Kingdom of Giants

Kingdom of Giants play Purgatory at The Masquerade on Wednesday, December 9, with Deadlands, Holy Wars, and Night Rider on the bill. The Southern California band have spent the better part of a decade sanding the edges off metalcore without losing its impact. Records like Passenger and Wave Goodbye traded breakdown-first structure for something more atmospheric — synth beds, clean vocal hooks, and choruses built to carry a room rather than flatten it. The heaviness is still there; it just arrives on a schedule the songs decide rather than the genre. Deadlands, Holy Wars, and Night Rider fill out a bill that leans melodic across the board, which suits Purgatory. It is the mid-sized of the Masquerade's three main rooms, big enough for a real low end and small enough that the front half of the crowd is effectively part of the show. Doors open ahead of a 6 p.m. start. The Masquerade is at 75 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, inside Underground Atlanta.