Richard HolmesTrack
The Night Does Not End
Artist
Burner
Burner backstory
Since their emergence in 2021, Burner have been lighting up the underground: the London act mix death metal, grind and hardcore in a manner akin to Nails and Trap Them, and they’ve turned heads with incendiary sets at Bloodstock, ArcTanGent and Incineration.
Debut album It All Returns to Nothing hit 2023 like a sonic bezerker, putting the quartet up there with Church Road labelmates Heriot and Tuskar as shining examples of UK metal talent.
And they’ve dead set on maintaining that momentum, with The Night Does Not End pairing with City 17 in their first salvo of 2025.
In Burner’s own words
“The Night Does Not End is a breakneck pace ride through Old West carnage, Blood Meridian style. The song tells a story of eternal war, nihilistic brutality and the damnation it eventually leads to, spiralling down to our protagonist’s final meeting with fate. It’s about the haunting power of violence and the ability it has to shatter a kinder image of who we think we are.
“Though a departure from our usually politically-charged theming, I wanted to ask new questions about human nature and whether we can truly overcome it. But it was also another chance for us just to write something challenging for all of us.”
The verdict on The Night Does Not End
Firestorm riffs and thermonuclear percussion bring Burner’s apocalyptic vision to life, as three and half minutes of sonic ferocity play out. However, if you’re expecting base-level barbarism you’ve come to the wrong place: there are more layers to The Night Does Not End than you initially expect, and drummer Jack Bryant masterfully conducts its many twists and turns.
As a next step for this band, it’s extremely encouraging.
What’s next for Burner?
Burner are embarking on a UK run this week, supporting Employed To Serve. They’re hitting KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton tonight, followed by The Cat House in Glasgow (April 22), The Key Club in Leeds (April 23), Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff (April 24) and London’s O2 Academy Islington (April 25).
Burner photo by Matthieu Gill.