Imminence, Roundhouse, December 21, 2025

If you build it, they will come.

Though those seven words found their origins in a film all about baseball back in the late 80s, they couldn’t be more apt for what Imminence have done to the world of heavy music over the past few years.

In a period that has seen them go from your favourite band’s favourite band to an arena-ready metalcore phenomenon, thanks to the continued success of their latest extravagant opus, ‘The Black’, it feels as though so much of what they have always wanted the project to embody has had the chance to be realised. The opportunity to craft an all-encompassing atmosphere, the sort that has lived in the background of their music since their very inception, and bring it to life in the most dramatic, grandiose and spellbinding manner.

And even before they take to the stage at this absolutely jam-packed Roundhouse, thousands putting their Christmas plans on hold to lose themselves in the darkness for a little while, you can tell such an intention has been made possible. Especially when the iconic space is plunged into pitch blackness and a soft ambient murmur emanates from the speakers. Theatre from the get-go.

As a singular cloaked figure with only a lantern to guide their way floats across the stage, no fewer than 11 individuals follow them. A four-piece string section, a keyboardist, and a backing vocalist take up residence at the back of the space, whilst the band take their places at the forefront. The scale of what has been put together to bring the curtain down on this monumental cycle is magnificent, even before a note has been played.

And once the music starts, it reaches a whole other level.

Darting from the delicacy of ‘Come Hell Or High Water’ to the euphoric push of ‘Death By A Thousand Cuts’, the devastating heft of ‘Death Shall Have No Dominion’ to the unrelenting power of ‘Come What May’, featuring guest vocals and violins from Ne Obliviscaris, each song feels like a symphony in its own right. As every bludgeoning breakdown dances beautifully with the swell of strings, every person on stage looks completely lost in the moment. Vocalist Eddie Berg goes from contorting himself to face the highest heavens to screaming bloody murder into his trusted violin strings in the flick of the wrist, whilst guitarist Harald Barrett glides across the stage like a stunning spectre, only stopping to headbang like it’s the last thing they will ever do, whilst summoning gargantuan slabs of noise. The same can be said for the assembled masses, who look on, awe-stricken, at such a spectacle, with space for the occasional wall of death and circle pit when things get that bit weightier.

Though what follows shows just how confident and committed to their craft the collective is, as members from the back make their way to the front for five stripped-back offerings. When you have been dealing out the sort of unbridled chaos that Imminence have for the last 45 minutes, to take all of that away and bare their souls in such a stark way is a brave move, even more so in a room of this stature. But it demonstrates just how densely layered their compositions are, and how, in reaching this place in their career, they want to celebrate every component of who they are at every opportunity. And with a stirring rendition of 2017 track ‘This Is Goodbye’, they also want to pay tribute to those who have been with them through every ebb and flow.

It also sets up the next stage of the event beautifully, as things become even more chaotic. An astonishing ‘Heaven In Hiding’ gains one of the night’s biggest sing-alongs as ‘Temptation’ deals out some of the most intricate and dazzling lights and Co2 you’re ever likely to see. Though those elements only scratch the surface of what has been put together to allow you to be fully immersed in the band’s universe. The billowing smoke that trickles its way down the steps that the backing ensemble stand on, the brightly lit windows that transform the space into a gothic paradise and the endless rows of candelabres that adorn the sides of the stage. All placed with purpose and all playing their part.

As a furious ‘God Fearing Man’ truly puts the hairs on the back of the neck on edge, the very peak of devastation, and the final jab of ‘The Black’ and ‘Le Noir’ pull the curtain down on this true spectacle, the chance to catch breath and take stock is allowed.

To ensnare every sense at once, to be so captivating and cathartic in equally wondrous measure, is not a skill that pops up overnight. It is something that you cultivate over many years. You harness it and help it to grow and develop, sometimes in directions you choose and sometimes in whatever direction it decides to take. The result is always the same, though, and that is art that is a cut above the rest.

That is where Imminence lie right now, at a precipice of something truly outstanding. And it is all of their own making. As this chapter comes to a close and another starts to weave its way out of the shadows, one thing is for sure. That this is only going to get bigger, bolder and more beautiful.

Now is the time to succumb. You know you want to.