“And the blood runs down the mountain.”
Hearing that Fuming Mouth were returning to town for a show convinced me to get a ticket. Seeing they weren’t even headlining, and that I’d get to see The Acacia Strain, was a further treat. Then, Judiciary got added to the tour, and closer to the date they squeezed local support from Splitknuckle onto the bill – brilliant. I can only congratulate myself for getting onboard this one early. If you’re unfamiliar with these bands, they’re a fantastic sample of the modern metallic/death-y hardcore scene, and excellent picks for a focused line up.
Words by Dobbin T, photography by Amy Shephard.
Splitknuckle
With a delayed start and early finish, it was important that Splitknuckle got straight to the point. They did so in furious fashion. Their blend of hardcore borrows vocal flows from hip-hop, delivered over riffs that Chuck Schuldiner would be proud of. The set list focused on the front half of their new record Breathing Through The Wound including its title track, “We Share Blood (Not Love)” and “Fuck Your Whole Life”. I’ll have to wait for the opportunity to see them headline, with a longer set I’d love to see some of the record’s second side (if they play it, I’ll forsake my upbringing to pretend I am one of the “Essex Kingz”). Lots of ninja moves filled a wide open pit. Vocalist Joey Drake emphasised how it was such a privilege to be on this specific stage, as his first time at O2 Academy Islington was to see The Acacia Strain (along with Whitechapel and Impending Doom). He also praised the long-running friendship that his band had and said it was so important that friendship came before the music. They must be great friends then, because their music is very, very good.
Number of “two-step” calls: two.
Judiciary
Much like their home state of Texas, everything about Judiciary was big: hair, muscles, beats, and riffs. Their style of hardcore is all about its precision execution. They boast plenty of slow and beefy moments, such as the opener “Blood” with its tight riffs and nasty breakdown that locked in the success of the set. For “Paradigm Piercer” the crowd response was a jubilant bounce, and for “Karma’s Knife” they got a circle pit amid the deliciously syncopated verse riffs. Jake Collinson said it had been a long time since they last played, and fondly remembered their last show at New Cross Inn – the crowd warmly agreed. The set was split evenly between Flesh + Blood and Surface Noise, closing on “The Axis Of Equality” for a final throwback.
Number of “two-step” calls: three.
Fuming Mouth
Having already toured here in January, and coming once again in November, 2024 really is the year of Fuming Mouth in the UK. For this tour they were a trio of bass, guitar, and drums, putting their songs into rock and roll framing that made you feel grits in your mouth. An extra guitar, or even a less dry sound, would have smoothed out transitions between solos, as one would be more accustomed to in modern death metal. Even though they didn’t headline, they still ripped through twelve songs from across their discography. From the recent single they played “Daylight Again” and “Timeless”, the bookending single for Last Day Of Sun – Mark Whelan’s way of saying “I lived, bitch”. Whelan dedicated “I’ll Find You” (“a love song”) to their January tour partners Celestial Sanctuary. “Rest In Piss” was a deep cuts from Last Day Of Sun that landed very well in the pit, and the three classic opening tracks from The Grand Descent are still sticking around.
Number of “two-step” calls: one.
The Acacia Strain
The Acacia Strain made the three preceding bands sound like PhD graduates. In Vincent Bennett’s own words, their music is “zero brain cell caveman shit”. He’s absolutely vital to the project as its only long-standing member and, of course, its staggering pipes. It’s easy to be won over by his smiley and slightly deranged stage presence. Mentioning the 4th of July and the UK’s election day, he simply encouraged people to let out all their negative emotions and have a smile. He took all of his anger out on the microphone and his supply of mineral water, delighted in making the pit his splash zone.
Crowd engagement went far beyond the pit – the sing alongs were constant. “Crippling Poison”, “Dr Doom” and “Woah! Shut It Down” might as well have been karaoke sessions. The guitarists might as well remove the top twelve frets of their guitars, because they’re gathering dust whilst they focus on ignorant breakdowns and 0-1-0 runs. The newer tracks from Step Into The Light felt like a few extra brain cells sprouting as The Acacia Strain’s format was squeezed into one minute bursts. As they closed with “Carbomb” they begged for crowd surfers and got absolutely swarmed.
Number of “two-step” calls: two.
Check out our reviews for the recent The Acacia Strain, Fuming Mouth, Judiciary, and Splitknuckle releases at Boolin Tunes.