SYLOSIS // O2 KENTISH TOWN FORUM, LONDON
A ‘mini festival’ of metal mayhem in London!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)
SYLOSIS AT O2 KENTISH TOWN FORUM, LONDON
PHOTOCREDIT: DEEPAK RAMADASAN
A total of 7 bands hailing from Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia, the UK and US. All under one roof, at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town in London. It feels like being at a festival with this many amazing acts crammed into a single night of metal madness. Doors open at 4pm and there are some very eager metalheads in the crowd, not wanting to miss out on any of opening acts – Instagram videos of Josh and Ben from Sylosis donning merchandise of the opening acts and repping the bands on ‘The New Flesh’ tour whilst in Europe may have something to do with this.
Life Cycles, hailing from San Antonio, Texas are the first band to come on stage at 4.30pm. This five-piece band are brutal from the very first song, their style merging thrash with hardcore and this being their first time to the UK, the crowd get fully behind the energy of vocalist Jeremy Cuevas and the riffs that are fast, heavy and full of adrenaline. I can raise my hand and admit that I am a new fan of this band!
The time is now 5.15pm and next up are Distant, a 4-piece crushing deathcore band hailing from Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Bratislava, Slovakia. With 4 studio albums under their belt and no strangers to the UK deathcore scene, they waste no time and get straight to business of face melting. Their heavy attack right from the start definitely takes the tempo of the night up a few notches and the crowd are made to pay attention – vocalist Alan Grnja has a commanding presence and the band overall provide a tight and cohesive performance.
Frozen Soul, the 2nd Texan band of the line-up take to the stage at 6pm. For a band who are critically acclaimed for their glacial and old-school sound, the reception from the crowd was a bit, dare I say it, cold. They struggle to get the crowd going with the first three tracks and eventually the crowd engage in circle pits upon the throaty bellows of “More! More!” from vocalist Chad Green.
Revocation are the 4th band of the night hitting the stage at 6.45pm. Being the 3rd US band on the line up, vocalist and guitarist Dave Davidson professes his love for London – “You guys are awesome, I love London, it’s one of my favourite cities to play in the world” he says. And by the way, the phrase “You know what to do!” clearly means it is time for a massive circle pit and Revocation draw one of the biggest ones of the night so far – the 3 remaining bands have some work ahead of them.
Next on the line-up, taking to the stage at 7.30pm are a band who don’t require much of an introduction. Veterans of the melodic death metal scene, The Black Dahlia Murder are welcomed on stage to a rapturous welcome from the crowd. Given that we started off the night around 3 hours ago, there is no slacking from this London crowd – they are still keen and energetic, albeit a tad sweaty and tipsy.
For the super keen and well informed, there is a new face on stage amongst The Black Dahlia Murder – legendary shredder, Wes Hauch (of Alluvial and Glass Casket) has joined the band on lead guitar duties since May 2025. ‘Widowmaker’ from their 2017 album ‘Nightbringers’ and ‘Everything Went Black’ from their 2007 album ‘Nocturnal’ are the highlights of the night – TBDM are definitely winning the circle pit battle thus far and there are a bunch of crowd surfers who are hell bent on making the security staff work for their pay! Vocalist Brian Eschbach, visibly ecstatic and armed with a cheesy grin thanks the crowd and Sylosis for the wonderful opportunity to play in London along with the other fantastic bands.
It is now time for “Ze Germans” – extreme metal veterans Heaven Shall Burn take to the stage at 8.35pm. Guitarist Maik Weichert, speaking in an interview with Ireland’s RTÉ in February 2026, said: "We're absolutely stoked to finally take our new record, HEIMAT, on the road across Europe and blast the new songs in your faces! "We’ve put together a massive package with bands that we ourselves are huge fans of - you don’t want to miss this, it’s going to be total destruction!" And what better way to commence total destruction with none other than ‘War Is The Father of All’ as a setlist opener. What follows is an hour of intense and impeccable, crushing live sound delivered by a veteran band whose music is precise, complemented by uncompromising, politically charged lyrics which have made them a fan favourite across the world for decades.
“You might not know this next song!” teases vocalist Marcus Bischoff, moments before the band set off into the Edge Of Sanity’s cover ‘Black Tears’ – cue the crowd losing it and a flurry of crowd surfers. The band take to synchronised headbanging and bouncing, the crowd returning this energy many times over. Just before the last song ‘Übermacht’, guitarist Maik mentions how he loves playing London and how the crowd of an English-speaking city, are generally extremely welcoming of a German band - plenty of raised fists as show of support. And now the moment that nearly 2,000 metal fans have been waiting for; some of them having travelled far and wide and arriving in Camden Town for the album launch party at midday.
If there is one band flying the flag for intelligent, uncompromising British metal right now, it is Sylosis and their latest album ‘The New Flesh’ released today, proves exactly why. From the moment the house lights drop, the atmosphere shifts from a low murmur to an electric anticipation. As the intro tape swells and the band appear onstage, the crowd surge forward. Frontman and guitarist Josh Middleton wastes no time, launching straight into ‘Erased’, one of the 3 singles from the new album – the crowd rejoicing this selection as the blistering opener to set the tone of the night: razor-sharp riffs, thunderous double-kick patterns and a wall of sound so tight it feels engineered.
Sylosis have always thrived in the space between thrash precision and melodic death metal grandeur, and live, that balance hits even harder – tracks like ‘I Sever’ and ‘Poison for the Lost’ are testament to this and the crowd, 3 songs in, are akin to piranha in a feeding frenzy. ‘Lacerations’, a definite arena melter for the future, sees Josh’s ferocious yet controlled vocals, switching from venomous growls to soaring melodic lines without missing a beat, the crowd joining in for “…Are you aliiiiiiive, living with a sinking feeeeeeling…”. Even the members of the bands that have played tonight, watching the show from the sidelines join in unison; a truly wonderful sight and feeling of brotherhood and camaraderie. A mid-set run of fan favourites like ‘Servitude’, ‘Teras’ and ‘Pariahs’ trigger multiple circle pits with crowd surfers constantly cresting above the barrier. The new material feels just as commanding as the classics, proof that Sylosis are not coasting on nostalgia but actively sharpening their sound.
Visually, the show is stark but effective. Moody lighting bathe the stage in icy blues and deep reds, amplifying the intensity without distracting from the performance. No flashy gimmicks, just four musicians locked in, heads down, delivering a masterclass in modern metal. Icy blues and deep reds – just what concert photographers love to work with…NOT. I cannot help but ponder on the choice of songs for the encore – ‘Deadwood’ and ‘The New Flesh’, how very fitting and symbolic for this new chapter in Sylosis. The entire crowd now moving as one heaving mass fists and hair. When the last chord rang out, the band stood momentarily in feedback haze before offering quick thanks and disappearing backstage, leaving behind ringing ears and wide grins.
In an era where spectacle often overshadows substance, Sylosis remind us that precision, passion, and punishing riffs are more than enough. This was not just any gig – this was a statement, a statement that British metal is alive, evolving and in extremely capable hands.
REVIEW + PHOTOS BY: DEEPAK RAMADASAN
