Kicking off the evening were confident Californian rockers New Years Day. Firing into their first song, the band, led by front-woman Ashley Costello, instantly demand attention, delivering a hard hitting track brimming with punching riffs, intensely powerful vocals and a level of crowd interaction that was impressive considering the show was the bands first international show since forming. Whilst feeling that their set was a little short, and came to a fairly abrupt end, they ensured that all members of the crowd, both fans and new comers got the entertainment and satisfaction that not a lot of opening bands seem to be able to provide nowadays. A solid performance, energetic stage presence and a confidence of a much more established band worked well to show that these guys (and girl) aren’t just a loose band, and you can expect to hear a lot more of them in the future.
Glamour Of The Kill took to the already nicely warmed stage and gave a blistering performance that really captures exactly why they deserve to be where they are. Taking the energy levels that NYD created and punching them up to the next level, GOTK threw out song after song to the floor, where they were greedily lapped up by eager ears. This band showed an astounding display of exceptional song writing and truly beautiful musicianship. All 4 members contributing to the vocals flawlessly really made this band stand out for me, and when I say ‘flawlessly’, I mean it. A mix of solid breakdowns, riffs, passionate solo’s and strong pop choruses sum up exactly why this band are main support to one of the biggest bands in the metal genre. Leaving the stage with the promise of a headline tour early in 2015, I’d highly recommend keeping an eye on the dates and getting yourself down to a show.
Finally we were at the main event. Escape The Fate, unfortunately dropped out of ‘The Road To Warped Tour’ in November of last year, however, that seemed to have not deterred any of the fans who showed up in the hundreds this time round. Escape The Fate really are one of the classic metal bands of this generation, and tonight they showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with. Performing old hits such as ‘Ashley’ and ‘The Flood’ along with many songs off of their latest album ‘Ungrateful’, the band ensured all the older fans got to reminisce on their youth, whilst giving younger fans proof that they are still as good as ever at delivering an entertaining show. Vocalist Craig Mabbitt shows he can still climb in the ring with younger vocalist and still hold his own. Solid vocal back up from guitarist TJ Bell helps give strength to the set and provide a driven, powerful rendition of every song. Guitarist Kevin Gruft blasted through every solo with incredible speed and definition, including the encore song ‘This War Is Ours Part II’, famous for its sweep picking intro and painfully difficult solo. All in all, Escape The Fate were faultless, giving no reason to be disappointed by the performance. Clear enjoyment on stage, friendly banter between members and flawless delivery of all tracks old and new, the guys in Escape The Fate are far from finished, and despite being one of the older bands in their genre, they proved tonight that they are still the heavyweight champions, and they show no sign of giving up that title soon.
