Show Review- Devildriver/36 Crazyfists, HMV Forum, London

Plantera7 and I had the distinct pleasure of seeing a Devildriver show in London last night.  I wanted to take a minute to review the show.

The lineup was:

Idiom (no idea)
Eluveitie (Celtic Folk-metal from Switzerland)
36 Crazyfists
Devildriver

We got to the venue just as Idiom was finishing.  I had never heard of the band, but after I heard them, I wasn’t a fan.  They seemed like generic sreamo-type metal.  Much respect to them, I just didn’t like it.

Eluveitie came on next.  I have to admit, these guys impressed me.  There are eight people in the band, and the instruments included bagpipes, a violin, and a hurdy-gurdy (look it up, it’s a pretty cool instrument).  The vocal styles mixed growling heavy-metal and female singing/growling.  These guys were great, and they are definitely worth a few downloads.

36 Crazyfists then took the stage.  I felt this band were an advanced version of Idiom, where there is some singing, and the rest is screamo-metal.  A lot of people in the crowd knew the lyrics to every song.  They are a popular band, but I do not follow their music.  I can see their appeal, but I like more of a growling, heavy groove metal band.

Enter Devildriver.  These guys totally blew me away.  They came on stage in that small venue and totally rocked the place to its core.  These guys did not let up through their whole set.  They had a great rapport with the crowd, and seemed like they genuinely enjoy what they do, and are not bothered by the image game.  On top of that, since we were in London, they played “Another Night in London,” which they hadn’t played outside of the studio before.  The crowd went nuts.   But the sheer awesomeness of this band doesn’t end there. 

After the show, we were able to meet the band.  It was an awesome experience.  You will not meet a more well-spoken and humble group of musicians in the metal world.  We got a couple of pictures and signatures, and got to talk with the band.  We also got to listen to a couple of new tracks from their forthcoming album.  It was a great time.  We found out that the entire band are fiercely pro-military and had a great deal of respect for us (Plantera7 and I are both USAF).  Their albums made me a fan of their music, but meeting them in person made me of fan of Devildriver as a group of guys that truly love what they do.  Devildriver are now cemented into my permanent top three, and I would gladly see them again.       

Dez Fafara onstage at the show.

Post-show meet and greet (L-R): Yungvirticus, Dez Fafara, Metal Mike, Plantera7

This was one of my best metal moments so far.  Long live Devildriver.  Long live metal!