Live Review : Voivod + Midnight + Cryptosis @ Rebellion, Manchester on June 12th 2026

Midnight and Voivod make interesting bedfellows and at first glance they can be seen to be coming from two very distinct metallic camps. The former are about as stripped back and primal as you are going to get. They have no interest in expanding their mind or being transcendental, they just want to cause as much chaos with as few chords as possible. Voivod on the other hand are probably the greatest progressive metal band of all time. For over 40 years they have been taking our music and completely deconstructing it in a cerebral and thought-provoking manner. However tonight shows what they do share is a plethora of passion. Both headline sets are joyous and celebratory affairs, delivered by bands visibly enjoying every minute of their time on stage. This is an evening of kinetic energy and frenzied showmanship. A glorious celebration of metal’s foot soldiers, who retain the same enthusiasm and lust for this life in their fifties and sixties as they did when they were teens.

Completing the splendid trio are fast evolving Dutch tech metallers Cryptosis. Their frantic progression is evident in the massive difference between the five pieces of intricate wonder that they start with and the corrosive death metal of the latter two tracks. The opening numbers are culled from last year's sublime “Celestial Death”. A blistering but simultaneously sophisticated endeavour, it sees the band weave together heaviness and intelligent design. In a live setting the tracks are absolutely astonishing. ‘Absent Presence’ particularly stand out with its beautifully contoured mix of careering riffs and stop start structures.

The later than advertised start works well for the band, as they gather an interested and inquisitive crowd that become more engrossed as the set proceeds. It also makes good use of Rebellion’s fab new video wall, with a swirling greyscale background framing their flickering logo. Guitarist and vocalist Laurens Houvast is particularly enamoured by the reception they receive. His English is almost pitch perfect and he sprinkles platitudes down on a crowd that are taking them to heart. As mentioned, there is a definite shift in style as they move into the final two tracks from their debut album. Lauren trails they are going faster and heavier and he isn’t wrong as ‘Death Technology’ and closer ‘Transcendence’ are far more brutal than what has gone before. Cryptosis are band that seem unafraid to explore and experiment and to be honest the most exciting element is probably the wonder of what they will do next.

There is no band like Midnight. They are the bastard offspring of Motorhead and Venom. They take raucous rock 'n' roll and dial it up way beyond 11. Live they are a force of anarchistic chaos, and that atmosphere of unfiltered dynamism spreads out across the whole room. For an hour rebellion becomes the centre of the universe and nothing else matters. Bodies fly, pints are split and the height of entertainment becomes three hooded and masked figures postulate themselves across the performance area. They are utterly utterly astonishing. Athenar and whichever of his constantly changing entourage he has got on guitar for this tour, never stand still. They are constantly twisting and turning around each other and marching and lurching across the stage. It is an awe-inspiring sceptical as Athenar perches on top of the monitors swinging on the overhead amps, whilst continuing to play and scream the lyrics. 

The powerful nonconformist performance inspires a constant stream of stage invaders. One unfortunate chap manages to lose his bullet belt and has to venture up again a couple of songs later to collect it. It is obvious that some of the interlopers on the performance area are more experienced than others. The seasoned veterans hurl themselves back into the melee with little regard for their or landing zones safety. However, the stage diving virgins are very obvious by their tentative and cautious steps back into the crowd. Across the whole endeavour only one geezer outstays his welcome and Athenar makes short shrift of the squatter by headbutting him and tossing him back where he belongs. Aside from his zero-tolerance approach to those who wish to share his spotlight, he is particularly chatty this evening. Bigging up the musical history of Manchester, encouraging us to call him a wimp for drinking water and conducting football chants. For all the anonymity of the face covering he exudes charisma and likeability.

Musically Midnight are as basic as it gets, but that is the beauty. Like Motorhead before them they bypass all the genre gatekeeping of whether it is metal, punk or Bavarian flute music. This is rock n’ roll played loud and fast and that is all you need to know. We get debut album “Satanic Royalty” in its complete majestic splendour. Short splurge of potent power after short splurge of potent power. It is wonderful audacious display of full throttle brutality. The only slight deviation is with ‘Black Damnation’ which is a little slower than its brethren, but aside from that it is a full speed gallop through the ten tracks. At its climax Athenar promises three more tracks and they deliver at even more hyper velocity than they unleashed “Satanic Royalty”. The throng take this as a clarion call for one more stage dive and there is a veritable clamour to get on stage. Midnight are breathtakingly outburst of pure euphoric joy. Yes, they are regurgitating what Motorhead and Venom did decades before them, but it is done with such passion and unbridled enthusiasm that all you can do is strap in and enjoy the ride.

The question of how do Voivod follow that hangs in the air for a total of ten seconds. Those are the ten seconds before Away, Chewy and Rocky stride on and strike into the first bars of “Dimension Hatross’s” opening number, ‘The Experiment’. It sounds as demented and unconventional as it did 38 years ago. Voivod have been playing with metal’s structure and forms all the career and ‘The Experiment’’s non-linear rhythmic refrains prove that they were operating outside of the mainstream norms long long before it became fashionable. Snake strolls on for the opening verse and is greeted with a rapturous reception. The audience is made up of those of us who were enraptured by their uniqueness back in the eighties and a good dollop of younger disciples that have fallen under their spell in the subsequent years. Snake spots a teen in the front row that knows every word and christens him baby snake, stating that he was that young when they recorded “War and Pain”. 

For a band that are well into their fifth decade, Voivod are enjoying themselves immensely. Chewy, resplendent in merch of his beloved Cardiacs, is all smiles and over exaggerated guitar moves. During the sublime Tribal Convictions, like a pair of naughty schoolboys he and Rocky emulate the infamous Status Quo dual guitar synchronisation with cheeky grins on their faces. Snake is also playful and mischievous. During the same track he enters full role play mode, acting out the lines with a roguish charm. It becomes very evident where Mike Patton got is irreverent stage craft from. Behind them all sits Away, the man that has singularly masterminded the band since its inception. He allows his band mates to cavort and with a constant smile of happiness he holds tight to the ever changing and altering time signatures. 

Trumpeted by Snake as old school Voivod, ‘Korgüll the Exterminator’ is back in the set after almost a decade absence and is treated as a returning hero. It is a thrashy masterpiece, off kilter and containing far more intelligence than heavy music is given credence for. And that’s the point of Voivod. It is all very clever and conceptual. They may exude playful passion, but it is all done with heaps of Avant-Garde creativity. Pushing envelops in a precise and premeditated manner. ‘The Unknown Knows’ is jazz like in the way it contorts conventionality and hurtles off in different directions and ‘Tornado’ is a magnificent crescendo of gnarly riffs and bewildering base lines. ‘Condemned to the Gallows’ (the first ever Voivod track) is slipped in as a treat for Manchester and has grown men simultaneously singing along and sobbing into their beer with happiness. The night ends as it so invariably does with their signature self-titled track. Three hundred voices chant “Voivod” with clarity and conviction. It is an astonishing sight and it is obvious not only how much this band matters to those that have followed them over the years but how much that steadfast commitment matters to the band. Long after those Voivod chants fade there are handshakes, thank you’s and mutual admiration. Tonight is about passion, belief and dedication and all three bands show that creating music is a two-way transactional experience with those that consume it.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!