Tonight the inaugural UK deathcore tour organised by promoter Dead Species rolls into Manchester after starting off in Newcastle last week. As a Brucey bonus Draconian Reign have been added to the roster after having to miss the first date due to illness within the band. First to take to the stage are Bournemouth’s To Obey A Tyrant.
Read MoreNow that Matt Skiba's substitute stint in Blink 182 has come to an end, it is time for Alkaline Trio to once again take the full extent of his attention. Over a warm mancunian weekend they have managed to sell out the Ritz for a second time on this particular jaunt around the shires despite competing distractions such as Radar festival (which ROCKFLESH are also covering, review HERE) and two comic cons.
Read MoreLast year, Kent based Graphic Nature released their long awaited debut album “A Mind Waiting To Die”, and won over thousands of brand new fans with high energy performances at Download, 2000trees, and Reading/Leeds. Tonight they continue their upward trajectory towards potentially being the next big thing in the UK metal scene, riding the wave of the release of their stunning new album “Who Are You When No One Is Watching?” Graphic Nature have blazed into Chester for a headline slot at the Live Rooms.
Read MoreIt would have been eminently straightforward to stick identikit deathcore acts bands on this bill and placate the two-stepping masses. However, taking the easy route through life has never been how The Acacia Strain have rolled. As Vincent Burnett, there are lusciously charismatic frontman, intones during their set, this is all about being surrounded by your friends and Judiciary and Fuming Mouth are very much part of their posse, even if they do play significantly different variants of extreme metal. In fact, tonight is a masterclass in how diverse American extreme metal has become and anybody who dares to proclaim that it all sounds the same is simply not listening hard enough.
Read MoreWhen it comes to music, the French are having a pretty great time at the minute. They came 4th in the Eurovision Song Contest with an absolute stellar performance, Slift have released what many consider to be their album of year and Gojira are one of the biggest metal bands on the planet right now. Rise of the Northstar are the next band from our neighbours across the channel to represent their country when it comes to continuing this well received momentum. Donned in their trademark white Boiler Suits, the Hardcore/Nu Metal adjacent 5 piece have embarked on their Crank It Up Tour, making stops all across the UK and Europe.
Read MoreFor the genre with a reputation for being poe-faced and humourless, there is an awful lot of comedy metal about. Steel Panther cater for those who still find tits and blatant sexism funny. Evil Scarecrow have made a career of combining metal with Mighty Boosh level surrealism and Raised by Owls manage to be simultaneously hilarious and impenetrable to anybody who doesn't know their Benediction from their Bolthrower. But like a gargantuan skyscraper looming over the whole scene is the behemoth that is Tenacious D.
Read MoreIt's a glorious Bank Holiday Monday, with only the minor threat of major thunderstorms. With that in mind, it’s surely better to be safe indoors with 4 boisterous booming bands? What better place to be than Manchester's favourite gem of a venue, The Star and Garter.
Read MoreTransatlantic metal supergroup Kill The Lights are currently touring on the back of their new album “Death Melodies” and it’s a real treat to catch them in such an intimate venue such as The Star & Garter in Manchester. We manage to get an interview with vocalist James and drummer Moose before the gig (you can watch that here), and we’re promised songs both new and old from the now established and polished metal titans.
Read MoreThe 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.
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