Adam Keys@Metro Radio Arena Newcastle, 12th January 2017
After a brilliant opening set from In Flames, Disturbed took to the stage with a thunderous opener in Eye Of The Storm. The Illinois born four piece do not do things by half, even as a support act, as a highly receptive Newcastle audience discovered last night.
Warming up the audience (literally) with strobes and fire, Dave Donegan and co. raced through fifteen of their classic nu-metal tracks as a wall of heat radiated from the stage on a freezing cold night.
After owning the stage for almost an hour, the band wrapped things up with the rip roaring Down With The Sickness, before Avenged Sevenfold took to the stage for their first Newcastle show in six years.
Opening with The Stage, from their new album, fans were instantly torn apart by the thrash sound of Synyster Gates, who proved to be the coolest cat in town with his effortless, refined playing.
If Gates was the picture of cool, M. Shadows was the master entertainer. In a two hour set, Shadows brought energy, showmanship and impeccable choreography to a show that was carefully planned with mesmerising visual effects that were as dark as they were brilliant.
Shadows showmanship really came to the fore in Hail To The King as he took full advantage of the extended stage and got every member of the crowd punching the air, with chants of ‘hail, hail, hail, hail!’
This showmanship continued in triumphant style through Burried Alive and Chapter Four, before the fans got the ecstasy they craved with the chilling mid-set, sing along Nightmare.
The 2010 release was a career coining moment that propelled them towards arena rock and separated them for the heard. With the technical playing of Gates spearheading the most pit and Shadows leading the chorus of ‘Your fucking nightmare,’ this set defining track upped the ante and took the show to a new level.
Avenged Sevenfold may have an eye for the theatrics, but their theatre is carefully planned to tell the story of their music. This art like approach was clear during their encore in A Little Piece of Heaven. With murder and necrophilia making up the content of this number, it’s like A7X took Queen and Meatloaf on a journey through a graveyard, to produce a thunderous, soaring sound filled with ups and downs. The track itself is an iconic number in the Avenged catalogue, and the decadent cartoon screening on stage throughout the track made for vivid entertainment as the show came to an end.
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