Chaos Reigns are a sight to behold, transforming venues into a whirlwind of mosh pits, stage dives and menacing smiles.

Cutting their teeth in London’s grassroots venues, the band quickly gained a reputation for their exhilarating live shows, with breakneck riffs and a fiercely intense presence. Evolving in just a few years from underground newcomers to one of the most exciting British hardcore bands, Chaos Reigns have shown that mathcore can be maddeningly complex and riotously fun at the same time.

Setting the tone early with a five-track blast of chaotic noise, their 2019 EP A Horrific Accident drew comparisons to Every Time I Die and Cancer Bats with a live stage presence likened to the wild, frantic performances of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Fast-forward to late 2024, re-energized with new members the band unveiled the unpredictable and exciting Sweet Violence EP, doubling down on technical mathcore with a balance between complexity and catchiness. A head-spinning ride that’s complicated and aggressive with fiercely fun hooks, the EP is the first recording with the band’s five-piece lineup, featuring Jason Heightman (vocals), Darryl Butcher (guitar), Joe Griffin (guitar), Billy Padmore (bass), and Dave Morris (drums).

In early 2025, Chaos Reigns won the UK edition of No Sleep Till Hellfest, earning themselves a slot on the Hellstage at Hellfest in France. Battling through multiple heats against nearly 300 applicants, the band were propelled from the London underground to one of the biggest and most respected heavy music festivals in the world. Extremely heavy music that you can throw yourself around to in celebration, few young bands are this chaotic, calculated and exciting all at the same time.

We caught up with the band to find out more:

Are we right in thinking the name Chaos Reigns is taken from a scene in Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist in which a fox devours its own flesh?

Billy: Haha, yep. The first time I saw that film I thought ‘right, that’s terrifying’ and it stuck with me for a long time. I’m not even sure I can say I’m a fan of the film, but such a shocking image felt like a good basis for naming a band.

You recently performed at one of the biggest metal festivals in the world. Can you talk us through the whole experience of winning the competition and performing at Hellfest?

Billy: The competition was probably my most stressful experience I’ve had with the band! Not because of the competition itself, but normally, when we play a show, there’s no pressure. We know our songs inside out so we’re confident in our performance, and we all think that they’re strong compositions, so if people like it, great, and if they don’t, then it’s no big deal, it probably just isn’t for them. But in a competition, we’re actually being judged whether we’re good enough to play at a festival, so there is actually something tangible at stake. Somehow we were deemed good enough to win, which is both baffling and validating. Guess our weird music isn’t too bad then haha!

Hellfest is an insane festival though. Hands down the best festival I’ve ever attended, and to be lucky enough to play it too! We were so grateful for all the people who checked us out, considering how much amazing music there is on offer.

Jason: The whole experience was a bit of a rollercoaster ride if I’m honest. We ended up doing a 3 day residency at Moor Beer Vaults in London, the stakes rising with each set. When Nabila (the organiser) announced our friends BIND. as the winner, we thought that was it. In a shock twist she announced she was taking two bands to Hellfest and that we would be the other band. Proper nerve racking stuff.  

Hellfest was a blur of fire and distortion. Not only our first major festival but our first time playing in France and first time outside the UK. The set went off mostly without a hitch (although Billy almost knocked me out swinging his bass around 10 seconds into the first song). We played our asses off and the crowd really embraced us- first person to scale the Hellstage as well (apparently).

After the set we got to stay out and enjoy the rest of the festival, brushing shoulders with a lot of musicians I admire and respect, and just take the whole thing in. There are still times where I don’t know if it really happened or if I just imagined the whole thing.

Is Chaos Reigns a live band first and foremost?

Billy: I’d say so. I think we’re still at a level where most people discover us first live, rather than hearing our music from streaming etc. But we really put a strong emphasis on delivering a live show. There've been so many bands I’ve loved on record and been so disappointed when seeing them live, as they don’t display any energy, or even visible enthusiasm for performing. Yet when you see Dillinger live, not only are they playing the most complex music imaginable, they go harder than anyone else, and that is how they converted me into a fan. If we can emulate even a fraction of Dillinger’s energy, then I’d say we’ve succeeded.

Jason: I’d lean towards us being a live band first too. It’s definitely where we’ve made a name ourselves.

Backing tracks are increasingly common in modern metal, and Chaos Reigns reject those developments pretty firmly. Can you tell us why?

Billy: I’d say my feelings on this don’t just apply to metal, but all live music. I’ve seen some pop artists that have super complex arrangements, and yet live, the band only utilise guitar, drums and bass, meaning all the strings, horns, BVs etc are reduced to a backing track. I appreciate it’s not viable or even affordable to bring a full orchestra or horn section on tour, but I personally believe in working within your limitations. If a certain instrument is present on all of your songs and is vital, then should that instrument not be part of the live set up?

Equally, I’ve seen a few metal bands who are on the more technical side of the genre use backing tracks for some of the complex lead parts, which, if I’m honest, feels like cheating. I’ve heard the excuse that ‘the rhythm track is more important for a live guitar as it packs more punch’, but it feels like an excuse, particularly when a lot of fans are drawn to certain metal subgenres due to the advanced musicianship, and they want to see that performed live.

How do you go about writing such complex songs built for the massive live impact? Are they more composed or jammed?

Billy: I write and develop the songs as far as I can take them instrumentally, which we then workshop in a rehearsal room, with Jason handling all vocal and lyrical duties.

It can be tough striking the balance for complex music, as if you go too far, it can almost become unlistenable. Music is about tension and release; it can’t be all tension. Take Slipknot as an example. Even though their music is super heavy and aggressive, they still have hooks and choruses, which might explain why they’re pretty successful!

Jason: Billy has the ability to create these beautifully Frankenstein-esque arrangements that are weird and wonderful. When it comes to putting vocals on top I try to compliment the track as best I can whilst also adding some sort of grounding for the listener. In terms of lyric writing I’m pretty much scribbling all the time. The world's burning, people are dying, and evil pedophiles are in power - I’m never short of inspiration.

What do you hope the audience feels and thinks at a Chaos Reigns show?

Billy: ‘Damn, these guys are the best band ever, and I’m including the Beatles in that’

Jason: Whether they liked the music or not, I hope they enjoyed the show. We’ve played gigs where members of the audience have come up to me afterwards to compliment me on our set, sometimes it’s their first time experiencing heavy music or something like us and you can see just how electrified they are by it all - that's really special to me.

What are your favourite venues in London and beyond?

Billy: Playing the Underworld was incredible, as it was such a staple venue I attended growing up.

Jason: I’ve got a lot of love for New Cross Inn; no barrier, open plan, low stage- It’s such a great space. Beyond London, one of my favourite venues is The Pipeline in Brighton, there's no room to swing a cat in there. We played a rowdy show there a few years back, I remember it being one of the first times I really felt like ‘we’re onto something here’.

Which bands have inspired you the most, particularly when it comes to live performances?

Billy: For live performance, and composition too actually, it would be Converge, Dillinger, and Every Time I Die - the big three, I call them. It’s mad how much energy they bring, and it really helps energise the audience, which is why we always aim to give it our all, even when the audience don’t know us or they aren’t feeling it.

Composition wise, Slipknot are a big influence too. That balance of heaviness and hooks is vital in cutting through the noise of every other band, and they do it perfectly.

Jason: I love seeing brutal, unrefined, energy on the stage like Gallows, Jesus Piece and Dillinger, these bands really set the tone straight out the gate. Equally, I resonate with artists that can weave complex emotional components into their sound like Alexisonfire and Letlive.  

What’s on the horizon?

Billy: Working on new material and pushing towards our debut album, which would be a real landmark achievement for us.

Jason: New music, new tours, new territories, new fans. The machine rolls on.

What is the ultimate goal of Chaos Reigns?

Billy: To become as big as we can within this niche genre. I’m under no illusions that chaotic hardcore or mathcore or whatever we are isn’t accessible, and even the biggest bands in the genre max out at venues around 1000 cap, but playing headline shows where people in the crowd already know us and came to the show specifically to see us would feel so rewarding.

Jason: To be mentioned in the same breath as the archetypes that came before us.