Palladium, Cologne, Germany 30th November 2024
Bury Tomorrow - “Seventh Sun Tour V.” European Tour 2024 - Special guests: Make them Suffer, Thornhill, As Everything Unfolds
British Metalcore Legends BURY TOMORROW have announced three shows in Germany for late autumn to make your crowd surf and circle pit experience extra cozy, and for Cologne, thousands heeded their call. And the list of special guests on their tour was long, which is an extra bonus for witnessing the raw energy and brutality of BURY TOMORROW as they bring their intense metalcore sound to Cologne.
As Everything Unfolds
First up were fellow English countrymates AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. So far, they have released two studio albums (latest being called ‘Ultraviolet’ from April 2023), with a third one in the making. Check out https://www.aseverythingunfolds.com for more info.
Music & Performance
The band kicked off their set at 7pm with the energetic opener ‘Slow Down’. In the following 30 minutes, vocalist Charlie Rolfe, guitarist Adam Kerr, George Hunt on bass, Jon Cassidy on synths, and Louis Doran (filling in for the late drummer Jamie Gowers) entertained the crowd with their mixture of alternative rock, post-hardcore, and progressive metal. It was amazing to see the band holding up, and doing their tour, after being hit with a tragedy of losing a band member. The band was extremely happy with the response of the crowd, and this left the crowd screaming for more after the 30 minutes of playtime flew by. The only slight thing to criticize was the reduced volume level of the set, which could have been more pronounced by adding a little more punch to the guitars.
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 8 / 10
Thornhill
Up next was THORNHILL, an Australian Heavy Metal band from Melbourne. The four-piece have carved up a loyal following with their uniquely aggressive vocals blended with heavy and distorted guitars. So far, THORNHILL have released two studio albums: ‘The Dark Pool’ (2019) and ‘Heroine’ (2022), and two EPs: ‘13’ (2016) and ‘Butterfly’ (2018). https://unfdcentral.com/artists/thornhill
Music & Performance
A gloomy intro announced the start of THORNHILL’s set, and the four band members walked on stage to perform the opener ‘Raw’. Singer Jakob Charlton, despite his youthful appearance, exuded a distanced, yet slick atmosphere, while his bandmates created an elaborate wall of sound, reminiscent of DEFTONES. The level of commotion in front of the stage showed an upward trajectory, and the first crowd surfers started to appear, so obviously THORNHILL hit a nerve. This is definitely a band to watch out for.
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 7 / 10
Make Them Suffer
Fellow Australians from Perth MAKE THEM SUFFER held the sub headliner spot on this evening’s billing. The band has been active since 2008 and started out as a black/death metal band with symphonic influences, before graduating to a more metalcore style. With the advent of keyboarder Alex Reade, they also incorporate more melodic and EDM influences into their style. MAKE THEM SUFFER are on their fifth album, and the latest one (self-titled) has just been released in November 2024. http://mtsband.com/
Music & Performance
Third time is a charm, or so they say. And boy, was I not ready for what I was about to witness. MAKE THEM SUFFER came out swinging shortly before 9pm. Right out of the gates, with singer Sean Harmanis yelling “Cologne, get the fuck up!”, the 3,500 people inside the Palladium gladly obliged, and absorbed and reflected the enormous amount of energy the band infused into the room. The opener ‘Ghost of Me’ hit it out of the park in terms of intensity, and as a consequence, the audience went crazy instantly. Especially the guitarist’s performance was something to marvel at. It seems Nick McLernon had lost the sheer ability to stand still for a single moment during the 40-minute set. While he was whirling across the stage, he yet delivered riffs and solos with eye-watering accuracy.
Also, during the set it became clear what a massive addition Alex Reade is. Her angelic voice during the chorus, but also her fierce growls, as well as tightly delivered keyboard hooks proved to be a fitting puzzle piece to musical perfection. Few songs into the set, the breakdowns in the track sparked a massive wall of death, and simply by looking at this, it was clear this band had won over everyone in the room. Personally, I’d never even heard of the before tonight, but they’ve instantly gained a fan, and I cannot imagine I am the only one.
Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10
Bury Tomorrow
BURY TOMORROW, known for their heavy riffs, powerful vocals, and thought-provoking lyrics, have solidified their place as one of the leading bands in the Metalcore scene. Their latest Album ‘The Seventh Suns’ from spring 2023 represents their latest output so far. Check out www.bury-tomorrow.com.
Music & Performance
Around 10pm, the lights went low, the screens in the back of the stage flickered to life, and a gloomy, doomsday-like system malfunction intro resounded over the speakers, which morphed into the first intro notes of ‘Abandon Us’, while the band members entered the stage. With a thunderous lightning of strobe lights, the six band members of BURY TOMORROW entered the stage to perform this track as the opening song. Together with the excellent sound mix underscoring the band’s versatility, this instantly ticked off the audience, and almost simultaneously, dozens of half-full beer cups were thrown into the air and a vicious circle pit appeared, with frontman Daniel Winter-Bates screaming ‘Cologne, wake the fuck up!’. There was really no need for a wake-up call, as the more than three thousand fans inside the Palladium seemed to have waited exactly for this moment. They embraced BURY TOMORROW’s energy with frenetic joy.
While Daniel’s growling and stage presence was once again impressive, his work was perfectly complemented by Tom Prendergast, who added the melodic choruses that give BURY TOMORROW’s songs their anthemic quality. Together, both vocalists paired intense brutality with melody in a way few bands can. The concert ended on a heartfelt note: For ‘Choke’, Daniel was joined on the stage by singer Charlie Rolfe from AS EVERYTHING UNFOLDS, honouring their resiliency while going through incredibly tough times. It was a moving message of support and community, which was frenetically cheered for by the fans, and which resonated with a lot of people on their way home after witnessing this incredibly intensive show.
Setlist
01. Abandon Us
02. More Than Mortal
03. Earthbound
04. DEATH (Ever Colder)
05. Begin Again
06. Villain Arc
07. What If I Burn
08. Recovery?
09. Boltcutter
10. LIFE (Paradise Denied)
11. Majesty
12. Black Flame
13. Cannibal
14. Last Light
15. Choke
Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10
All Pictures by Christian Beyermann
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