Having familiarised myself with the discography of Black Peaks in preparation for their show supporting Enter Shikari, I was eagerly anticipating a huge sonic spectacle. The band’s two studio releases so far have showcased an imposing and beautifully constructed sound which demands that they be included among the likes of other better-known forces in the modern metal scene, and considered just as important to their heavy cause. Despite performing only five songs, the band more than earned the claim to greatness I have projected onto them, delivering a booming performance that left a more lasting impression on me than the acts that followed.

Will's vocals were always precisely pitched - whether moving from deep guttural growls to penetrating screeches, or from mid-range vocals to soft falsetto

Black Peaks opened with an enormous impact, performing the single ‘Glass Built Castles’ from their debut album Statues – a track instrumental to their success as a band. This was a thoughtful choice, considering the shortness of their slot; they could understandably have devoted the show entirely to promoting their recent sophomore album, All That Divides, which was released in October 2018. It was a choice that paid off massively in setting the tone of the show and winning the crowd’s attention, helping to establish the band’s arsenal of continuously evolving riffs and grooves, as well as their soaring choruses which lead singer Will Gardner projects with a magnitude that is expertly modulated.

The next song performed – ‘Electric Fires’, a single from All That Divides – gave Will the opportunity to further demonstrate the range and duality in his vocal performance. Coming from an album with ‘Division’ as its focus, the song flips meaningfully between distorted and clean instrumental textures, and Will’s vocals match this dichotomy, striking a perfect balance between the alternating clean and growled vocal style that modern metal acts often get wrong. Will’s performance was one of the show’s many highlights. His vocals were always precisely pitched – whether moving from deep guttural growls to penetrating screeches, or from mid-range vocals to soft falsetto and never suffered because of his animated stage presence, which gave out an energy that infected the audience to a surprising degree considering this was the first of two supporting acts.

Will did not quite overshadow the other players, however. Throughout the show, they maintained a level of musicianship that allowed their instrumentally dense and technically complex tracks to translate to a live performance unblemished. They navigated their sprawling web of pulsating grooves, attacking riffs, texture changes and tempo switch-ups without a hitch. Lead guitarist Joe Gosney shredded through riff after riff, relentlessly energizing the crowd with the aid of his Fender Telecaster’s fattened humbucker tone, taking a break only to deliver a characteristic switch to sharp, clean-picked chords, complementing the cleaner side to Will’s vocals. In their third song, ‘Can’t Sleep’, Joe let loose in the two guitar solo sections, while Dave Larkin’s punchy, fuzzed bass-lines and Liam Kearley’s explosive drumming made up for the lack of rhythm guitar in the live mix.

Black Peaks navigated their sprawling web of pulsating grooves, attacking riffs, texture changes and tempo switch-ups without a hitch

In the next song, ‘Eternal Light’, Liam’s calculated drumming was the main attraction. Sharp snare hits and cymbal crashes intensified the heavy intro and outro riffs and accented their proggy metrical deviations, while the shifts of tone and texture the track undergoes between verses, choruses and breakdowns were accentuated using trashy hi-hat sequences and aggressive double-bass patterns, which seemed to synchronise with the intermittent assaults of strobe lighting.

Dave’s tasteful bass-work was given its moment in the band’s closing number, which was for me the most memorable section of the show. Stating itself as a progressive tour-de-force with an extended bass-heavy interlude that climaxes in a roaring melodic climax, followed by a shattering instrumental breakdown, ‘The Midnight Sun’ had already become one of my favourite Black Peaks tracks. Its live performance was captivating, taking the audience on a journey that weaved skillfully through each of its varied musical movements, with the climactic breakdown at its end offering a powerfully cathartic closure for such a short set. My only complaint about this gig was that it did not go on for longer.

‘Fate I’ is available now via Rise Records. Tickets to see Black Peaks perform live are available here.