This autumn proved no different for me, as, after a brief respite following what was a busy and expensive summer, the gig calendar was again looking busy as gigs that were once on the horizon emerged into view. What was perhaps most surprising is that I would find myself attending two that Matt would also be attending, offering a chance of getting two different perspectives on each night (hint, one of us is going to be far more positive than the other about each night). Still, great minds think alike, so if anyone can find me an upgrade on Matt I'd be grateful, as I'm working with a deficit here.
Matt: The first two gigs covered here actually formed part of a 3-night consecutive streak of gigs for me; I spent Thursday 9 October at the Black Heart in Camden for a night filled with bands that were regulars at the venue. Helpless, Host Body, Row Of Ashes and Healing Wound made for a fiery spectacle of hardcore and sludge (with some grindcore at the end from headliners Helpless); it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, although as Omne had not yet pitched me this article idea by the time I attended, I didn’t take sufficient notes of the night to give it a more detailed review after the fact. I sadly missed the Killswitch Engage gig; as much as I like the band, they aren’t enough of a priority for me these days to splash out on a Wembley Arena ticket to see.
Blood Incantation – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 10/10/2025
Omne: Kicking off my autumn were death progressives Blood Incantation, a band who I had caught back at Incineration Festival earlier in the year, where I was enraptured like a moth to flame. As you can expect, the chance to catch them again was something I wasn't going to pass up, so I got my ticket ASAP.
It's been some time since I'd been to the venue, so I had largely forgotten the shortcomings it has. With a low stage and a small standing area in the front, your options were to either stand rammed in amongst fellow metalheads and hope for a good view, or retreat up the stairs and have an obscured view due to poor bar placement and a low ceiling. Still, the chance to see the headliners again was worth the hassle.
Matt: I had missed Incineration Festival this year due to clashing commitments, which meant I was especially eager to see Blood Incantation’s much-lauded live performance of their 2024 sensation Absolute Elsewhere in person, particularly with a live favourite of mine as direct support in the form of Oranssi Pazuzu. Views were not an issue for me, as my partner had camped in line to ensure a rail spot for us both; my eager bladder while drinking did mean that I went sober for the evening to maintain said spot, but the quality of the bands to come meant that this was not to be an issue.
Sijjin 19:30-20:00
Omne: Opening tonight's proceedings, Sijjin were slow going at first, but by the middle of their set, they had warmed me up sufficiently and I was on board. I honestly can't remember much beyond Paul Riedl of Blood Incantation watching on from the balcony, however; it was an ok show, but nothing really left a memorable impression on me.
Matt: Sijjin felt like an odd pick considering the acts that followed; they offered a very straightforward death/thrash style in contrast to the progressive and avant-garde sounds that made up the bulk of the evening. Presumably the headliners were fans, as they were also spotted by me watching from the balcony; for me, 30 minutes was more than enough of a pretty dry opening act, but there was nothing inherently wrong with this set.
Sijjin setlist:
01. Daemon Blessex
02. Dagger Of A Thousand Deaths
03. Religious Insanity Denies Slavery
04. Hunting The Lizard
05. Five Blades
06. Condemned By Primal Contact
Oranssi Pazuzu 20:15-21:00
Omne: Now, while I had heard the name Oranssi Pazuzu before prior to their announcement as one of the supports, I had never really given them much attention, but now I had good reason to actively seek them out in preparation for their set. Having hoped their music translated better live than on record, I was initially unimpressed, as between the sheer volume, their "music" resembling a collage of sound and the rapid flashing lights, I was questioning if I was experiencing a seizure instead a live show.
After a few songs, it slowly began to click with me and I found myself starting to enjoy myself, like slowly wading into cold water, though I wasn't completely won over. I'd give them another go if our paths somehow cross again in future.
Matt: Unlike Omne, I was very much aware of Oranssi Pazuzu both on record and live; having thoroughly enjoyed them on multiple previous occasions, this was still perhaps the most captivating of their shows that I had seen. The set drew mostly from new album Muuntautuja, which as noted in my review is one of their more esoteric releases to date, but the abrasive, off-kilter, krautrock-ish psychedelia was engulfing, accompanied by a frenzied live performance by several members. The inclusion of the synth-tastic “Kuulen Ääniä Maan Alta” from Mestarin Kynsi was gladly received, but the arguable highlight was the mahoosively heavy sound at the end of set closer “Valotus”.
Oranssi Pazuzu setlist:
01. Bioalkemisti
02. Muuntautuja
03. Voiletu
04. Kuulen Ääniä Maan Alta
05. Maavaltimo
06. Hautatuuli
07. Valotus
Blood Incantation 21:30-22:45
Omne: If there is one band who deserves the ‘rocket strapped on their backs’ treatment in recent years, then you'd be hard pressed to find better candidates than Blood Incantation. From being a nanometer away from claiming my top album of 2024, to what still remains one of the best live performances of the year, to say I'm a convert is an understatement.
With the venue now ridiculously cramped, it was clear that I am not alone in this assessment, and Blood Incantation have won over London to their cause. The regal surroundings of the venue seemed oddly fitting for the experience that was about to unfold. With the band once again playing Absolute Elsewhere in full, the band cast their spell once more, having me hanging on every note as they weaved through one of the best albums in the death prog category. Admittedly, the lack of video screen (instead, the band just had a normal backdrop) did mean I wasn't as immersed as I was back in May, but I was still spellbound nonetheless. With the longer set this time around, I was able to hear the band perform material off of other albums for the first time, and this proved to be the cherry on top of an otherwise solid show, with "The Giza Power Plant" and "The Obliquity Of The Ecliptic" rounding out the experience perfectly.
The brief intermissions between songs saw Riedl awkwardly interact with the audience, where I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or was genuinely that socially awkward. Still, when the music was blaring, I was hooked and that's what matters most.
Matt: With glyph-carved obelisks up front and fans blowing the members’ hair throughout, Blood Incantation provide the necessary ingredients for a compelling atmosphere, and the music fully lived up to it. I fully stand behind every word I wrote about Absolute Elsewhere when I reviewed it last year; it’s a sensational album, and all parts of it (extreme, proggy and ambient alike) shone through perfectly. It was such an awesome experience that it felt unnecessary to provide anything afterwards, but Blood Incantation still had nearly half their set-time to go, and provided a career-spanning selection of songs for the remainder of the runtime, digging all the way back to their 2015 EP Interdimensional Extinction for a rendition of “The Vth Tablet (Of Enûma Eliš)”. The highlight for me outside of Absolute Elsewhere was “Obliquity Of The Ecliptic” from the 2023 Luminescent Bridge single, which in this context sounded very much like the precursor to what the band ultimately unleashed the following year.
Blood Incantation setlist:
01. The Stargate [Tablet I, II & III]
02. The Message [Tablet I, II & III]
03. The Giza Power Plant
04. The Vth Tablet (Of Enûma Eliš)
05. Meticulous Soul Devourment
06. Obliquity Of The Ecliptic
Omne: While I wouldn't rush back to Shepherd's Bush Empire again unless the show was too good to pass up, I would certainly jump at the chance to see Blood Incantation again.
Thrash Of The Titans – Kentish Town Forum, 11/10/2025
Omne: After a short respite it was back to London once more for a line-up that seemed tailor made just for me; the fact that it managed to entice Matt shows I'm slowly winning him over to the thrash cause.
With the doors opening at an early 5:30, it meant fewer hours of pre-drinks but decent set lengths for the bands. Arriving early, I had not seen a queue for the venue as long as this was in a while; luckily, with many scrambling their way to the merch stand, I was able to find a good spot that provided the perfect view for the show.
Matt: I was here, but not quite converted to the cause; my partner was eager to see this, so I went along with her to it, although the fact that I had enjoyed Testament to a surprising degree in the last show I went to before the first lockdowns did mean I had a slight curiosity about tonight. We were seated upstairs; I don’t normally go for seated tickets, but they felt like a good choice tonight, with me taking full advantage of easy access to both the bar and toilet facilities to make it through the night.
Nervosa 18:30-19:00
Omne: With the original tour announcement having Goatwhore opening up, it was disappointing to see them drop off several months later; however, the promoters did a great job securing an ideal replacement, with Brazil's Nervosa stepping up to the plate and onto a bill that seemed ideal for them.
With the standing area already packed tight, Nervosa strode on stage to the kind of welcome usually reserved for headliners. Kicking into a powerful "Seed Of Death", whose melodic riff bounced off the ornate walls, Nervosa didn't look back, making the most of their short time to run through as many death-infused thrashers as they could.
With the exception of Prika Amaral's guitar, which didn't sound like it was plugged in, the sound was on point throughout (which is rare for an opening act) and the band clicked from start to an all-too-soon finish. Tonight was going to be a great show if the opening band sounded this good and could get the crowd moving as they did.
Matt: Goatwhore’s absence was disappointing, as they were a band I would have been more keen on than most of those playing tonight. As for Nervosa, perhaps the sound was better downstairs, but up in the balcony this set was about 70% drums, with vocals and guitar solos making up the rest of the mix; I can’t comment on the melodic riffs, as I struggled to hear any of them (the sound didn’t really improve for where I was sat until midway into the next set). Still, the band’s energy was good and did well to get the crowd going.
Nervosa setlist:
01. Seed Of Death
02. Behind The Wall
03. Kill The Silence
04. Perpetual Chaos
05. Venomous
06. Jailbreak
07. Endless Ambition
Destruction 19:15-19:55
Omne: After a surprisingly short change-over, it was time for Destruction to take to the stage. While they had been playing Infernal Overkill in full recently, we were not treated to this unfortunately (only "Bestial Invasion" appeared from said album), but when you're getting "Curse The Gods", "No Kings No Masters" and "Mad Butcher". it's hard to feel like you were getting the short end of the stick. With the band once again on top form, Destruction threatened to steal the show with a setlist that was hit after hit. Schmier was treated like the living legend that he is, evoking a loud roar whenever he addressed the audience, while Randy Black proves to be one of the most overlooked drummers in the genre.
The only downside was the brevity of their set; the wait between doors and Nervosa taking the stage could have been condensed to afford Destruction an hour. Alas, 40 minutes of top-quality metal was all we were to be treated to.
Destruction setlist:
01. Curse The Gods
02. Nailed To The Cross
03. Scumbag Human Race
04. Mad Butcher
05. No Kings No Masters
06. Thrash 'Til Death
07. Bestial Invasion
08. Destruction
Obituary 20:10-21:15
Omne: Getting to the bar was a pipe dream at this point given how packed tight standing was, so if this show wasn't sold out, it was certainly close to it. It was odd to not only see Obituary on this bill, but on a stage that wasn't a small club, given the band's seemingly recently desire to play small rooms in less visited areas of the UK. Still, any worries that the band's style wouldn't fit tonight's proceedings melted away by the time the band ripped through a crushing version of "The Wrong Time". Having missed them at Bloodstock earlier in the year, I had also missed the fact that this year marked the 35th anniversary of Cause Of Death, something that I was quick to learn as the backdrop emerged and the band lent heavily into it during their set. Laying down a masterclass in old school death metal will always be welcomed by me, and so the set was nigh-on musical nirvana for me.
The only slight niggle I had was John Tardy would leave the stage when he had no vocal parts, not that I expected him to run the boards or hype up the crowd, but something about just walking off felt, well, off.
Still, it felt like the night was somehow finding another level of brilliance, so the hopes were high for Testament to somehow take it to another level.
Obituary setlist:
01. Redneck Stomp
02. Sentence Day
03. A Lesson In Vengeance
04. The Wrong Time
05. Infected
06. Body Bag
07. Dying
08. Cause Of Death
09. Circle Of The Tyrants
10. Chopped In Half
11. Turned Inside Out
12. I'm In Pain
13. Slowly We Rot
Testament 21:45-23:00
Omne: As the night slowly came to its climax, it was left to Testament to wrap up what was the kind of night that makes you fall in love with live music. With Para Bellum having just come out and the band finding a level of sonic consistency live, the hype was real and the crowd was eager to get going.
With a screen descending across the stage, soon the Beastie Boys’ "Fight For Your Right" blared across the PA before giving way to Testament kicking into the classic "DNR (Do Not Resusitate)". Condensing a full set into little over an hour was a feat in and of itself, given the length of many of the tracks, and felt like the band wanted to give those in the audience value for money (a novel concept in 2025).
While Testament by no means put on a bad show, it didn't hit the heights that were expected (having been indulged so throughly up to this point, perhaps it was unreasonable to think anyone could raise the bar any further). With the sound slightly off for the first time since Nervosa, and a live show that felt too rehearsed (Skolnick repeatedly doing the same pose when soloing got to the point of being cheesy), something didn't fully click. With that said, aside from having two ballads (which, for a thrash show, is a bit much for me), the setlist was a solid mix of the band's present and past, although it was odd that the band just stuck to the two singles off of the new album, given one of the shirts at the merch stand featured a "High Noon" design.
An enjoyable set for sure, and one that capped off what was an excellent night of live music.
Matt: Omne and I had very different experiences during the previous bands; Destruction and Obituary are bands I’ve never had much connection with on record, and it was much the same for me live, although the latter drawing so heavily from Cause Of Death (the one album of theirs I’ve found cause to return to over the years) made their set more engaging than I had been anticipating. Still, Testament were the main source of entertainment for me this evening, and I ultimately enjoyed them the most of anyone, although it fell considerably short of the 2020 experience.
Part of that may have been my presence upstairs rather than in/near the pit at the same venue 5 years ago, but the setlist was also a bit of a disappointment; with 5 songs from The New Order and 2 from The Legacy in 2020, Testament were very much playing to my tastes then, while this time only one song (closing track “Into The Pit”) made it in from either record. On top of that, some of the song selections for this more ‘career-spanning’ set were baffling; Omne already noted the choice to include 2 ballads, but considering Dark Roots Of Earth is the most recent album from the band that I’ve been somewhat fond of, I felt the song choice (“Native Blood”) was a weak pick. Ultimately, as someone who’s never found Testament to be nearly as prone as many thrash bands to repetitiveness, I felt there was a real feeling of mid-tempo sameness to the set as it went on, which left me underwhelmed in spite of the occasional highlights (“D.N.R.”, “Practice What You Preach”, “More Than Meets The Eye”).
Testament setlist:
01. D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
02. WWIII
03. Practice What You Preach
04. Sins Of Omission
05. Native Blood
06. Trail Of Tears
07. Low
08. More Than Meets The Eye
09. First Strike Is Deadly
10. Infanticide A.I.
11. Shadow People
12. Return To Serenity
13. Electric Crown
14. Into The Pit
Killswitch Engage – Wembley Arena, 17/10/2025
Omne: With a few days off to gather myself and return to the monotony that is daily life, the respite was brief, as less than a week later, I was venturing out once more to a gig. To close out a stacked October were none other than metalcore maestros Killswitch Engage, a band who have graduated to arena headliners at last (if only for the one date, anyway). It was, however, a pyrrhic victory, for although the band were headlining the arena atop a strong bill, large sections of seating were curtained off, while standing, while busy, wasn't full. It wasn't wildly underattended, but it was the quietest I've seen Wembley Arena before. This was great for attendees like me who didn't have to worry about being shoulder to shoulder with others, instead having some breathing room of my own.
Decapitated 18:45-19:15
It was an odd sight to not only see Decapitated propping up a bill, but also on a stage of this size in such a large venue. While I had seen them at home on Bloodstock's main stage, I still was questioning if their music would translate well to Wembley Arena, or whether it would get lost in the cavernous surroundings.
As it turns out, it didn't sound too bad; while some of the intricacies in their technical death metal was swallowed by the mix, the band was able to power through and entertain an already large audience who had gotten down early for the opening act (how often do you get to say that?). Although enjoyable, the band's heavy focus on Cancer Culture material did mean the chance to hear some of the band's classics was missed, with only "Spheres Of Madness" and "Earth Scar" being culled from different albums. Still, a good way to kick off proceedings.
Decapitated setlist:
01. Cancer Culture
02. Just A Cigarette
03. Earth Scar
04. Spheres Of Madness
05. Suicidal Space Programme
06. Iconoclast
Fit For An Autopsy 19:35-20:10
After a twenty-minute change-over, Fit For An Autopsy emerged on the stage and brought the breakdowns. Judging by the amount of merch people were wearing in the crowd, the band were highly anticipated by many. With an improved sound, Fit For An Autopsy gave the crowd a good deathcore workout, though Badolato's calls for the biggest mosh pit in Wembley history, up to, and encompassing, the sound desk, went unheeded to say the least.
As "Pandora" and "Sea Of Tragic Beasts" hit hard, it was the best song Gojira never wrote "Far From Heaven" that received the best reaction from the crowd; it might not have caused the biggest mosh pit as called for, but no head was still, to say the least.
Fit For An Autopsy setlist:
01. Lower Purpose
02. It Comes For You
03. Hostage
04. Pandora
05. The Sea Of Tragic Beasts
06. Savior Of None / Ashes Of All
07. Far From Heaven
Hatebreed 20:30-21:10
Having laid waste to Finsbury Park with Slayer earlier in the summer, Hatebreed were back to storm another large London stage, this time as the main support than propping up the bill, though weirdly with the same amount of time for their setlist.
Walking out to KISS's "I Was Made For Lovin' You", in honour of the recently departed Ace Frehley, it got the crowd dad-dancing before immediately losing their minds and co-ordination when the band launched into "I Will Be Heard". In contrast to the preceding two groups, Hatebreed had no issue translating their sound to such a large stage, with the band feeling at home on stages small and large.
With "Destroy Everything" again being one of the highlights of a set that just seemed to fly by, Jamey Jasta had the crowd in the palm of his hands and could have potentially upstaged the headliners had the band been given a longer set to work with.
Hatebreed setlist:
01. I Will Be Heard
02. Live For This
03. Empty Promises
04. Make The Demons Obey
05. To The Threshold
06. Perseverance
07. As Diehard As They Come
08. Destroy Everything
09. Driven By Suffering
10. This Is Now
11. Looking Down The Barrel Of Today
Killswitch Engage 21:40-22:55
As Hatebreed left the stage, the countdown to Killswitch Engage began. It did feel odd that only now were the band progressing to arena-sized shows in their own right, especially as their peak creatively was several years in the rear view mirror. Whatever the reason, it was a welcome one, as the introduction blared out and the band emerged to finally lay claim to their first London arena show.
By now, the band have amassed quite a few albums under their belts, so the move to represent each while also mixing in several new cuts meant the band's (rather short, as they played for longer when headlining at Bloodstock in 2023 than they did at their own headline show) set focused heavily on the music, with only brief moments of crowd interaction. This also meant several omissions that were noticeably absent, though by the looks of the rest of their dates, they are mixing up the setlist to compensate. What the band did play, however, was done extremely well and reminded me why I have loved this band for so long, and why they spearheaded metalcore's mainstream push in the mid-00s.
With new cuts "Forever Aligned" and "Aftermath" clicking in a way they don't on their album versions, no track felt like an obligatory inclusion, with all there on merit and making for a great show. Personal highlight "No End In Sight" got an all-too-rare outing before the classics stole the show and took the show to conclusion.
Killswitch Engage setlist:
01. Strength Of The Mind
02. Rose Of Sharyn
03. Reckoning
04. Aftermath
05. Numbered Days
06. This Is Absolution
07. No End In Sight
08. Broken Glass
09. Hate By Design
10. Forever Aligned
11. The Signal Fire
12. I Believe
13. The Arms Of Sorrow
14. In Due Time
15. This Fire
16. My Curse
17. The End Of Heartache
18. My Last Serenade
Omne: While I was surprised to see such a strong line-up not pull a bigger crowd, it should be noted that Parkway Drive and Architects had both played London in the preceding two weeks (and, by most reports, struggled to sell also); with all three bands competing for the same already strained wallets, it should have been no surprise then that all three shows would have noticeably smaller attendances than they perhaps otherwise would have. Still, it was an excellent night, and each band can hold their head up high knowing they put on a solid, entertaining show for those in attendance.
And with that, my autumn season drew to a close... Oh, I already used that bait and switch about attending a festival before... whoops. Well, see you in a few weeks at Damnation Festival!
