Bury Tomorrow
Special Guests: August Burns Red + Novelists
Venue: O2 Academy, Bristol.
Date: 30th October 2022.
Review By: Liam True
Novelists
Being put on the bill at the last minute after Miss May I pulled out, Novelists have been given some pressure to open the show. And with four albums and a 9-song set, they’ve proven that they’re the right band to have been chosen for the opportunity. Coming on stage just mere minutes before I entered the venue, you’re greeted with the inaugural noise of opener Terrorists. As they blast through the song to a decent sized audience. Do You Really Wanna Know? With its mixes of electric filth grooves and metalcore madness shows the band at both their softest and loudest.
During the interlude of Colas, temporary vocalist for the UK side of the EU tour, as Tobias Rische couldn’t make it, Kubrick asks the crowd ‘Did someone say guitar battle?’ And with that, Florestan Durand & Pierre Danel take point on the risers at the front of the stage to perform a short but fun battle straight out of Guitar Hero 3 as they both weave betwixt frets trying to out-do the other as Smoke Signals commence. During this time, you notice that drummer Amael Durand is obscured by the bands nearly 7-foot-tall lighting rig embedded with the band’s name that flashes the same colours as the house lights, which while a nice touch, makes it feel like drummer Durand isn’t there. The band aren’t given much space themselves either, as they only have a few feet to play with, causing the members to be stuck in stone the entire show. But as A Bitter End & Lost Cause guide the band off the stage, it’s proven that they’re stronger than most people thought and hit harder than a bull in a china shop. They might not be as well-known as the other bands on the line-up, but they’ve definitely made their mark 
(3.5 / 5)
August Burns Red
As a band I used to listen to in my youth, but have fallen off my radar since 2013, I was excited to see August Burns Red on the line-up and intrigued to see if they had changed their sound over the years.
As the lights go down, Chop Suey plays over the speakers as the band walks out and as the song hits the first bridge the band explode into a cover of the song, immediately sparking circle pits and bodies being thrown about, which is always a good sign. With the duel vocal assault of frontman Jake Luhrs and bassist Dustin Davidson, they intertwine perfectly as Vengeance kicks into full gear. With the crowd eating out of the palms of the entire band, guitarists John Benjamin & Brent Rambler share a few moments with each other as they prowl around the stage while playing their razor-sharp riffs. It’s an incredible set filled with songs from their back catalogue and newest album, Guardians. Older songs like Composure & White Washed stand strong next to newer songs like Vengeance & Bloodletter. During their tirade of metalcore chugs, Luhrs apologises to a couple down the front for spitting on stage before storming through the rest of their songs. Marianas Trench & White Washed end their set as the band take a bow and leave the stage. And it looks like they don’t even know how much destruction they’ve just unleashed to the crowd. But it will stay with us forever 
(4 / 5)
Bury Tomorrow
The time has come. After a blistering performance on the main stage at Download earlier this year, Bury Tomorrow are taking the UK by storm. And with new album The Seventh Sun slated for a 2023 release and new single Abandon Us released early October, started it’s one of the year’s biggest tours since its announcement.
As the lights cut and a thunderous background noise erupts from the speakers, the band take the stage. As the thunder cuts out, guitarist Ed Hartwell starts the set out with the opening to Choke as Daniel Winter-Bates screams us into the song. And as the band launches into the first song of the set, the crowd sing back just as loud as clean vocalist Tom Prendergast belts out the chorus. The Grey (VIXI) & Black Flame with the circle pits, crowd-surfing and flailing bodies is a sign that the band are killing it. Life & newest single Abandon Us go hand in hand together as though they’ve been in the set since day one, considering they’ve just been released this year.
During the set, Dan states a few times that they’re all grateful that they’re selling out venues and having the ability to tour on this scale with the bands they’re sharing the stage with. Giving a shoutout to both Novelists & August Burns Red before they take us back into the madness with Man On Fire with CO2 cannons in tow.
During another interlude we’re greeted to Dan telling us about a new song that hasn’t been released yet called Boltcutter, which from start to finish is as heavy as Mechagodzillas balls, and even though we haven’t heard of it before, the crowd is wild, as circle pits are in full swing adding even more anticipation for their new forthcoming album.Cannibal and Death end the show and send us home, as the band hold that last note on Death as you can see that they’re genuinely happy to be on stage and have a passion for playing. As the sound ends the band take a bow, thanks us, throw a few picks and sticks into the crowd and leave. And when they’ve left, there’s a feeling in the air of what we’ve just witnessed. We’ve just witnessed Bury Tomorrow absolutely ruin Bristol O2 Acadamy. And during the set Dan tells us that with a new album, comes a new tour and I already can’t wait until it’s announced, so this devastation can be relived 
(5 / 5)
