SURVIVALIST have returned with their sophomore LP, and their first full length release since 2022, A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone. The twelve tracks have been defined by the band as "groovecore”, and discusses themes of isolation, control and emotional endurance in lived experiences. They've not only been hard at work in the studio too, growing their live reputation by supporting the likes of CHELSEA GRIN, POLARIS and ATREYU, alongside a full UK and Ireland tour with THY ART IS MURDER. After a few singles from the album surpassed a collective 100,000 streams, the release on 30th of January is clearly much awaited by fans. The album starts off with title track A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone, which will be joined by a music video release alongside the album release. Starting off strong with an electronic sound before breaking into heavy guitar and vocals ,encasing both their live aggression and the emotional weight that courses throughout the album. Following onto track two is Radio Bleed, where we hear strong lyrics about being wronged by someone trusted. The record is by no means an isolationist experience though, as a number of other artists join them across the album - one such track is Failure of Being, which includes JOSH SID ROBINSON, one of Ireland's most sought-after heavy producers. The song deftly expresses the band's groovecore style, as a small nu-metal influence becomes noticed. Deathbed is another such track that includes somebody else, as ALEX KOEHLER (formerly of CHELSEA GRIN and AMEONNA) steps up to the mic, whilst SURVIVALIST provide a heavy bass sound that harks back to their earlier work. The final feature is from none other than KID BOOKIE, shortly after his own single release, adding another nu-metal twist onto Speak Up (Louder). Weaponised God Complex has a clean vocal start that reconnects the listener in a moment of relative calm, before it morphs into a bold and powerful track, full of heavy riffs and fierce vocals. Ruined By Grief further showcases the vocal skills and range of GAVIN SHARP, not least including his potent growling. The vocal line becomes clean once more in Denial In Your Deception, as the instrumentals keep the song heavy, making for a very enjoyable contradiction of vocals and instruments. The lyrics resonate well here, with a lingering feeling to keep the emotions of the album close. ROT (Redux) comes in with a punch whilst twisting into a softer melody that shows off the creativity of the writing throughout the track and album, with clever hooks and a lot of nuance that is well worth diving into. The rhythmic chorus of I, Tyrant adds a heft that would translate excellently to a live show, as the track would almost certainly incite moshing at a festival. The finale of the album, How Do I Stop Thinking About Death, brings a twist of emotion as it builds from clean vocals to a place of gritty sonics and allows the powerful emotions carried within the song to burst free. Across these twelve tracks, SURVIVALIST talk about their emotions and feelings in incredibly vulnerable moments, whilst simultaneously making these songs easy enough for any listener to relate to. The album shows a massive step in the right direction for the band, and showcases their success of late as they expand their sound and take on new influences. Score: 7/10 Words: Angel Turley Photos: Survivalist

EPICA and AMARANTHE join forces to bring their brand of vocal focused symphonic metal to the crowd. Although the tour was a co-headline, the audience was still treated to a support act. CHARLOTTE WESSELS brought her new solo project to open the show. Unfortunately, the set did not feature a live drummer due to injury, so instead the band utilised the drum tracks from the studio recordings. Luckily, this did not hinder any enjoyment by the crowd. Most of the tracks of the short set came from the most recent CHARLOTTE WESSELS album The Obsession and showcased why the songs work in a live setting. The lighting and stage craft for the opening act were beautiful and WESSELS’ vocals were complimented by it, as it highlighted the theatrical nature of the music. It was an overall great set that helped to set the mood for the rest of the night. Next was the first of the headliners, AMARANTHE. Having three vocalists is unusual within metal yet this feature defines the sound of the band for more than a decade now. Unfortunately, the mixing at some points during the set made the power of the vocals muted due to being too low relative to everything else happening on stage. Luckily for most of the set this was not an issue. The use of three vocalists did make the band at times come across a little bit euro-popish with how cinematic their music was. The crowd unfortunately was largely subdued for the set as the audience was a peculiar mix with many of which not seeming like traditional metal concert goers. However, this did not mean they did not enjoy the set, as every song was received with rapturous applause. There was of course typical headbanging and horns raised to the sky but unfortunately no moshing. The band seemed at ease on stage as everything was tightly rehearsed and created a cohesive vision for the band. Unusually for the first headline of the night, AMARANTHE included an encore which they did fairly naturally. Their set included eighteen tracks which, compared to EPICA’s set of thirteen tracks, was significantly longer. However, in the moment of the gig this was not noticed. The set was built on a variety of their material with a significant amount coming from their album Manifest, despite the staging featuring artwork from The Catalyst. Luckily, the set was paced in such a way to make sure every track flowed well. The set was overall fun, but would likely be more enjoyable in a more lively crowd. EPICA were a beautiful band live. They knew how to stage themselves and understood how to work with lighting instead of against it. The set opened with a short video asking people to live in the moment and to not use phones. Even this video was stylised for the concert, almost too stylised as people still used their phones during the set. From the moment EPICA started their performance they commanded attention. Their use of darkness in their staging helped to use the lighting to punctuate songs, making them feel ever more powerful. The use of screens was not just a typical video package, instead they used it with darkness to create shaped video which in some moments helped to create the illusion of a fully new backdrop. One of the stand out performers of the band was the keyboardist COEN JANSSEN. His touring rig featured a moveable keyboard and a wearable one, which he used to show off his true showmanship. JANSSEN used the moveable keyboard whenever he had a chance to spin it and ride it around while playing it. It was an unusual sight within a metal gig. The whole band formed almost an orchestra with the intricate song structure. The vocal mixing issues that happened during AMARANTHE’s set were still present but to a much lesser extent. EPICA are at the height of their career and show no signs of slowing down. The set was a career spanning mix of tracks with a focus on Aspiral. They seem to be gaining younger and younger fans and carve their place in heavy metal history. Words: Will Freeman Photos: Claire Cabanac

Not often The Dome in London is overtaken by Kings and Witches, but when the Swiss powerhouse is on the bill, everything is possible. Bringing with them their latest offering Inquisition, the night promised a great deal of head-banging, as well as singing. HAMMER KING, the power metal royalty from Germany, opened the night in a pompous manner with an enthusiastic crowd and loads of steam. Assembled in 2015 and celebrating their anniversary, the four-piece already made many promising offerings to their supporters, the latest being a full-length album Make Metal Royal Again, as well as a remaster of their first ever release Kingdom Of The Hammer King, that were both presented to the kingdom last year. The band’s uplifting energy that emanated from every move and beat, as well as engaging theatrics, made the performance fun both for the audience and the members, and while the atmosphere was predominantly about enjoyment, the band did stop and talked about the importance of the metal community and the acceptance of everyone with no judgement, expressing gratitude to every single fan who was present in the venue, as well as fans, who listen to their music at home. Making the venue move and sing almost instantly, HAMMER KING achieved exactly what support bands should - make the crowd ready and excited for the headline band. Coupled with a few lucky fans, who were able to obtain a plastic token with the band’s name and logo on it, it was a set that could have easily been dubbed as a co-headline. One change-over later, The Dome was finally ready to welcome the BURNING WITCHES. With a big applause and even bigger cheers, the members ROMANA KALKUHL (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), JEANINE GROB (bass), LALA FRISCHKNECHT (drums, backing vocals), LAURA GULDEMOND (lead vocals) and COURTNEY COX (lead guitar, backing vocals) walked onto the stage one by one, to start the set with one of the songs from their latest album Inquisition, the powerful Soul Eater. From there, the five-piece only turned more restless, as the energy was picking up at a fast pace with each song. Only three songs in, GULDEMOND put on a Devil mask, to perform yet another one of fan-favourite songs - Dance with the Devil. From there, the presence on the stage was unstoppable, as if all the witches of the past talked through the all-femme band. Using props throughout some of their songs such as masks or even a beheaded head, as well as jumping into the crowd for a duration of one, BURNING WITCHES very quickly bewitched every single fan in the room and proved to them why they are one of the leading bands of the heavy metal scene. As the ritual was coming closer to its end after intense fifteen songs, the crowd was not ready to let the Swiss five-piece go, but eventually bid them a big farewell with cheer and applause, showing them that the capital is already ready for another show. The Swiss powerhouse BURNING WITCHES had many members throughout their ten years on the scene, but it is evident that this lineup is one of the strongest the band has ever seen. From screeching vocals, to enchanting riffs, the band always surprises with new ways to utilise their potential, and it is to no surprise that after only ten years, they are a staple of the modern heavy metal scene. Words: Katerina Stepanikova Photos: Claire Cabanac

Well, what feels like the longest month in the year is almost over - it's dragged on, but we certainly wouldn't have gotten through it if we didn't have so much new music releasing, like the tracks below! Here's what we've been listening to: Dead Pony - Eat My Dust! DEAD PONY are back with a new single, Eat My Dust!; a very fitting title because they waste absolutely zero time cutting into the action on this track. From the starting seconds, we’re hit with an intense wall of sound, frenetic guitars, rapid-fire drums, and a radical bassline to tie everything together. There’s an element of metalcore in the heavier instrumentals, which is something new for the band. The lyrics coincide with that - it’s about leaving the past behind and forging a new path for yourself. This is a bold, promising new direction for DEAD PONY, and we’re eager to see where it leads. Words: Naomi Colliar Duff Kila Kosa - Bodies One of the newest and certainly most exciting additions to the UK metalcore scene, KILA KOSA, took over with their second release - Bodies. Boasting sick beats, big riffs and aggressive vocals, the South Londoners put even more energy and rawness into this song then they did into their debut one, creating a perfect piece to mosh to. Finished off with a beautiful, yet grounding breakdown, Bodies promises big and exciting projects from the five-piece in the future. Words: Katerina Stepanikova Motionless In White - Afraid Of The Dark The metalcore five piece from Pennsylvania are getting ready for their Europe tour starting next week and just announced this new single would be dropping with only twenty four hours notice. Afraid Of The Dark is a track for the fans, with frontman CHRIS MOTIONLESS thanking them for “pulling me from some of the darkest periods of my life.” Powering in with charged vocals the track is ferocious from the start, the whole band on form for the year ahead. The breakdown later on becomes earth shattering in true Motionless style. Afraid Of The Dark is a mighty anthem about not facing your fears alone and giving life everything you’ve got. Words: Danielle Henderson Static Dress - human props A bold new era for STATIC DRESS with an impressive return to form with human props. Dazzling, fast-paced guitars build towards an explosion of noise, set to vocalist OLLI APPLEYARD's fierce shrieks. Building towards an impressive and emotive bridge, they show off their innovative sci-fi-inspired visuals, straight out of a Matrix movie. This, as we are yet to understand, is an impressive play for 2026’s post-hardcore darlings. Currently on tour with PALEFACE SWISS, the metalcore outfit is representing the underground with intense fury. Words: Amber Brooks The Devil Wears Prada - Play The Old Shit Originally a hidden track exclusive to the vinyls, Play The Old Shit finally made its way to everyone in their fanbase. Calling out people who complain about the band focusing more on their new work, while expressing their gratitude for the big journey with the band's typical blend of harsh and clean vocals, supported by strong riffs, the song sums up the situation every artist encounters on a daily basis. It is a remarkable insight into THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA’s growth over the years, and a song that gets stuck in the head almost instantly. Words: Katerina Stepanikova VENUS GRRRLS - 3x3 3x3 is VENUS GRRRLS at their grungiest yet; it’s a track packed full of groovy riffs, funky vocal effects, and an explosive shot of feminine rage. The drums clash with urgency, and GRACE KELLY cries out “Leave me alone, I can’t breathe!”. The band are open about their self-proclaimed status as the real-life Hex Girls from Scooby-Doo, and the accompanying music video has them leaning fully into that influence: flashy colours, electric rhythms, and a dash of spookiness to top it all off. Words: Naomi Colliar Duff Editor: Naomi Colliar Duff Photos: Various Artists

Death metal is a much-maligned subgenre outside of heavy circles. Heck, even within heavy music it tends to be the butt of plenty of jokes, and routinely gets overlooked as an unserious sound. However, back in 1996, amidst the strongest period of releases death metal has ever had, CRYPTOPSY released an LP that has since come to define a more niche version of the subgenre - None So Vile became the benchmark for potent technical death metal, and to this day is still hung at the very top of what that sound has to offer. So, when the best of the best decide to tour their seminal album for its 30th anniversary, it would be a little silly to turn it down, no? We headed to London’s O2 Academy Islington to see the quartet in action, with 200 STAB WOUNDS, INFERI, and CORPSE PILE in support. On their first ever European tour, openers CORPSE PILE were a fantastic way to start the evening. Mixing their death metal sound with a healthy dose of hardcore and more than a little grindcore, the brute force assault of their sound was more than welcome. From their equally amusing and depressing anecdote about the US’s chronic lack of walking space and public transport before Where the Sidewalk Ends, to their impassioned speech before Fed to the Starved, the band stood proudly behind their politics and decried fascism, capitalism, racism, queerphobia and more in a show that was as morally strong as it was sonically pummelling. Second up was INFERI, an act with a much less stomping sound - opting to take their guitars the more refined route of progressive death metal, with a little black metal thrown in for good measure. Fitting just five songs into their half hour compared to CORPSE PILE’s ten, their differing influences make themselves as well known on the set list as they do in the flesh. Whilst they were technically fantastic, they did not engage the audience to quite the same degree as their precursors, although final track Heirs of the Descent was certainly received well. As opposed to the technical excellence they followed, 200 STAB WOUNDS’ name sounds as aggressive and savage as their music. The menacing act stepped up the ominous tone of the evening with their pulverising guitar tone and gargantuan riffs - so hypnotically brilliant were they, a crowd-surfer who looked to be roughly fourty years past his athletic peak managed to evade a security guard just to climb onstage and headbang with every member of the band, before finally being escorted off by a chuckling member of security. From Masters of Morbidity to Fatal Reality, the set was a hit and they walked off having caused suitable devastation. Of course most, if not all, members of the audience were most excited for the final act - the headliners, the technical death metal kings, the Canadian icons themselves in CRYPTOPSY. And not a soul was disappointed. Playing all but two songs off of the album of the hour - sadly Dead and Dripping and Lichmistress did not make the cut - it was a true celebration of None So Vile. With five other songs joining the fray on the night, including three off of their latest release An Insatiable Violence, it was not only a night to look to the past but also one to celebrate the present, and to look forward at what else CRYPTOPSY may yet accomplish. Successfully riling a crowd into a baying mass of frenzied bodies sounds like a zombie fiction, but not only did the quartet manage it with relative ease, they kept a smile (and a gurn) on their faces all the while. CRYPTOPSY and co showed up and showed out on a night that showed us the best that the heaviest end of metal has to offer - from brutal blast beats and furious fingers flying over fretboards, to glacial guitars and vomitous vocals. Everything was of the top draw, and once again the desperate need of crushing death metal has been sated in the capital - for now… Words: Jasmine Longhurst Photos: Oz Davy

When the trio THE HARA formed nine years ago, neither the band nor the fans expected the project to become one of the most influential bands of modern British rock. Yet here they are, touring not only around their home country, but swiftly taking over Europe as well. Formed by JOSH TAYLOR (vocals), ZACK BREEN (guitars) and JACK KENNEDY (drums), the Manchester-natives already have few albums under their belt, and the freshest of them all - The Fallout, was welcomed to the world with two release shows in London and Manchester. Supported on the night by London-based PARADISE FELL., the night was unique from the beginning. The nu-rock trio PARADISE FELL. was welcomed on the stage immediately and managed to keep the enthusiasm from the start of their set until the end. Although the venue was not packed for their performance, it did not stop them from putting on a big show, or at least as big as they could have done, as their set was not that long. Vocalist MATTY BANKHURST kept the audience amazed with his vocals while the guitarist HARRY ACREMAN shredded his guitar with captivating riffs and the drummer PAUL WHITE nailed every beat. Taking the audience through some of their songs like NADIYA., overdose. and SUFFOCATE., the band showed off masterfully their talent and works, and it was certain that the crowd loved their music. After their thirty-minute long set, the band received well-deserved applause and cheers, and went onto making a space for the star of the night. Right when the lights went out for the second time of the night, it was obvious that what the venue was hosting was not just an ordinary concert. Dressed all in suits - that gradually disappeared as the night went on - TAYLOR, BREEN and KENNEDY took over the stage in an instant and the crowd went absolutely feral. The trio decided to start the night off with few fan-favourites, before diving into the new record, and it was a choice well made, as the fans sang all the songs word by word while being hypnotised by the energy emitted from the band. From an early moshpit to TAYLOR jumping into the crowd to surf, there were only a handful of things that could have surpassed the beginning of the performance. But that moment striked once the trio started playing yet unreleased songs from The Fallout. From Psycho Killer, to Bury Me, to one of the most engaging songs live, Intergalactic Sabotage, the new record brought many surprising moments and it was obvious the fans absolutely loved every single second of it. Once it was time to bid farewell to THE HARA, the room transformed into a massive wall of death followed by a brutal moshpit, joined by TAYLOR, creating one of the most unforgettable moments of the night. If there is anything THE HARA can do spectacularly, it is with no doubt their live shows. The album release night felt more personal than ever thanks to the band’s engagement with the crowd and throughout the night it was evident the trio was grateful for every single one of their fans who came to see them and support them. Paired up with the force to reckon with PARADISE FELL., the night could not be any better than it was. Words: Katerina Stepanikova Photos: Ace Cheng

SICK JOY return with their unforgettable and instantly recognisable grungy sound and heartfelt lyrics with new album More Forever. Twelve songs took shape over the course of a year, written between an attic in Newcastle and a lock‑up on the outskirts of Brighton, later being recorded in a remote Spanish studio. Lyrically dark and touching on themes of systemic harm, grief, and survival, and accompanied by abrasive industrial tones with thunderous drum work, More Forever builds on the bands established sound, but shows growth with an additional depth and complexity; echoing the sound of their debut We're All Gonna F*ing Die. More Forever opens with Back At The Beginning, a short instrumental track, with a single guitar beat that ends with a glitchy overlay. Lead single All Damage plunges the listeners straight into the distinctly rough‑edged, grunge‑laden soundscape, with lyrics that trace the pull of unconscious damage and the longing for absolution. The track is laden with synths and guitars and vocalist MYKL BARTON delivers his distinctive drawl throughout. Follow up single Nothing Good teases the listener with a soft piano opening and even softer vocals, but is a dark, brutal track, with a driving drum rhythm, and lyrics that explore cause and effect, alongside loss. Anything Goes leans into the newer, more electronic sounding beat that SICK JOY present from More Forever. For listeners familiar with the band, the track is reminiscent of Hyperdermic Sunshine, with a huge chorus backed by quieter verses, that strikes with intent. With lyrics “If I can use it/I will abuse it” repeated throughout the track, the narrative of meeting your shadow head on and resisting the lure of denial lands heavily. The vibes delivered also feel very late NINE INCH NAILS influenced. Fourth single Cinnamon Burn is another track that starts softly, but then crashes into a weight‑loaded, anthemic chorus. It’s clearly a song for the broken hearted listener, with themes of just not knowing when to quit weaved throughout, in lyrics like “My hope is dangerous it’s all I’ve got/Your dirty golden and deep down heart/I’ll tell myself a lie to survive/I’ll tear myself apart to survive”. It’s a perfect example of the natural progression of SICK JOY’s sound, where they have taken what they are at the core, and made it heavier, and to some extent, more unsettling. As arguably the softest track on the album, Gone Missing delivers more electronic beats and industrial edges, again returning to a NINE INCH NAILS-esque sound, but this time more akin to The Downward Spiral. Here We Are, Somewhere Liminal is the second instrumental track on More Forever; it’s reminiscent of the opener, consisting of a simple guitar with an electronic, static-y overlay. Stockholm Flavour returns to the earlier theme of tracks with crushing drums and synths, with strong, smashing chorus, with BARTON asking an unknown force for constant reassurance, with lyrics like “Tell me you won’t let me down/Tell me you can see me now” and asking “Is it love or something darker?”. The lyrics to recently released track Video Game (which has an incredible 8-bit music video) present the metaphor of trying and trying again, with BARTON describing the song as “a recount of watching another version of myself die. It’s grief. It’s spite. It’s a persistence. It’s moving forward whilst looking back. It’s telling all the secrets I’ve been keeping from myself to the world”. Video Game is potentially the best example on More Forever of how SICK JOY’s sound has evolved but is still immediately recognisable as them. If there was a track that didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the album, it would be Strawberries Cigarettes. It’s not a track that stands out from the rest; it has a more generic alternative rock sound, with the added element of a piano, but the vocals and lyrics are as well‑crafted as the rest of the album. Somebody Else returns to the heavier sound from earlier on in the track run, with BARTON voice punching through with another anthemic chorus. Death Scene (More Forever) is an explosive closing track; heavy drums, heavy synths and BARTON recognisable tones. With the repetition of the album name throughout the track, there’s no way you can forget what you’ve just listened to. More Forever is an album full of unflinching honesty. The more industrial sound that SICK JOY have adopted cuts through the loud, immediately gripping choruses, and collides with the thunderous percussion, wrapped in razor‑edged synths. SICK JOY are a band that are in a constant state of reinvention, but each iteration only improves on the one before it. More Forever is the new heavier, sharper, and far more haunted version of SICK JOY; it’s the band at their expansive and most vulnerable and is an album not to be missed. Score: 8/10 More Forever will be released on 30th January via SO Recordings Words: Lou Viner-Flood Photos: Steve Gullick

As London’s winter winds blow, there’s clearly only one place on everybody’s mind as hundreds of people converge on the New Cross Inn for three days of mayhem. Reality Unfolds has treated us very well over the years, and that hasn’t changed one bit. With a lineup that has a particularly large volume of hardcore this year, it’s certainly not one for the lighthearted, but those moshers who need to get their blood pumping after a lethargic Christmas will know their way here like the back of their hand. REGRESS Opening the whole weekend up was REGRESS, a London hardcore band on the fantastic Rucktion Records. Their label mates AGENCY are heading to South London for the Saturday of the festival, so there’s plenty of Rucktion love to go around - and the sound of LHC was received most gratefully. Playing all of their recently released self-titled debut EP, the crowd was behind them the whole way and they revelled in it. BREAK THEM Following up from that excellent start was BREAK THEM, a UKHC band based in Peterborough. Summing our thoughts up perfectly early in the set, the vocalist remarked “What a lovely day.” Wise words. Whilst the crowd wasn’t quite as active for their entire set, their cover of LIMP BIZKIT’s Break Stuff - entirely predictably - had plenty of people moving and singing along, and their finisher, a cover of MACHINE HEAD’s Davidian no less, went down even better, prompting plenty of moshers to jump into the pit and throw some elbows. CASKET FEEDER Taking a slight turn away from the pure hardcore sound, the third act to play was CASKET FEEDER. The British-based band had a small dose of UKHC groove mixed into a big bowl of Swedish death metal, and whilst it can’t be said that they’re pushing the envelope particularly far, they had more than enough riffs and blast beats to go around for the duration. NEGATIVE FRAME Marking the back half of the evening’s entertainment, the almighty NEGATIVE FRAME stepped up to bat next and, as expected, were nothing if not stellar. Whipping the crowd into a frenzy, the metalcore/hardcore combination that they’re so good at was demonstrated wonderfully for all in attendance, showing off their home of The Coming Strife with aplomb. This would not be the only time most of the act played this evening though, although the ferocity they ripped through their set with would have you wondering if they even planned to finish their own! ARKANGEL Finally came the evening’s headliners, and Reality Unfolds delivered another knock out blow as Belgium’s ARKANGEL offered up a truly evil finish to the night. With ghoulish screams galore, riffs with more teeth than a shark, and a drummer who grinned like a man who was far too excited to watch chaos unfold in front of his eyes, they ran rampant and ripped the roof right off the Inn. Legends of the underground in their own right, the band made the stage their own and ruled over the venue like kings, performing their roles and playing their instruments with pin-point precision, all the while unleashing hell incarnate from their amps. BULLET Those next two days started with a similar level of intensity, as BULLET ran amok across the stage to start the weekend off, and despite not having one note of music out anywhere they still levelled the place. The fun they performed with was incredibly easy to see, and mercifully they are going into the studio shortly, so it won’t be long until we can hear them everywhere! AGENCY Following them was the fantastic AGENCY, who are - even after having played a single digit number of shows - a force to be reckoned with. They played like an act years into their career, and are putting out music that has a similar level of experience behind it. Beyond worth catching if you can, an early-career AGENCY set has every chance of being the stuff of legend a few years down the line. MINDLESS With a difficult set to follow, MINDLESS nonetheless came out swinging and were fantastic. The single greatest compliment a hardcore band can have is that they got the one audience member with their arm in a sling two-stepping, moshing, and jumping into the crowd, which was a great watch even whilst others were crawling past them! Plenty of people got up and at it for some Kent hardcore, and deservedly so. RESCUE CAT It was then time for a band from a bit further afield, as Italy’s RESCUE CAT showed us how it’s done on the continent. On their first ever UK tour, they played like animals and likely guaranteed their next UK tour, with their hardcore/emoviolence sound riling up all watchers. The drumming was particularly fantastic, and the variety of sounds they referenced and used was exquisite. XAPOTHECARYX Afterwards came a band we’ve seen before at Reality Unfolds , during the 2024 edition of the event - XAPOTHECARYX have ruined stages up and down the country, and the straight-edge vegan crew did the same again on day two of this year’s event. An act that always pulls up and shows others how it’s done, they put on a masterclass. BELIEVE IN NOTHING It was only right, thereby, to follow up a potently powerful display of hardcore with something completely different - cue BELIEVE IN NOTHING. This relatively new project put out their mindwrenchingly hefty debut Rot last year, and the bubbling mixture of sludgy nastiness, doom, and death metal is even more viscerally uncomfortable and cathartic in the flesh. A fascinating live show that pulls the audience into proceedings, the band was spectacular, and need to be seen to be believed. HARROWED It was a return to hardcore with HARROWED then taking over, although like the band preceding them they too had a taste of sludge in their sound, albeit their live show was much more confrontational and in-your-face than the discomforting slowness of that before. To sum up their live sound in a few words, it’s around about the sonic equivalent of bashing your head on an anvil. Nasty. CALCINE Another act from abroad claimed the mic next, Paris’ CALCINE, who blend hardcore and metalcore with stabs of mathcore mayhem to make for a searing sound both on record and live. The Church Road Records-based band put on a show that was received very well, and are absolutely a gem of the scene. ENDLESS SWARM The most serious band on the bill came next, as Scotland’s ENDLESS SWARM brought powerviolence to the Reality Unfolds stage. Subtle as ever, they made sure to remind us just what we were listening to between each song, with a small yell of “Scottish powerviolence!” each stop. They don’t often travel this far south, so their insane energy, headstands, and total drum disassembly were all very enjoyable to partake in. SPLITKNUCKLE Finally, headliners SPLITKNUCKLE, the kings of Essex, rocked up to blast the room to smithereens and round off Saturday in style. They’ve been going for a decade and still keep getting better every time - and nastier too. Their London style hardcore had movement from note one with plenty of crowdkilling, moshing aplenty, and all sorts of goings on in the pit. SUNDAY BEST Finally, day three began. Screamo Sunday, as a few of us affectionately named it, was exactly that - a bill primarily of acts from all over the screamo map, so who better to kickstart the day than a screamo band named after Sunday? SUNDAY BEST became the antidote to more than a couple of hangovers, playing a brand of music that pulled from the emo and alt rock end of the genre as much as from traditional screamo. The queer, POC, DIY band had bags of energy and showed us all how to shake off the tiredness for the final day. AFRAID TO DIE Reality Unfolds has a time-honoured tradition of breaking a new bands’ duck each year, and this year it was the time of AFRAID TO DIE to make their debut. Playing the kind of hardcore that POISON THE WELL might write, it was a savage set that will live long in the memory. The crowd bought in completely, despite not one person knowing the songs, and made it a stellar debut. I'M SORRY EMIL Screamo Sunday resumed with one of the most exciting young bands on the scene, I’M SORRY EMIL, who were surely one of the best acts of the weekend. A softer brand of screamo than most bands on the bill, theirs was a hypnotic, emotional set that had the room utterly enthralled. CASSUS had the touch job of following on, but their raw, aggressive brand of screamo contrasted fantastically and had plenty of onlookers rapidly getting back involved in the pit. CROWQUILL CROWQUILL’s northern mathcore/hardcore blend started the last stretch off, and their frantic performance earned themselves a veritable treasure trove of pit action. The finer details of their set, such as their squealing pic scrapes, had fans baying for more. KID, FERAL KID, FERAL took their place onstage afterwards, and the Swedish screamo crew were fantastic in both following on from and setting up for two much more aggressive sets, with their relatively tamer tunes still hitting right in the centre of the chest. TEMPLE GUARD TEMPLE GUARD’s balaclava’d look was amongst the first things most of the crowd noticed as they began the penultimate set of the entire festival, before their blunt force riffs shook the building and had elbows going at full force into various moshers. The brutish nature of their music acted as a foil to the final band, and gave the room one final go to get every ounce of energy out via flailing, two-stepping, or stagediving, in whatever direction they fancied. BONEFLOWER Finally, it was that time - the last headliner on the last day of a furious weekend of music. Madrid’s BONEFLOWER rose to the occasion, performing a beautiful set of anguished music that tore at the heartstrings and uplifted in equal measure. With plenty of tracks represented from their recent album REVERIES, it was a set to behold, each new song being rewarded with hoots, cheers, clapping, and pure adulation. A fitting headliner, and a perfect way to cap off a sensational weekend of heavy music. We’ll see you next year, Reality Unfolds. Words: Jasmine Longhurst Photos: Artemi Falzon

JOYCE MANOR has always thrived on compression; not just short songs, but compressed emotions and ideas, whole messy inner lives flattened into something you can shout along to in under two minutes. I Used To Go To This Bar leans fully into that instinct, arriving as another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it record that still feels considered, self-aware, and quietly confident in what the band does best. Clocking in at nine tracks with not a single one crossing the three-minute mark, the album continues a trajectory that JOYCE MANOR has been refining for well over a decade. There’s no grand stylistic pivots here, no late-career attempts at reinvention. Opener I Know Where Mark Chen Lives sets the tone immediately, barrelling in with stiff, no-nonsense urgency. There’s something in its momentum that recalls the pop-punk/emo sound of the early 2000s, not unlike the kinetic rush of FALL OUT BOY’s Take This To Your Grave, though JOYCE MANOR brings a little more abrasion and far less theatricality. It’s a door-kicker of a track, designed to grab you by the collar and drag you into the record without ceremony. All My Friends Are So Depressed is a perfect example of the precise balancing act happening in this album. Lyrically, it’s bleak, brushing up against lines that are uncomfortable in their bluntness. Musically, though, it’s almost buoyant, driven by a melody that feels oddly warm and danceable. The irony is wholly intentional, dressing up despair as something you can sing along to with your arm around a friend’s shoulder. It’s one of the album’s most relatable moments, capturing the strange coexistence of dark humour, resignation, and genuine concern that runs through so much of our everyday life. The title track stands out as it feels especially open and direct, with a communal quality that suggests JOYCE MANOR are still very much writing with live rooms in mind. There’s a sense of warm but vaguely somber nostalgia in this track, making it sound like the perfect addition to a coming-of-age movie soundtrack. Elsewhere, the band allow themselves small tonal shifts without ever breaking the record’s overall cohesion. After All You Put Me Through carries a slightly dreamy quality, its softer edges offering a brief exhale amid the rest of the record. The Opossum flirts with a more rootsy feel despite its velocity, while Well, Don’t It Seem Like You’ve Been Here Before? leans into repetition and routine as thematic material, reinforcing the album’s sense of weary familiarity. By the time closer Grey Guitar rolls around, the album is already gone, leaving behind a familiar mix of catharsis, fatigue, and the nagging urge to hit play again. If there’s a challenge with this album, it’s that the tracks aren’t overtly shocking or dramatic, so individual moments don’t always leap out immediately. A couple of the songs may blur together on first pass, especially with their short lengths, though one could argue that this is a record specifically designed to be taken as a whole over and over again, with its impact accumulating through repetition, not spectacle. Despite this, I Used To Go To This Bar might be one of JOYCE MANOR’s catchiest releases. The songs are short, straightforward, and often deceptively simple, but they’re built to linger. This isn’t music interested in complexity for its own sake; there’s no need for sprawling arrangements or layers upon layers of instrumentation when the core ideas land this cleanly. Sometimes two minutes and a strong hook are more than enough. Score: 7/10 I Used To Go To This Bar will be released on January 30th 2026 via Epitaph Records. Words: Zuzanna Pazola Photos: Dan Monick

Justin Hawkins Rides Again was wonderful midweek entertainment, full of games, gossip, and the platforming of local music. The bulk of the evening was spent discussing music, which in the first half manifested in a discussion of the best and worst of songwriting conventions. For the best, Hawkins mused on “three chords and the truth”, using Dead Flowers by The Rolling Stones as an example for how telling of the worst aspects of oneself can create music that captivates. To this end, he performed a gentle acoustic track he had written over Christmas - a heartfelt reflection on watching someone falling out of love with you, accompanied by personal friend Ian Norfolk. For the worst, Hawkins ranted about major to minor key changes and their use to change a song's mood to sad: he used the trope as the first audience game where the Fire Station were told to shout at him when he did the key change. This section was especially entertaining as he started bickering with the rest of the guitar players in the room while he tried to teach those not in the know what the different chords he was playing were. While no one seemed to guess the changes correctly, the buzz in the room from attempting was addictive, and there was an intimate energy in Hawkins shouting about chords to the standing balcony that felt like having a cigarette with performers who’ve just played an open mic. In the second half, the musical discussion was an interview with the frontman of Sunderland’s own indie rock duo, Field Music - David Brewis. Hawkins looked adoringly as he sat down in the leather pants Brewis promised he’d wear for the live show. The interview itself mainly concerned their creative process as a band, which Brewis explained as breaking down tracks to their bare bones to identify and reimagine their best elements. Brewis also remarked on the heavy influence of The Beatles on their early work rather than the power chords dominant in their 90s rock contemporaries. To this end, they joked, their first two albums were written with very few drum parts on the first beat, making it easy to weed out drummers when it was time to tour. Brewis himself was happy to be there, if a little deprecating about Field Music, whether it was remarking about how easy it is to have least favourites when looking back on old songs or joking that they were aiming for George Harrison but landed at Cardiacs. Despite this, the chemistry between the two was bromantic, with Brewis grinning ear to ear for the duration of his stage time and Hawkins creating a long compilation of his favourite Field Music songs as part of the introduction. The striking thing about Justin Hawkins' live was the charisma that emanated from him as he chattered away on the fire station stage. Standing relaxed behind the microphone in his signature leather trousers, a flowing white slightly ruffled shirt and a fetching scarf-tie he opened the evening with a VT of his youtube setup, complete with a framed photo of Robbie Williams and himself, a lifesize cutout of David Hoffman, and two copies of a pirate bodice ripper with a suspicious amount of tissues that introduced the humour of the evening. Hawkins was full of personality with the touch of cheek to be expected from any self-respecting queer person, shown clearly in his chosen punchline this tour - Gary Barlow. The first comments on Gary Barlow were that of conspiracy, mainly that he was using the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb as a ghostwriter. The reasoning? He’s not good enough to have written Back for Good, and covering How Deep Is Your Love so soon after is proof of the quid pro quo. “They’ll have to prove me wrong”, Hawkins grins as he settles into the chatter portion of the set. The next shot was at his autobiography, dramatically reading the beginning page and a page from the end of a chapter at the end of the first part. The latter part landed better, where Hawkins reenacts Barlow falling in his chair before finishing the segment with a string of food-related renames of Take That songs. The first part was a straight reading of the first page, where Barlow recounts an instance of his bulimia, read in a nasally impression by Hawkins, who opens the segment with enjoying character stories starting at the lowest. While funny, watching this segment without the knowledge of Hawkins’ own bulimia was a little jarring - the catty jokes at the beginning about being bigger and smaller than him were ambled over and didn’t quite make the point. This said - the passages were badly written. Otherwise, Hawkins came across as genuine, be it in his animated passion for music or when recounting drafts from the autobiography in the works. The crowd chose the first - a story of a 5ish-year-old Hawkins realising he had skids in his underwear after an accident so had fashioned them into a speedo for a later PE lesson so nobody would notice, then bridging the gap with a joke about getting it from both sides when questioned about the incident before reciting draft number two, a raunchy yet honest few pages concerning the fledgling years of his bisexuality. Contrasting his own work with Barlow's was cheeky in itself, though offset with a joking admission of the ghostwriter he’s hired, who went to school with him. The main area that his personality shone through, though, was because of the participation of the mackems in the fire station. Be it the group “whey!” after Hawkins remarked that the only thing wrong with his last live tour was that it wasn’t in Sunderland (easy bet), or the heckles that punctuated every segment. In the first half, it was the reminder that Robbie Williams made him famous, or the guy who suggested that the calling card for when he did a major to minor change should be “Justin wants to f*ck me!” One heckler got nervous and punctuated his comment with “Love you Justin!” to which Hawkins' automatic response of “love you too!” stopped him from wishing profanity on the audience member By the second, the hecklers were their own segment, starting with the same guy who had the suggestion in the major to minor segment, stopping the interview segment to plead with Hawkins to override his removal from The Fire Station after complaints from those around him. “Not my problem”, Hawkins figured, then immediately got heckled about the amount of money The Masked Singer made him - enough for a new Porsche, he admitted without skipping a beat. It was almost like watching a stand-up, with musical gossip woven in. To close out the evening was a connections game, which saw Hawkins playing music videos and covering parts of songs for the audience to guess the connection between them. The winner was given slippers from the hotel they were staying in - a satisfying callback to the interview Hawkins showed earlier, where he’d rocked up the BBC studios in the slippers from that hotel. As Hawkins played Norfolk, now donned in a spandex leotard and bomber jacket, danced around the stage to a chorus of giggles. As for the connections, the first took a little time for someone to get, but the second two, both being on The Lost Boys soundtrack, had so many people shouting that Hawkins was left slapping the slippers against his head to work out who earned them. For the final connection, there were some chord issues that managed to end in a small rendition of Surprise! Surprise! By Cilla Black in her voice. The final call was the whole crowd singing a few verses of American Pie with Hawkins while Norfolk pretended to slap his arse in the background, and with a flare of the introductory flamenco hand, the show was over. Justin Hawkins Rides Again was an intellectual cabaret full of character - Hawkins' love of music was the passion that drove an evening of laughter and an intimate feeling show that had Sunderland leaving Fire Station still giggling. It was great to see Hawkins spending time on the local music of the areas that he’s in, and we can only hope the hotel didn’t fine him for stealing all their slippers. Words: Julia Brunton Photos: Sarah Barlex

A little way out of London’s bustling centre, at a venue called The Dome, a show of a most particular style was going on. The industrial trio of YOUTH CODE, KING YOSEF and STREET SECTS were collectively up to bat, with their intention being no more and no less than ensuring the full room could all come together and enjoy a night of intensity, of strobe lighting and abrasive squeals, of aggressive pulsating beats and melancholic groans, and most of all a night of fun. Texan duo STREET SECTS were the openers on the night, and their high-energy industrial sound pushed the energy up immediately. Incorporating elements of ‘80s goth, as well as plenty of inspiration from industrial acts of the same time, the intensity was through the roof. Strobe lights and rapid-fire bass and drums were the order of the evening for them, and the crowd loved it - especially during big hit And I Grew Into Ribbons. As far as their supporting slot goes, they were a perfect fit both sonically and energetically, and set the tone perfectly for what was to come. Next up was KING YOSEF - a solo act with a support band, TAYVES YOSEF PELLETIER combines the soundscapes of industrial music with hardcore’s raw intensity, and on top of all that even has splashes of influence from the realms of rap and hip-hop to boot. His set felt like it could easily have been a support slot for the mighty KNOCKED LOOSE, and the ferocity he performed with matched that of any act within hardcore. As he played the likes of Cut the Cord and VI Coactus, he held the entire audience within the palm of his hand whilst raining pure sonic fury upon us all. Finally came the headline act, the unstoppable juggernaut of sound that is YOUTH CODE. The sheer menace with which their set unfolds is not to be understated - a band that must be experienced live to fully grasp the intent within their music, tracks new and old were received with equal delight from an adoring crowd; the decade-old For I Am Cursed went down with as much enjoyment as the recent No Consequence immediately afterwards. Each track came and went with gusto, and when KING YOSEF made his way onstage to perform a number of tracks from the joint-release A Skeleton Key In The Doors Of Depression, it marked the high-point in a night full of sensational performances. With each act somehow bettering the one before, this tour package was one for the ages. The savage industrial intensity from all three was phenomenal, and the slight variations between each only served to highlight the brilliance of all three performances. A fantastic evening of pummelling noise, that will surely be tough to top all year. Words: Jasmine Longhurst Photos: Kristy Eighteen

If you haven’t heard the name HANABIE. by now, you need your ears checked. The Japanese metal four-piece have been making quite the name for themselves - so much so that they’ve pioneered their way into an entirely new genre, something they call “harajuku-core”. They’re a cute-but-deadly storm of high-speed metal, bubbly idol pop and frenzied hardcore, and their new EP 「HOT TOPIC」is the perfect showcase for the unique energy they bring. ICONIC brings us in with the ring of a phone call, and on the other end are some groovy trap beats that fade in and out of the background, a clear build-up to the chorus: a catchy chant of “I am me, iconic, you know?” - a repeated mantra reaffirming the best descriptor we can think of for the band. The next few minutes show us exactly why HANABIE. have earned that status, with YUKINA’s guttural growls, and MATSURI’s clean, harmonious melodies covering both sides of the metalcore vocal spectrum with ease. It’s a really strong start to the EP, and tells us exactly what to expect with 「HOT TOPIC」. Spicy Queen soon leaves ICONIC in the dust, the band pressing pedal-to-the-metal and setting off on a high-octane track we can barely keep up with. The vocals are intense, a relentless rap bringing us into tune packed with energy that never once stops to let us catch our breath. The hypnotic bassline, courtesy of HETTSU, is a huge standout in this track, especially memorable as it competes against the fiery guitar rhythms. Soon,トキメキAbout you arrives on the scene to follow, asking us “Are you ready?” before leading us into a track that puts HANABIE.’s usual formula into a blender and pours out a chaotic mix of elements - we get J-pop rap segments, colourful pop choruses, deathcore-style roars, and that’s just in the vocals. Also in this explosive cocktail are some electric axe riffs, and heart-pounding drums that keep our hearts racing the whole time. GIRL’S TALK is another nitro-fuelled beast of a track, with MATSURI dragging us behind her in the wake of her lightning-fast guitar. The lyrics are extremely fitting of the song’s atmosphere - the dual-vocalists sing about a long-time-coming reunion for some girl’s talk, a night filled with shots of whiskey, hot gossip, and dancing the night away; we can picture ourselves having the same type of evening with this track blasting in the background. The fifth and final track, はなびえんちゃん。のテーマ - loosely translated as 'Hanabie-chan.’s Theme' - is something entirely different to what we’ve heard before, which makes it perfect to close off this EP. It’s a fun, catchy theme that leans fully into the facade that HANABIE. hide behind; a bubbly Japanese idol girl-group. We can picture this as an anime-style intro for the band, each member with their own cutesy, colourful design, only for them to segue into their incendiary metalcore riffs and their sugar-filled hyperpop beats and burn that image into ash to reveal the true, raw power of HANABIE. 「HOT TOPIC」carries some of the band’s best work, with clear standouts in Spicy Queen and GIRL’S TALK. This EP perfectly encapsulates what’s iconic about HANABIE.; they’re a molotov cocktail mixed with sugary-sweet idol pop choruses, contrasted with spicy drops of metalcore riffage, blended into a base of fizzy, frenzied rap segments, waiting to explode. This release may be short, but it’s packed with enough flavour to leave us wanting more. Score: 9/10 「HOT TOPIC」will be released on 28th January 2026 via Sony Music. Words: Naomi Colliar Duff Photos: HANAIBIE.