Defenders of the Faith III @ O2 Brixton Academy, London

Trivium

In Flames

Ghost

Rise to Remain

Insense

@

O2 Brixton Academy, London

'Defenders of the Faith' is doing the rounds for the third time and tonight they reach a near sold out Brixton Academy with a diverse line-up as usual.

Insense's sound is a difficult one to place in a single genre, but live they cross all kinds of boundaries from technical progressive hardcore to almost dirty stoner rock. They'll be a new name for most people in the crowd, but this wont be the last time they hear of these Norwegians as new album 'Burn in Beautiful Fire' is getting heaps of praise. Title track from that album is one of the highlights of this 30-minute set of head banging and flailing deadlocks.

Often considered also rans in the UK metalcore scene, it's awesome to see Rise to Remain hit their home town stage with so much venom, ready to prove their worth to anyone who has failed to take notice so far. They've grown up considerably since first doing the round supporting just about everyone, but slowly but surely they are becoming a force to be reckoned with. If only the likes of BMTH would do everyone a favour and get out of the way.

Ghost take their place on the stage with nameless ghouls lining the front as Papa Emeritus takes his place at the altar. Sounding like 2011's answer to Blue Oyster Cult and nothing like the audience expects them to, this is Devil worshiping at its musical best. Whether you like the gimmick, this is still some of the most infectious rock 'n' roll released in the last couple of years.

In flames, backed by retina burning lighting rig, play though a set largely made up of tracks from their most recent (and underrated) album 'Sounds of a Playground Fading', but its not until 'The Quiet Place' where things really turn up a notch and the crowd goes absolutely mental. 'Cloud Connected' is the oldest track which goes down a storm, but the older fans in the audience will be disappointed of no material pre-'Reroute to Remain'.

It's all to easy to expect the same old Trivium performance as they've toured the UK so often in the last (near as damn-it) 10 years, most recently with Iron Maiden, you almost know their show inside out. But tonight they are simply on fire. Now they are playing latest album 'In Waves' in front of their own fans it all sounds so much bigger and better with current single 'Built to Fall' going down a treat, and most importantly, they look like they are enjoying it a lot more. A career spanning set and huge fan base singing back every word makes for a truely electric atmosphere and a hugely memorable night.

Reviewed & Photography by Daniel Gray