PROFILER
DOWNSTAIRS AT THE DOME, LONDON
Nu metal is big business again, and PROFILER know it. The trio blend throwback bouncing grooves with the sheen of modern metalcore, guitarist and vocalist Mike Evans often handing his axe over to bassist Joe Johnson to bound around the small stage and deliver smooth flows and grungy choruses. Their polished set belies their relatively young age as a band, and the crowd happily bounce and even pit for their final songs. On record, KINGDOM OF GIANTS are an amalgamation of every modern metalcore trope. Live, they’re thunderously loud, though that’s due in part to an overpowering drum mix for the first few songs. The energy is sky-high from the off despite the relatively small turnout. The band don’t seem fazed, though. Frontman Dana Willax eggs the crowd on to go harder whenever he’s not screaming his lungs out, and the moshpit that swallows the front of the room early on barely lets up. The band pull extensively from their latest record, Passenger, which only serves to keep the room swirling. It might be metalcore exactly like you’ve heard before, but it’s delivered with a total conviction that deserves such dedicated fans.
WILL MARSHALL
SABRINA RAMDOYAL