Posts tagged 2025
Live Review : Vower + Profiler @ Star & Garter, Manchester on February 8th 2025

Vower are almost what you’d call a supergroup of sorts forged from the ashes of acclaimed underground bands Toska, Black Peaks, and Palm Reader. When we saw them perform at RADAR Festival last year quality on display was immediately evident to see, and true to form their live performance then was a masterclass in sonic precision and commanding stage presence. It was exactly the kind of seamless execution you’d anticipate from musicians of their collective calibre.

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Live Review : Gloryhammer + Dominum + Fellowship @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on February 8th 2025

You can probably tell just from the band names what kind of music we are in for tonight. Gloryhammer came to be back in 2010 as the side project of Alestorm singer and keyboardist Chris Bowes, and since then, they have released a slew of vaguely related concept albums in which various band members assume characters in the ongoing story. Despite some social media controversy following the departure of their original singer, they have weathered the storms that surrounded them and come through more or less unscathed to provide us with entertainment tonight.  

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Live Review : Dan Byrne + Sam Millar @ The Live Rooms, Chester on February 6th 2025

Occasionally, someone comes along on the “ones to watch” list that you suspect is destined for superstardom if there is any justice in the world. Tonight, while he is no overnight sensation, I think it’s safe to say that Dan Byrne is teetering on the edge of the last chasm to cross to reach his nirvana. The question is, will he soar or will he fall? Only time will tell, but this evening’s performance gave a good indication that he is finally getting the wings he has worked so hard for…

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Live Review : Firewind + Fury @ Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool on February 6th 2025

There can surely be few things more exhilarating, more primal, more life-affirming than a night of pure, unadulterated metal.  Regardless of whichever is your personal favourite of the kaleidoscope of genres (or sub-genres) that make up modern metal in all its wondrous guises, it remains an ever-changing form that continues to inspire devotion and obsession even now in the 21st Century. 

Both bands on tonight’s bill draw from the same well, having their roots firmly in the metal of the eighties, whilst stamping their own personalities on that template, giving the gathered masses a powerful reminder (if one were needed) of just how vital an art form metal truly is. 

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Live Review : Siamese + Chaosbay + Cold Culture @ Rebellion, Manchester on February 5th 2025

The steady rise for Denmark’s tech-pop-metal maestros Siamese has been followed from the start by a couple of us at Rockflesh, and to see them finally explode to the heights of headlining with a stellar catalogue of tunes to choose from is a proud treat. Support bands Cold Culture and Chaosbay fit well on the bill with Siamese, sharing a similarly polished and modern approach to metal. The night is a testament to the ever-evolving landscape of metal, with Siamese standing firmly at the helm.

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Live Review : Cattle Decapitation + Shadow Of Intent + Revocation + Vulvodynia @ New Century Hall, Manchester on February 1st 2025

Absence may well make the heart grow fonder but so seemingly does constant interaction. Neither Cattle Decapitation nor Shadows of Intent are strangers to this country and even to this fayre city. It is the formers third visit in as many years, whilst the latter last graced us with their presence twenty-four months ago to almost the day. With neither being a scarcity in the touring market, it is impressive they have managed to pull a capacity crowd into a venue that signals an ambitious jump in size for both of them. This is Death Metal graduating out of the underground and into grown-up venues. New Century Hall may feel a world away from the grubby subterranean delights of say Rebellion, but it offers all four acts the opportunity to do their thing on a gargantuan stage, a challenge they all accept with vim and vigour.

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Live Review : H.E.A.T + Art Nation + Chez Kane @ Club Academy, Manchester on January 30th 2025

As we step into the gloomy confines of Manchester’s Club Academy the doorman welcomes us to his time machine and invites us to step into the latterdays of the eighties when hair was big, choruses expansive and egos overflatted.

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Live Review : Paganfest @ O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester on January 18th 2025

Metal, the music that we love, comes in many forms. Some of them link seamlessly together, others tend to stand alone in powerful glory. One of the weirdest subgenres is probably folk metal, which itself varies wildly in content as “folk” has a different meaning in different countries of the world. Tonight, Paganfest in Manchester brings together an unforgettable night of music and unbridled energy performed by an eclectic mix of folk metal bands and enthusiasts from all corners of the world, creating a vibrant atmosphere that resonates through every chord and drumbeat.

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