LIVE FROM THE PIT: Annisokay, Heart Of A Coward and The Narrator

Two years after the release of Abyss Pt. I in September 2023, German metalcore wonder ANNISOKAY returned with the highly anticipated Abyss Pt. II in April last year, closing their epic trilogy only seven months after with Abyss - The Final Chapter as the main focus of their European headline pilgrimage. While tonight’s show in The Key Club may have been the smallest stop so far, the Leeds metalcore community made it their personal mission to make it feel like anything but. Backed by their German brothers, THE NARRATOR, and UK support HEART OF A COWARD, the intimate show carried the energy of something much larger. 

First on the bill was THE NARRATOR kicking off with Drawn, Conned & Deceived, giving the crowd whiplash from the opening bouncy riff, ending with a deliciously heavy breakdown, inducing stank faced nods of approval from the early birds in the crowd. Whilst the crowd swelled in numbers, frontman FABIAN JOCHUM’s growls were wonderfully visceral and intense, his playful energy radiated throughout the whole set, the happiness infectious and engaging. The fans in the front wasted no time in lapping this up, ceremoniously opening up that pit. 

With a now packed venue, they launched into their latest release Aurora. The front row seemingly knew every word, turning the energy up to eleven with some heartwarming fan interactions. They closed their set with Purgatory, JOCHUM exclaiming “If you know us, you know this song, let me hear you!”. The audience doing exactly as they were told, echoing ROB HOPPE’s dirty clean vocals, reinforcing that this is definitely a fan favourite. Joining ANNISOKAY makes this their biggest tour to date, proving their ability to be more than an opening act. THE NARRATOR will return to the UK in October of this year with their first UK headline show. 

HEART OF A COWARD was up next, taking the stage with anthems like Hollow and Mouth Of Madness. While vocalist KAAN TASSAN’s unwavering live growls resonated throughout the venue with a quiet confidence, the crowd seemed to be holding back, their energy on a low simmer. However, this reluctance did not last long, the community doing what they do best and delivering pit after pit with joyful aggression. Ending the set with Deadweight, TASSAN commanded the audience to scream “I DON’T GIVE A FUCK” right back at him, which seemed to reignite the room and reliably set the tone for the headliners. 

After plunging the Key Club into darkness for the entirety of Shake It Off by TAYLOR SWIFT, ANNISOKAY finally graced the stage, wasting no time in bringing the show back up to one-hundred. Opening with Into The Abyss and Throne Of The Sunset, treating fans to the sugar and spice contrast of CHRISTOPH WIECZOREK’s soaring cleans and RUDI SCHWARZER’s venomous growls. Following on with Ultraviolet, Silent Anchor, and My Effigy, all solid anthems off the tour's namesake - the set really showcased ANNISOKAY’s storytelling prowess and the conviction in their performance.

The walls of The Key Club were dripping with sweat as the opening riff of H.A.T.E began. The crowd obeyed as SCHWARZER beckoned them closer, diving head first off the stage with no hesitation, rightfully putting his trust into his loyal fans as they carried him the length of the venue. SCHWARZER may have missed his original cue, but the spectacle; met by amused headshakes from his band mates, more than made up for it as he collected high fives and fistbumps on his surf back to the stage.

Ending with an epic encore of Get Your Shit Together, Coma Blue, and STFU, a final gut-punch of energy was injected into the room, with hardcore fans almost drowning out SCHWARZER himself, screaming the lyrics right back at him, the lack of a barrier between the stage and audience only emphasized the raw intimacy and intensity of this moment. Behind the iron wall of fans at the front, chaos opened up with a well needed circle pit, spanning the width of the venue and melting into flailing destruction with Get Your Shit Together’s brutal breakdown.

When the lights eventually came back on, the sea of sweaty, tired, but satisfied faces confirmed that ANNISOKAY, HEART OF A COWARD, and THE NARRATOR knew exactly how to put on a show. The catharsis of the sets clearly seen in the grins flocking towards the merch stands, and out into the night. The UK leg of this tour definitely brought ANNISOKAY’s trilogy to a satisfying close, setting the standard for shows to come.

Words and photos: Alice Kenwright