Destrage @ The Dome, London: 05 October 2024

When you discover a new band and their songs slowly seep into your regular playlist ? news of them coming to your city is something highly anticipated. But what if this would be your first and most likely their last show ever? That is exactly what happened to me last Saturday when Unlock ? an Italian progressive metalcore headliner, came to London. This mini farewell tour will also cover Tokyo and Milan, after which the band will stop their activities. They are leaving their fans with six studio albums and some beautiful memories from the concert hosted at The Dome in Tufnell Park. Backed up by two fantastic support acts, this was a gig worth remembering. 

Forlorn

Forlorn opened the night by bringing their signature mix of folk horror and paganism directly into our ears. Their eerie soundscapes blended the drumming chaos and low-level guitars with powerful and brutal screams, fully embodying the cult horror movie ?Midsommar? (one of my personal favourites). As they took us through their set list, song after song, we found ourselves enchanted by their magical performance. I felt like a fly on a wall looking over a powerful ritual. You should definitely watch out for this band over the coming years because they will be going places in the future. 

Polar

The second act from Polar switched up the tempo and energy levels on stage and in the pit. The hardcore/metalcore band is well known in the UK & European metal scene. Watching them unravel on stage and pushing the sound boundaries stirred the crowd into the moshpit. Their guitarist Bruno Consani, at one point, found himself diving off the stage and piggybacking one of his friends in the pit (or even better if this was a random fan) and still ripping through his set of riffs. Mid-show, I got handed over their branded guitar pick promoting their new upcoming album ?Five Arrows?, which is about to drop on the 22nd of November, followed by the highly anticipated UK tour. Vocalist Adam Woodford stunned me with his meaningful performance. You can tell he is pouring his heart and soul into each word he lets loose through the microphone. Fans complied with his encouraging commands to let loose, as he made us all get down on the ground and jump up in sync with the band?s high-octane breakdown in one of their songs.  

Unlock

Headliner Destrage took us on a journey across their discography in an almost 1.5-hour set filled with elevated emotions. Fans came to pay their respects during this last-ever London show, which celebrated their departure from the music scene. Since 2002, they released an abundance of songs, which they painstakingly performed that evening. There was space for lengthy guitar solos and even lengthier drum solos, which we do not get often enough! There was even space for a little bit of dancing. Good vibes were present, and you could tell that Unlock had lots of fun playing in front of the London audience. I always like to look over my shoulder to see how others are taking in the show, and all I could spot was wide smiles, horns up in the air and fans singing along to their favourite songs. The encore lasted about 30 minutes, which was not surprising. Fans did not want them to end their set, and until the last minute, we had a circle pit in full swing and crowd surfers up in the air. When the end finally came, it was a bittersweet moment for fans cheering the band and the band thanking the fans for their support over the years. Then, the dreaded lights came back on, and it was time to go home. 

Artists: Unlock, Forlorn, Polar