On the 8th February 2018 metal fans descended to Camden’s iconic live music venue the Koko, London to see metal titans Accept take over the town for one special night of the European leg of The Rise of Chaos World Tour 2018 to coincide with their latest album released last year. With support from Night Demon this was the perfect excuse to party on a school night. I was as excited as all the fans of all ages queued hours ahead of show time to get front row all donning Accept t-shirts. It was already looking like a buzzing, unforgettable night.
First up supporting was Californian trio Night Demon who brought danger to society with their overwhelming energetic performance of crushing riffs and screaming solos to an almost full to capacity audience. Three songs in and the crowd was fully engaged in the mosh pit. The NWOBHM inspired metal was beautifully executed by these musicians as drummer Dusty Squires and Jarvis Leatherby (vocals/bass) filled the sound perfectly. Notably in songs “Curse of the Damned” and “Hallowed Ground” which had the crowd hypnotised with guitarist Armand John Anthony’s intense shredding set the benchmark high for the night. This left the crowd hungry for more as they chanted “we want more” as they blazed through their set. My only disappointment was the lack of lighting during the solos as I would have loved to have seen Anthony’s intricate finger work. The grim reaper made an appearance during “Chalice” which was a nice way to lead towards the end of their set. Leatherby’s soaring vocals were on point and complimented his playing exceptionally.
Now the time had come for the headliners at 8:45pm. The crowd was pumped as they awaited their metal fix by Accept’s appearance chanting “Wolf, Wolf.” As the lights dimmed the crowd roared in hysteria. The German five-piece entered the stage going full throttle into “Die by the Sword” to the loud cheering crowd. A few songs in and the energy was relentless, full of front row headbangers and moshers. The great frontman Mark Tornillo hit every note perfectly with his gritty vocals. They offered us the set staples and ploughed straight into “Stalingrad” and “London Leather-boys.” The powerful, addictive authentic sound of these high energy tracks had the floors of the Koko steadily bouncing throughout the entire set. Moshers of all ages joined in the pit brutality and joined in singing along to the tune and needed little encouragement when axeman Wolf Hoffmann requested them to clap. Each track was met with a thunderous reception and the momentum of the band’s performance only seemed to build in stature. There was minimal verbal interaction with the crowd, never leaving an opportunity to break the pace.
It’s a well known fact that Hoffmann is the backbone of Accept being the only original member since its inception in 1976 and Peter Baltes (bass) as one of its long time members. Baltes’ booming bass complimented Hoffmann’s screaming guitar rhythms perfectly showed the chemistry between the two was strong during the twin solo. Drummer Christopher Williams filled in with sheer intensity of thundering double kick drumming and blast beats which I felt penetrate my core! Every song was a crowd pleaser and it was during “Koolaid” where we saw the tall, lean lead guitarist Wolf take centre stage with his legendary performance on a platform that mostly seemed to be reserved for him. Guitarist Uwe Lulis is certainly worth a mention as he effortlessly played without a note out of place and can testify to his talents as he and Wolf engaged in a solo for “Fast as a Shark” with wide smiles on display showed immense appreciation for the crowd.
The 2 hour set flew by as we’d already reached the encore. Fans were treated to 3 final songs “Metal Heart,” “Teutonic Terror” and the all time favourite “Balls to the Wall.” There could not have been any better way to end the night with these metal giants- on a total high in the middle of a brutal mosh pit party!
Overall, Danger lurked in the darkness of Night Demon, a must-see live act who put on thrilling performance, featuring catchy riffs and pounding double-kick which took the Koko by storm. These guys are a great live act who can put on a show for any crowd- expect thrills and chills and a punchy set! Headliner’s Accept delivered an energetic, blistering set capable of pinning your balls to the walls. The well polished, semi-choreographed performance set destruction alight and offered London an unforgettable night! Be sure to catch these bands in a city near you as Accept continue with the Rise of Chaos world tour with Night Demon supporting on the remaining European dates.