Live Review: Caskets – Waterfront, Norwich
16th December 2025
Support: The Word Alive
Words & Photos: Tom Atkin
It's a late start tonight as there is only two bands on the bill, touring machines Caskets being supported by American metalcore greats The Word Alive.
This is a high energy show from the word go, The Word Alive don't casually walk on to the stage, they erupt, instantly taking hold of the packed out venue. Having no expectations I wasn't sure what to expect and first thing to note are Tyler Smith’s vocals, both the clean melodic sections and the heavier screams just hit right.
It feels very much as though there are just as many fans of The Word Alive as there are Caskets in attendance this evening. Tyler commands the crowd extremely well, getting them all to crouch on the third song is pretty, brave as people have barely warmed up, yet most of the crowd obliged to the command.
Devin Attard on drums is an absolute power house, every single hit you can feel through your chest and it's bloody good. He has passion, so much passion. The energy brought by both Jose DelRio and Logan Abernethy on guitars is just non stop. All of the band just keep moving, even during technical difficulties, Devin is stood atop his drum kit.
Now for Caskets, a band that appears to constantly be on tour. Not even six months ago some mates and I were discussing that they seem to be everywhere, all of the time, yet the last time I managed to catch them was with Of Mice & Men and now they are back as headliners.
Before they even hit the stage there is a noticeable difference in the room. The sheer amount of lighting on display is genuinely impressive and even before a note is played, it gives the sense that this isn’t going to be an average club show. Then there’s the atmosphere, it feels different to last time, there are plenty of people packed in here tonight, and if it isn’t sold out, it must be incredibly close. Every corner of the venue feels full, with an audience clearly eager and ready for the arrival of the Leeds-born alt-metal outfit.
It’s not just the production or the size of the crowd that has grown, the band themselves have clearly turned everything up a notch. They were great before, but now you could easily mistake them for a small arena band. The amount of people singing every single word back to them is incredible and it creates moments where the band almost step back and let the crowd take over. This kind of turnout is thoroughly deserved after the amount of passion, time and energy Caskets have poured into their craft, particularly over what feels like a relentless touring schedule.
Vocalist Matthew Flood brings a tremendous amount of energy to the stage, rarely standing still and constantly interacting with the audience. That energy feeds into an already fever-pitch crowd with pits opening up between the two pillars in classic Waterfront fashion. Flood’s vocals are confident and powerful, switching effortlessly between soaring melodies and heavier moments, and he looks completely at home commanding a room of this size.
The rest of the band provide an impeccable backing track to those vocals. Every part of each song is played with a passion that was always there but has now been cranked up to another level. The tightness of the performance speaks volumes about how much time they’ve spent on the road and it shows in how polished and assured everything sounds live.
As this tour supports their latest album that track list features heavily throughout the night. Opening the set with “Closure” feels like an inspired choice with the synth-led introduction drawing the room in before the song properly kicks into gear, setting expectations perfectly for the rest of the evening. It’s a statement opener that says exactly where the band are at right now. “Hold Me Now” and “Drowned In Emotion”, pulled from earlier material, provide a spot-on bit of fan service for those who’ve been following Caskets since the beginning and they’re met with huge reactions from the crowd.
Newer tracks like “Make Me A Martyr”, “Our Remedy” and “Sacrifice” highlight just how far their songwriting has come. They still retain that unmistakable Caskets sound but it’s now developed into something far more expansive and refined. There’s a confidence to these songs that feels like a natural evolution rather than a forced change. In my opinion, they now feel like a band that would slot in perfectly alongside the likes of Bad Omens.
The crowd never lets the energy dip for a second. From start to finish, there’s a constant movement and a collective effort to give as much back to the band as they’re giving out. No one seems to tire and that shared momentum elevates the entire performance.
This tour feels like a testament to Caskets’ growth in every possible way; the fanbase, the musicianship and the live performance itself. Everything is moving in the right direction and if they continue on this path it’s hard to see how much higher their ceiling could be.
Photo Credit: Tom Atkin
