LIVE REVIEW: Terror @ The Dome, London
TERROR have been known to all in hardcore for the past two decades. This year saw the release of their tenth studio album, Pain Into Power which delivered their hard-hitting riffs with sludges of chugs. It was arguably their gloomiest record to date, tapping into the struggles and the darkness of the past couple of years, particularly for all of us who live and breath music, especially live music. Now, having reached a milestone time as a band, TERROR have failed to dial anything down, having already been over to the UK this year for Outbreak Festival and a tour with hardcore’s biggest gateway band, KNOCKED LOOSE, at the start of the year. For this tour, the band have continued to select the best and brightest from UK hardcore to create a stacked bill of supports.
First up is Glaswegian brutes DESPIZE, who play a short and sweet set of pummelling hardcore delivered with rage and confidence. Vocalist Andrew Wilson looks the crowd in their eyes as he stomps about he stage with purpose, delivering his heavy lows, kicking out between breaths as though each line of the song deserves a new lease of life. The set gets the crowd moving early on, with a few mic grabs from those at the front. It’s no surprise that the DESPIZE are warmly welcomed when looking at the bands joining them on Northern Unrest, who are facilitating some of the most exciting releases from Northern and Scottish UKHC.
Rating: 8/10
LAST WISHES play a set of quintessential hardcore slammers with blunt vocals and spitting riffs. Their debut full-length, Organised Hate, mastered by TERROR’s drummer Nick Jett, came out in April of this year, and was a hit with the UK scene heads. Those moving surge to the front for lead single Loyalty to grab the mic for the rare moment of clean vocals in the chorus. LAST WISHES are another win for The Coming Strife, who have released an array of hardcore titans including WHISPERS from Thailand, CONTENTION from Florida and NEGATIVE FRAME from London to name just a few. The set is full impact with those heavy breakdowns and anguishing vocals, showing why LAST WISHES are cropping up on so many tour and festival bills.
Rating: 8/10
HIGH VIS have made a mammoth impact on the UK’s heavy music scene, despite not making heavy music. From day one, the band have played with a lot of hardcore acts and mixed lineup shows; and their live energy is very much at home at tonight’s show. While the two-stepping and crowd kills have stopped for their set, the crowd flood to the front of the stage, pointing their fingers back to vocalist Graham Sayle, singing along to every word. The band’s second LP Blending came out on Dais Records in September, and revived a Madchester (despite being Liverpool-based), slacker approach to Britpop post-punk. Sale yells into the mic, gripping tightly as he delivers his cutting lyrics of Talk For Hours. This is a band who have mastered a real vision and fusion of a wide spectrum of influences, and have really paved their own path in the UK scene. There are few comparable bands doing it like HIGH VIS at the moment, making them one of the most exciting bands on the circuit right now, earning their place on any genre of show.
Rating: 9/10
The crowd immediately step up for TERROR, proving their long-lasting triumphs in hardcore. It’s a short 12 song set, especially considering each track is around two minutes at most, but the band cram in crowdpleasers Spit My Rage and heavily lean into cult favourite 2010 album Keepers Of The Faith. There’s few moments of the set where the band aren’t joined briefly by members of the crowd jolting themselves off the stage onto fellow onlookers, and the floor is populated with constant movers. The venue quickly becomes a sweat box for this career-spanning setlist, with Scott Vogel challenging every person in the room to come closer, including those working, before wailing out mosh calls as the band descend into the guttural breakdowns.
The band play a classic hardcore set, seemingly with little effort. When you’ve been playing in a scene such as this for so long, and have maintained the enthusiasm and momentum for that time, the crowd follows suit. The room ‘understands the assignment’, and Vogel’s encouragement for moshing is practically unnecessary and feels just par-for-the-course. As expected, the band finish on Keepers Of The Faith, joined by many fans swiping the mic to yell out the iconic chorus lines. Tonight’s show from TERROR is a testament to how to stay relevant in a scene that has experienced a few different resurgences and new waves in a 20 year career. There will always be a place for this classic hardcore, made even more respected by such a mainstay act playing alongside new and promising bands making their own way.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Dev Place Photos here:
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