ARCH ENEMY, GRAND MAGUS, MALEFICE, CHTHONIC

CHTHONIC evoke mixed reactions, storming onto the Forum stage all leather-clad with lashings of black lipstick. Weirder still is when frontman Freddy brings out his Oriental two-stringed violin as an accompaniment; a very cool looking device actually. The Taiwanese five-piece deliver a pretty atmospheric and all round listenable set, and bass player Doris' ethereal backing vocals just add to the eerieness. When they unleash a cover of JUDAS PRIEST's legendary “Painkiller”, it turns out to not be quite as sacrilegious as one might think. Especially with very special guest Agamoth from Abgott coming onstage to assist with axe duties – a nice surprise for the crowd who screech along in proper Halford style.

MALEFICE fall on their arses frequently when their requests for circle pits go unanswered. “Are you guys gonna do a wall of death?” asks vocalist Dale Butler. “NO!” comes a chorus from one side of the crowd. How embarrassing. Dale himself tweets that this show was the best ever, so goodness knows what their brand of mediocre metal sounds like on a bad day.

It's pretty obvious why GRAND MAGUS are so high up on the bill. Arguably the most likeable support act of the evening, there's no fannying about with makeup or circle pits, just good old fashioned metal. And lots of it. Plus, they're pretty cool looking dudes. They don't disappoint, giving London a mix of material old and new (though nothing from their eponymous first album).

ARCH ENEMY of course were on absolute top form, as per usual. They raise the anticipation with an atmospheric light show accompanying the instrumental title track from “The Root Of All Evil” before launching straight into old classic “The Immortal” – unfortunately one of only two 'old' tracks on tonight's setlist. And London go fucking mental. Frontwoman Angela Gossow is a sight to behold; beautiful, petite and blonde but with vocal chords of steel and an attitude to match. She marches around that stage like a woman possessed, looking like she's about to rip the face off of anyone standing too close and commanding rousing chants of “HEY! HEY! HEY!” – making sure the London lot are riled up enough to cause some serious damage to one another in those pits. All the favourites are present; “Ravenous”, “Dead Eyes See No Future” and of course “Nemesis”, to name but a few. Sadly there aren't any surprises in the set, but all the better known tracks are brilliantly received, nonetheless. Of course, an ARCH ENEMY live appearance wouldn't be complete without the Amott brothers commandeering the stage for some guitar-widdling interludes, including staple live track “Snow Bound”. And so, before too long, the time comes for ARCH ENEMY to depart, taking a bow to “Fields of Desolation” and having successfully torn their metal minions at the Forum a new one.