example of how social media and a successful online presence have allowed a band, that may have otherwise potentially remained undiscovered, to explode onto the international metal scene. One can only guess how difficult it would’ve been a decade or so ago for a band such as Jinjer to be afforded the opportunity to play the UK let alone become a storming success around the world. In short, they are a proggy-tech metal band with lashings of hardcore and groove metal sensibilities thrown in, but in reality they’re so much more than that. Frontwoman Tatiana Shmailyuk is Jinjer’s locus of control and a superstar, with her surprising and effective Jekyll-and-Hyde vocals, but the Ukrainian quartet are also a technically spectacular and cohesive outfit as a band. Imagine Meshuggah mixed with System Of A Down…and maybe even some Gojira mixed in too. Tatiana’s vocals sound uncannily like Jens Kidman’s from Meshuggah switching to Cristina Scabbia’s from Lacuna Coil, and her stage presence is intense and captivating. Thunderous riffs, syncopated grooves, and brutal growls sit alongside soaring clean vocals, intricate guitar passages, and even on occasion ska segments. Jinjer are here to stay, so don’t miss being part of the journey to the top with them now.