LIVE FROM THE PIT: Caliban, In Hearts Wake, Cabal and Assemble The Chariots

With 27 years of pure metalcore chaos, thirteen studio albums and two Eps under their belt, the German-based Caliban are bringing their fans their latest album called Back From Hell, followed up by the Back To Hell tour. Their London show was the last one in the UK, as they are heading back to mainland Europe to finish off what they started, but it surely was one for the books, as the night was pumped with excitement, emotions and moshpits.

Being supported by In Hearts Wake, Cabal and Assemble The Chariots, the band made an absolute sure to get their fans to feel the atmosphere before they took over the stage.

The first support band of the night was Assemble The Chariots, that is originating from Finland. Bringing the audience their symphonic death metal combined with deathcore, the band absolutely killed their set, although the audience was not as interactive as it could have been. Nonetheless, the band’s performance was still very impressive, as their repertoire keeps growing since 2008, and the current vocalist Onni Holmström is an outstanding performer, who fits the narrative of the band perfectly. Supported by the captivating drummer Sami Mäntylä, innovative bassist Mikael Reinikka, who is the newest member of Assemble The Chariots and the punchy guitarist and one of the founding members Kevin Apostol, the four-piece showed their appreciation to the fans multiple times during their set, not taking any second for granted.

Second on stage was one of the heaviest bands on the current metal scene, the infamous Danish folks, Cabal. Promoting their newest album, Everything Rots, the band was welcomed with endless applause and big moshpits, making it obvious that they are indeed fan-favourites on this tour. Throughout their set, the band kept interacting with their fans, especially Andreas Bjulver, the vocalist of the band, who on many occasions turned his microphone towards the fans in the first rows, giving them the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing with their idol. The deadly riffs and breakdowns the band is well known for were hitting hard the whole time, and by the end of their set, the audience was even more hyped for the two upcoming bands.

Third, and the last support of the night, was no one else than the band hailing all the way from Australia, the infamous In Hearts Wake. Focusing primarily on spirituality, environmentalism, global warming and other social issues in their work, the band brought a different atmosphere to the already established crowd yet was welcomed with even greater appreciation than the previous artist. The set was a bit chaotic, as there was many things happening at the same time, from heavy riffs, to two dancers on the stage, that showed up out of nowhere, to then the lead vocalist taking off his top and ending up the set with a very spiritual talk about the pandemic, but surely it was an interesting experience for anyone, who did not know the band beforehand. Nonetheless, it was still an amazing performance and In Hearts Wake do deserve the growing recognition they have been receiving lately.

After three very successful supporting bands, it was finally time for Caliban to take over The Dome and show London, how they do it in Germany. From the first second, the whole floor transformed into a mixture of a big pit and a dance floor, diving those two only with people, who were running in between both of them. The lead singer of the band, Andreas Dörner, started interacting with the fans almost immediately, and it was obvious the band was ready to put on an unforgettable show. Playing some of the new songs from the Back From Hell album, as well as their classics, such as “Nothing Is Forever” and “virUS”, they absolutely showcased their own talents and expertise in making unforgettable metalcore melodies. Brilliantly chosen lightning assured the audience of not missing anything, that was happening on the stage, which was just a little cherry on top of the whole show. By the end of it all, the band added three encore songs, which did not stop their fans to long for more, but made everyone sing along even more than before.

Caliban is a master of live performances, as the lineup was colourful and helped the atmosphere in the venue to get very energetic and fun. From Assemble The Chariots to In Hearts Wake, the fans enjoyed all three support bands, making it very special, as the waiting for the headliner felt a bit too long sometimes. The show was one to remember for a long time and not only for the fans of the bands, but also for the bands themselves, who definitely appreciated the love they received throughout the evening.

Words and Photos: Katerina Stepanikova