THE AMITY AFFLICTION
the way from Sydney , Australia ‘ Northlane ’; if you
Support : Wage War , Stray From thought that this night could not get any better than
The Path & Northlane think again ! They might have only formed in 2009 ,
02 Institute , Birmingham but this band have grown an incredible reputation
9th December 2016 at a very rapid rate , and fans simply can ’ t seem to get enough of Northlane at the moment ! Fronted
Forming in 2003 , Australian metal core band ‘ The by Marcus Bridge , this group of Aussies certainly
Amity Affliction ’ were slow starters in the Music know how to produce some magical tracks with industry , but have really come to light over the last mesmerising stories attached to them . There was a
2 to 3 years . After touring extensively across Europe mood in the room that is hard to put into words , and the rest of the world , it was time for the band but you could feel that everyone was moved in a to storm into the UK bringing a lot of new material very special and unique way . Northlane also treated along with older favourites . Support came from everybody to a 9-track set list which included tracks some of the biggest acts in the hardcore / metal core such as ‘ Leech ’, ‘ Masquerade ’ and ‘ Obelisk ’, and the genres in ‘ Wage War ’, ‘ Stray From The Path ’ and band portrayed what can only be described as a very
‘ Northlane ’. honest and heart-warming set of metal core music .
First on the bill were the highly acclaimed Florida metal core titans ‘ Wage War ’; after only releasing their hard-hitting debut album ‘ Blueprints ’ under Fearless Records last year , Wage War have been a major force to be reckoned with in the hardcore / metal core scene since their inception into the industry back in 2010 . From the outset , Briton Bond and co . released an extreme amount of energy and intensity that was very pleasing to the eyes as well as the ears . The band gave us a small , yet more than entertaining 6-track set list with hits such as ‘ Alive ’, ‘ The River ’ and ‘ Youngblood ’, and the band certainly left their mark on the Institute stage in a big way !
Up next were the Long Island metal core veterans ‘ Stray From The Path ’ who already have 15 years ’ experience under their belts touring with the likes of ‘ Architects ’, ‘ Counterparts ’ and ‘ Norma Jean ’. With an ever-growing back catalogue currently at 7 fulllength studio albums , what were the band going to offer to the Birmingham crowd ? The answer is simple ; TOTAL METAL CARNAGE ! From the get go , the band delivered high octane musical riffs and rhythms that were truly outstanding , and they had the audience moshing and bouncing like it was their last gig on earth ! Fans got to enjoy a 9-track set list with some fantastic tracks such as ‘ Black Friday ’, ‘ The House Always Win ’, and ‘ First World Problem Child ’, and you could tell that the bands experience had helped them to mature into a wellaccomplished metal core unit .
It was now time for the headline support act all
It was now time for the main event ; ‘ The Amity Affliction ’ also from the land down in Queensland , Australia have been one of the pinnacle bands in the metal core genre since arriving on the scene back in 2013 . Even though they found it difficult to make their mark to begin with , they are now blowing audiences away worldwide , and showing why they are one of the best metal core bands on the planet ! Amity released their 5th studio album ‘ This Could Be Heartbreak ’ back in August , and this tour was the platform to showcase their new material , as well as offering hardcore fans some of their older tracks .
From the opening track of the set ‘ I Bring The Weather With Me ’, front man Joel Birch had the audience gripped in a chasm of metal harmony , and the atmosphere was extremely inspiring and utterly entertaining with crowd members flying over the barriers more than the security staff were prepared for ! With a 10 track main set list , along with a 3-track encore , fans enjoyed a fantastic selection of Amity ’ s catalogue such as ‘ Lost & Fading ’, ‘ All Fucked Up ’, ‘ Fight My Regret ’, and ‘ Don ’ t Lean On Me ’, and the band delivered a quite simply remarkable performance in Birmingham !
Overall , this show offered a solid delivery of metal and hardcore music in Birmingham , and every band added their unique mark to make the overall night a special experience for fans and critics alike !
Words by Kristofer Billingham Photography by Carl Battams
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