It’s time for me to hit a new venue, as I’ve never stepped foot in Manchester’s Albert Hall before. We get to the entrance queue, and to say it’s insanely long would be an understatement. Fortunately, I can get in and up the stairs as Northlane start-up with opener ‘Clarity’. They are bouncy and energetic from the start with their futuristic look, lighting and vibe, and are a band that has evolved an awful lot over the years. With the last two albums, “Obsidian” and “Alien”, you can see the greater electronic influence, and opportunity to further afford vocalist Marcus Bridge to establish his soaring clean vocals and raw screams.
Read MoreTonight’s Academy 2 lineup is a real treat for this reviewer as I’m a big fan of all three of listed bands. Silent Planet should’ve been a fourth band on the bill, but they had to pull out of the tour, and so with a later door time (and the unsurprisingly cancelled and then late train under the belt) I’m left with all killer no filler tonight. All tonight’s bands are good examples of modern metalcore – heavy naturally distorted vocals interspersed with searching melodic vocals layered over the top of pounding drums, electronic incidental elements and angular, intricate guitars and bass. That being said, each of tonight's bands add a unique characterization to this theme, so stick with me on this one or the nuances might get lost...
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