The night of 30th November 2016 is a cold and bitter evening on the streets of London. The month of December looms just over the horizon as the outside world is preparing to enter into another chilly and doubtlessly miserable British winter.
But inside the O2 Forum at London’s Kentish Town, spirits could not be higher and the sense of anticipation from the metalheads that had taken refuge inside was creating an atmosphere of warmth and excitement. For on this night, beloved siblings Max and Iggor Cavalera are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the beloved Sepultura album, Roots (1996). The duo – alongside bassist Johny Chow and guitarist Marc Rizzo – has spent much of 2016 scouring the globe on their aptly named “Return to Roots” tour, but this was the only show of the entire trek set to take place in the UK.
But before the groove metal party could begin, openers The Hyena Kill take the stage. The Manchester-based hard-rocking duo are immediately somewhat out of place as they break into their set, bringing melodic, gritty, neo-sludge rock in support of a classic act notorious for its anarchy and unadulterated heaviness. While the two-piece are increasingly well-received as the night goes on and the crowd grows (and more alcohol is ingested), the primary issue for The Hyena Kill is their stage presence. Clearly they’re used to playing on far smaller stages, as frontman Steven Dobb stands either at the mic or facing drummer Lorna Blundell. The majority of the stage went untouched by the dirty rockers, which in turn damaged the visual element of the performance.
However, on the other end of the spectrum, the best thing about The Hyena Kill is doubtlessly their powerhouse guitar riffs, with Dobb laying out brilliantly groove-laden attacks on his six strings while Blundell’s rhythms bring proceedings to perfect head-banging pace. While The Hyena Kill’s set ends with a supportive roar from the Forum’s massing crowd, it isn’t until the Cavaleras et al prepare to take the stage that the sheer passion and undiluted excitement becomes apparent. Even the roadie doing the soundcheck on the drums got fans chanting along. Has that ever happened before in the history of rock concerts?!
But this is nothing compared to the reception the headliners receive. Opening (and closing) their blistering set with the adored “Roots Bloody Roots”, the packed Forum is instantly brought to a frenzy, as attendees jump, mosh and head-bang to what is arguably Sepultura’s best-known song. What a way to get things going. It is impossible to recall the last time a live band got their audience this intensely hyped up this quickly. The momentum never dies either. Continuing through ‘Attitude’ and the rest of Roots, Max Cavalera proves to be an expert at working the crowd, often inciting them to chant along with the deep, heavy, mid-paced riffs as well as clap at the record’s more tribal and native Brazilian-style moments.
After the Roots set comes to an unfortunate end, the rest of the night continues the covers, beginning with Black Sabbath’s classic ‘War Pigs’ and culminating with a ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ reprise. And while this encore section is still endlessly enjoyable, the Roots portion feels just a little better purely because of the power of the classic record and the way it made for a superb anchor for an equally flawless set.
Overall – especially in the main body of the show – Max, Iggor and co. may have provided the best heavy metal headlining set of 2016.