After the huge success of their headline tour with ‘ Shinedown ’ and ‘ Halestorm ’ back in 2013 , American hard-rock band ‘ Alterbridge ’ were back in the UK carrying an enormous reputation amongst fellow musicians and fans alike . After releasing their fifth studio album ‘ The Last Hero ’ back in October , there was a huge sense of excitement for the band ’ s return to the UK , and in particular the home of metal Birmingham . The support lineup consisted of New Zealand rockers ‘ Like A Storm ’, French metal titans ‘ Gojira ’ and Danish rockers ‘ Volbeat ’.
First up were ‘ Like A Storm ’ who have enjoyed touring alongside Alterbridge on various tours across America , and around the world . They bring a nononsense approach to a rock band set , and they certainly set the pace for the night ahead . The band played a short , but very sweet set of tracks with highlights such as ‘ Never Surrender ’, ‘ Love The Way You Hate Me ’, and their cover of the AC / DC classic ‘ TNT . The band provided a very accomplished performance , and there is certainly a lot more to come from these guys in the future !
Up next were the hugely popular ‘ Gojira ’ bringing a European twist with their French heavy metal madness . With the recent release of their new album ‘ Magma ’, this was the ideal platform for the band to showcase tracks from this new record , and also using it as an excuse to play some of their old classics for their hardcore fans ! From the get go , the pure intensity of the guitar shredding , riffs , and insanely powerful drum rhythms injected the Genting Arena with a new level of strength and power , and certainly set the room alight ! Gojira treated us to a 7-track set list , including ‘ Toxic Garbage Island ’, ‘ Stranded ’ and ‘ Vacuity ’, and they certainly showed everyone in Birmingham why they are one of the heavyweights in metal music at the moment !
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