Last Friday night at The Underworld, Terror – one of Los Angeles’ finest hardcore bands – headlined an intimate, sold-out show that the London scene would remember for ages. For any of you outside the city, they are still on tour in support of their new album ‘The 25th Hour’.
Opening talent Ironed Out stocked the audience with their young, loud and large-sounding rap/hardcore act. They’ve only had a few gigs centered around their 1st EP released last March, and although it was my first time seeing any of these guys, I’d consider them a definitive live act. They’re our own super group made of London local hardcore bands and show serious promise for the future.
Twitching Tongues, also from Los Angeles, were the second of the two support bands to take the stage. A real mix of your favourite genres from doom and stoner music to metal and hardcore, they also arrived with a full, new line-up. Opening the show with “Eyes Adjust”, which had a really deep Candlemass feel to it, all I wanted at that point was to get to the back of the venue with my glass of whisky and a joint to compliment the performance.
Another noticeable track was “Cannibal”, whose occasional guitars and riffs sounded like they were taken from old school metallic hardcore a la Hatebreed. Of course, this is all completely subjective, but I loved it just the same. They really surprised me, and I wasn’t expecting that after the first song, so if you haven’t caught these guys live yet, what are you waiting for?
Next up were Wisdom In Chains, and they don’t just warm the stage – they burned the motherfucker down. These guys held enough energy for the whole audience, and owned every inch of the Underworld barely 10 minutes into their set.
They ripped through a variety of songs, taking the crowd out on a high with tunes like “My Promise” and “Songs to my Killer”. The large and frenzied crowd moshed and whipped up a storm in the place. Frontman Mad Joe impressed with his powerful vocals, jumping everywhere on-stage and making sure that the crowd got involved in the show till the end. They then closed the show with “Chasing the Dragon”, and as the boys left the stage, it was clear that they’re an act to watch again.
It was finally time for the main act: Terror. The band stepped confidently on to the stage, getting straight down to business with “One with the Underdogs”. The room shook as they delivered a high-energy performance with songs like “Live by the Code”, “Keep Your Mouth Shut” and “Spit My Rage”.
Terror had people jumping over onto stage through their entire set, asking the crowd to unite as one and sing songs together as vocalist Scott Vogel’s favourite song “You’re Caught” came on; “no one stand still,” he ordered.
It was a night of stage dives, crowd-surfing, sweat, and screaming your vocal chords out. Terror went through a very strong set list that included five songs from the latest album, like “Bad Signs”, “No Time for Fools” and “Trust No Face”.
Just when everyone thought it was all over, “Keepers of the Faith” began, taking with it the last of the crowd’s energy and finishing off the night. Despite their passionate songs and chaotic shows, Terror hold a humble attitude towards their fans, and that night in the Underworld, they gave a spectacular performance.
