Live Review: Lamb of God & Trivium @ AEC Theatre 04/10/26

Two metal monoliths, Lamb of God and Trivium - accompanied by future mainstays Bleed From Within - have taken over the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for one of the biggest metal triple-headers of the year.

Unbelievably, it's the first time the two co-headliners have been to Adelaide in a decade, although they've done a number of east coast tours. 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and South Australia has shown up tonight. An army of black-clad metalheads orderly navigate their way into the theatre in a never-ending line as colourful Adelaide 36ers fans cautiously make their way out of the arena.

The crowd control is uncharacteristically disorderly at the Entertainment Centre, which means the room is almost empty by the time bagpipes herald the arrival of the Scottish quintet Bleed From Within. 

Bleed From Within made their Australian debut supporting The Ghost Inside last year, just across the road at The Gov. At the time, this reviewer said that it felt wrong witnessing them in such a small venue and that they were a band made for stadiums.

Opening with 'Zenith', Bleed From Within immediately proves that they're a band made for massive crowds. 

They follow up with the quick one-two of 'The End Of All We Know' and 'Levitate' and wake up the sandy-eyed audience who are running on one hour less of sleep due to daylight savings. The crowd is pouring into the room now, none of them is going to miss the new vanguard of metal. 

Since 2020, Bleed From Within have seen breakthrough success with Fracture (2020), Shrine (2022) and arguably 2025's metal album of the year, Zenith. Their setlist reflects this newfound success and leans heavily into Zenith with a smattering of tracks from the other two albums. 

Between the chaos, vocalist Scott Kennedy takes a moment to share that the band used to cover Lamb of God's As the Palaces Burn (2003) when they were first starting out – to see them opening for the behemoths is a full circle moment. 

By the time they go into the final three songs, they've won over the now full room. 'God Complex' and 'Am Damnation' see everyone moshing and circle pits commencing. At the very least, it's impossible not to nod your head along to the gigantic grooves. 

Before they commence the final song, Kennedy says that "We will see you again very, very fucking soon", in a way that sounds like he knows something we don't.

For 'In Place Of Your Halo', Kennedy jumps into the crowd and is carried by the audience, once again like an Egyptian god, the same way they ended their debut performance in 2025. 

READ MORE: Live Review: Ocean Sleeper @ Hindley Street Music Hall 11/09/26

Where do you begin with a Trivium setlist? Their discography is now 10 albums deep, and although they haven't released an album since 2021's In the Court of the Dragon, their recent singles are some of their best work yet.

Vocalist Matt Heafy and co take to the stage and immediately go into a double dose of 2005's Ascendancy with 'Rain' and 'Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr'. They're one of the tightest live bands in the world of metal, flawlessly working through their intricate anthems like 'The Sin and the Sentence' and 'Vengeance Falls'. It sounds like a studio recording.

Heafy's vocals sound smoother than ever, and guitarist Corey Beaulieu shares heavy duty on many of the unclean vocal moments alongside Heafy. It's an impressive feat considering Heafy damaged his vocal cords over a decade ago from screaming and his future vocal performance was in doubt. 

The band are ageless and haven't missed a step in their almost 30-year career. 'Down From The Sky', 'Like Light to the Flies' and 'Throes of Perdition' are perfected live and sound just as they did in the 2000s, while new song 'Dead Inside Of Me' gets a roar of recognition and bellows in a live setting.

Exploring every era of Trivium during their co-headline spot, it's the howls of 'In Waves' that bring their riveting time on stage to a close.

READ MORE: Live Review: August Burns Red @ The Gov 29/09/26

A curtain with "Lamb of God" drops as the first note of 'Ruin' hits. Lamb of God aren't taking any prisoners as vocalist Randy Blythe proclaims that they've “returned to completely fuck this place up” as he does his trademark prowl around the stage. The intensity remains at its apex as they carry the momentum into 'Laid To Rest' and 'Now You've Got Something To Die For'. 

It's the first time the band has visited Australia since their 2026 album Into Oblivion, and even though they're 10 albums in, the fans welcome this new music with open arms as the title track begins.

Mark Morton reminds everyone why he is one of the most iconic guitarists of an era as he rips through the solo in 'Walk with Me In Hell'. The audience feeds off of 'Descending', 'Omerta' and 'Memento Mori', which prove to be standouts of the night. 

It's a tight 14-song setlist with no time for pleasantries; each song has its own distinct moment in the set.

Lamb of God in 2026 feel like the elder statesmen and have elevated themselves into true metal icons. This is reinforced by the classic opening riff of final song, 'Redneck', as they close out a metal show for the ages.  

It's been a big year for gigs, but finding another night as stacked from start to finish as this triple header? Good luck. 

Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.