The Mondays at the G-Mex, Oasis at Maine Road, Morrissey (before he became a racist twit) at the MEN and The Roses at Heaton Park. To the lexicon of great Mancunian homecomings we can now add Ingested at Rebellion. Despite the ludicrously early start time the place is heaving from the get-go. There is a fevered atmosphere that consists of a potent mixture of expectation and civic pride. Every conversation seems to major on our own individual roles in Ingested’s majestic ascension to the death metal top table.
Read MoreFor the second time this week ROCKFLESH is dipping a toe into Eurovision territory. Those gritty Finns are determined to give a serious rock boost to the greatest lip-synching competition in the world, and having done so once with the classic power metal and mad costumes that are Lordi they had another go for a younger audience with Blind Channel who provide nu-metal and pretty boys instead. Sadly they only managed to reach 6th place in 2021, but that did give them an avenue to reach bigger crowds in other countries so here we are in a sold-out Club Academy with twice the capacity of their last sojourn to Manchester. This is obviously important to them as it gets mentioned a couple of times during the course of the evening. Stick with it boys, next stop the Ritz eh?
Read MoreAs metal fans we tend to view our world as an impenetrable fortress sitting alone in an ocean of splendid isolation. Disconnected from other strands of popular culture. The truth is actually very different, we have many openly flowing land borders with other facets of the musical lexicon. Drone metal and the legendary Sunn O))) specifically is one of those bridging areas.
Read MoreAnother day and another four-headed death metal package rolls into town. However, if you open the bonnet and do a bit of careful inspection you will find that this quadruple bill offers some enticingly distinct delicacies. You see Vexed, Aborted, Revocation and Carnifex represent four very very different aspects of Death Metal’s multiple personalities. This is a comprehensive guided tour through the genre's current state of the nation. It also makes pretty good business sense as each band has its own distinct group of diehard supporters, all of whom have gathered here tonight for some bizarre gathering of the clans.
Read MoreEvolution. The first thing that comes to my mind when viewing a tour consisting of Enslaved, Svalbard, and Wayfayrer. A line up that represents phenomenal histories and past accomplishments but also outstandingly bright futures. Most importantly it showcase that ability to morph and metamorphose as all three bands started in one place but very much transmuted into different entities
Read MoreThis is Polaris’ first appearance in Manchester since their now semi-legendary show at the Academy 2 back in September ‘22. In the intervening eighteen months the band has had drastic highs, including opening While She Sleeps’ massive headline bash at Ally Pally and snagging a main stage berth at Download ‘23, as well as drastic lows with the tragic passing of lead guitarist Ryan Siew in June 2023. But they have dusted themselves down and they are now back keeping his memory alive touring their amazing new album “Fatalism”.
Read MoreTo release an album of the year contender just mere weeks into the new year is one feat, but to follow it up with one of my most anticipated shows just a few weeks after that is quite the achievement. This seems like just another day at the office however for French 3 piece, Slift. Manchester Gorilla was rife with anticipation and despite Tesseract and Thrice occupying other venues across Manchester, the amount of punters who have turned out for the French 3 piece, is incredibly admirable.
Read MoreTonight’s headliners, Novelists, have undergone a recent changeup with Camille Contreras replacing Tobias Rische as vocalist. The four tracks recently released with Camille as singer have been impressive, and match the excitement the band have portrayed through social media. This European and UK tour is where many of us long-term fans can get a true feel for the songs, new and old, with this fresh line-up.
Read MoreWhen they first rose to prominence in the late Noughties, early 2010’s, The Blackout were following in the footsteps of an incredibly healthy and flourishing Wales Metal Scene. Bullet For My Valentine & Funeral For A Friend appealed to the Goths and Emo’s, Kids In Glass Houses & Neck Deep were the champions of the Alternative/Pop Punk Scene. The Blackout sat perfectly positioned right in the middle of this. Heavy enough to incite action in the pit, but with the song writing finesse and presentation to become bonafide idles to those who prefer things on the lighter side. Tonight, they are back. At least for now. After a triumphant return, performing their first show in 8 years at Download Festival, Sean Smith, Gavin Butler and Co. take The Blackout back out on the road for the first time in nearly a decade.
Read MoreAnd so, we descend into my final gig of the year and what a year it has been… And my life being one of extremes, I have gone from Wednesday night at WARGASM on my ownsome to being out tonight with a vast swathe of people from Primordial Radio’s #PRFam. Well, I might not be a fan of Christmas but what better way to spend the festive period than with your mates, watching live music. The place is full of Santa hats and Christmas jumpers and even I, the Grinch, put on my Millie Manders and the Shutup Christmas jumper. But I’m more enamoured by the access all areas pass I’ve been given at (that’s a first, though I did not use it to its maximum potential).
Read MoreDistant start the show and immediately slam the early eager punters with their relentless Dutch deathcore sound. Their approach is delightfully brutal, seamlessly blending the most savage elements of tonight’s headliners with others such as Whitechapel and Thy Art is Murder, with the added gritty hardcore undertones reminiscent of Malevolence.
Read MoreMain support on this tour are Zetra, and to be honest they have a tough slot to go on before such a dynamic and unique headliner…but they themselves are no ordinary band. The London two-piece are nominally Adam (guitar and vocals) and Jordan (synths and vocals) and they’ve been knocking about since 2018. In that time they’ve gathered a collection of supporters from successful bands across the scene, including Sammy from Employed to Serve.
Read MoreGerman hardcore-beatdown masters Reduction take to the stage as opening act for this year’s edition of the annual Impericon Never Say Die tour. Despite the early doors, a rapidly growing crowd is immediately engaged by Reduction's relentless sonic assault, with a late afternoon circle pit even managing to erupt mid-set (featuring the first glimpse of an eccentric banana-clad participant).
Read MoreWho would have thought back in the late 90s when Slipknot first oozed out of the primeval slime of rural Iowa, that one day their shouty vocalist in the ugly mask would become a living legend? Being honest, bar a couple of songs, I am not a big fan of the boiler-suited weirdos, however when a friend introduced me to a band called Stone Sour a few years later I was astonished. “THIS is the same singer?” I proclaimed.
Read MoreTonight I am in Rebellion to watch one of my favourite genres of music – bands from Sweden, Ok ok I know that’s not a genre, but the fact is that although bands from Sweden come in all kinds of musical varieties they all have one thing in common - they know how to entertain an audience. This evening’s bill is no exception, even if it is quite a big step away from my usual favourite Swedes with big hair and guyliner.
Read MoreWhen Bloodstock Svengali Vicki Hungerford decreed that Malevolence would be bestowed a coveted special guest slot at next year's festival, there were many of us who were sceptical about the leap of faith that she was taking. After all, it was only yesterday that the Sheffield upstarts were cavorting about at the lower echelons of the Sophie stage.
Read MoreSpite kick-off the evening and immediately set the scene for the heavy deathcore night ahead. Despite it being an early doors there’s a more than decent sized crowd here for the openers. We’re also not waiting long for a double-kick drum onslaught. They’re a heady mix of brutal hardcore and nu-metal melodies mixed with vicious tech-metal. The guitar tones are meaty, djenty and have that deliciously techy sound.
Read MoreIt’s an early start and we’re treated to Liverpool's Cut Short. The first thing that strikes you is the satisfyingly angular, stabby, quality of the guitars. They play with melodies that are layered over a backdrop of excellent almost scattery jazz-infused drums. It makes me think they’re trying to strike a delicate balance between the prog and tech-metal, but still need to hit on the perfect mix. The intricate guitar work fully supports this ambitious attempt, and their musicianship is solid and individual performances truly engaging.
Read MoreOutpost tonight is a very different Outpost to last week. It’s rammed for a start, and as far as you can see (which isn’t far, it’s only a small venue) there is a sea of battle jackets, studs and hair. The other week I witnessed some of the old guard that are keeping traditional British heavy metal alive, and tonight I’ve come along to see what the new blood has to offer.
Read MoreTonight is a rather odd mix of fan bases. It is obvious from the off that a large proportion of the audience have come to see German’s Annisokay on the back of their impressive stint supporting Electric Callboy last year. However, there is also an almost equal proportion who are here for reformed metal core also-rans Shields, who have decided to put aside their differences and make another attempt at trying to make it. All this means that the only unknown element here this evening are Norwegian openers Fixation.
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