Our Promise Deliver Explosive Camden Set
The Underworld barely contained the energy that Our Promise brought to Camden Town. Taking to the legendary stage, the six piece German metalcore band consumed the entire room and the fans were more than obliging.
London based metalcore band Within Reach kicked off the night with a display of heavy riffs and coarse growls. It wouldn’t be metalcore without the melodic verses and co-vocalists Bailey Dopson and Makenzie Clague delivered just that. Witnessing one vocal range is always a marvel, but there is something visually and sonically satisfying about vocal collaborations within a band. When it works, it works well, as we see from the headliner.
Bringing breakdown core to the stage was fellow German metalers Throatcut who took no prisoners. Moving away from the clean melodies of Within Reach, Max Schlichtherle’s raw vocals took the crowd through the full 45 minute set. A cheeky two step was thrown in by guitarist Raphael Burkhardt as “circle pit” was commanded by a fan. Two acts worthy of every head bang had the room electric with anticipation.
One final dopamine infusion from “Backstreets back, alright” and the room erupted with screams and cheers as the headliner bounced into sight. Unbeknown to me, this was subtle foreshadowing as the metalers received nothing short of a rockstar reception. Descending into chaos at the appropriately named Evoke, fans gave their adoration in pits and bellowing the lyrics back to the boys. Thiemo Sebastian blitzed the stage with hypnotic skills on the drums that came to life during this track, reaching front and centre from the back of the heaving stage.
One final dopamine infusion from “Backstreets back, alright” and the room erupted with screams and cheers as the headliner bounced into sight. Unbeknown to me, this was subtle foreshadowing as the metalers received nothing short of a rockstar reception. Descending into chaos at the appropriately named Evoke, fans gave their adoration in pits and bellowing the lyrics back to the boys. Thiemo Sebastian blitzed the stage with hypnotic skills on the drums that came to life during this track, reaching front and centre from the back of the heaving stage.
The setlist captured the softer side of metalcore without letting you forget the metal element. Co-vocalists Rafael Andronic and Viktor Schulz worked seamlessly together to provide throaty growls, clean soaring choruses and guttural versus. Every member of the band was beaming from ear to ear. You could see and feel that they were ecstatic to be in that room with their fans. Rafael took a moment to thank fans, falling short as he confessed “I can’t think of any words right now, I’m so overwhelmed tonight”.
Generating one of the most immersive events I have attended so far this year, the boys were not afraid to get down with the fans. Fist bumps, grabbing hands and Rafael and Viktor joining in the with crowd surfers. Fans surfed the boys around the venue like gods. Every ounce of air from their lungs was offered up in compliance with the second command “sing with us as loud as you can” for the last song.
During the two part encore following the demand of fans for “one more song”, Viktor agreed on the condition that fans provided “the biggest fucking pit”. Of course, fans obliged. Raphael was not about miss out on the fun and flew across the crowd and onto the stage. Surging in gleeful compliance, the crowd parted for the third wall of death of the evening. With the command “fuck it up”, fans did just that.
Wholesome chaos and fun was had and I expect nothing less awaits fans on the Fearless Tour later this year. Kicking off proceeding in Leipzig, they are not one to miss if you get the chance.
