Bleed From Within at O2 Forum Kentish Town, London 2025

I’ve been to many shows at the O2 Forum Kentish Town, but the night of October 10th felt different before it even started. Bleed From Within were headlining the biggest sold-out show of their career, supported by After The Burial and Great American Ghost. The queue outside stretched down the street, a mix of patched jackets and fresh band tees, swapping tour stories, discussing Shrine versus Era, and arguing lovingly about which breakdown hits harder live. Inside, the venue was already packed before the first band even touched the stage. You could feel the floorboards groaning under the weight of people crammed in shoulder to shoulder, waiting for that first hit of distortion.

Great American Ghost

Great American Ghost kicked things off like a spark thrown into gasoline. Their sound has that raw hardcore/metalcore hybrid energy: blasting riffs, emotionally charged vocals, moments of melodic tension, but always underscored by an anger that feels real, not performative. I was impressed by how tight the interplay between drums and guitars was, especially in their newer material, where they seem to be experimenting more with dynamics. The vocals were feral yet articulate, every scream laced with genuine fury, and the guitars had this serrated sharpness that cut through the mix perfectly. The crowd went from nodding to full movement within the first minute, with circle pits spinning, elbows flying, and people grinning through the chaos. You could tell this band still believes in the spiritual release that heavy music can bring. Their performance felt short but punishing, as it set a ferocious tone for the night.

After The Burial

By the time After The Burial hit the stage, the energy was boiling. They are veterans for a reason: their technical precision is honestly unreal, but the intensity doesn’t drop for a second. The guitars were tight as steel cables, interlocked in polyrhythmic grooves that made your head move whether you wanted it to or not. I’ve always admired their signature “djent / progressive death-metalcore” mixed with melodic hooks, which highlight their ability to make technical metal still feel emotional; it’s math turned into motion. They played a few deep cuts for longtime fans, and the crowd response was electric, with waves of people screaming lyrics, hands raised, and bodies moving in sync with the kick drum’s assault. When they dropped into “Behold the Crown”, the venue erupted, and the floor moved like a single entity. Between songs, the band kept it minimal: no over-talking, no filler, just nods and a quick announcement about a new album in the works, before diving back into the next barrage. Somehow, After The Burial managed to balance “show off instrumental chops” with “playing for the crowd”, which is really hard to achieve, but no one left without their ears ringing and their heart racing.

Bleed From Within

Then, Bleed From Within. The lights dropped, fog rolled out over the stage, and the entire place went off like a bomb. They opened with “Violent Nature”, a perfect statement of intent: fast, heavy, and commanding, with an atmospheric intro before ripping into blast sections. From there, it was a masterclass in balance: aggression and melody, chaos and precision. 

Scott Kennedy had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the first growl, pacing the stage like he owned every inch of it. His screams were razor-sharp, and his cleans soared without softening the impact. The guitars of Craig Gowans and Steven Jones were monstrous, layering melodic leads over thick, crushing rhythm work. Ali Richardson’s drumming was near-surgical, balancing speed and groove with precision; every fill was placed exactly where it needed to be. The kick drum hit with chest-thumping force, while Davie Provan’s bass added a deep, resonant foundation you could feel as much as hear. 

They delivered exactly what fans had been waiting for, tracing their evolution perfectly: from the old-school grit of Empire and Uprising to the cinematic weight of Shrine and Zenith. The first major highlight of the night was during “I Am Damnation”. The synchronized headbanging between band and crowd was mesmerizing; unity through violence, catharsis through sound. Then, the energy didn’t falter. “Stand Down” channeled that classic metalcore swagger, part Pantera groove and part modern fury. The pit opened wide early and never really let up. Someone next to me said, “They always know how to build the energy”, and I could see why: Bleed From Within know exactly how to pace a show.

Mid-set, Kennedy paused to thank the crowd, giving props to both support acts and everyone who’s followed the band since the early days. Moments later, almost without warning, they tore into “Levitate”, and it was one of those rare moments where every single person shouted the chorus back, not only the front rows. You could hear people’s voices cracking, but no one cared; it was too pure. During “Hands Of Sin”, Josh Middleton from UK metal powerhouses Sylosis stormed onto the stage to lend his vocals to the bridge, and it was pure adrenaline. The mosh pit expanded to fill the room, and with the final chorus, the whole venue became a hurricane. 

By the final moments of the set, “The End Of All We Know” ignited the entire room from the first riff, and every fan screamed every word. It’s the song that defines their rise, and hearing it live feels like standing in the center of a storm of triumph. But the true finale landed like a hammer: “In Place of Your Halo” was dark, majestic, defiant; the perfect closer. As the last notes rang out, the band stood beneath the lights, exhausted but victorious. You could feel the collective buzz, that post-show electricity that stays in your bones.

Walking out into the London chill afterward, my ears were ringing and my heart felt full. I’ve been going to metal shows for years, and nights like this remind me why we keep coming back. The shared energy, the noise that heals, the chaos that somehow feels like home. Bleed From Within tonight reaffirmed their place as one of the UK’s most vital forces in modern metal. Great American Ghost brought the fire, After The Burial brought the precision, and Bleed From Within brought the soul. For anyone who loves this music not just as sound but as survival, this was communion in its truest form.