In an era where big gigs are becoming both more frequent and more expensive, bands need to bring more spectacle than ever to stand out. It would have been easy for Kreator, who formed 45 years as a grubby gang of teenage thrashers, to get lost in the shuffle, given how overloaded their scene is with veteran artists playing at academy level. But the Essen aggressors have instead risen to the challenge, as telegraphed by the enormous four-band bill they’ve brought on their European tour and all the interviews mainman Mille Petrozza has given promising their biggest production to date.
The recently reunited NAILS are masters of powerviolence, and their opening set proves that they deserve that brutal genre tag. The trio tear through 90-second onslaught after 90-second onslaught, unloading 13 songs in just under half an hour. Even though O2 Academy Brixton has an annoyingly strict ‘don’t encourage a moshpit’ rule, this lot don’t suffer for it, with the floor quickly opening up into an incorrigible maelstrom. Singer/guitarist Todd Jones is clearly impressed as he steps off of the stage.
