If anyone in the room arrived unfamiliar with Silly Goose (7), they certainly weren't by the end of their set. The Atlanta outfit stormed the stage with the kind of swagger and reckless enthusiasm that feels increasingly rare. Blending rap-rock attitude, hardcore aggression and a non stop energy boost that lasted the entire time they were on stage. They turned the packed venue into a bouncing mass of limbs within minutes.
Their performance felt less like an opening set and more like a challenge issued directly to the audience: keep up if you can. Frontman antics, relentless grooves and a wall of low-end punishment immediately established the tone for the evening. As support acts go, this was a masterclass in how to win over a room.
Spineshank (8) have always occupied a unique place in my music collection and brain ever since I heard the bands first album, sitting somewhere between industrial precision and nu-metal groove. On stage in Cardiff, they sounded anything but nostalgic.
From the opening moments, the Californian veterans were razor sharp. We start with four songs from The Height Of Callousness album, Asthmatic, Synthetic, (Can't Be) Fixed and Cyanide 2600 which everyone in the building sings at the top of their lungs before the band switch to material from their other albums to mix it up.
Vocalist Johnny Santos states that he and the band are so humble to have had been given the amazing welcome the band have from Wales all day before praising new friends Silly Goose and oldest brothers in the game, Drowning Pool. The mechanical riffs hit with machine-like accuracy while the electronic textures that helped define their sound add a layer of menace many modern bands still struggle to replicate. More importantly, the songs have aged remarkably well.
The crowd response suggested many had waited a long time to see these tracks performed live again. Circle pits erupted throughout the set, while every recognisable chorus was met with a roar from all here tonight. The band round off the set with Dead To Me from the bands 2003 album Self-Destructive Pattern which sent everyone into even more of a frenzy of pits and joy. Rather than feeling like a reunion cash-in, Spineshank looked and sounded like a band with unfinished business.
Drowning Pool (8) took the stage and this Tramshed crowd was primed for absolute carnage.
The Texas metal veterans have spent years proving that they're far more than a one-song band, but let's be honest: everyone knew what was coming eventually. The band get going with classic after classic in the shape of Sinner, from the bands first album then switching up through the bands very impressive back catalogue with Feel Like I Do and no stops straight into the classic Step Up from 2004s album Desensitized. This is a set packed with groove, aggression and crowd participation.
Jasen Moreno remains a formidable frontman, effortlessly commanding the room while balancing the band's heavier moments with an infectious sense of fun. The rhythm section hit like a wrecking ball, while CJ Pierce's riffs still possess the simple, devastating effectiveness that made Drowning Pool such a force in the first place.
We then come to the awesome cover of Rebel Yell which sends everyone here crazy with surfs and pitting with singing almost louder than the noise coming from the stage. When Bodies finally arrived, the reaction bordered on predictable chaos. Hundreds of voices united, the floor became a sea of movement and for a few glorious minutes Cardiff collectively lost its mind. It was exactly the moment everyone wanted and the band delivered it flawlessly.
This wasn't a nostalgia trip. It was a reminder that heavy music built on riffs, hooks and genuine crowd connection still works exactly as intended.
Silly Goose brought the unpredictability. Spineshank delivered precision and intensity. Drowning Pool provided the anthems and the payoff.
Three bands, three very different approaches to heavy music, and one of the most relentlessly entertaining metal shows Cardiff has hosted this year so far.
The crowd response suggested many had waited a long time to see these tracks performed live again. Circle pits erupted throughout the set, while every recognisable chorus was met with a roar from all here tonight. The band round off the set with Dead To Me from the bands 2003 album Self-Destructive Pattern which sent everyone into even more of a frenzy of pits and joy. Rather than feeling like a reunion cash-in, Spineshank looked and sounded like a band with unfinished business.
Drowning Pool (8) took the stage and this Tramshed crowd was primed for absolute carnage.
The Texas metal veterans have spent years proving that they're far more than a one-song band, but let's be honest: everyone knew what was coming eventually. The band get going with classic after classic in the shape of Sinner, from the bands first album then switching up through the bands very impressive back catalogue with Feel Like I Do and no stops straight into the classic Step Up from 2004s album Desensitized. This is a set packed with groove, aggression and crowd participation.
Jasen Moreno remains a formidable frontman, effortlessly commanding the room while balancing the band's heavier moments with an infectious sense of fun. The rhythm section hit like a wrecking ball, while CJ Pierce's riffs still possess the simple, devastating effectiveness that made Drowning Pool such a force in the first place.
We then come to the awesome cover of Rebel Yell which sends everyone here crazy with surfs and pitting with singing almost louder than the noise coming from the stage. When Bodies finally arrived, the reaction bordered on predictable chaos. Hundreds of voices united, the floor became a sea of movement and for a few glorious minutes Cardiff collectively lost its mind. It was exactly the moment everyone wanted and the band delivered it flawlessly.
This wasn't a nostalgia trip. It was a reminder that heavy music built on riffs, hooks and genuine crowd connection still works exactly as intended.
Silly Goose brought the unpredictability. Spineshank delivered precision and intensity. Drowning Pool provided the anthems and the payoff.
Three bands, three very different approaches to heavy music, and one of the most relentlessly entertaining metal shows Cardiff has hosted this year so far.
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