It would have been eminently straightforward to stick identikit deathcore acts bands on this bill and placate the two-stepping masses. However, taking the easy route through life has never been how The Acacia Strain have rolled. As Vincent Burnett, there are lusciously charismatic frontman, intones during their set, this is all about being surrounded by your friends and Judiciary and Fuming Mouth are very much part of their posse, even if they do play significantly different variants of extreme metal. In fact, tonight is a masterclass in how diverse American extreme metal has become and anybody who dares to proclaim that it all sounds the same is simply not listening hard enough.
Read MoreBrothers Till We Die from Madrid, Spain open proceedings with their passionate and organic take on deathcore. You can definitely hear both the death metal and hardcore influences, but it's not necessarily like they're trying to mix the two, instead styles constantly switch between them and on the whole it works well. The vocals are reminiscent of Rok Rupnik from Within Destruction and perfectly complement the intense songs, which are similar in style to Malevolence, but with a little less nuance.
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