Ten56 have been on an absolute onslaught over the past few years, and have finally brought the aggression to the Midlands for their first headline show in Birmingham. Playing the O2 Institute, we were in for a relentlessly intimate night with one of modern metal’s rising stars, alongside a phenomenal support line-up, consisting of Dali, Thundering Concept, VCTMS and Cabal.
The room slowly filled, and up first was Dali. Dali hit the stage hard and fast, making every second of their half-hour set count. Catchy choruses, ruthless breakdowns and a damn solid stage presence got the room bouncing along effortlessly. The band’s blend of Metalcore, Nu-Metal and elements of Deathcore definitely set the tone, and the audience seemed to agree. Not a moment of the set was dull, with Dali even managing to crowd interaction going from the opening moments of the set, with circle pits, the usual crouch-and-jump and overall great energy that fed back into the band’s performance. A great sound, great performance, and I can’t wait for them to come back to Brum!
Photography:
Dan Stapleton
The next band of the night were VCTMS. The Illinois-based metalcore group took to the stage with one mission: to blow the venue’s roof off, and my god did they achieve their goal. Ridiculously heavy, ridiculously tight and up there as one of my favourite sets of the year so far. Mixing in the band’s great stage presence to the mix, too, the audience collectively lost it for the duration of the band’s time on stage. My personal highlights were Carefully // Caged, and Hell Is Other People, both of which capture the band’s essence perfectly.
Onto the night’s main supports, we had Cabal, the Danish deathcore powerhouse, who gave one hell of a performance. Great stage presence blended with an oppressive sound and ensured all those watching had enough energy to feed off to have some of the most hectic pits of the night. The band’s sound was reminiscent of early 2010’s deathcore with enough modern metal grooves and breakdowns that fans of both genres would struggle not to find at least a few tracks they couldn’t get their teeth into. Cabal’s set flew by, and they’re without a doubt another band to see when you can.
Finally, the night’s main event was on. Ten56 has been on a rapid incline since the release of their first album, Downer (which was originally the band’s choice of name), and the release of the highly anticipated IO. The French Deathcore/Slam/Modern
Metal 5-piece played one of the heaviest, tightest and fun to watch performances of the year, and vocalist Aaron Matt absolutely stole the show with a stellar vocal performance. The band’s 18-song set covered most of their catalogue, with Diazepam, PTY
FCK and Boy are the standouts. With a performance this tight and two fantastic albums that truly stand out from their contemporaries, I’m incredibly excited to see what comes next. Ten56 are in a lane of their own in the Deathcore scene, and this performance was a great sign that Deathcore has a damn bright future ahead of it.
A damn good show, with 4 acts that everyone should see when they get a chance, not much more to say than that.
Photography:
Dan Stapleton