Accompanying them on this tour are The Legendary Orchestra, a collective of musicians put together by Sabaton bassist Pär Sundström as a new way to bring the band’s songs to life through classical arrangements. On paper, it makes sense given the orchestral elements across their discography; in practice, it’s a spellbindingly impressive performance that’s not metal in sound, but most certainly is in spirit. Their hour long set flies by in what feels like no time at all due to the engrossing beauty of their renditions of Sabaton anthems. As they close on fan favourite, ‘Swedish Pagans’ to a rapturous reception, it’s clear that the left-field choice of warm-up act has gone down swimmingly.

As cauldrons light up the smaller B-stage in the middle of the arena, what can only be described as a historical fever dream gets underway. An actor portraying Napoleon Bonaparte – one of said legends covered on Sabaton’s new album – climbs the steps to address the crowd, boasting of his greatness and firing quips towards the audience. He is joined by Genghis Khan and Julius Caesar, with the trio debating which of them is the greatest in what is part theatrical epic, part Monty Python skit and a little bit panto, though it outstays its 20-minute duration.

Their bickering is brought to an end by Jacques de Molay and his Knights Templar, with the latter removing their helmets and revealing themselves to be the members of Sabaton, who kick their set off with an emphatic rendition of new album opener ‘Templars’ and the rousing ‘The Last Stand’. A bridge descends from the ceiling to connect the two stages, with vocalist Joakim Brodén pacing up and down it during the opening numbers.

As the band take their places on the castle stage, streams of pyro follow the return of Genghis Khan on the B-Stage for, unsurprisingly, ‘Hordes of Khan’. He is the first of the legendary figures to reappear for their respective songs from the new album, as Napoleon directs his troops to set off cannons in a sea of smoke during ‘I, Emperor’ and Caesar introduces the thunderous ‘Crossing the Rubicon’.

Accompanying the huge new stage show are costume changes and props galore. The band don the coats of the Swedish Royal Guard for the imposing ‘Carolus Rex’, while Joakim plunges the arena into darkness and silence with a detonator during ‘Stormtroopers’, as the music kicks back in with aplomb accompanied by streaks of bright flares. ‘A Tiger Among Dragons’ sees Brodén takes over duties on guitar from Chris Rörland and Thobbe Englund, with the pair flanking him playing traditional Chinese Drums.

Phone torches light up the arena for ‘Christmas Truce’, as members of The Legendary Orchestra’s choir file onto the castle’s ramparts to add extra gravitas to the ballad. It’s the emotional start to a run of songs from their pair of First World War albums, with the band taking the show into the crowd during ‘The Attack of the Dead Men’, as a gas mask-wearing Joakim clears a path for them through the audience from the B-stage to the main stage with a gas sprayer.

The final run is a reminder of sheer firepower of hits in the Swedes’ arsenal, with ‘Night Witches’, ‘Primo Victoria’, ‘The Art of War’ and ‘To Hell and Back’ getting the arena’s packed-out floor off their feet and belting the lyrics back at the band with gusto as the stage continues to be engulfed in flames. A surprising closer in debut album track ‘Masters of the World’ brings the nights to a triumphant end, as confetti falls and the quintet take in the applause from the bridge.

Earlier in the night, Pär reflected on how far they had come since their first London show at the Purple Turtle eighteen years ago. They were told back then that “bands like you” don’t play at venues like the O2, but tonight’s show couldn’t have proven those doubters more wrong. Sabaton’s bombastic combination of power metal and the history of warfare has brought them and their army of fans to the biggest of stages – on which they look completely at home. The spectacle of their performance puts them on a par with the likes of Parkway Drive in being one of metal’s must-see live acts the next time they grace our shores; it truly was the stuff of legend.

BRAD STRATTON

As the black curtain obscuring the stage drops to reveal a banner declaring, “Alice Cooper, Banned in England!”, the man himself slices through it to roars of approval before kicking into opening numbers ‘Lock Me Up’ and ‘Welcome to the Show’. The 77-year-old shock rock icon has no intention of letting the energy drop, as a smash-hit run of ‘No More Mr Nice Guy’, ‘I’m Eighteen’ and ‘Hey Stoopid’ leaves the crowd dumbstruck with glee.

The delightful theatrics that accompany his live shows are here in spades, from a superfan meeting their grizzly end at the hands of Jason Voorhees [‘He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)’], to a towering, zombified Alice swooping around the stage menacingly [‘Feed My Frankenstein’]. Cooper’s wife Sheryl makes an appearance dressed as a dominatrix during ‘Go to Hell’ to give him a good whipping. Green and purple lighting bathe the stage as guitarists Nita Strauss and Ryan Roxie rip into the iconic opening riff of ‘Poison’, resulting in a glorious singalong that is up there for the loudest of the evening. Alice’s band are a hard-working unit throughout the set, with each member getting their moment in the spotlight during a jam of ‘Black Widow’.

Cooper returns bound in a straightjacket for an engrossing ‘The Ballad of Dwight Fry’ that takes a dramatic turn as Sheryl – now dressed as Marie Antoinette – leads him off for a date with the infamous Madame Guillotine. The fall of the blade is followed by Sheryl parading her husband’s severed head across the stage as the band perform ‘I Love the Dead’.

While that’s all fairly par for the course, the evening takes an emotional left turn as the unmistakable riff from ‘Paranoid’ roars through the arena and Alice – now sporting an Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt and joined by Johnny Depp on guitar – rips through a grin-inducing cover of the Sabbath classic. The surprises don’t end there, as the members of the original Alice Cooper band pile in for the show-stopping finale of ‘School’s Out’/’Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2’, with confetti and giant balloons galore fly across the stage. As Alice ends his post-show address to crowd by stating “May all your lovely dreams become nightmares” while ‘Crazy Train’ blares through the sound system, we’re left to ponder if what we’ve just witnessed was real or just a spooktacular fever dream.

A high bar has been set for Judas Priest to bring the night to a close, but the NWOBHM legends are more than up for the challenge on the final date of their “Shield of Pain” tour – a celebration of latest album, ‘Invincible Shield’, and 35 years of bona fide classic, ‘Painkiller’. The traditional intro track of ‘War Pigs’ feels more poignant than ever as the entire arena bellows the lyrics at full volume, a reminder of the brotherhood shared between Birmingham’s two pioneers of heavy metal. Thunder and lightning build the tension alongside the unmistakable refrain of Rob Halford, as the “Metal God” strides onto stage to belt out the opening lines of ‘All Guns Blazing’. Joined by the rest of the band – clad in matching leather jackets and trousers – the Priest engine kicks into top gear with a ferocity and fury that pulsates around the room.

Halford takes delight in inspecting the handiwork of axemen Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap during the equally thunderous ‘Hell Patrol’, throwing up the horns in approval at their riffing, while bassist Ian Hill cuts a steadfast figure at the back of the stage. ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’ provides another opportunity for the Metal God to rock out to his heart’s content, whilst full-throttle classic ‘Breaking the Law’ makes an early appearance in the set. ‘Painkiller’ fan favourites getting a rare outing brings a special feel to tonight’s proceedings, from the soaring highs of the majestic ‘Touch of Evil’ to the seedy underbelly of ‘Nightcrawler’.

Following a blistering ‘Between the Hammer & Anvil’, Halford takes time to thank the crowd on the last night of their tour, whilst acknowledging the grief that himself and the metal community are going through after the passing of his long-time friend. He remarks that: “This is what he’d want us to be doing, to be together celebrating”, before dedicating one of the tracks from their latest album, ‘Giants in the Sky’, to Ozzy. An ode to iconic musicians no longer with us, cheers go up around the arena as the likes of Lemmy, Ronnie James Dio and Janis Joplin on the screen behind the band are joined by two new faces – a wild-eyed younger Prince of Darkness, and the elder statesman of his later years. As Halford points to the screen and cries “Giants in the sky/You won’t ever die”, it’s a tearjerkingly touching tribute on a night filled with them.

If ever there was a way to bring everyone back into the room after such a moving moment, it’s the unrelenting firepower of ‘Painkiller’ itself. Every element of the well-oiled Priest machine turns the intensity up to 11 for the song, from drummer Scott Travis’ furious intro, to the scything solos of the Faulkner and Sneap twin guitar attack. Halford’s screeching vocals hit their highest pitch, belying his 73 years of age with just how good he sounds in his twilight years.

The revving of a motorcycle engine offstage signals the encore as Halford rides a Harley Davidson onto stage for the classic ‘Hellbent for Leather’. Guitarist Glenn Tipton – still an ever present in the studio, but limited to select live appearances because of Parkinson’s – joins in for the traditional closer of ‘Living After Midnight’, bringing the night to a satisfying end that’s a reminder that over 50 years in, Priest still deliver the goods on the big stage, and then some.

Reflecting on the week that was, it brings into focus just how much of a privilege it is to get to see some of the most formative acts in heavy music still performing at such a high standard. While their legend and legacies will always live on, Ozzy’s passing is a reminder that they are as mortal as any of us. Tonight was a beautiful celebration of what we still have in Judas Priest and Alice Cooper and of the joy Ozzy brought to so many. It’s also a reminder if you ever needed one to go and see your musical heroes live if you can, because you may never know when it might be the last time.

BRAD STRATTON

This evening’s show marks the official start of the band’s touring for 2025, coming off a momentous year that saw them put out acclaimed third album ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’ to plaudits from across the music industry, scare mainstream America with their visceral performance on Jimmy Kimmel, and receive their first Grammy nomination. The tour package they’re taking out with them on this run of UK and EU shows is a mix of exciting names from across hardcore’s subgenres, both old and new.

“This may be the biggest stage we’ve ever played” exclaims Pest Control vocalist Leah Massey-Hay midway through their set. You wouldn’t have thought that was the case with how at home the Leeds quintet look and sound on said stage, as the openers rip through their back catalogue of headbang-inducing crossover thrash bangers. It’s a performance which cements their reputation as one of UK Hardcore’s rising stars.

Following them, Harm’s Way waste no time turning Brixton Academy into a cacophony of noise, with vocalist James Pligge a hulking presence as he stalks across the stage, clenched fists pumping, as the band’s chugging riffs reverberate around the room. The Chicago crew are the closest thing to no-nonsense hardcore on the bill, however the droning menace of slower-tempo ‘Temptation’ showcases their more industrial side, ending their crushing set on the crowd-pleasing ‘Infestation’ that sees Pligge bust out his infamous “Running Man” two-step.

The cheer that goes up as Basement’s backdrop is raised tells you the regard that the Ipswich post-hardcore group are held in. Tonight is their first performance in the English capital in over six years and the reaction they receive is one of cathartic release from those in attendance, who sing every word of ‘Whole’ back at vocalist Andrew Fisher with gusto. While they are the most melodic of tonight’s four acts, that doesn’t take away from the sea of movement on the floor, with bodies bouncing across the room. The biggest singalong is saved for closer ‘Covet’, as the crowd belt out the opening vocal hook in one united voice in celebration of one of the UK scene’s fan favourites.

As the lights go out – save for those on the iconic crucifix from the ‘You Won’t Go…’ album cover at the back of the stage – the eerie intro of ‘Thirst’ sets the tone before Knocked Loose unleash the full force of their fury onto the capacity crowd. The sheer explosion of sound from the stage as Bryan Garris’ vocals pierce the air underlines the heft behind their newest material, while ‘Deep In The Willow’ sees his call of “From the bottom to the top, say my fucking name” met by the deafening response of “KNOCKED LOOSE MOTHER FUCKER”.

The frontman of Oldham County’s finest darts about the stage throughout proceedings, leading the way in directing the sea of chaos that erupts on the floor as multiple pits open up from back to front. The tsunami of crowdsurfers that claw their way towards the barrier during ‘Don’t Reach For Me’ looks more like a zombie horde, with guitarist Isaac Hale also delighting in riling the crowd into a frenzy throughout the night.

Live staples including ‘Mistakes Like Fractures’ and ‘Deadringer’ are met with glee, but this evening is truly about the Kentucky outfit showing off their newest album, with all but one of its tracks getting an outing. The feeling when you press play on the record that you’ve been transported into the soundtrack for a haunting slasher-film translates to the live environment, from the sub-one-minute assault of ‘Moss Covers All’ to the flashing red strobes that accompany the unsettling build of guitar and drum fills during ‘Take Me Home’.

While everyone gets a respite as the band head offstage to take a breather following ‘Everything Is Quiet Now’, it’s a short one at that, as impending riffs signal the start of ‘Blinding Faith’ and with it a ferocious final run of song. Garris drags out his guttural pig squeal during said track for an impressive length of time, whilst it wouldn’t be Knocked Loose show without the entire room belting out “Arf Arf” at the top of their lungs for the iconic ‘Counting Worms’. Loathe’s Kadeem France turns up for a quick guest spot during a blistering final verse of ‘Billy No Mates’ whilst Grammy-nominated ‘Suffocate’ sends the crowd into an all-out frenzy.

Before closing the night on ‘Sit & Mourn’, Garris comments that, “this is day one of our touring for the year, and you have set the bar high for the rest of this year”. In truth though, the same can be said about Knocked Loose themselves after this evening’s display of excellence. The Kentucky crew’s meteoric rise has significantly raised the bar their peers in hardcore & metalcore should aspire to, showing them all what can be achieved without the need to compromise on the heaviness of their sound – if anything doubling down on that aspect. The end result is an early contender for gig of the year, whetting the appetite for those with tickets to Outbreak Festival this summer when they return to decimate these shores once again.

WORDS: BRAD STRATTON

PHOTO: JARED LEIBOWITZ