Photo: Fraser Kerr

Live Review: Arch Enemy & Behemoth – The European Siege Tour – O2 Academy Brixton, London

Opening the night’s proceedings was Unto Others who brought a unique blend of groove and metal to the London legions. Opening with ‘Heroine’ before launching straight into ‘Give Me To The Night’ saw the band captivate the crowd from the off. Certainly the least heavy band on the bill however, that didn’t stop them from giving the Brixton crowd something to party to. ‘Nightfall’ went down incredibly while their final track of the evening ‘When Will God’s Work Be Done’ was a clear fan favourite!

Following them was Death Metallers Carcass who smothered the entire venue in smoke and palm mutes. ‘Exhume to Consume’ was what kicked off the mayhem and ‘Buried Dreams’ only solidified it. The pit was in full swing now and the band were feeding off the energy the crowd were giving them. ‘Kelly’s Meat Emporium’ was welcomed with open arms and nodding heads as Carcass laid down an all-out assault of distortion and blast beats. The much heavier esthetic was welcomed by those in attendance with ‘Heartworm’ receiving one of the wildest pits of the entire night.

Photo: Fraser Kerr

The first of two headlines was Arch Enemy and you knew they were not here to mess about when their drop curtain hung above the academy exclaiming “Pure Fucking Metal”. Opening their set with an incredible trio of ‘Deceiver, Deceiver’, ‘War Eternal’, and ‘Ravenous’ was exactly what the London hoards had hoped for. Pits, headbanging and singing all ensued while Arch enemy made the Brixton stage their own.

‘In The Eye Of The Storm’ continued the chaos before ‘House of Mirrors’ sent the room into overdrive. Controlled carnage was the order of the day and ‘My Apocalypse’ only added to what was unfolding before our very eyes. Brixton is notorious for being a difficult venue to get a great pit going due to the barriers in the middle of the venue however Arch Enemy had the crowd in the palm of their hands and the pits looked immense.

A nicely varied set meant that old fans and new fans all had something to be happy with, key highlights being the performances of ‘As The Page Burns’ and unsurprisingly ‘Nemesis’. As their set drew to a close you started to remember that there was still one more band on the bill. The high energy Arch Enemy required from the fans didn’t offset the mood tho and after a trip back to the bar, the crowd was ready for the ceremony.

Photo: Fraser Kerr

Behemoth wasted no time reigniting the room’s energy as they opened with ‘Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer’. Flames engulfed the venue while the legions of fans’ voices echoed around the auditorium. ‘The Deathless Sun’ had one of the loudest sing-along moments of the night while ‘Ov Fire And The Void’ enchanted those in attendance once more. Brixton Academy had never felt as unholy as it did when Behemoth came to town and ‘Thy Becoming Eternal’ really cemented that.

A real turning point of the night was during ‘Conquer All’. The fans in attendance seemed to hit their second wind and what would follow was a massive explosion of energy from all areas within the venue. ‘Daimonos’ and ‘Bartzabel’ carried the wave of momentum through into a powerful performance of ‘Off To War!’ Fire, Smoke and Extreme Metal filled the Brixton skies as Behemoth brought their set to its conclusion. ‘No Sympathy For Fools’ rang around the prestigious venue before ‘Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel’ and ‘Versvs Christvs’ provided all the chaos and mayhem with those in attendance could have desired. Closing out the set was ‘Chant For Eschaton 200’ which left Brixton Academy feeling permanently altered by the mighty Behemoth.

The night as a whole was simply remarkable. Showcasing the different sides of the Extreme metal spectrum, this night truly felt like a huge turning point for the genre as a whole. Extreme metal is quickly becoming a massive force of nature within the alternative music scene and both Arch Enemy and Behemoth are leading the way forward!

Photo: Fraser Kerr