When discussing the best of music acts to emerge from Essex, then you could not possibly neglect Create To Inspire from the equation.

Following their initial debut back in 2012, the guys were quick to make an instant impact, receiving critical acclaim for their two EPs – Halfway Home and Home Is Where My Heart Dies – and they have become renowned for their talents ever since.

Moving into 2017, they announced the news that we have been all dying to hear for ages – a debut full-length album on the horizon titled Sickness. From there, they unveiled a batch of UK shows and, much to our delight, they included a Glasgow one that was hosted at The Garage Attic.

We knew nothing about Black Blood heading in, but we damn sure remembered their name coming out. It was pretty clear the Dundonians were going to give everyone their money’s worth.

The guys demonstrated tonnes of vitality on stage, blasting our ears with resonating fills and hefty breakdowns. Guitarist James twirled many a time, and vocalist Innocente only got better as the set went on.

But most importantly, they had the crowd hooked. The quintet encouraged movement, which is usually a rare sight for your typical opening band, but they got just that as the venue became pretty animated with bouncing, clapping and two-stepping galore.

Now THAT is how you kick off a gig.

While the audience were not as active, all eyes were locked on Autumn’s Fallen. They dished out a selection of banging tracks characterised by booming rhythms and some really tight riffs.

Daniel was in control all the way, displaying a real imposing presence and giving it every ounce that he had; a fact for certain, considering he was showered in sweat by the end.

It was loud, it was large, and we personally enjoyed every minute of it.

For what would be the fourth occasion, we were ready to see Lifelines, albeit with a drastic change of line-up.

As always, they were good, in fact you could argue they were more refined than ever. The five of them delivered a charged performance with plenty of intensity to be had.

There were pulsating beats courtesy of some fine drumming, the dual guitars made for a potent combo and new mic-meister John – formerly behind the kit – shined in his role and had the tenacity to back it up.

Boasting a range of new material before eventually wrapping up with the familiar Medicate Me, it was smashing stuff as expected, and we cannot wait for the new album to drop later this year.

Now that we were all done with what was a tasty showcase of the Scottish metal scene, Create To Inspire were ready to step up.

As they commenced with Agony, the crowd immediately congregated towards the front, in which afterwards they knocked up the bar with Sickness, the title track off the upcoming record. They really got the energy going with palpable old favourite Halfway Home, where a few people made the effort to nab the microphone and sing back the words proudly.

Cope was driven by a sweet bass line and featured a massive drop in the middle. Heaps of passion radiated from frontman Sean, who pushed his vocal chords to their very limits; likewise with Recluse, which was topped off by some dynamic riffs.

Sean made his way onto the floor and the place exploded into a frenzy for Counting Days, with scattered heads bobbing, a pit in motion and spit flying in all directions. Meanwhile, guitarist Jack looked very dignified sitting on his box, playing with a broken strap.

Adjust drew us in one last time, with the lyrics again being lovingly yelled back by the attendees, and with that they exited with a serious sense of appreciation.

A captivating experience, to say the least. Our only complaint is that it was a little too short for our liking and it left us hungry for more, but we suppose that is ultimately the greatest compliment you can give any band.