Paledusk, Knosis, Greyhaven & Headwreck at The Dome, London
Crossing the span of the planet Paledusk have brought one of the year’s highest energy tours to London. Joined by Knosis, Greyhaven and Headwreck for an all night metalcore party at The Dome, London.
Photography and words by Anton Smeeton. Please contact before any use.
Headwreck
Opening up are Aussie nü-metalcore crew Headwreck, launching themselves around the stage with a fierce determination from the off. They condense their love of 00’s aesthetics with distinctly modern metalcore sounds. The vintage WWE merch and samples are coupled with a well received Linkin Park cover and seem to win over the room instantly. A few questionable rap passages and some particularly choice sunglasses push the nostalgia factor and may come across a bit goofy, but the atmosphere is clearly one of good fun. While it’s certainly not going to be to everyone’s taste – Headwreck are very good at what they do. They’re a deeply capable live band and their ability to win over an audience is set to serve them very well going forward. Maybe time to get some new shades though.
Greyhaven
On the subject on nostalgia, for anyone who routinely finds themselves longing for the sheer chaos of Every Time I Die or the pomp and theatrics of Chiodos will find a perfect marriage in Greyhaven. Fulfilling the need for late 00’s post-hardcore with great proficiency, it’s clear a decent portion of tonight’s audience are already invested in their sound. Launching a series of particularly ambitious crowd-surfers over the gaggle of Paledusk devotees clumped around centre stage results in a few near misses and a few tragic faceplanting incidents. The lack of etiquette from the GoPro wielding super-fans at the front fails to slow Greyhaven or their supporters down though. Rapidly heating a packed Dome to the point where a steamy haze of dry ice and sweat hangs over the heads of the crowd. Greyhaven have all the song writing chops and performing grit to own the stage completely.
Knosis
Formed by vocalist Ryo Kinoshita following his departure from Japanese scene royalty Crystal Lake. Knosis are cut from the same cloth and share deep roots with our headliner. They take metalcore’s proven formula and push into the genre’s boundaries with deathcore, dabble with electronics and indulge in the evergreen characteristics of nü-metal. To say they are an extremely high energy band, even compared with the rest of tonight’s line-up is an understatement. Kinoshita‘s sheer cardiovascular exertion is humbling to even the most accomplished performer and the crowd are hooked on his bellowed instructions. Not leaving a single instant of stillness or silence between songs, the energy is constantly built up. For every crowd surfer headed toward the stage, the band return the favour and send a member flying out to meet them. Showing little regard for the safety of men or instruments, they lead every interaction by example. Singling out fans to share the mic and inciting ever greater reactions in the pit. Their stage-show is genuinely remarkable and well worth a journey for spectacle alone.
Paledusk
Rapidly gathering momentum as some Japan’s fastest rising stars, borrowing in equal measure from western metal styles and the famously eccentric visual kei and alternative scenes of their homeland, Paledusk represent the bleeding edge of modern metalcore. Cutting their sound with an eclectic mix of samples, tempo shifts and stylistic inspirations from across the spectrum of alternative music. Their sound may be a distant cousin to genre’s forerunners but the core remains the same: big breakdowns, bigger riffs and even bigger choruses. Its small wonder guitarist Daisuke Ehara has been singled out his song-writing ability, contributing to some of of Bring Me The Horizon‘s recent efforts as well as developing Paledusk‘s distinct sound.
When the band take to the stage its Ehara‘s rockstar charisma that pushes the bands presence into the truly remarkable. Armed with an arsenal of ear-worm worthy hooks that bludgeon the language barrier into submission, the mutual appreciation flowing to and from the stage is overwhelming. By carefully curating a line-up of bands known for their intensity on stage, Paledusk have created a real challenge for themselves. Following Knosis‘ set alone is no mean feat and the band set about matching the intensity immediately. They make wringing every last ounce of energy from the audience, one that should be utterly spent, look like light work. The band are tight, highly polished and able to indulge in stage spanning antics without sacrificing a crisp and clear mix that carries songs all the way to the back of the room. With a show this impressive bigger rooms will are sure to be calling soon, if you’re on the fence – take the chance to see Paledusk now, before there’s a barrier between you and the band.
