10th December 2007

It’s over an hour after doors were due to open at the Barfly and fans are getting frustrated, and very cold. Eventually everyone is allowed inside the venue and things quickly warm up as French prog-metallers Hacride lay down some monumentally heavy riffs, perfectly juxtaposed with mellower moments which only help to enhance how versatile and dynamic this band truly is. Following the success of labelmates Gojira, 2008 could be a big year for Hacride.

Tonight is Divine Heresy’s first ever UK appearance and expectations are high, especially with Fear Factory’s legendary Dino Cazares looking after guitar duties. In many ways this is Dino’s band, but he’s surrounded himself with some of the best talent on the metal scene, with Tim Yeung’s furious drumming being particularly impressive.

Frontman Tommy Vext is a major find too; his vocal range comfortably switching from soaring melodies to outright aggression. Comparisons to Killswitch Engage’s Howard Jones are compliment enough but onstage Vext really comes into his own, prowling every inch of the stage and getting right into the front row on regular occasions.

Musically, things never let up for a second and tracks like “Bleed The Fifth” and “This Threat Is Real” prove that this is a band ready to prove themselves as major players on the scene. They treat the Barfly to a superb cover of Fear Factory’s “Replica” and the smile across Dino’s face says it all. This may be their first British gig but Divine Heresy are already guaranteeing themselves an army of converts.

Words & photos – Steve Gerrard