Live Review: The Amity Affliction, The Ghost Inside, Architects, Buried In Verona

Holding their fists to the audience as they take the stage, Sydney's Buried In Verona kick the capacity crowd off and pretty soon most of the kids and all of the guitarists are bouncing to their metalcore. There's gallivanting aplenty throughout the 20-minute and generally pretty tight ordeal, as band members do things such as raise middle fingers to the crowd, correct fringes between breakdowns, and make throat-slitting actions.

It's the third visit to Australia for British innovators Architects, who kick things off with Bitter End, a track from their latest record Daybreaker, a trend that continues for most of their eight-song set. Vocalist Sam Carter's vocals are strong, and the group play with a genuine conviction that sees them hark back no further than their 2009 album Hollow Crown for Follow The Water and Early Grave. Their mix is unfortunately a little muddy, but the band deliver nonetheless.

The Ghost Inside, having just taken a night off the four successive Brisbane shows on this tour due to a death in the family, mark their return with fierce passion in the form of the track This Is What I Know About Sacrifice. Singer Jonathan Vigil confirms the death as being his father, dedicating the set to him and speaking of the influence he had on particular songs. The heightened sense of emotion in the band is quite evident, making for a particularly remarkable set before they finish off with Sam from Architects helping out on the massive Engine 45.

It's simply incredible to see how far The Amity Affliction have come, and the sheer explosion of excitement that takes over the room when they blast into Chasing Ghosts is a definite indicator that their level of hype right now is completely and 100% backed by a dedicated following and a seriously tight live show. The band have stepped up the production in a huge way – they have an absolutely crazy synchronised light show going on behind them, and confetti cannons that go off at set intervals throughout. Their recent member changes haven't had any kind of negative effect on the band, with Dan Brown (formerly of Confession) hanging out on second guitar and synths prominent through a backing track. By the time they finish up with Open Letter it sounds like the entire crowd is almost louder than the band.