Angelbomb, Divine Solace and Tear of Eden at Vault Rugby 14/4/12

Angelbomb, a mixture of punk and industrial music, were first on stage. They were extremely different from the metal bands that are usually perform at the Vault, but they received a good reaction from the crowd and had some strong songs.

Progressive metal band Divine Solace were next on stage. The guitarists were incredible and very impressive, keeping the audience engaged throughout their whole set. They played ‘Beyond The Stars’, an extremely impressive song which proved their lead singer, Ben Hughes, has an amazing vocal range.

Tear of Eden were last on stage, playing their first show in Rugby for six months. Lead singer Kevin Ashburn is an extremely energetic vocalist, with strong vocals to match. One of the songs they played was called ‘The Captive’, about being inside your head for too long. They have a new four track EP coming soon, and I highly recommend that you check it out if you like melodic metal.

Confession, Miss May I, The Ghost Inside and Parkway Drive at the HMV Institute Birmingham 8/4/12

Confession are an Australian hardcore metal band; a good choice for a support band for Parkway Drive. Confession arrived on stage to the ‘A Team’ theme song, a surprising yet original entrance for a metal band. They played a new song called ‘Heartless’ which started off slowly, then progressed into a fast song with brutal sounding vocals. They were received well by the audience, especially when they played a cover of ‘Break Stuff’ by Limp Bizkit. They ended with ‘Long Way Home’, a song about travelling and playing shows.

Miss May I had many moshpits before they even arrived on stage, proving how strong their fan base is. Levi Benton proved himself to be an extremely energetic front man who is very talented. They played a good mix of old and new songs, dedicating ‘Forgive and Forget’ for their fans who had seen them before.

The Ghost Inside exploded onto the stage, filling the HMV Institute with brutal hardcore riffs. Jonathan Vigil has an incredible vocal range and was extremely impressive. They played a strong set and closed it with the incredibly catchy song ‘Unspoken’.

After three strong support bands, Parkway Drive took centre stage. Parkway Drive are renowned for their incredible live shows, and it’s safe to say that they definitely delivered. Opening with ‘Unrest’, they managed to make the whole crowd move; it’s almost impossible to stand still whilst watching Parkway Drive live. Winston McCall sounded truly grateful to every fan there and he gave an impressive performance. Ending with the melodic song ‘Carrion’, they proved that Easter Sunday is a perfect day for hardcore metal.