REVIEWS
IN FLAMES
AT THE GATES / IMMINENCE / ORBIT CULTURE
Gothenburg’s twin melodeath pioneers offer up a feast for the faithful
In Flames: Anders Fridén keeps the crowd connected
At The Gates put their stamp on the melodeath scene
JAKE OWENS
BRIXTON ACADEMY, LONDON
THE PAIRING OF two Swedish melodeath pioneers feels like a dream tour, especially with reports circulating that headliners In Flames are reaching for their older material that many fans see as their best. ORBIT CULTURE provide the first support with their Metallica-meets-Gojira racket. An anaemic, sometimes murky mix hampers their sound, but not enough to obscure their musical quality. IMMINENCE fare even worse, the drums overpowering their violin-led modern metalcore with the vocals rendered almost inaudible. Frustratingly, it doesn’t get better, and any nuance or draw their songs might have is almost totally lost. AT THE GATES are fresh off celebrating their landmark album Slaughter Of The Soul at Damnation festival, so tonight’s set features more than a few choice cuts, including the requisite title track that follows rampaging opener Spectre Of Extinction. Reunion album At War With Reality also gets a look-in, though their latest two albums only get a single track each. No matter, though, as the atmosphere is electric and the front rows mosh incessantly. Tomas Lindberg commands the crowd with ease whether tearing through To Drink From