Polaris, Silent Planet, Thornhill, and Paledusk shake O2 in London

Paledusk: 

Incredible energy from Japanese chaps from the very start. Lots of liveliness, happiness with a sprinkle of brutality. Definitely a perfect starter for this bill. Third song - No! - had a featuring from their crew. Paledusk started with a very short but energetic cover of Lose yourself by Eminem and proceeded to play some songs from their newest EP - including self-titled track - Palehell. For anyone who experienced them for the first time like me - it was a musical feast. The crowd loved interacting with musicians, which is a rather rare sight in the UK from what I observed. They didn’t shy away from heaviness, but it was very playful and filled with electronic fill ins. 

This is the best opener I have seen in months and definitely the best one I have experienced in 2024 so far. Lots of circle pit requests from vocalist got responded. I particularly want to give a big credit for their drummer - Bob. The double kick footwork was immaculate. 

Thornhill: 

Australians clicked with the crowd immediately. Invitation to the Circle pit came straight on the first song. Very esoteric and vibey. The band’s vocalist - Jacob - has a wonderful charisma flowing through him. He lets himself swim in notes. Music he performs lets him get emotional and touch people with both sung and screamed vocals. Also probably very overlooked in his vocal range are his deep guttural vocals - when he performed them I got proper goosebumps. A very impressive moment was when the band played their new single - Obsession. Lots of fans decided to crowd surf and clearly enjoyed the magic behind Thornhill’s art of music. Incredibly groovy melodies and engaging dance. The bass and drum sections are very tight and elevate further and further the more you listen to them. Especially Casanova has wonderful guitar solos live. They finish their set with the song Where we go that crowns their monumental set in o2 Forum and leave the stage in success of fantastic set. 

Silent Planet: 

Americans start very strong with projections displayed on a large screen. It’s dark, atmospheric and moody. From the first note they are submerging you in Superbloom - just like the title of their new album. Electronica rhythms are intertwined with heaviness. Both Alex (drummer) and Mitchell (guitarist) often refer back and forth to their instruments as well as pads to make additional sounds. The vocalist - Gareth - immediately abducts you to dark depths of his vocals and sweeps you away especially during 2nd song - Collider. People in the crowd seem to connect with his emotions to both crowd surf and chant songs. Heavy mood spreads out across the whole venue. The crowd gets very lively by the time the band performs their biggest hit out of Superbloom - Antimatter. They replace Gareth in the first chorus and continue to chant with him throughout the whole song. The vocalist dedicates Panic Room to everyone who suffers from PTSD. He is also grateful lots of people turn out to “small Californian band set” and admits this is the biggest show they have 

ever played. At certain points band delivers very heavy breakdowns that most deathcore bands wouldn’t shy away from it. Another big point to make is Gareth’s ability to sustain a high-pitched long scream. This feature could be beautifully combined with collaboration with singers like Andy Cizek from Monuments who is also capable of sustaining long notes like that. He also jokes before last 2 songs - Anunnaki and Trilogy - he got nearly hit by moped but otherwise he loves London. Before they finish, he emphasized how important is Anunnaki to last song about American history and making future better for next generations. For the last song he thanks other bands and as well as his own band mates. He insists on making sure that your loved ones know they are loved by you which is beautiful message to wrap up such intensely emotional set. 

Polaris: 

Polaris starts monumentally with Harbinger - opener from their newest LP - Fatalism. Lots of energy, moving from the very beginning which blended fantastically into 2nd song - Nightmare. From the very beginning the band lets you know they are here to shake the ground making crowd surf and chant alongside musician through song Nightmare. The energy does not stop even for a minute. Both singing bassist and screaming performers - Jake and Jamie - mix their vocals flawlessly and emotionally giving their best to interact with o2 Forum fans. Their performance goes from super powerful to emotional which fans are soaking in word by word. Jamie thanks the crowd for their large attendance - the concert got sold out. He is incredibly grateful for the crowd who stuck with them through the years and reassured everyone that Sunday night was a place of love. Around the same time during the show most of the stall area became a giant circle pit. Watching their show, I was heavily impressed how much stronger they came back after the tragedy mid 2023 when their guitarist - Ryan - suddenly passed away. His legacy was still there seeing very impressive guitar solos during the show. The strong part of their show was how well light was paired to their music. Every little accent was synchronized with the beat to perfection. The crowning moment to see how Jamie named London fans family and proceeded to thank everyone for Ryan’s support and made the whole venue emotional. He vowed to look after your loved ones and made the whole venue light up their lights to commemorate his memory. Such a stunning melodic show just set in stone that Polaris is here to stay and shake metalcore scene for many more years to come.