Altamont - Westland Complex, Yeovil (10/11/2008)

Never Say Die! Tour: Parkway Drive, Unearth, Despised Icon, Architects, Protest The Hero, Whitechapel and Carnifex.Never Say Die! is the type of tour dreams are made of: seven buzz bands and a whole lotta breakdowns.

Unfortunately for this mammoth metal tour, there were 'problems with the buses' so Protest The Hero opened up the show rather ungracefully. Almost as tight as they are on record, the lads riffed through their short set with gusto, but there was no spark. Whether this was jetlag or annoyance at being on first, something was up and the crowd clearly sensed it.

Fresh from the Europe leg of the tour, Architects sprung to the stage three slots too early and completely blew Yeovil away. Playing two tracks from highly anticipated unreleased album Hollow Crown was an unsafe bet for Century Media's newly signed, but people had already learnt the words to 'Follow The Water'. Not bad, considering the track had only been on MySpace for a week. Their sound is progressive, their stage presence is collectively untouchable and the drive Architects have consequently elevates their prominence beyond belief.

Despite their set back, Californian death metal quintet Carnifex brought the growls and gruff vocals that the kids seem to appreciate. The staying power of pig squeals is something of a sore subject, so when Whitechapel came on and played near enough an identical set, it was something of a bore.

Remember when crowds at shows just simultaneously jumped up and down and bumped into each other when it got a bit louder? Yeovil doesn't. At one point the floor literally opened up and human windmills climbed out of the floorboards during 'Despised Icon'.

With a sound almost as big as vocalist Trevor Phipps's arms, Unearth continued to bring the noise. Fists really started flowing as the shredding began and the band demonstrated to preceding acts what they should be aiming for with and why they have sustained their place in the metal game for as long as they have.

Last time Oz headliners Parkway Drive played Yeovil it was in a venue half the size, but this only elevated the alliance between band and audience as the hardcore grooves kept on coming with confidence and craze. Gang chants and breakdowns galore as they roared through their set, 'Gimme A D' was met with gratitude in the form of spin kicks and a large bundle of guys clambering over the barrier desperate to get the mic.

Ending the opening night of the UK leg of Never Say Die couldn't have been done any more triumphantly than with the melodically aggressive 'Romance is Dead'. Put quite simply, it was the absolute top element of a brutally awesome evening.

Rating: 4/5

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Altamont - Westland Complex, Yeovil (10/11/2008)
Live review of Parkway Drive, Unearth, Despised Icon, Architects, Protest The Hero, Whitechapel and Carnifex as part of the Never Say Die! tour.

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