With STRUCK/DOWN, REAPER & THEM BLOODY KIDS

24th July, 2026

(WITH HUGE APOLGIES FOR THE POOR PHOTOGRAPHY. A PROPER CAMERA IS BEING SOURCED FOR FUTURE ENDEAVOURS)

Considering that we are in the middle of festival season, it is still a boon to have plenty of “normal” gigs going on.
For many, these act as warm up shows before playing a field somewhere, and also for many, a gig is a gig and getting to play is king.

On this balmy evening, the tiny venue upstairs of The Black Heart in London’s Camden Town, another excuse to crank it up and smash ’em out was about to happen.
An album launch show is always an auspicious occasion. Months of work are finally put out into the wild and fans are excited to hear it, as bands are just as excited to have it heard.
For this night, London melodic thrash quintet IMPERIUM were celebrating the triumphant release of their debut album, EXODUS UNKNOWN (read the review HERE), with the sold out room testament to the welcome it has been given.

First off, though, was the fact that three more bands answered the call to support the celebration and THEM BLOODY KIDS got things started. These London alt metallers are never far away from many a fray and their sound is the kind of thing that can slot in any genre.

This fearsome foursome seem to slot themselves into many gigs, and with their swagger, aptitude and general good music, they have made themselves a booking agent’s no brainer.

The London lads gave a workout warm up destined to be much needed. With a supply of bouncy and catchy tunes, they ensured they stayed in your brain and muscle memory for a long time.

It would appear that the deities of riff were among us on this night, as Liverpool outfit REAPER came on with their own interpretation of metal.
With them, they channeled some cerebral sonics.

Theirs is a self proclaimed sound that is “progressive thrash rock”. It is a proclamation that sticks in my throat as well but, considering it was chosen by REAPER to get more mainstream media interest, it is the kind of hustle I completely respect. It transpires that these four maniacs have the chops to back up the hyperbole.
Progressive is very much the mainstay of their trading stock and they deliver it with Scouse charm and belligerent determination.

What little elbow room there was at the time was used up with enthusiasm by the crowd that was in tune with the REAPER sound.
It doesn’t matter where and how you see these guys play a gig, their gigs will always provide.

From the southern home county of Kent came the quintet, STRUCK/DOWN, and they also have an album to celebrate this year.
QUEUE FOR THE CURE released in February but that still makes any STRUCK/DOWN set a special occasion.

As it happened, their blend of modern groove drenched metal could barely be contained by The Black Hearts intimate room.
It could barely fit all five members as they sauntered and slayed a set that was both scintillating and seductive.
A constant reminder that I am seeing a support act as watching and hearing them play gives me similar vibes to Killswitch Engage, Volbeat and Trivium. This supplies an added thrill that there is such an abundant supply of untapped talent displaying arena sized sounds on pocket stages.

Remember where you see bands like this first, it may bring the gatekeeper/ardent fan out in you.

And so, it came to the main event. After the undercard bouts had the desired effect of bringing a hunger to the crowd, the ones to watch approached the fray.

IMPERIUM are a band with form. The undisputed kings meet again with a new album under their belts and a fire in their bellies.
For some context, the pugilistic similes are deliberate, as the five Londoners are just as serious about their physical fitness as the music’s muscular menace. Yet, with all the peak conditioning, the warrior psyche is saved solely for the stage.

Speaking of which…

Even though this is a launch show, the faithful Imperiumites were treated to HERE COMES THE NIGHT, from their 2022 debut EP, and the difference between then and the gig’s first new album track, REAP WHAT YOU SOW is satisfyingly slight. The energy and fight remains, as does each member’s evident passion, playing with passion and power.

From here on, the majority of the set was to baptise EXODUS UNKNOWN and that very track got things lively.
Everything was going chaotically well while TREAD THE SERPENT and even the intro of THE GUN did little to quell the exuberance exposed on both sides of floor monitors.
By THE END, with its beautiful Planet Caravan style mellow arrangements, it was far from the end of the night.

HELL AND HIGH WATER snapped some sense into the fevered moshpit, reminding us all what rabble rousing thrash should be.

IMPERIUM have a knack and tenacity for keeping a party going, and after a rather roof-raising rendition of The Prodigy’s Breathe, it was another stab at the back catalogue to start rounding things up.

I was starting to wonder if the 2023 EP, WHEN KINGS MEET would represent and was pleased to hear the rugged riffage of CAPABLE OF MURDER get a sweaty airing before it was all done with one last new stab in the form of HANGMAN. That song should be destined as the signature set closer, such is its fervent ferocity.

All in all, the night was a huge success for all parties involved. Fans and bands were regailed with with such an atmosphere rare on any venue’s capacity.
With scant weeks before IMPERIUM’s grand return to Bloodstock this year on the Sophie stage, it is hard not to imagine them treading the main stage before this decade’s end. Theirs is a band that has its trajectory in the palms of their hands.