The way that Parkway Drive translate the spectacle of their festival shows into an enclosed space is nothing short of awe-inspiring. From the moment vocalist Winston McCall leads an entrance parade across the area, every song and every twitch of the scenery sparks gasps of anticipation for their next stage trick. It’s not the kind of show where the theatrics take away from the sound, or turn their set into some kind of production though; it’s that rare combination of pyrotechnics as the icing on the cake, adding a bonus wow to an absolutely solid, career-encompassing, full two hours of a band at their peak. When ‘Carrion’ drops, it’s a ripcord and the arena’s in free fall, freedom and joy spreading across the pit, and ‘Prey’ sparks the kind of wonderful bounce that writes it’s own memory. “The energy is mad, you kinda knocked me on my arse there,” jokes McCall, apologising for the sonic weight of ‘Boneyards’. There’s no pressure in the song’s gorgeous heaviness though, it’s more an interlude into the underside of their past. ‘Horizons’ crashes in, delicate yet foreboding, dynamic and looming, while surfers are flung as fast as security can catch them, offering touches of classic rock as riffs are laid out, sacrificial, before us.

While we love the surprises – rain falling onstage, faux Molotov cocktails sparking endless fire blasts, and spinning drummer Ben Gordon on his head like a hamster in a wheel – it’s the force of their energy that makes Parkway Drive tremendous. They deliver exactly what we never knew we needed from a stadium show, be it “ten minutes of pure mosh pit carnage” in the form of their ‘Killing With A Smile’ medley or the visually absorbing and completely uniting “roundabout pit” that forms during ‘Idols and Anchors’. 

When they take a moment of comparative introspection, it’s gorgeous, revealing even more sides to a band who can’t ever really be predicted. The string section descending from the ceiling for ‘Chronos’ adds innovation, but the Led Zep channeling on ‘Darker Still’ is the most stirring of their thoughtful numbers. Of course, there’s fire in the form of their logo ablaze in midair, but the power comes from the multifaceted angles to their show, each one tapping into a different section of our souls. Puffed out, McCall apologises again. “This is a long fuckin show, but we did give you two really slow ones…” he says before we’re returned, full circle, to ‘Bottom Feeder’; conjuring the same euphoria as their opening numbers as they step back into the round, we’re buoyed up by the sheer pace and vigour of their set. With full apologies to their stage designer, the best trick Parkway Drive pull at the end of their show requires no special effects at all. We know ‘Wild Eyes’ will close out the evening, but the singalong, the overwhelming feeling of living in the moment second by second as we are magnetically drawn to each chord? That can’t be manufactured. 

Tonight is a show to which you could invite a skeptic and they would leave converted to the power and pleasure of heavy music. The sheer stamina, passion and skill that Parkway Drive pull out of their proverbial bag for two straight hours is magic, and exactly what we’ve been hoping from a celebration of two decades of Australia’s heaviest exports. 

KATE ALLVEY

Words: Kate Allvey.  Images: Penny Bennett and Download Festival

Code Orange

“Wake the fuck up,” screams Code Orange vocalist Jami Morgan and there’s no way we could stay asleep with their opening volley of maximum volume metalcore. Morgan’s bleeding by the end of first song ‘Grooming My Replacement’, their moodiness Korn-ish without being corny, their harshness the brutal shaking we need to start the third day of Download. In fact, they try to play on after the end time of their shortened set and that level of dedication to providing music to make our teeth rattle needs to be applauded.

 Creeper

Combine AFI, Misfits, the Damned and the cast of Phantom of the Opera, and what do you get? Southampton’s own Creeper, adding a dash of drama to the main stage. ‘Cry To Heaven’ drags power chords and maximum gothic intonation from vocalist Will Gould into the daylight, explaining why there’s such a big turnout for a band so early on the bill. The duelling drums between Gould and second vocalist Hannah Greenwood, the retro anti-cuteness of ‘Down Below’ or the fact they are so damn stylish as a band could also be the big factors in drawing the masses to the bottom of the hill, but with a surprise appearance from Dan Jacobs of Atreyu on ‘Lovers Led Astray’, our early rising is richly rewarded. 

Kerry King

The legendary guitarist is intent on forging his own path away from Slayer, and his set at Download is the first time his solo supergroup (featured members past and present of Machine Head, Death Angel and Testament) have visited the UK. It’s a set that’s understandably heavy on songs from his recent solo debut, ‘From Hell I Rise’, which if we dare say it, sounds very close to everything else King has worked on in his career, the extent that ‘Raining Blood’ and ‘Black Magic’ are indistinguishable from the solo tracks. The classic metal sound is a quintessential part of Download and there’s a transparent reason why King at the top of the heavy metal pantheon, and his set is very much playing to the guitar worshippers in the crowd. ‘Toxic’, “about the fucked up state of politics and politicians across the world” according to vocalist Mark Osegueda, feels a bit clumsy considering the nuanced political statements shared by many other acts, but the old school aggression is a welcome oasis in the Download experience.

Parkway Drive

“Whatever you do, don’t tell anyone,” warned Friday headliners Queens of the Stone Age on ‘The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret’, and the rumour mill had been running overtime about who might fill the empty slot on Sunday. Slipknot and My Chemical Romance were mentioned, as were heretical swedes Ghost, but the alert finally confirmed an hour before their set that Australian metalcore superstars Parkway Drive would be the surprise addition. Naturally, the crowd stretched twenty metres in every direction outside the tiny Dogtooth Stage, with nervous security unsure of the severity of the upcoming band posted on every corner. They needn’t have worried though. Parkway Drive create the kind of uplifting atmosphere that every festival needs, a shared community of folk ready to dance through ‘Glitch’s unearthly guitar as the ground squelches beneath our feet. They drag out the bridge of ‘Prey’ for heightened pleasure before ‘Idols and Anchors’ satisfying payoff and slow-motion slamming. We embrace for ‘Wild Eyes’, the passion poured into the drums diffusing out into the clearing sky. 

Of Mice and Men

Heavy, bouncing and compelling, Of Mice and Men capture the interest of those for whom the stage-clashing Sum 41 are anathema. ‘Obsolete’s grow up emo translates into all seeing darkness that hypnotises onlookers rather than provoking a visceral reaction, until singalong song ‘Castaway’ adds a little cyber energy for our approval and we’re suddenly dancing like our lives depend on it. ‘Would You Still Be There’ feels like it belongs in the future, an era yet to be discovered that grabs a full tent who sing as they run in, and ‘O.G. Loko’ is a big fan favourite, even with toddlers dressed as unicorns who perch on their parents’ shoulders and mash their hands to the roof of the tent in time to the music. 

Thy Art Is Murder

Thy Art Is Murder kick off to a slow and dirty start with ‘Slaves Beyond Death’ keeping the contrast high between the stages, guttural screaming from Tyler Miller as the only appropriate accompaniment to the drum onslaught from Jesse Beahler. In each circle of friends in the crowd, one person loves Thy Art Is Murder and slams like it’s their calling in life while the rest look on politely. At the front, the core acknowledged as “muddy and disgusting” by Miller (a fair statement) will place this as their top set of the weekend, feeling every second of the beautiful juxtaposition between the barrage of noise highlighted with sirens and the late afternoon sunshine. ‘Blood Throne’ is just the perfect example of the kind of wholesome brutality that characterises this corner of the spectrum of bands at Download. 

Corey Taylor

The Slipknot frontman has shed his mask both literally and metaphorically to present a set that’s equal parts raw, sophisticated and silly. ‘Post Traumatic Blues’ comes across as very classic rock until he opens his mouth and let’s out the the full hardcore roar he’s known for, minimising the melodic parts of his range. A show like this, with roughly half the crowd in Slipknot shirts, is like shooting fish in a barrel for him but he puts his all into the solos, determined to live up to his own legend. “There’s no way I was missing this show,” he says sincerely, referring to his health issues which prevented him from touring earlier this year, and with a clean, gleaming smile, he takes over on rhythm guitar for ‘Black Eyes Blue’. Much of his set tackles serious topics with gravity and charisma, until he breaks into the SpongeBob Squarepants theme, winning over those hesitant about his solo prowess with his humour. 

Limp Bizkit

It’s impossible to separate Limp Bizkit’s performance from the inexplicable cult status, and they were, without a doubt, the band with both the biggest crowd and the most enthusiastic response of the weekend. However, the choice to alternate each song with a recording of a pop song, which frontman Fred Durst sways awkwardly through, was an odd one, as was bookending their set by playing ‘Break Stuff’ twice. “We’re just kinda warming the place up for Avenged Sevenfold, keeping it mellow for you guys,” he explains in one of the excruciatingly long pauses between songs. But when they decide to focus, Limp Bizkit still have the magic that sent them to the top of the charts. The reaction to ‘Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle)’ and ‘Take A Look Around’ is genuinely vibrant, creating the atmosphere that you’ve seen on countless YouTube videos and desperately hope to experience for yourself. Yes, there’s a distinct irony in a fifty-three year old with a Santa beard singing about how people don’t understand ‘My Generation’, but the sheer joy that most take from hearing their karaoke staples played across the main stage is infectious. They know how to manipulate, how to masterfully create a buildup, and when they use their maximum energy, it’s easy to see how they’ve won over so many fans who weren’t there the first time around. Thousands simply go home after Limp Bizkit’s set, their Download weekend concluded with a satisfying high. 

Avenged Sevenfold

As the sun sets on another Download Festival, we enter the rich and mysterious world of Avenged Sevenfold. There’s so many sides to their set, from complex narratives, sweet moments and even some plan old rock songs, and they emerge from technical issues as a triumphant headliner. Early song ’Afterlife’ stimulates our remaining brain cells like a sledgehammer with choruses that reach to the darkening sky as ghostly visuals fade to dust in our final twiddly guitar fix of the weekend. “Today is a special day, it’s Father’s Day. There is nothing cooler in this world than being a good dad,” declared vocalist M.Shadows before ‘Hail To The King’, and our weary fists punch upwards in a show of survival as we wail the chorus back. They dedicate ‘Fiction’ to former member The Rev, who passed away in 2009, their baroque piano sincerity prevailing in a tender and honest moment without pretension.

Of course, their most straightforward songs smack the hardest. ‘Bat Country’ is a huge hitter, provoking manic dancing between the drying puddles, and ‘Nightmare’ wins the fight against sound system issues to emerge as the memorable anthem of the last day. ‘A Little Piece Of Heaven’ shakes us through a nightmare with thunderous glee and the level of spectacle you’d expect from a headliner, with monstrous skeletons serenading on the saxophone projected behind. The misty and mystical penultimate ‘Save Me’ drifts into ‘Cosmic’ as an emotional finale, bidding farewell to the weekend in a way that feels fundamentally right and giving us the closure we crave to before rejoining the real world. 

Click the below image for the full ‘Download Festival – Sunday’ gallery

Words: Fiachra Johnston and Lisa Fox.  Images: Penny Bennett and Download Festival / Todd Owyoung

Bloodywood

Now this was a pleasant surprise. The Nu-metal representatives of India were a relative unknown to the audience, but the impact they left have made them an instant favourite. Preaching combat against injustice, sexual violence and depression among a host of other topics close to the heart of a modern audience, the unique blend of tradition Indian instrumentation and headbanging heavy metal quickly wins over a bleary-eyed crowd. Vocalists Jayant Bhadula and Raoul Kerr’s roles onstage as vocalist and rapper will invariably incite comparisons to Bennington and Shinoda of Linkin Park, but their Hindi language tracks put a fresh spin on an aging genre, and the energy on stage is infectious to no end. If there was ever a band to hype up the crowd on the final day, Bloodywood are it.

Blind Channel

From India to Finland, the former Eurovision hopefuls on the Opus stage have made good use of the spotlight, stepping foot into Donington for the first time ever. While ‘Dark Side’, their contest entry naturally draws huge cheers, the rest of set is just as engaging, with ‘HAPPY DOOMSDAY’ making it clear why I Prevail brought them on tour through Europe. The mix of modern metalcore and 2000’s nu-metal vibes make them such a unique presence on the second stage, and Joel Hokka and Niko Moilanen strut down the stage with such joy on their faces as the crowd enthusiastically chant along to their cover of Anastacia’s ‘Left Outside Alone’ – a wonderful scene. There are so few band that break out of the shadow of Eurovision fame/infamy, and after this we can only hope Blind Channel are one of those lucky few.

Lorna Shore

Thank god Liquid Death sponsored this weekend, because Will Ramos is gonna need a bucket of ice cold water after those screams. Lorna Shore seem to have settled into their newest roster over this tour, and their fans have as well, drawing an impressive crowd whose excitement surprises even Ramos as they launch into ‘Cursed To Die’. The sonic violence they incur over the course of 45 minutes is impressive, an absolute wall of sound putting the entire park on notice. Ramos invoking whatever spirits he needs to produce the guttural squeals he vomits out during ‘To The Hellfire’ is a sight to see. Jovially trotting off stage after the 3-part blow of ‘The Pain Remains’, this year’s deathcore representatives leave us feeling like we need to take a lie down to take it all in.

SiM

This isn’t just the Japanese alt-metal outfit’s first Download, it’s their first ever UK show, and vocalist Manabu ‘MAH’ Taniguchi is having a lot of fun teasing an unsuspecting crowd (“Arigato means fuck you!” he exclaims as the crowd try to respond to the band’s opening remarks). Their unique pairing of reggae and metal invokes the energy of Skindred a few nights ago, and MAH is just as charismatic a host as Benji was, dancing to the ‘London Calling’ riff that opens up ‘TxHxC’. Of course, anime fans will recognise ‘The Rumbling’ from the latest ‘Attack on Titan’ season, but to the average viewer it’s simply a beast of a track that gets the already interested crowd properly moving. It only gets heavier from their as SiM earn their place at Opus with ‘f.a.i.t.h’, closing with a speed metal breakdown that any upstanding festival goer joins the pit for. SiM know full well they’ll be welcome back, putting their faith someday they’ll be performing on the Apex: “This is not the biggest stage? Aw.. next time…”

The Hu

Even if you aren’t at the Apex stage, you hear The Hu perform ‘Black Thunder’/’Sugaan Essena’. From the top of Opus, to the Church of Genxsis tucked behind the Avalanche, you can hear the low bellow of Galbadrakh “Gala” Tsendbaatar’s throat singing and the rolling gallop of the ‘Hunnu rock’ outfit’s folk instrumentation. It’s no wonder that the crowd begins to swell halfway through the Ulaanbaatar eight piece’s howling performance, and no wonder they receive such an ovation. For longtime fans this is a pretty standard set, if a little safe, but The Hu know how many new eyes are on them here, and their showcase as one of the few Mongolian metal bands has certainly piqued the curiosity of the Download fanbase.

Amity Affliction

Like Motionless in White, Amity Affliction feel like they just belong on the Opus. The casual confidence on display is enough to endear them to the packed crowd, despite barely saying a word to the audience throughout their set, but the waves of pyro spilling over everyone as the angelic chorus of ‘Like Love’ certainly got everyone going even further. Beyond some check-ins throughout, Ahren Stringer is solely concerned with the energy of the crowd: ‘You got some more gas in the tank?” he cries for the finale of ‘Soak Me In The Bleach? For AA, it’s by-the-numbers show for the most part, but for anyone who made the harsh trek up the hill to the stage, it was well worth it.

Jazmin Bean

Donington’s own Audrey Hepburn and online star Jazmin Bean is something of a wildcard for this year’s festival, and the usual crowd just looking to escape the afternoon heat in the Avalanche tent may look at the pastel pink bonnet and army boots of Bean with a level of derision. Having witnessed them beat a dancing Hello Kitty to death onstage, before breaking into the explosive ‘Saccharine’ with all the energy of an old school metal frontman, the newfound love for Jazmin many will leave the tent with is proof enough they’re ‘punk enough’ (whatever that means) to make the stage at Donington their home.

Cleopatrick

Luke Gruntz and Ian Fraser have brought traces of the weather from Ontario to Avalanche, as the first wispy clouds of the weekend meander overhead, yet the duo only aim to crank up the humidity in the tent. Their full-bodied, wailing guitars cut through the mugginess of the day, the ever-popular ‘hometown’ getting the crowd riled. Like a lot of rock duos, the focus on instruments means the two remain relatively static on stage, but the crowd have enough movement left for everyone, and ‘SCARING ME’ sets them into overdrive. It’s a quick set, but it’s the perfect stage and the perfect atmosphere of it, and fans of the two will leave the tent with a smile on their face.

Dinosaur Pile-Up

Sometimes you have to turn manure into diamonds, and Dinosaur Pile-Up have been handed a bin liner full of the stuff. Massive tech issues mean their set is cut to just five songs, and its clear from the nerves onstage that all of this is being worked through on the fly: “We’re so grateful for you to be here with us while we take a shit on stage” chuckles Matt Bigland as they rip into ’11:11′ with all the gusto of a drowning man swimming to the surface. This is an underground show on a big stage, and the mix is rough going no matter where you are around the stage but the fight to stay afloat propels the trio forward. ‘Stupid Heavy Metal Broken Hearted Loser Punk’ blasts out to a crowd just relieved to see the boys back on track. The tension is palpable around the Opus, but DPU are able to feed off the encouragement of the crowd into a short but sweet set, and while they leave the stage thinking all is lost in a sea of technical issues, the warm response from the crowd hopefully proves otherwise.

I Prevail

If there was ever a time for the Apex stage’s speakers to start going awry, it had to be now huh? The first half of the Michigan metalcore outfit’s otherwise impeccable performance was difficult to parse through a sea of feedback from unfortunately mixed drums and electronica, but that didn’t stop them from making the most of the slowly setting sun. From co-vocalists Brian Burkheiser and Eric Vanlerbleghe stopping during ‘Hurricane’ to take the moment in with the crowd, to the duo picking their favourite circle pit and assigning referees to them in ‘Deep End’, to the cover of ‘Chop Suey’ that drove what few members of the crowd that weren’t already moving down into the pits, this was a vibrant and engaging set from the get go. It was so fun a time, we’ll even forgive Vanlerberghe for being a Red Wings fan.

Set It Off

Cody Carson exudes old school emo right from the get go: “Our name is Set It Off and we came to fuck shit up” he cries to an impassioned crowd, one who are more than happy to turn the Avalanche stage into a sweltering hotbox of movement. Whether it’s the synchronised side hops on ‘Projector’, or drummer Maxx Danziger getting a warm reception as he moves to the front to perform ‘Hypnotized’, or surprise saxophone solo in ‘Loose Cannon’, the Florida trio have the tent in the palm of their hands. Probably a good thing they ended when they did, as the heat of the day and the amount of movement from the crowd was turning some folks a little pale.

Parkway Drive

It’s Parkway Drive’s first post-covid international festival, and there’s a lot of catching up to do. Certainly, the amount of pageantry the New South Wales rockers bring to the main stage shows how much they’ve missed this, as druids with torches ablaze line the stage, now adorned with great spikes and metal sconces. The crowd have missed this too, as even before the breakdown of the opening ‘Glitch’ hit the dust from the pits rises, turning Winston McCall’s pearly white outfit a sordid brick red almost instantaneously. Not that he cares: “You can tell it’s a good set when you can taste the dirt from the stage” he says, grinning from ear to ear after the guitars of ‘Soul Bleach’ send the crowd into overdrive.

Both McCall and the audience have no intention of keeping things static for even an iota of a second, and in what is maybe the highlight of the festival, McCall descends into the frenzied Apex pit for ‘Idols and Anchors’. With a succinct “Jeff, give ’em a fucking ripper”, he’s hoisted aloft by his feet as a circle pit envelops him. The image of a hundred people swarming around a muddy, maniacal McCall will stay with a lot of us for a long time, and the string trio that accompanies the soft intro of ‘Shadow Boxing’ seems to reset the crowd for another round of rioting. Parkway Drive have suffered through a lot of darkness and put a lot of work to get a new record out, but their return to British soil has been an entirely successful venture. Don’t stay away for too long this time, guys.

Ghost

The second big clash of the weekend, Electric Callboy and Ghost were sure to cause a rift between fans. We wish we’re able to tell you how ‘Hypa Hypa’ Electric Callboy’s set was, but when the crowd at the Avalanche is spilling out the sides into the surrounding area, there’s not a lot you’re able to discern beyond the fact people love Electric Callboy. Fortunately, it means we can dedicate all the time in the world to Opus headliners and resident gothic sex cult Ghost. A supposed technical error means we sadly get no appearance from the reanimated, saxophone wielding Papa Nihil, but otherwise Ghost delivers exactly what is expected: a monstrously fun time. From the batwings of ‘Cirice’ to full unholy regalia of ‘Year Zero’, Tobias Forge, AKA Papa Emeritus IV takes his role as head of the Ministry and leader of the Nameless Ghouls that shred alongside him seriously, even managing to summon the first dark clouds of the entire weekend, much to the elation of a sun bleached audience. Despite playing the Cardinal Copia as a swaggering, sensual dark priest (‘Are you ready to get your teats tickled?” bring raucous responses from the audience), there are moments where the more ghoulish persona of past records come out to play, such as the sinisterly regal Emeritus III, who growls his way through ‘Mummy Dust’. The problem with a festival-length set is there’s always going to be some omissions, and with a rather extensive discography of popular tracks, some cuts need to be made, such as excluding their debut record. Yet they hit all the high notes, closing on the ever popular ‘Square Hammer’. The size of the rabid crowd crying for a longer set, the pageantry and charisma of the band, the altogether excellent performance? Oh, they’ll be back here soon for sure.

Slipknot

Talk about a big finish. After two nights of classic Metallica, a jolt of modern energy with BMTH, and enough dirt kicked up to fill a canyon, there’s really only one group you can bring on to set the weary crowd rioting one last time; Slipknot are quite the panacea for the poison. Not to say they’re not also fighting a degree of war weariness, with the nebulous status of longtime member Craig Jones, and Corey Taylor battling a throat injury, but with Shaun ‘The Clown’ Crahan returning from family responsibilities and 90,000 strong crowd packing the Apex to the gills, this feels like the finale the crowd have been waiting for.

The monstrous pop that the opening track of ‘The Blister Exists’ receives is testament to how badly Download wanted Slipknot back. In Taylor’s own words. “Let’s just get this out of the way: it’s good to be home”. Taylor, even injured, immediately makes it known why the final headline slot could only ever be theirs. For the first eight straight tracks, Slipknot’s eight man team and their new mysterious keyboard player are solely focused on the performance, barely pausing to take in the absolutely manic atmosphere after tracks from their newest record, ‘The Dying Song’ and ‘Yen’ get to properly stretch their legs against crowd favourite ‘Pyschosocial’, and though the industrial-styled stage, with giant rusted fans and flickering shadows gives an air of tension, the band are as vibrant and powerful as ever. Their recent personal stumbles having no effect on just how good a show they’re able to put on, and its only after finishing contorting on stage for ‘Hopeless’ that Taylor finally addresses the crowd: “I just lost twenty quid”. It seems the gang have made a bet with Taylor that he could do a dozen songs without saying a word to the crowd and we would still lose our shit, Which, to be fair, we did.

From there, it’s an hour of some of the best heavy metal you’re going to see in the 21st century. No one, and I mean no one does it like Slipknot, and the setlist is more or less the perfect combination of golden oldies and well received new singles. ‘Left Behind’ gets its tour debut to great delight, while ‘Wait and Bleed’ is dedicated to Slipknot’s friends at Kerrang and ‘Unsainted’ reminds us that every era of the band’s career has its shining moments. An encore of Slipknot’s biggest hits (mysteriously sans ‘Before I Forget’, which is a surprise) closes us out: ‘Duality’ and ‘Custer’ sets the now truly exhausted crowd alight one final time, before the evergreen ‘Spit It Out’, the bands second ever single, sends us home with a nostalgic glow.

It’s a show for the ages, and it closes out four days of headliners just like this one. Metallica showing the metal of old still reigns supreme, Bring Me The Horizon finally coming into their own as a world-class headliner of the future, and Slipknot reminding us why they have never stopped being *the* heavy band of the here and now. Past, present, and future, all putting their best foot forward. Despite the crowd feeling jam packed, especially with how packed the queues and tent stages feel at times, and the maddening lack of shade, this is a festival well worth of Download’s 20th anniversary. A dozen different brands of rock have been represented, from metal to metalcore, electronically-tinged and acoustically-infused, from every corner of the world. In a year where inclusion and diversity has been more important than ever, Download have come through to make every fan feel welcome. All we have to do now is beat the final boss of the festival: the morning traffic out of here.

This level of savage energy remains, with more and more bodies filing into the hall to witness a well-balanced and brutal display of the more extreme end of the metal spectrum. An enormous wall of death mid-set stretches from the stage all the way back to the sound desk, with non-stop pits from start to finish. Lorna Shore proved tonight that they deserve every bit of attention they’ve been getting, delivering a tight, slick powerhouse of a set.

An array of neon lights frame the While She Sleeps logo emblazoned on speaker stacks, the pulsing beams flashing in time as the crushing beats of ‘Sleeps Society’ open the set. Or should that be ‘SLEEPS SOCIETY’? The track listing for While She Sleeps’ previous two albums is printed in capital letters, and when you see these tracks played live, it all makes sense. The Sheffield five-piece have a lot to shout about, and they do it through their lyrics, fierce musicality and passionate performance.

While She Sleeps are band that love to headbang, and they do this in perfect unison at many points during the evening, with frontman Laurence “Loz” Taylor encouraging the crowd to jump along in time. There’s some bouncing in parts, and a few bodies over the barriers throughout, but on the whole, the general feeling is a lot more subdued compared to the fury of the pits for Lorna Shore When he says “I wanna see the biggest fucking circle pit of the evening”, there’s a sense that perhaps it’s not going to go that way this time.

That being said, all three acts this on tonight’s bill showcase formidable vocalists, with crowd interaction and charisma aplenty. Taylor’s colourful language is steeped with impassioned emotion, riling the fans up to match the energy that the band exude. While She Sleeps deliver an effective contrast between heavy beats and quieter moments, with plentiful breakdowns sounding tight and powerful. The clean vocals don’t always pack as much punch as the metalcore screams, but this doesn’t detract from the impact of the performance.

The mix for While She Sleeps is a touch guitar heavy, but this serves to highlight the skill of Sean Long’s deft fingers on lead and Mat Welsh’s chunky rhythmic riffs. The drums on ‘You are We’ are a highlight too, with those who began the track on their friends’ shoulders safely lowered back into the pit to pick up the energy levels once again. A wild-eyed and sweat-soaked Taylor gazes out over the crowd, seemingly managing to focus in on the keenest of fans gazing back in awe.

With a last cheer for Lorna Shore and Parkway Drive, rousing closer ‘Systematic’ sees most of the band venture onto the walkway to witness the majority of the crowd join in with the classic “get down jump up” final mosh. This is a band who can deliver an arena show, entirely in their own way, and boy do they look like they have fun doing it. Fitting then, that they close with a banner announcing that they will be headlining this very venue in a year’s time.

It’s not surprising that Parkway Drive have brought a spectacular stage show for their long-awaited return to the UK, but the opening spectacle of chasmic rear projection, hooded figures carrying torches and jets of flame shooting towards the roof is impressive nonetheless. The tiered stage raises drummer Ben “Gaz” Gordon high above the front of the stage, with dramatic spikes protruding at all angles between the stage risers.

With the rest of the band clad in black, vocalist Winston McCall is a vision in white, at points stomping around the stage and punching his fists in the air in a moment of primal frenzy. Opener ‘Glitch’ from latest release ‘Darker Still’ is received with a flurry of energetic joy, the level of which only seems to be surpassed with each following track. There are cheers and screams of approval for ‘Carrion’, prompting McCall to comment “this looks like chaos, look after each other” after the pit has died down.

Crowd favourite ‘Vice Grip’ shows the band at their peak, with each aggressive beat sounding precise and deliberate. If there was a slight lack of togetherness in the audience for While She Sleeps, the crowd are united as one for Parkway Drive. This feeling is echoed by McCall, speaking before the carnage of of ‘Dedicated’ about the band’s development over the past few years: “If there’s something we’ve learnt, it’s that we’re stronger together”.

The newer tracks from the most recent album take a little longer that others to land, but given the intensity of the set, the crowd may just be taking a moment to catch their collective breath. Fireworks erupt at the onset of ‘The Void’, and when everybody jumps, well, everybody jumps. Parkway Drive fill the space with dramatic blows and precision licks, proving with every hammering beat that they know how to command a headline slot.

A costume change and string quartet appear for ‘Shadow Boxing’, the classical element adding another layer to the rich tapestry of sonic delights that Parkway Drive bring to the show, with frequent guitar solos scattered throughout the set from Jeff Ling nodding to the more classic metal elements of Parkway Drive’s sound. The theatrics are saved from entering the realm of ridiculous by McCall’s light-hearted quips peppered throughout the night. Introducing the blisteringly heavy ‘Karma’, he tells the crowd “If the cardio walking up the hill wasn’t enough – this is where you get your steps in for the day”. The main set closes on ‘Bottom Feeder’ with bouncing pits and thousands of voices singing along with glee. These fans have been waiting three years to see their heroes return to UK soil, and Parkway Drive have brought a show worth waiting for.

After a few moments of expectant anticipation, the stage is literally on fire for the devastating two-track encore of ‘Crushed’ and ‘Wild Eyes’, in a display of pyro that could give Watain a run for their money. The flames are not a gimmick to distract from any lack of a scorching performance, however. Quite the contrary, they offer just the right level of spectacle to cement Parkway Drive as polished headline frontrunners for arenas across the globe.

It’s obvious from the outset that these tracks were designed to be played extremely loudly in some very big rooms. Huge, bombastic guitar riffs over vocalist Winston McCall’s wide vocal range seem to follow the classic recipe of the band’s previous two releases in the form of ‘Ire and ‘Reverence’, but this metal superpower has taken it further. They haven’t been afraid to let some of their more classic heavy metal influences seep through, with the big glam guitar solo in title track ‘Darker Still’ being a perfect example of this. There are some incredibly honest moments in this release and many of the more intense instalments come straight from the heart, with ‘Land Of The Lost’ and ‘Soul Bleach’ being particular examples (and highlights) of the band’s ability to dial it back up when the time is right. ‘Soul Bleach’ is almost nodding its head towards earlier releases from Slipknot, while ‘Land Of The Lost’ features that measured stomping beat that has made Rammstein so popular over their illustrious career. 

The imperfections of this record sit near the surface; there is something slightly wince-worthy about some of the vocal line delivery (specifically the introduction of ‘If A God Can Bleed’ was a shuddering moment) and it can be said that at times the record can take itself a little too seriously. One thing that Parkway Drive has always been is unapologetic in their output and the band can be credited with always throwing themselves in elbows first, however this record has lost a very slight touch of that ‘tongue-in-cheek’ finish that made you forgive some of the more outlandish and silly moments in their previous releases. Luckily it stops just short of crossing the line. 

The band’s creative output hasn’t withered in the four years they have been away, but it has diversified into new pastures. You can’t really label this as a metalcore act anymore because, as a force, they are offering so much more than that. Yes, there will be some moments that will make you cringe, smile or laugh, but you cannot ignore the palatability and reach that this juggernaut of an act have. Parkway Drive are already performing in some of the biggest rooms in the country and ‘Darker Still’ will be the soundtrack to some extremely raucous evenings. A quiet start to the 2020’s, sure, but the Byron Bay quintet have fired up the pressure cooker with ‘Darker Still’.

WILLIAM SCOTT

The alternative scene has provided us with so much value over the past 10 years, so much so that the Punktastic team couldn’t help but take a moment to reflect on the bands that have had the greatest impact on us as we’ve grown from teens to young adults, or young adults to like, real, adults (yeah right).

These are the bands we think have had their most formative years in the 2010s, and that we believe have made a difference not only to us, but to the wider industry, too.

So here they are. The most important bands of the decade according to Punktastic.

Don’t forget to check out our Albums Of The Decade and Bands Of The Next Decade articles.

Enter Shikari

Enter Shikari are one of those experimental, electronic rock outfits born out of Myspace Music’s glory days, quenching our 2007 desires for music that we could both screech and rave to in our bedrooms. But, by creating and continuing to develop their niche and genre-bending sound, Enter Shikari have managed to secure a broad-ranging appeal with momentum that has stormed through this decade with new albums every couple of years. They’re politically charged and socially conscious, taking to the stage with messages about mental health awareness and stigma, Brexit, Donald Trump, capitalism, nuclear weapons, privatization of the NHS and, more recently, the global climate crisis.

The 10th anniversary tour of Enter Shikari’s first album ‘Take To The Skies’ in 2017 included a headline spot at Slam Dunk Festival, which closely preceded the UK general election. Thousands of guests were gleefully captivated by vocalist Rou Reynolds through a performance that was so nostalgic, yet proved how relevant and loved they still were. It was only fitting that one of the first singles released later that year from album ‘The Spark’ was ‘Rabble Rouser’ as Enter Shikari’s lyrics are intentional and deeply poignant, often spurring some sort of action (whether physical or a change in perception) – speak openly about your emotions, be kind to each other, don’t give up on what you believe in, use your voice to vote and make change.

In 2019, Enter Shikari broke the record for the highest number of performances at Reading and Leeds Festival, demonstrating their versatility across the Main Stage, The Pit/The Lock Up tent, and a surprise acoustic performance to flaunt their more delicate side. After releasing the single ‘Stop The Clocks’ this year, work is underway for Enter Shikari’s sixth studio album which will firmly secure their place in the industry for another decade, where they will undoubtedly continue to challenge our society in the way only Enter Shikari know how. CATIE ALLWRIGHT [CA]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Sorry You’re Not A Winner, We Can Breathe In Space, ‘Gandhi Mate, Gandhi’, The Last Garrison, Rabble Rouser, Shinrin-Yoku

Highly Suspect

Just three albums into their career, Highly Suspect have had a lot to say over the past 10 years. The beauty of this band, though, is that they’re not trying to prove a point or please anyone in particular; their stance is that they make the music they love and they appreciate those with whom it resonates, and somehow by entering the creative process with this mindset, they’ve picked up one of the most authentic fan bases a band can muster.

Whether it’s the political statement of 2016’s ‘Viper Strike’, or the painful mourning that’s expressed in ‘For Billy’, there’s a great fearless vulnerability in all of Highly Suspect’s music. We listen to songs about drug abuse and sexual endeavours and cheating, and in doing so we’re allowed an insight into the lives of people who want to share a little piece of themselves without every censoring it to make themselves sound like anything other than normal people.

As a result, fans allow themselves some slack when it comes to self-assessment. If our favourite bands can fuck up and act in ways that are morally questionable and still be worth loving, then why can’t our actions be forgivable? Aren’t we worth loving through our flaws too?

And more than that, aside from the thematic content of this band’s discography, there’s the cacophony of genres that Highly Suspect have pulled from, often not even making an attempt to blend them together. The way we consume music has changed so much this decade, from the decline in CDs to the resurgence of vinyl and – most importantly – the takeover of streaming platforms that allow consumers to venture beyond one particular genre, and musicians to experiment. The stark hip-hop, rock, synth, electronic music that Highly Suspect create means they unknowingly have the potential to become an inspiration to others, as well as reaching new fans that may have been entirely disinterested at the start of the decade. Their fearlessness crosses from controversial themes to chaotic sonic choices and all of it has the potential to impact the wider industry, as well as inspire fans as they’ve been doing since day one. YASMIN BROWN [YB]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Viper Strike, For Billy, My Name Is Human, Lydia, Mom

Deafheaven

If there’s one genre that’s more impenetrable to most people than any other, it’s got to be black metal. That was, until Deafheaven came along. Whilst they may not be the originators of ‘blackgaze’, or whatever you want to call it, they’re certainly the popularisers of it, and their blend of cinematic post-rock, white-hot blastbeats and harrowing vocals has opened the floodgates for the wider alternative world to embrace what used to be a very insular scene. 2013’s ‘Sunbather’ was the best-reviewed album on Metacritic that year, the artwork for that album was featured on Apple adverts, and in 2018 the band received a Grammy nomination for their track ‘Honeycomb’. The black metal gatekeepers may not like it, but Deafheaven are the reason their precious scene is no longer solely the domain of genre purists and those guys are THE WORST, so that can only be a good thing. LIAM KNOWLES [LK]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Dream House, Honeycomb, You Without End

Paramore

It’s easy to box Paramore into pre-2010 with ‘Riot’ or ‘All We Know Is Falling’, and these may well be their more widely known albums, but it’s really been the past five years during which they’ve made their real impact.

Despite lineup changes – founding members leaving and old members returning – this decade has seen Paramore achieve more than ever on a huge scale across the industry. With self-titled and ‘After Laughter’ especially, Paramore took the expectations that were set on them, and threw them completely out the window. When they returned after ‘Brand New Eyes’ with leading self-titled single, ‘Now’, it wasn’t exactly met with positive reactions, but it’s this album that led to the band’s first ever Grammy win for ‘Ain’t It Fun’.

The band pushed themselves and refused to be confined to any one genre, and this wasn’t only an incredible comment on the potential of ‘emo’ bands, but it also highlighted that women not only belong in this genre, but that they can achieve great things for it, too.

The lyrics across the self-titled record are angry and honest, and it showed that it’s possible to combine these themes with a more accessible sound that will end up plastered across radio stations worldwide. That’s not to say that this necessarily needs to be the goal of every band, but the fact that it is possible, means that those who have that dream can push themselves to achieve it. Particularly for women who – as festival lineups prove over and over again – continue to take the back seat when it comes to media exposure.

‘After Laughter’ took this even further. Arguably Paramore’s best album, I don’t think anyone expected ‘Hard Times’, or indeed anything that followed. The blatant addressing of depression, bitterness and total dismay that this album conveys was again combined with bubblegum pop beats. It continued to appeal to pre-2010 Paramore fans, yet it brought on a whole new fanbase too – people that were now open to talking about mental health. Because if Hayley Williams can be brave enough to talk about this stuff, so can we.

Paramore have been one of the catalysts for acceptance of the alternative genre and for the women within it and while they’re taking a break at the moment, their impact continues every time someone listens to any of these tracks and feels just that little better because of it. [YB]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Hate to See Your Heart Break, Ain’t It Fun, 26, Hard Times, Last Hope, Fake Happy, 26

Fever 333

Jason Aalon Butler has time and time again ripped apart the boundaries of performance. Whether in his former outfit letlive or now in Fever 333, the singer creates art onstage with a live show that is unrivaled. Most importantly is that Butler’s art carries weight. Fever 333 are a collective more than a band. They don’t perform just concerts, they hold demonstrations. In a time of uncertainty around the world, Fever 333 offer messages of hope and unity within the confines of some the most incredible music that explores beyond the confines of what is considered alternative. Something that hasn’t been done with such a heavy political stance since Refused’s ‘Shape of Punk To Come’. They are the sound of a new, angry generation tired of injustices and Fever 333 deserve to be listened to. LOUIS KERRY [LK]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Made An America, Hunting Season, We’re Coming In, The Innocent, One of Us

Parkway Drive

Starting out back in 2003 as a hardcore band, it wouldn’t be fair or true to say that none could’ve predicted where Byron Bay quartet Parkway Drive would end up. This is a band who’ve had star power from the outset, and as they gradually evolved their sound over the years, everything else about them leveled up, too – by the time this decade came around, Parkway were making genre leading metalcore in the form of ‘Deep Blue’ (2010) and ‘Atlas’ (2012). It’s the sound that propelled them to the forefront of heavy music – and yes, they were already well on their way to stardom (their top slot on the Never Say Die! tour in 2008 and 2010, along with 2000+ cap venues on headline tours, can attest to that), but what they’ve done with that success since is truly staggering.

As the decade rolled on, we began to hear something new from Parkway. A turn away from the metalcore that had made them famous led to a broader heavy metal sound, with every last drop of aggression driven into earth-shattering breakdowns and unforgettably melodic riffs – 2015’s ‘Ire’ and 2018 masterpiece ‘Reverence’ do not know the meaning of holding back. Still, ‘Reverence’ displayed a depth that we had not yet seen the like of; great sorrow and beauty lies within, and it marked the change from a band at the top of their genre, to a band who sit far above any such labels. And then, of course there are the live shows. Oh, the live shows.

If ever anyone had been concerned about the future of main stage headliners, Parkway Drive smash all of those fears to pieces. From drummer Ben Gordon’s ‘cage of death’ to some seriously eyebrow-singing fire antics, everything about their performance is a perfectly orchestrated spectacle – work in some powerful moments from ‘Reverence’, and you find yourself with one of the most jaw-dropping, moving shows you could encounter. It’s no wonder that this is a band now finding themselves topping bills to huge crowds, and their ascension is clearly set to continue into the next decade. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next. GEM ROGERS [GR]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Bottom Feeder, Shadow Boxing, The Colour Of Leaving, Karma

IDLES

It’s not often there’s a sound so bespoke that it reinvigorates the genre but IDLES have managed to do just that. While they may not see themselves as a punk band, the truth is they have inspired a spate of up and coming bands who focus on similarly heavy rhythm sections and angry, passionate vocals. It’s a sound that makes you sit up straight.

Thunderous rhythms and frenetic, screeching guitars cushion vocalist Joe Talbot, who spits lyrics with such animosity and venom, it should be off putting. But the combination works so entirely well, it’s almost impossible not to appreciate it, not to be moved by it, both physically and spiritually.

Lyrically, they represent a subsection of society that hasn’t had a voice. Heavy advocates of the NHS and mental health support, as well as fighting against political discord and shrewd observations of the country, it’s no surprise they’ve been nominated for numerous awards, released two standout albums and played a Glastonbury set that will go down in infamy. They’re the new voice of a jilted generation, long may they reign. ANDY JOICE [AJ]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Never Fight A Man With A Perm, Television, Danny Nedelko, I’m Scum, Mother

twenty one pilots

What could possibly be more important than a band that brings together millions of fans to tell them that everything is going to be okay? And more than that, a band that helps these fans believe that this is true?

For years, twenty one pilots wrote their truth only for a handful of people to hear it. Back in 2014, outside of America, the name ‘twenty one pilots’ was largely met with a blank face whenever uttered. But to those who knew this band, knew they were something special. Playing to rooms of 800 people, fans were encouraged to repeat “we’re broken people”, “our brains are sick but that’s okay”, and – most importantly – “the sun will rise and we will try again”.

For fans going through a period of great distress – depression, anxiety, personality disorders, PTSD – it was this unwavering acceptance that drew them to twenty one pilots. What kept us here were the theatrics of the live show, the social media interactions, and the record that was to follow in 2015 – ‘Blurryface’ – that was made just for us.

What’s interesting about twenty one pilots’ impact is that it came entirely organically. The success that followed ‘Blurryface’ was by no means anticipated, and so the inside jokes and comments weren’t explained or generalised for the greater public, and yet somehow, enough people understood the messaging for this record to lead to multiple international arena tours.

They had, unintentionally, opened up a discourse around severe mental health issues that simply doesn’t exist in the mainstream world of music. We’re surrounded by stigma and it keeps us quiet, but by creating music with almost no expectation, twenty one pilots removed so much of this stigma and created a community (or ‘clique’) that extends worldwide. People became proud to talk about the issues they were battling or overcoming because their favourite band was telling them to do so.

In just 18 months, twenty one pilots went from singing along with 800 people to 13,000 and by the end of 2019 they’ve headlined most alternative or pop festival you can think of (Glastonbury won’t be far behind). We’ve spent so much time pretending to be okay, but thanks to twenty one pilots, and bands like them, this wall is breaking down and we’re really starting to believe that there’s no shame in our mental illnesses.

As long as our expectations don’t affect the band’s ability to be raw and vulnerable with us, this impact is sure to extend well into the next decade, too. [YB]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Neon Gravestones, Goner, My Blood, Fairly Local, Holding onto You, Truce, Screen, Guns for Hands

PUP

Forming in 2010, PUP really are a band that’s come to prominence this decade. From the release of their debut, self-titled album in 2013, their brand of garage inspired pop punk has helped them sell out multiple tours, both in their native Canada and across the globe. Of course, three critically acclaimed albums helps too.

Sophomore album ‘The Dream Is Over’ is particularly poignant – not necessarily in content but in context. After extensive touring, vocalist Stefan Babcock found a cyst on his vocal chords, one that was haemorrhaged and had the potential to not only affect the band but affect Babcock’s voice. Permanently. Babcock was advised to give up the dream of being the bands frontman, for the sake of his life. But as the battle weary champions that they are, they came back stronger and better than ever, using the title as a middle finger to the doctor who wrote him off.

One of the selling points, aside from their excellently written songs, is their sense of humour. Dry wit and cynical snark sits in almost every track, coupled by Babcock’s gravelly vocals, they’re a band we desperately want to spend a night in the pub with, talking about shit stories and a love of music over a cold beer. It’s been a great decade for PUP – here’s to the next decade. [AJ]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: DVP, Sleep In The Heat, Kids, Reservoir, Morbid Stuff

Wolf Alice

Wolf Alice’s decade is defined not just through their unique and powerful sound and style, although that is to be noted, but through the rare trait of being able to capture the spirit of an entire generation. Their 2015 debut ‘My Love Is Cool’ is a solid and enjoyable indie rock outing, but its their Mercury prize-winning effort of 2017’s ‘Visions Of A Life’ that sets them apart from other efforts. As Drowned in Sound’s Luke Beardsworth wrote in his review: “It has captured on record the thrill, angst, sadness and uncertainty of being in your twenties and not really knowing what’s going to happen or should happen.”

This chaotic aimlessness is what fuels Wolf Alice at their best: their quest to use music to understand and come to terms with a kind of secondary coming of age that inspires so much dread in their peers. The latter half of this decade has been defined by this emotional turmoil, and Wolf Alice has encapsulated it perfectly and used it to create the sound of the decade. FIACHRA JOHNSTON [FJ]

NOTABLE TRACKS: Moaning Lisa Smile, Don’t Delete Those Kisses, Beautifully Unconventional, Bros, Visions of A Life, Silk

Pissed Jeans

In the unlikely event that humankind was asked to place one album in a time capsule as a representation to future generations of where noise punk was at in the 2010s, either Pissed Jeans’ ‘Honeys’ (2013) or ‘Why Love Now’ (2017) would make an ideal submission.

Plenty of explicitly political punk rock has been made this decade and rightly so, but more than anyone, Pissed Jeans have documented the everyday frustrations of the salary slave such as wishing food poisoning upon an obnoxious co-worker on ‘Cafeteria Food’ or the awkwardness of being the oldest person at a house party on ‘Bathroom Laughter’. That’s not to say Pissed Jeans’ music isn’t political though; Matt Korvette rails against the objectification of women on ‘Male Gaze’ and ‘It’s Your Knees’, as well as the mistreatment of service sector workers on ‘Have You Ever Been Furniture’. The band put out three albums in the 00s but it’s been their work this decade that’s made Pissed Jeans a (sub)culturally significant band, as they’ve gone from playing pubs to selling out packed concert halls, all the while maintaining day jobs in the insurance and retail industries. This could be due to Bradley Fry’s guitars meshing better with Randall Huth’s bass on their work this decade or the band’s overall songwriting turning out more memorable choruses (‘The Bar Is Low’ being a notable example). Either way, the combined strengths of their fourth and fifth albums represent a distillation of everything great about the noise punk scene that’s blossomed on both sides of the Atlantic these past ten years. The sub-genre has swelled with new entrants in that time, but none of these bands have demonstrated the overwhelming sonic power and fun of Pissed Jeans. GREG HYDE [GH]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Bathroom Laughter, The Bar Is Low

State Champs

It was the genre that seemed unstoppable back in 2007, but over the years, pop punk has… well, it’s fizzled out a little. Many bands that find themselves under the label these days tend to take more influence from other genres, and true ‘pop punk’ feels almost impossible to find sometimes. It’s not too surprising, in a way – it’s a genre that can too frequently rely on clichés and cookie-cutter riffs, making finding something new and interesting tricky. And that’s where State Champs come in.

After forming in 2010 and releasing a couple of (maybe slightly questionable) EPs, State Champs perfected their identity on 2013’s ‘The Finer Things’, and proved in an instant that pop punk can still be truly great. Never falling back on identikit power chords or tired lyrics, there’s a life and energy in this Albany five piece that is unrivaled – taking the classic sound and complimenting it with the kind of outstanding musicianship naysayers would never expect to find (the basslines on ‘Prepare To Be Noticed’ and ‘Something About You’ – enough said). Not only that, but they know how to deliver live, too, with the slickest and most captivating of performances that induce a never ending sea of crowd surfers.

This is a band who continue to go from strength to strength without ever abandoning their roots, and 2018’s ‘Living Proof’ isn’t just one of the best pop punk albums of the decade – it’s one of the best ever. This is pop punk as it should be, and State Champs are leading the way for an entire subculture. [GR]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Criminal, Mine Is Gold, Secrets, Elevated

The Menzingers

There are not many questions that resonate more with millennial punks than “Where are we gonna go now that our twenties are over?”, and not many bands could document this coming of age better than The Menzingers. Starting this decade in very much the mid-card role of the punk scene, playing bars and small clubs, the Pennsylvania natives enter 2020 headlining packed shows on both sides of the pond.

We are used to Greg Barnett and Tom May spinning beautiful tales of their beloved hometown and young love in diners and gas stations, but 2017’s ‘After The Party’ broke the mould. It tugged on the heartstrings and tapped into the worries of anyone hitting the big ‘three-oh’, and was, in their own words, “a love letter to our twenties”. The Menzingers just know how to hit us right in the feels. Whether crafting delicate lullabies of drinking “forties” with pals down at the Stone Pony or creating the ultimate party anthem which has us screaming “everybody wants to get famous, but you just want to dance in a basement”, they will be there to document every relatable aspect of growing old. As 2019’s ‘Hello Exile’ already looks to be an album of the year contender and sold out shows planned for the next 12 months, there seems to be no slowing The Menzingers. And if there’s one thing we can thank them for is that it’s really taken the edge off being 30. TOM WALSH [TW]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: After The Party, I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore, In Remission, Tellin’ Lie, Strangers Forever, Sun Hotel

Every Time I Die

If the past decade has taught us anything, it’s that Every Time I Die are the undisputed kings of hardcore. When you have the combination of the poetry of Keith Buckley, the shredding, intricate riffs of Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams, and the earth-shattering bass lines of Stephen Micciche, you have the perfect storm of hardcore.

With each record they’ve produced over the past ten years they’ve fine tuned the edges and culminated in 2016’s ‘Low Teens’. Even by Buffalo five-piece’s high standard this album was something else. Fuelled by loss, torment and delved from the darkest of places, it’s their most intense album to date with ‘The Coin Has A Say’, ‘Map Change’ and ‘It Remembers’ instant all-time classics.

Their songwriting continues to push boundaries where their contemporaries would not tread. Collaborating with everyone – from Panic! At The Disco’s Brendan Urie and The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon – it demonstrates a desire to think outside the box and not confine themselves to an accepted sound. And then, there are their live shows.

Every Time I Die have played everywhere. They’ve played in your mate’s back garden, they’ve played your city’s most iconic venue, they’ve played on a boat that sails around New York’s East River and they’re still playing the huge Christmas show in Buffalo every year. Each performance is as raucous and chaotic as they like it and for those that haven’t experienced it, go and experience it.

Now with a new album penned for 2020, we can safely crown Every Time I Die the goddamn kings of hardcore. [TW]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Map Change, Underwater Bimbos for Outer Space, Decayin’ with the Boys, The Coin Has A Say

The Hotelier

At the start of the decade, few were even aware of the genre-evading Worcester band The Hotelier, let alone able to fathom the impact their stunning second album ‘Home, Like Noplace Is There’ would come to have on the slowly emerging so-called emo revival. The devastation that unfolded on ‘Home…’ was only briefly alluded to in their exuberant and youthful pop-punk tinged debut record ‘It Never Goes Out’. But if ‘Home…’ was the despairing feeling of crushing dark autumn nights slowly giving in to winter, their third album ‘Goodness’ transcended the clutches of the emo genre and emerged like the first leaves on a spring tree, bringing with it a newfound hopefulness in the admiration of natural beauty.

Both ‘Home…’ and ‘Goodness’ demonstrated The Hotelier’s remarkable ability to progress their songwriting skills on each release. Their blistering, cathartic live shows, defined by a chorus of voices screaming back the words of ‘Your Deep Rest’ (and of course the infamous “fuck” in ‘An Introduction To The Album’) cemented their place in the upper echelons of the ‘scene’, and Holden’s profound and poetic lyricism on both ‘Goodness’ and ‘Home…’ set a bar few of their peers could hope to live up to. ROMY GREGORY [RG]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: An Ode To The Nite Ratz Club, Your Deep Rest, Dendron, Soft Animal, Two Deliverances

The Ghost Inside

The Ghost Inside may have been mostly inactive for half the decade, but the influence they’ve had on the scene as a whole is impossible to ignore. Their music surging with positive energy, their live shows are unrelenting and intense, and they’re some of the nicest guys that you’ll find in the hardcore scene. Album after album saw them reach new heights on a seemingly endless upwards trajectory, and then tragedy struck in the form of a devastating accident involving their tour bus in 2015. The collision resulted in serious physical injuries for the entire band, bringing their thriving career to what most would consider an immediate halt. But it simply didn’t stop them. Their hunger to return to music grew larger with each passing day, their strength to pull through and get back to the things they loved getting closer and closer with every tiny shred of improvement. The music industry rallied behind them, peers surrounded them with love and support and fans did the exact same, sending them well wishes and positivity continuously for years.

Then, in 2019, they returned to the stage. Despite everything, after an accident that would’ve ended most bands careers, they performed a headlining set in their hometown and performed like they’d never been injured at all. They are the embodiment of hardcore and continue to be a shining light for the entire alternative scene. Long live The Ghost Inside. DAVE STEWART [DS]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Engine 45, White Light, Unspoken, Shiner, Avalanche, Dear Youth (Day 52)

Conjurer

There’s something about a band like Conjurer where the music is just as good on stage as it is on record. In the past decade, the band went from playing shows in the UK, to touring in America, to playing festivals like Bloodstock and Download. These achievements have not gone unnoticed and for that, Conjurer have gained fans and caused a bigger love for the heavier side of metal. Albums like ‘I’ and ‘Mire’ showcase who they are as a band, especially the ferocity and the power of the music which leaves fans just wanting more.

The band recently teamed up with label mates from Holy Roar Records, Pijn and formed Curse These Metal hands, an album that shows the diversity of each band and how it works so well together. Check out Conjurer at any show, whether as a support band or the main act, and you’re guaranteed to have a very lovely time because they play every set like it’s their last show. For me, Conjurer were that band that brought me back to metal after a long break of moving away from rock and metal, and only listening to the same five bands on rotation. Metal always has a way of bringing back that passion that once was felt. SARAH TSANG [ST]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Frail, A Chasm Forged in Dread and Disarray, High Spirits, Choke

While She Sleeps

Born out of Sheffield in 2006, While She Sleeps have proven in the years since their inception that they’ve got the steel their city’s known for running through their veins. However, as hard – and unapologetic for it – as they are, this band has truly made metal accessible to the masses. More melodic than your run of the mill metalcore band, While She Sleeps have become celebrated for their anthemic choruses and innovation when it comes to presenting political issues in a way that can more easily resonate with listeners. Probably why all four of their studio albums made it into the Top 40 on the UK Official Chart, their 2017 album, ‘You Are We’ cracking the Top 10.

But their music isn’t their only attractive quality. While She Sleeps have also become synonymous for their great community and DIY spirit. This year’s album, ‘SO WHAT?’ was completely crowdfunded, allowing fans the opportunity to really become part of the Sleeps family and even offering fans the chance to come along and record gang vocals before the album was released on their independent label, Sleeps Brothers, in collaboration with Spinefarm and UNFD.

Despite singer, Loz Taylor’s previous vocal surgery and a brief personal absence this year, this band is stronger than ever, continuously pushing boundaries and challenging conceptions of what rockstardom is. RENETTE VAN DE MERWE [RVDM]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Seven Hills, This is the Six, Dead Behind the Eyes, New World Torture, Silence Speaks, Anti-Social, The Guilty Party

Architects

Architects influence on today’s metal scene is impossible to ignore. There’s an addictive air that continuously surrounds them, endlessly drawing more and more people in to breathe it in deeply. From their raw mathcore beginnings with their ‘Nightmares’ record, the early evolution of their sound on ‘Hollow Crown’ and their genre defining record ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’, they’ve grown from little local noise makers into global metal heroes.

Their fans were already in large numbers before the tragic loss of founder and guitarist Tom Searle, but they way they dealt with it was far beyond admirable. Every single show became a dedication to his talent, choosing to share Tom’s gift with the world rather than shut down and keep it hidden. Their enormous heart and undying passion for what they do is hard to ignore, and has earned them a horde of loyal fans as well as an extended network of loving and supportive peers. There’s no one else like them, and there never will be.

They’re true pioneers of British metalcore, and will proudly fly the flag high for years to come. For Tom, always. [DS]

MOST NOTABLE TRACKS: Gone With The Wind, Momento Mori, These Colour Don’t Run, Holy Hell, Doomsday, Follow The Water

It’s set to be one of their biggest tours yet, playing arenas around the continent before finishing up at London’s legendary SSE Arena in Wembley on 18 April. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, 17 September at 10am (local time), with tickets for the London date available here – it’s sure to be a mindblowing night, so don’t miss out! Check out the full list of tour dates below.

APRIL 2020
01 HAMBURG Sporthalle
02 LEIPZIG Arena
03 MUNICH Olympiahalle
04 ZURICH Samsung Hall
06 BUDAPEST Sportarena
07 VIENNA Stadthalle
09 FRANKFURT Festhalle
11 DORTMUND Westfallenhalle
15 PARIS Zenith
16 BRUSSELS Forest National
18 LONDON SSE Arena Wembley