As many of metal’s established bands start to shuffle off towards the great gig in the sky, a burning question is who will fill the void on their departure, and an answer arrives in this tour which showcases three of metal’s hottest young bands. Proving that the scene is in ruddy health, this tour can be seen as ushering in a new age of heavy metal and, personally, I can’t wait.

Hailing from Leeds and formed in 2019, Slimelord released a consistent discography comprising of three well-received EP’s and a live album that has culminated in their debut studio album, the excellently-titled Chytridiomycosis Relinquished. Appearing inside a ball off glorious feedback, Slimelord make their presence felt from the very first note with a rhythm section who prove themselves a musical steamroller to crush all in their path. Plenty of whammy bar action finds the two guitarists forming a formidable tag team while the vocals are seemingly dredged from the depths of Hades. With a sound that mashes up doom and death metal to great effect and adds a slightly surreal edge, they’re an extremely likeable bunch and some of the stragglers who arrive late look a little upset, and so they should, because they’ve missed a real treat and tonight’s set marks the band as ones to watch.

Riding high on the success of their recent EP, Visions Of Stagnant Blood found Celestial Sanctuary breaking new ground and adding new facets to their sound which means that when the band take to the stage they’re full of confidence and bang on point. They’re a tight quartet (and guitarist/vocalist Thomas Cronin gets bonus points for wearing a Ripping Corpse t-shirt) who lock in tightly to deliver a skull-crushing brand of death metal and they soon get the venue headbanging in unison. It’s a sound that makes some lose their sh*t (but in the best possible way) and it doesn’t take long for a mini circle pit to erupt, it’s that type of music. Leading the charge in the New Wave Of British Death Metal, this bunch are wise enough to mix things up; they’re not just pure bludgeon and the ethereal solos make a nice foil to the heavier sections. There’s a professionalism, a seriousness in their craft, surrounding Celestial Sanctuary that should soon find them on the biggest stages. I liked ‘em, and you will too.

While it is true that Tokyo’s Kruelty aren’t reinventing the wheel, they bring a freshness to familiar themes in that smart way that only Japanese bands can. And while the world turns its attention to anime and the idol scene, something far more interesting is happening away from the spotlight’s glare with a thriving underground music scene that spans the whole spectrum of heaviness. From the death metal of Vomit Remains to the grindcore of Fester Decay thanks to the Japanese heavy music has been rejuvenated and revitalised with fresh blood. With their fusion of death, doom and hardcore Kruely are indicative of the new breed and, as you’d expect from such an admixture, their sound is truly awe-inspiring. Therefore, it’s no surprise that an air of expectation builds as we await the band and when they appear it is reconfigured as a three-piece and it is reduced numbers that really suits the band. It’s a compact unit that really suits their songs and turns tracks such as ‘Unknown Terror’ into explosive numbers and the bassist, “SE7” does explode with every note. Drummer “Mani” is very bombastic, creating a huge sound as if he’s playing inside a cave while the guitar/vocalist “Zuma” unleashes some impressive growls whilst also delivering some chuggy chords and spasmodic solos. My only complaint is that at 40-minutes this headline set is a tad too short, but truth be told they’ve packed more energy into this short set than most bands have put into an entire career.