Rolo Tomassi and Conjurer at Borderline, London - live review

The Gospel - live

Crowd shot

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Tonight one of Holy Roar’s brightest stars are headlining the iconic Soho venue, but openingare one of the label’s next hopes. CONJURER’s [8] blend of sludgy riffing and blistering post-metal shakes the walls and rattles the teeth of the sold-out crowd – hopefully there’s more of the same from their upcoming debut. Tonight’s headliners, on the other hand, have just announced their fifth album, and judging by the two new songs tonight, it’s vicious, experimental and beautiful. ROLO TOMASSI [9] haven’t played a gig for over a year, but there are no signs of ring rust. Eva Spence’s terrifying performance is hypnotic as the band jitter and hammer through the best of their catalogue. Party Wounds, Opalescent and I Love Turbulence are all delivered with pristine precision and acidic aggression. RT are survivors of a UK scene now all-but-forgotten, but the bond between the band and their fans is strong, and you have to believe something really special is just around the corner.

Luke Morton joined Metal Hammer as Online Editor in 2014, having previously worked as News Editor at popular (but now sadly defunct) alternative lifestyle magazine, Front. As well as helming the Metal Hammer website for the four years that followed, Luke also helped relaunch the Metal Hammer podcast in early 2018, producing, scripting and presenting the relaunched show during its early days. He also wrote regular features for the magazine, including a 2018 cover feature for his very favourite band in the world, Slipknot, discussing their turbulent 2008 album, All Hope Is Gone.