It was the hottest day of a weeklong heatwave as I found my heat-stroked self heading to The Flapper in Birmingham for the Cinematic-Djent quintet Vanitas’ EP launch show. Supports for the night were Viridity, Axiom and A Titan, A Deity.
After attempting to cool down, I headed down for the first band of the night Viridity. The Djentcore 5-piece quickly released an unrelenting onslaught of riffs, vocals and blast beats into the audience as a swift wake-up. It wasn’t long till the crowd got into the swing of their set as cheers erupted all around in between each and every track the band effortlessly performed. A great opener that definitely set a high bar for the night.
Up next we’re Axiom, an instrumental Prog 3-piece with some utterly amazing stage presence and the musical chops to keep an entire room easily entertained. From start to finish, their set tackles an incredibly wide range of genres and influences but managed to blend them all into not only a cohesive but completely fluid set that sounds nothing like anything I’ve heard. Another great set that pushed the bar for the night even higher.
A Titan, A Deity was the main support for the night, and god damn it I was blown away by both the sound and professionalism of the band. With crushing breakdowns, intricate musicianship and great stage presence, they effortlessly got the hot and exhausted crowd grooving along with multiple pits. A true masterclass on how to create Modern Metalcore. Honestly just see this band live, they’re too good.
Finally, we had the night’s main event, Vanitas. Within moments, I was blown away by the level of performance given by the act both musically and visually. With their setlist covering their entire EP, a Devin Townsend cover and their cover of Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2’s opening The Rumbling as an encore, the band relentlessly gave their all in one of the tightest performances I’ve had the pleasure of watching from a new project in an incredibly long time. An amazing set by a band destined for big things.
Local shows are always a special thing. There’s no monetary incentive, there’s just pure love for making and performing music to an audience who simply loves music, and that could be seen by every act on the bill. The room was full of smiles and pits throughout the night and it’s understandable why each of the night’s acts all offered performance on par with their established counterparts. Check out all the acts, and go support bands trying to make it in an industry that’s intentionally hard to break through.
Review & Photography: Dan Stapleton // Pulse Media Visuals
https://www.pulsemediavisuals.com/