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It takes a lot to stand up to the full-blown craziness of BTBAM but for all their avant-garde nature, HAKEN [8] pull out all the stops to plug into the metal crowd.

Although veering into trad territory the bulk of the set is befuddling and crushing, leaving the room gloriously limbered for the headliners. If there’s any doubt that BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME [9] can pull off their insanely challenging compositions live then tonight proves that every one of them are bearers of exceptional talent, tackling the hardest of key changes and stylistic switches with such fluidity it defies belief.

Tommy Rogers goes with the flow (Image credit: Kevin Nixon)

Selkies immediately ignites the crowd, sewing together jazz, hardcore and progressive melodies in a seamless tapestry and drifting into newbie The Coma Machine in one fell swoop.

Exact, melodic, brutal and immaculately executed, Astral Bodies and Lay Your Ghosts To Rest are centrepieces and the grand finale of Bohemian Rhapsody, a comparative doddle to their own material, leaves the lingering sense that BTBAM are the Leonardo da Vincis of the metal scene.

With over 10 years’ experience writing for Metal Hammer and Prog, Holly has reviewed and interviewed a wealth of progressively-inclined noise mongers from around the world. A fearless voyager to the far sides of metal Holly loves nothing more than to check out London’s gig scene, from power to folk and a lot in between. When she’s not rocking out Holly enjoys being a mum to her daughter Violet and working as a high-flying marketer in the Big Smoke.