LIVE REVIEW: Employed To Serve @ The Waterfront Studio, Norwich

It’s a humid springtime evening in Norwich and the sprouting flora spread across the city are a perfect representation of the UK’s heavy music scene right now. Growing around the old buildings and churches representing history and tradition are many bright and promising new seedlings like CONJURER and EMPLOYED TO SERVE, who aren’t just blossoming, but growing into full-on forces of nature. Tonight is the first night of the tour with these two Holy Roar backed bands who are on a warpath to prove just how flourished the UK scene is right now.

Liverpool’s GOD COMPLEX come roaring out the gate. Their twisted breakdowns walk the line of hardcore and deathcore whilst vocalist Harry Rule goes from sounding like Keith Buckley one minute to letting out slam death metal levels of brutality the next. Whilst showing off this range his body thrashes, contorts, and breaks down with catharsis. Their crusty brand of hardcore hits well enough whilst both guitarists loom over the audience occasionally delivering a heap of backing vocals. GOD COMPLEX put 110% into this performance, it’s clear that on this stellar line up they are determined to stand out and making sure that people go home with their name on their lips.

Rating: 7/10

So. Many. Riffs. Whether it be the shredding black metal buzzsaws or the slowest of sludge, every note CONJURER play hits you like a heavyweight fuelled by Buckfast in a bar fight. Both Dan Nightingale and Brady Deeprose deliver frighteningly powerful vocal performances as if demons are being expelled from them with every word, Nightingale at one point goes mic-less for the mellow part of Hollow and his savage yet emotional screams still fills The Waterfront Studio. Bassist Connor Marshall thrashes between the two vocal and guitar behemoths whilst laying down some earth pounding low-end riffs. Many people in attendance tonight had heard the hype surrounding CONJURER after their game-changing debut dropped this year, and they leave knowing that the hype was dangerously real.

Rating: 9/10

Just when you thought the night had peaked EMPLOYED TO SERVE show up to prove that it’s only just begun, one of the most exciting bands to come from the blooming UK scene right now. Opening with Void Ambition, Sammy Urwin’s beginning screams pierce through the crowd as he lets the complex hardcore riffs fly. Justine Jones’ raspy roars are just as intense as they are on record. The band draw in the crowd which has been looming in the back a bit, only for a pit to finally start right after. When the riffs come this frequently and heavy there’s no standing still. The nu metal bounce of Platform 89 shakes the room and probably scares the shiraz out of one of the many 40-year-old couples in the venue below watching a soul show.

The most captivating moment of the set, however, is the more melodic and melancholic Warmth Of A Dying Sun. The riffing momentarily takes a back seat as searing post-hardcore guitars build and the climax of the song sounds as powerful and entrancing as it does on record. That track is a modern day masterpiece of hardcore and the band have mastered the art of playing it live. EMPLOYED TO SERVE then take a moment to honour their rowdier scene smashing debut with Watching Films To Forget I Exist and Beg For Rain, the breakdown of the later absolutely decimates the place. The band feel as fresh and as exciting as when they first burst through the door. They end with fan favourite I Spend My Days (Wishing Them Away) and leave the Norwich crowd taken back from the outburst they just witnessed. Tonight proved that in a time of bountiful flourishment in British heavy music, EMPLOYED TO SERVE are still one of the best to have blossomed.  

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery from the chaos in Norwich from Jackingy here: