CROSSFAITH

BLOOD YOUTH/ GROUNDCULTURE THE MARBLE FACTORY, BRISTOL

gROUnDcULTURE’s energetic grooveinfused hardcore isn’t enough to break the ice this evening, despite their admirable efforts. Met by a brutally painful silence, BLOOD YOUTH seem to suffer the most, though. Besides blasting a decent breakdown or two, the four-piece show little spark, enthusiasm or quick thinking to improve on their relationship with the crowd.

cROSSFaITH may have ridden an initial wave of hype, but the excitement here is entirely self-generated. Transitioning to a plain of electro-metalcore existence of Voltron proportions, strobes fire out as the band step out triumphantly to the beats of Deus Ex Machina. Banner in hand, frontman Kenta Koie decimates Bristol under the kaiju footsteps of a mostly

EX_MACHINA set, injecting the room with a vitality that’s been dormant all evening. They’re an unstoppable party machine with a taste for theatrical shenanigans, firing out belter after belter and stopping only to ceremoniously open a can of lager to mark their latest arrival on British shores. They may have only had a single hour to do their back catalogue justice, but it’s great to have Crossfaith back.