The second the doors open to the Colos Saal in Aschaffenburg, it is apparent that tonight will be one sweaty moshfest - both bands and audience are in for a treat tonight. Four of metal’s most anticipated artists playing to a sold out German crowd. And it’s not like these bands aren’t energetic either; the bands match the intensity of the crowds movement and chaos ensues.
Opening with SHVPES, it is apparent that the Birmingham five-piece have learnt a lot from their time on the road with metal giants. Their stage presence seems to be maybe the strongest of the night and the crowd get into it rapidly, regardless if they can pronounce the band's name or not. Needless to say the mixture of groove and melody is reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine or Limp Bizkit. Two Minutes of Hate proves to be the crowd favorite and the bands set seems too short for satisfaction.
Novelists follow, similarly they find themselves facing a crowd, many of which are unfamiliar with them but smash it anyways. Again there is no lack of stage for presence despite their musical complexity. Vocals, drums, bass and guitars seem as tight as one can expect from the French quintet and this skill does not go unnoticed by the crowd. It is however fair to say that the crowd does not get into it as heavily as with SHVPES; possibly due to the mere admiration. Nevertheless, this performance is more than eye opening.
The stage is then cleared for the arrival of Australian Djent Djiants, Northlane. It is clear that every almost every little aspect of the bands performance has been refined, rehearsed and perfected. The band’s clarity is unreal and despite whether you like Northlane or not, their live performance is satisfying to listen to. The intense heat in the room heightens as the mosh pits spread wider than ever before until practically the whole is moving. Any metalheads natural instinct when hearing live music as chuggy as this, is to move. But the band feed off of this crowd energy and it is fair to say that they top all previous stage presence from both support bands, and that's saying something. Even injured bassist Alex Milovic bangs his head hard enough to have caused further damage to himself. Guitarists Jon Deiley and Josh Smith also get into it but still play as flawlessly as ever. Nic Pettersen doesn’t miss a beat either and conjures that signature Northlane groove that only he can. But despite all the instrumental perfection of tonight's performance, Marcus Bridge certainly stands out above the rest. Effortlessly nailing tunes like Solar and Quantum Flux is something that most can only dream of doing. The only criticism anyone can have is that the set was WAY too short.
The end of their set leaves the audience wanting more, but what follows is much more than anyone could have expected. The self-release of latest album, You Are We has only sparked the beginning of something extremely special for Sheffield’s finest. While She Sleeps, although being extremely loved in Germany, would have smashed it anywhere; regardless of the blaring heat inside the 600 cap. venue, the performance from the first scream of “You are We” is epic. It is a beautiful mixture of signature upbeat, huge n’ heavy riffs in Brainwashed and Civil Isolation, to melodic guitars in Silence Speaks, Hurricane and Seven Hills, and the epic sing alongs of You Are We, Four Walls and Feel. Sean Long and Mat Welsh outdo themselves vocally and instrumentally whilst Aaran Mckenzie hypes up the crowd even more and also does his fair share of background singing. Adam Savage provides the backbone of the entire set as well as the best sounding drumming of the night. Loz Taylor, doesn’t only provide the humor of the set, but also the intensity springing into the crowd on numerous occasions. Despite insane stage antics, it is clear to see that his vocal performance has become extremely solid as well and his speaking provides a personal connection between the band and the audience. This connection is best seen during the last song of the set, Hurricane. If anyone had any doubts that every single person in the room was off their feet and/or singing, these last moments of the show surely proved them wrong. Mat Welsh enjoys a brief final jump into the crowd before the song ends and the set comes to a close. Despite the crowds plea for more, the show is over.
And one thing is for certain- While She Sleeps will never release anything independently again, so long as they have fans like these standing behind them.
Text: Nicole Smith/ Photos: Artun Otter
NORTHLANE
WHILE SHE SLEEPS