LIVE REVIEW: Devil Sold His Soul @ The Dome, London

When cult post hardcore heroes DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL announced they’d be revisiting 2012’s landmark Empire Of Light for a (slightly) belated tenth anniversary, fans were overjoyed. Not only are they playing it in full at tonight’s intimate setting in Tufnall Park’s The Dome but they’ve reworked its songs for both vocalists to shine.  

First though, openers TOWERS offer up their take on alt rock to those here early. There’s not many initially, but a steady stream of people make their way up through their half hour set. The quintet sport a trio of guitarists, entwining melodies and atmospheric leads that inject some post-rock moments into the mix. Those guitars are often drenched in reverb and delay, with soft vocal melodies woven on top and around. It’s soft, comforting music, and while they’re sonically at odds with the other bands playing tonight, their strong emotional core ensures they slot into the lineup with ease and are warmly welcomed. 

Rating: 7/10

Main support HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN bring atmospheric post metal in a crushing departure from their predecessors. What follows is 45 minutes of sonic obliteration, as heaving riffs collide with cavernous roars and battering ram drumming. It’s the kind of heavy felt through the vibrations in the floor as much as it is heard, with swells of visceral noise counterpointed by minimalist, delay-laden guitar. The quintet are easily one of the UK’s finest post metal acts and they enthral the swelling crowd with their monolithic presence. Heavier than a neutron star, it’s a masterclass in crafting songs that move at the pace of continents with just as much heft, building to electrifying, earth-shaking conclusions.  

Rating: 9/10

The room is almost packed by the time DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL come onstage, greeted by enthusiastic whoops and cheers. No Remorse, No Regrets and VIII sound just as urgent as they did a decade ago, the latter an even more frantic expulsion of emotion than on record. For all the in-ear trouble Paul Green is having, he doesn’t seem perturbed, bounding round the stage whether he’s singing or not. The dynamic between him and co-vocalist Ed Gibbs shows two singers who care deeply about the music they play together, trading lines and sections or teaming up to deliver excoriating screams or harmonising. 

The crowd are absolutely loving it too, singing near every word back at the tops of their lungs, finger pointing or just entirely lost in the music. The fan favourites have lost none of their impact, Sorrow Plagues sounding only more cathartic with the weight of time behind it. It’s clear this is as much a celebration for the band as the fans, grins a constant sight on their faces no matter whether they’re delivering monolithic post metal riffs or ethereal melodies. For an hour, The Dome are lost in the yearning, stunning melodies and screamed catharsis that DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL are so adept in, Empire Of Light sounding every bit as glorious as it did in 2012.

There’s a reason they’ve become a cult band and this, life-affirming showcase of one of their most beloved albums, followed by an outing of The Narcissist from latest record Loss and a grand finale of Time proves exactly why that is. Magnificent. 

Rating: 10/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Anne Pfazlgraf here: 

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