O2 Kentish Town Forum, London – 20 February 2026

When a gig kicks off at 4pm, you know you’re in for something serious. What was originally meant to be two separate shows, Sylosis and Heaven Shall Burn playing the same night, merged into one stacked, seven-band bill at O2 Forum Kentish Town. This results in nearly eight hours of riffs, sweat, and circle pits that barely stopped spinning.

With doors open early and the room steadily filling from mid-afternoon, it felt less like a gig and more like a mini indoor festival. The Kentish Town forum even put into place an unprecedented re-entry until 7pm so people could take breaks when needed.

LIFE CYCLES

Opening the day were Life Cycles, an act from Texas sitting somewhere between modern metalcore and groove-driven hardcore. Their sound leans into punchy breakdowns and emotionally charged vocals, balancing melody with weight in a way that feels current without chasing trends. With only half an hour to work with, they kept things sharp and direct, laying down a solid foundation for the chaos to come and proving they’re a name worth keeping an eye on in the heavy scene.

Life Cycles, as a band have been around for a good 10 years, and this was their first time playing the UK. So it was great to see the energy, mosh pits and headbanging from the crowd still filtering in.

You can listen to them here.

DISTANT

Distant brought the first real heaviness of the evening with their deathcore sound. Dutch/Slovak collective Distant represent the darker, more suffocating end of modern deathcore. Known for their downtuned brutality and cinematic heaviness, they specialise in slow-burn breakdowns that feel almost oppressive in the best way. Their set at Kentish Town Forum delivered exactly that, thick, punishing riffs and cavernous vocals that immediately escalated the intensity of the afternoon, dragging the crowd from warm-up mode straight into full pit rotation.

You can listen to them here.

FROZEN SOUL

Texas death metal outfit Frozen Soul proudly carry the old-school torch. Rooted in classic death metal traditions, crushing mid-tempo riffs, icy atmospherics, and no-nonsense aggression. Their sound feels deliberately heavy rather than flashy. Live, that translated into a blunt-force set that didn’t overcomplicate things. Every riff landed solidly, and the growing crowd responded with steadily widening pits as the room filled out.

Frozen Soul have a new release “No place of warmth” out now featuring Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. Their new LP drops May 8th.

You can listen here

REVOCATION
Revocation bring a more technical edge to the lineup, blending thrash metal with progressive and death metal elements. Known for sharp musicianship and intricate guitar work, they offered a different flavour of heaviness amid the brutality. Their half-hour slot was packed with tight transitions and rapid-fire precision, giving the crowd something to latch onto beyond breakdowns. A reminder that technicality and aggression can sit comfortably side by side.

You can listen to them here.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
Long-running melodic death metal heavyweights The Black Dahlia Murder occupy a respected space in modern extreme metal. Fusing blistering speed with melodic hooks and razor-sharp riffing, they’ve built a legacy that spans decades. At the Forum, their experience showed. Every song felt purposeful, every chorus screamed back by a crowd that clearly grew up on them. Their set marked the point where the night shifted from strong support bill to something far bigger.

You can listen to them here.

HEAVEN SHALL BURN
German metalcore veterans Heaven Shall Burn have long balanced metallic hardcore intensity with politically charged themes and huge, anthemic songwriting. Blending metalcore with melodic death metal influences, their sound is both aggressive and expansive. On a lineup this stacked, they easily could have headlined but the decision to combine shows (Heaven shall burn was due to headline the electric ballroom the same night) was wise due to the crossover fan base between them and Sylosis. The room erupted into near-constant motion, circle pits forming within seconds and crowd surfers gliding overhead as they powered through a commanding, high-impact set.

You can listen to them here.

SYLOSIS

Headliners Sylosis sit at the intersection of thrash and modern melodic death metal, known for intricate riff work, dark atmospheres, and relentless precision. Emerging from the UK metal scene in the late 2000s, they’ve steadily evolved into one of Britain’s most respected heavy exports. With the show coinciding with the release of The New Flesh, their set carried extra weight. Four new tracks slotted seamlessly among older material, proving their sound continues to sharpen rather than soften, and judging by the crowd’s reaction, fans are fully on board for this next chapter.

Listen to their newest release, The New Flesh here.

Words and photography by Amy Showell