LIVE REVIEW: The Acacia Strain @ O2 Academy Islington, London

Anyone with a foot in the hardcore scene knows just how special tonight’s lineup is, with some of the UK and US’ best and brightest supporting the legendary THE ACACIA STRAIN. That doesn’t stop the venue managing to open doors half an hour late, pushing the entire night back but there’s at least a solid crowd for the first band. 

That opening act is Essex/London warmongers SPLITKNUCKLE, who open with the seething Fuck Your Whole Life that gets the pit flying immediately. The beatdown unit waste no time in dishing out various flavours of bruising metallic hardcore that flirts more than a little with death metal. A deadpan sense of humour accompanies the beatings, with frontman Joey Drake quipping “we know you’re only here to see the better bands after us” before sending the pit into a frenzy. They’ve been plugging away for a while, and SPLITKNUCKLE more than live up to their violent name with a short but brutish set that certainly wins over a few new people to the cause. 

Rating: 8/10

“We are JUDICIARY and we want blood!” is the only warning given before the crossover thrashers explode onto the stage. Beer flies within seconds along with assorted limbs, the Texans swiftly laying waste to the gathered throng. There’s plenty of two-step riffs, swaggering breakdowns and a healthy dose of groove that’s elevated them above many peers; live they’re even heavier and groovier, doling out the riffs and circle pits like they were born to it. Cuts from last year’s excellent Flesh + Blood are high points but it doesn’t dip in intensity at any point, half an hour flashing by in a thrashing blitz. It’s a brilliant welcome back after around five years away; what more could you want?

Rating: 9/10

FUMING MOUTH’s comeback has been wondrous to behold. An enforced hiatus while frontman Mark Whelan battled leukaemia meant rewriting portions of latest album Last Day Of Sun and it’s a triumphant scream in the face of adversity. It’s fitting then, that set opener Master Of Extremity features roars of “I will return” amidst an onslaught of HM2-driven death metal. They’re only a trio, but they conjure some huge walls of noise, with the only tell being occasional guitar solos that take away some of the intensity and heft. When they do break out the newer tracks with the likes of R.I.P. (Rest In Piss) and I’ll Find You it brings some of the biggest pits of the night so far, while The Silence Beyond Life’s melodic chorus is utterly arresting. It’s a phenomenal return from one of death metal’s new stars. 

Rating: 9/10

THE ACACIA STRAIN don’t fuck around. A furious one-two punch of Beast into The Hills Have Eyes from their beloved record Wormwood opens their set and sends the crowd apeshit. Vincent Bennett is a whirlwind of energy, bounding round the stage near constantly as a barrage of beatdown riffs crashes down around him. Between songs he’s affable, asking the room to smile as they release any pent up energy, but during all manner of noises emanate from his throat, from visceral shrieks to gurgles that sound like they were summoned from the depths. He doesn’t need to ask for the pits that see beer flying across the room as much as bodies, the crowd whipped into a near frenzy by the three bands prior and finally cutting loose now.

It’s easy to see why they’ve inspired such devotion and are regarded as one of deathcore’s finest; straddling a line between it and beatdown hardcore, from fan favourite Slow Decay to the recent fury of Step Into The Light, both of which get outings tonight. They delve as far back as 2008’s Continent with ripping takes on Dr Doom and Skynet, Bennett only encouraging the crowd to go harder and harder. With barely even forty minutes onstage, THE ACACIA STRAIN give Islington a lesson in ignorant violence they’ll remember. 

Rating: 10/10

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

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