HALBERD, SLAVE STEEL, FALL OF SATURN, AGGRO, DAY 40, OATH, TALES OF PERDITION, SLAUGHTER THEORY at THE IMPERIAL PALACE OF BIG RED, LONDON

24th of May, 2026

Metal Is Good & Stuff suffered the UK May heatwave to see eight bands lay down sets, under one roof, in one day. All in aid to celebrate a release launch, a birthday… and, of course, the invention of beer.

Just a stone’s throw from The Roundhouse venue is to be the base of an event held for the love of underground metal, in London’s most iconic of areas, Chalk Hill.
I’m being pedantic there, as we may as well be in Camden Town, it’s that close.
It is also not too far from The Big Red, Imperial Palace’s American style, elder sister bar in Holloway. This is not a venue review, so I’ll get back on track.

On this day, Crowblind Events and the London Metal Coalition teamed up to deliver a showcase that celebrates the London underground metal scene, as well as the launch party of the latest HALBERD EP, ATTENTION PLEASE! All under one roof.

I will say that, while The Imperial Palace Of Big Red maintains the theme of an American rock bar (with pool tables and pinball machines), it is the other side of the same coin shared by The Dev (a wholly traditional English pub made metal with posters and separate vibe). The Imperial Palace does do an excellent job, though, at not being a tourist trap like The Worlds End (great venue with The Underworld, generic upstairs as a bar).

I just did a venue review… bollocks! Anyway…
It just so happened that LMC spokesperson, social media compere and KARDINAL X bassist Ade was celebrating his birthday this weekend, so it would be rude not to celebrate with him…

SLAUGHTER THEORY were the first to play, and the ones to lay the foundations.
This is a band from my stomping ground of the north home counties that, in itself, is enjoying a wealth of varied styles of home grown extreme music. This young thrash band pricked our ears earlier this year at The Dev and are now snapping our necks. One of those pleasures of the underground scene is hearing a new band a second time, and hearing them as intended and not as a surprise outfit.

By delivering a literal heads down approach, they secured a new batch of fans among the London faithful.
Keep an eye on SLAUGHTER THEORY, recorded stuff is incoming and it won’t disappoint.

If you are of the London gig going community, TALES OF PERDITION are a name you should know by now.
One of the LMC’s earliest bands is also one of the most hard working within the group.
Not only is their brand of blackened, symphonic metal both catchy and infectious, lead singer, ALEA TRIPALDI is the most active and vocal member of the LONDON METAL VALKERIES. This is an offshoot of the LMC that secures a safe and healthy place for the fem, bi, trans and queer community to enjoy metal how the genre should be enjoyed. As an all inclusive, accepting community.

The band handled the cramped stage space professionally and ensured the set was energetic and enthralling. Why they aren’t bigger is beyond me.

Apart from SLAUGHTER THEORY, the day’s other freshest of bands, OATH, got their say of proceedings.
One of many bands worldwide with that name, but one of few that deserve it, they also impressed at the Dev on the same night as SLAUGHTER THEORY.
Bringing with them a hardcore edged sludge assault, they ensure that they took the place apart as well (figuratively speaking).

These four embattled bruisers carve a slice of nihilistic groove and dark, gloomy doom to another level, oozing energy that seeps under your skin.
Murmurs of a release persist, although nothing conclusive but, I’d put good money on something before the years out.
I can’t wait for that one.

Do you know what is a dumber question than “do you like thrash?” (yes. The answer is yes, by the way).
Asking ” do you like old school thrash?” (again, yes)
Well, DAY 40 are the band who put the mosh and pit in mosh pit.
This mob of neck breakers and name takers were a man down this time, but even as a three piece, they seriously slayed.
Playing it tight and chunky, these veterans are the real deal. Heads down, full tilt thrash metal that made a hot, sweaty venue even more sweaty.

There isn’t much more to add. This is a band already proven across Europe, so why not a bigger thing here? This needs fixing, and we all need to get on board the DAY 40 train.

We weren’t given much chance to catch our breath before AGGRO entered the fray next. The groove metal quintet have a knack for writing weighty riffs with scalding vocals and a name appropriate stage presence.

Like the other bands on this all day showcase, this is not my first time seeing AGGRO, with this being another gig that the band gave it their all, it was equally enjoyable looking on. Like a fine tuned machine of murderous intent, the set was intense yet precise, concise… very nice.

For all this bouncing around and banging heads, no matter how it never gets old, sometimes a bit of cerebral noise is the tonic needed. It happens that FALL OF SATURN has what the doctor ordered with a progressive take on industrial, alt and groove metal.

I’ve seen them once before, last year, and since been waiting for our schedules to align again. Now that time is here and the East London lads play a set blending jaw dropping slabs of monolithic metal with high brow passages of melodic nuance.
Never underestimate this lot. They’re a surprising bag of tricks worth taking note of.

As soon as SLAVE STEEL kicked off their set, you knew there would be no coming back from this. Since relocating from Rome to London, they have ensured that their Latin brand of death/groove metal came with them and, Golly gosh, do they have the minerals to pull it off.

With that Southern European suave passion and Mediterranean scoundrel sound, the four piece crush it every time.
It still takes me by surprise how this polished aggression from these gents.

Listening to them is like putting a Lamborghini engine in a London black cab. Robust, practical but terrifyingly fun.

By this time, we had been more than sufficiently warmed up (and lubricated) for the day’s headliners.
Not only was this day another showcase for London’s metal underground and a birthday bash, it was also the night to celebrate the latest EP release from those thrash nutjobs, HALBERD.

I don’t mean to make this sound rude, but we took a bit of a break from seeing HALBERD gigs. Not that we actively avoided them. It’s that we saw them on so many occasions, we felt that maybe (like how some stoners stop toking for a spell) a tolerance break will see us view the band with a fresher set of ears.
It worked. It worked a hell of a lot.

This being the launch weekend for HALBERD’s latest EP, ATTENTION PLEASE! (read my review for that HERE), it did come with a caveat. Drummer Zack left the band last year to pursue other things, among which is his rather nifty one man death metal project, Heart Ripper, but has always helped out wherever possible during the hunt for a replacement. Sadly, on this day, that wasn’t possible, so Halberd played to a drum backing track.
Let’s get one thing clear. If you get your knickers in a twist about that sort of thing, scroll on. I’d rather see fresh underground metal doing what it takes to get their sound out than cancel and not see it at all.

To say that HALBERD were well up for this is a staggering understatement. HALBERD are ALWAYS up for it. From lunchtime opening slots to main headlining shows, the five fabulous freaky thrash brothers will put blood into a set… which, coincidently, is exactly what happened here.
The band were delivering a stellar performance. The mood was exuberant, the air was electric and the band were animated and zeroed in. Considering the tiny size of the stage and the vigour of vocalist Casey’s delivery, it was only a matter of when, not if an injury would occur. One minute he’s giving it some welly, the next, doing exactly the same but with a face covered in blood from a cut on his head. This neither stopped him or the band. Just a towel and a constant carnage that continued ’til the close.
What a way to complete a high octane set of musical mayhem.

The evening was not over at THE IMPERIAL PALACE OF BIG RED as a DJ set from DJ NEUROSPICE spun metal classics until the early hours, but this old bugger had to leave by then.

What this old bugger did do, though, was leave with a smile and another collection of evidence that metal is, indeed, good.
This is just one story from one small corner of the underground world. The talent is there. The music is glorious, as are the people playing and organising it. Join in and help encourage it further.
Good things are guaranteed to come from it.