Live Review: Asking Alexandria, Blessthefall, Buried In Verona

Sydneysiders Buried In Verona kicked off the night with Can't Be Unsaid — sadly the clean vocals were hard to hear due to the sound guys mucking up the levels and leaving the mics down too low. Thankfully as the show progressed this improved, especially with aggressive songs Four Years and Extraction, sending the crowd into the first pit circle of the night

The energy in the atmosphere changed as US metalcore band Blessthefall graced the stage with vocalist Beau Bokan spraying the crowd with water before the stage erupted in guitar riffs. Bokan's energy was infectious as he bounced around on stage for the entire set like an energiser bunny as he sang Youngbloods, Exodus and Walk On Water.

As the lights dimmed the crowd screamed and the backing sounds for I Won't Give In echoed around the room before Asking Alexandria burst on stage. The room erupted into a sea of moving limbs as the mosh pit became a thrashing circle of death.

The crowd lapped the brutal pace as new lead vocalist Dennis Stoff roared to Run Free and The Death Of Me with guitars blaring. Stoff was accepted by the crowd who seemed to worship him, listening to every command from jumping to walls of death to pit circles. He was in control and he loved every moment of it. Lead guitarist Ben Bruce was upset about the cancellation of Soundwave, but lapped up the love from the crowd as they launched into Closure and Breathless.

The crowd was throwing around shoes, bottles and bodies like rag dolls as they kept in time with To The Stage before Bruce introduced their new single The Black. The crowd sang every word. "We were going to save this song for the US, but fuck it, we will debut it here," Bruce added before the guys launched into Here I Am. Stoff's vocal range was impeccable, between his growl to his smooth clean vocals he didn't miss a beat during Not The American Average and A Prophecy.

With rumbles and loud chants from the enthusiastic crowd, one by one Asking Alexandria appeared for one last song The Final Episode (Let's Change The Channel) from their 2009 album Stand Up & Scream that sent the room into the biggest pit circle of the night. The crowd was left with ringing in their ears, vocal cords in taters and exhausted bodies.