Vended - O2 Academy 2 Liverpool
Liverpool has always been known for its vibrant music scene, head to a bar or venue and most of the time, there will be a band playing. Although the city has a massive underground metal scene, the city isn’t often visited by bigger acts in the genre. Tonight that changes, as Vended bring their EU & UK tour to the city with support from Profiler and The Gloom in The Corner, playing at the 500 capacity O2 Academy 2, it’s bound to be a crazy night.
First up tonight, we have Profiler, riding high off the release of their latest album, they are quick to engage with the crowd and incite some movement very early on. Profiler sets the bar for how diverse the line up of bands is on tonight's bill. The bands music blends nu metal and metalcore to create a unique yet exciting sound, setting them apart from many other newer bands. As guitars crunch and drums boom, vocalist Mike Evans unleashes his impressive vocals onto an unsuspecting crowd. At times, they could easily be compared to Deftones, with some songs sharing similarities in sound and style especially Evans' vocals. Not only is Evans on vocal duties but also playing guitar. Bassist Joe Johnson is also enjoyable to watch as he makes use of the space on the stage, never standing in one place for too long. Profiler’s set has definitely set the crowd up for the night; no doubt also creating new fans for the band.
Next up tonight, coming all the way from Melbourne, Australia, we have The Gloom in the Corner. The Gloom in the Corner are a concept-driven metalcore band who’ve taken a unique approach to the way they write their music by weaving a narrative into their songs. Taking to the stage under a blue glow, the band start things off with ‘New Order’. It's a quiet build-up of ethereal sounds and clean vocals before the lights go up and the band's explosive sound hits the crowd.
Following the first song singer Mikey Arthur introduces the band to the crowd but mistakenly misnames the city in which they are playing, he quickly makes a joke about it leading to laughter from the audience. The band press on through their set giving the crowd a deep dive into their world that the music has created. A stand-out moment was a playthrough of their latest single ‘The Jericho Protocol’; a song which proves how far their sound has evolved since the band's inception. The set is impressive and hard-hitting, their sound a mix of blistering drums and aggressive guitars, it’s clear the band have made some new fans tonight.
We’re into the final stages of the night and Vended are preparing to take to the stage. One of the drawing points may be that the singer is in fact Griffin Taylor, son of metal legend Corey Taylor, who’s on lead vocal duties for the band. Griffin takes the stage, dressed in a black leather jacket with a face of blue, black and white war paint.The band waste no time in showing the crowd what they’re made of, kicking things off with latest single ‘Nihilism’. It’s a brutal onslaught of blitz speed drumming and crushing guitars behind Griffin's impressive vocal skills. Griffin takes centre stage through out the set, performing with pure aggression and a ferociousness that many vocalists within the genre lack. As the set continues the mosh pit whips up into a frenzy and the occasional crowd surfer is carried over the crowd.
Griffin’s voice shares similarities to Corey’s but his delivery and performance show’s he doesn’t live in his fathers shadow. The band members themselves are also all talented musicians in their own right with a stand-out performance from bassist, Jeremiah Pugh whose energy on stage is hard to beat as he stomps around the stage. The set is fast-paced, aggressive and doesn’t let up throughout its duration. As the night draws to a close the band play crowd favourite ‘Asylum’ leading to the room descending into chaos.
Despite being 26 dates into a huge tour, Vended played as if it was their first night of tour, treating the crowd to a high octane performance. There’s often a lot of talk about how Vended have gotten to their place within the metal genre but tonight's show has proven they have every right to be there, performing with the professionalism of a band who’ve toured for years and the energy and aggression of a young band. Playing at such a high standard so early on in a band's career is something that should be praised and sets them up for an exciting future.
