Words – @ladylane____
Photos-@djsedick
Every time I walk into the FORUM, I am overcome with the compulsion to scream ‘HONEY I’M HOME’ because I feel like I cheekily live rent-free there, but enough about me! Let’s get into it.
STARVE hit the stage like a lightning strike, making it clear from the first note that they weren’t just there to warm up the crowd; they were there to take it over. Slotted in at the last minute, their set was raw, urgent, and unrelenting. “Parables” ignited the first pit almost instantly, with bodies smashing together in time with riffs that landed like wrecking balls.
Their originals tore through the room with abrasive precision, while fiery covers of “You Will Never Be One of Us” by Nails and “Unanswered” by Suicide Silence acted as detonators, pulling everyone into the chaos. The pit was a whirlwind of movement, crowd surfers streaked across the room while heads were banging in unison, a physical testament to the intensity STARVE can unleash. It was more than a set; it was an all-out attack designed to dominate the room from start to finish.
The energy was relentless and utterly physical, with the stage and audience bleeding together as the chaos fed itself. By the time they closed with the FORUM was vibrating with raw adrenaline, the kind of energy that lingers long after the amps go silent. For a last-minute support slot, STARVE didn’t just perform; they made a statement: abrasive, confrontational, and unforgettable. Every note, every scream, every body in the pit left no doubt; they came to burn the room down, and they succeeded, leaving a sweaty, battered crowd buzzing with adrenaline and still riding the wave of pure delectable fury.
SEPULTURA’s return didn’t feel like just another stop on the road; it felt like a triumphant final march, a victory lap carved in distortion and sweat. From the moment they tore into “Beneath the Remains,” “Inner Self,” and “Desperate Cry,” there was no easing in, no build-up – just immediate, unrelenting force. The FORUM erupted on impact, a sea of bodies colliding in time with riffs that have lost none of their bite. This wasn’t nostalgia; this was muscle memory, still sharp after all these years.
The set carved through eras without hesitation. “Phantom Self,” “Attitude,” “Means to an End,” and “Kairos” hit with a weight that proved SEPULTURA aren’t coasting on legacy; they’re reinforcing it. Each track locked into the next with purpose, threading their thrash roots into the groove-heavy pulse that’s defined their evolution. Deeper cuts like “Propaganda,” “Guardians of Earth,” and “Choke” added grit and texture, rewarding those who’ve followed the band beyond the obvious while still dragging the entire room along for the ride.
“Kaiowas” shifted the energy into something primal. Stripped back to rhythm and pulse, it felt less like a song and more like a summoning – tribal, hypnotic, and grounding. But the calm didn’t last. What followed was a barrage: “Dead Embryonic Cells,” “Territory,” and “Refuse/Resist” detonated one after another, pushing the crowd into its most chaotic state of the night, every voice and every body feeding the same fire.
When “Roots Bloody Roots” finally landed, it didn’t feel like an ending – it felt like ignition. For a farewell tour, there was nothing mournful in the air. No sense of closure, no quiet goodbye. This was celebration over ceremony, sweat over silence – a band refusing to go gently, choosing instead to burn loud and leave scars. If this is SEPULTURA’s final chapter, it’s not written like a farewell; it’s carved into the walls, screamed back by the crowd, and carried out into the night long after the amps go dead.
Big thanks to STARVE, SEPULTURA, THE FORUM and DEATHPROOF PR.
