What the hell are these curtains doing here?! When Hammer walks into Wembley Arena, vast swathes of fabric have cordoned off the back of the venue and most of the seating: a surefire sign that tickets have sold below expectations. That’s despite the fact Killswitch Engage, masters of noughties metalcore, are playing their biggest-ever UK gig, supported by one of the most stacked lineups London’s seen in years. We don’t deserve nice things.
Fortunately, Polish mavens DECAPITATED defy the odds. Overcoming the sparse turnout and a most-people-are-fresh-from-work start time of 6:45, they ignite the first pit of the evening. As good a warmup as they are, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY amplify the energy tenfold. The front of the room is crammed for the five-piece, and the likes of Lower Purpose and Hostage demonstrate why. The way they mix the best bits of deathcore, Gojira and the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal is hugely intelligent, yet it feels primal as fuck. Every melody sounds gigantic, every breakdown gets the pit swirling and every tech-metal chug-a-thon sees bodies fly over the barrier. They don’t even play 40 minutes but are – spoiler alert – the best act of the night.
