Live Review : Fleshgod Apocalypse + W.E.B. + Nest Of Plagues + Dark Mirror ov Tragedy + Ethereal Sin @ Rebellion, Manchester on January 16th 2023

Well this is all rather a pleasant surprise. Initially, it looked like Fleshgod Apocalypse’s mammoth rescheduled trek across the continent would be yet another of those endeavours that view a UK tour as being a singular London show. Then suddenly and inexplicably, a Manchester appearance appeared unannounced on the schedule and here we are gathered in Rebellion for an unexpected but most welcome post-Christmas treat. Given that the show has only been on the cards for a month and a good proportion of that was the festive celebrations, the turnout, whilst not large, is still rather impressive. It proves the pulling power, even on a bitterly cold Monday evening, of these Italian orchestral oddballs. But this show is not just about Flesgod Apocalyose and there is a sizeable preamble of bands to get through before we arrive at our headliners. 

Ethereal Sin have pulled the proverbial short straw and are shoved on less than 15 minutes after the early opening time of 6 PM. To give them their dues they are welcomed by a surprisingly vocal and appreciative throng of people. This is route 101 symphonic black metal. Big in character, big in sound, big in production, and big in performance. They have been around in some form or another for nearly 30 years and there is a steely determination to their recital. They come across as genuinely pleased to be on this side of the channel and don't seem particularly bothered by the fact that most of the crowd are probably still at home wolfing down their tea. Their set is short (and bizarrely exclusively bathed in orange) but they effectively put down the marker in what is a distinctly crowded market. They comment that they want to return and judging by the reaction they get from those who have made it into Rebellion, I think they would be most welcome.

Whilst Ethereal Sin don’t stray much from the big book of Symphonic Black Metal clichés, there is real deviation and variation to be found within Dark Mirror ov Tragedy. There are points where everything slows down to an almost glacial pace, and we seem to exit Black Metal altogether and wander into the realms of doom. There are other instances where they traipse off in the other direction entirely and set up camp in territories usually haunted by Children of Bodom and other purveyors of bombastic melodic death metal. The resulting impression for this impressionable reviewer is that there is a lot going on and the vast majority of it is really rather good. They use the mantle of symphonic Black Metal as a jumping-off point as opposed to a final destination and they undertake a flourish of interesting meanders that keeps their performance fresh, interesting, and continually surprising. For a genre that can be rather formulaic, they come across as refreshingly inventive and enticing.

I never thought I would describe deathcore as providing any form of respite, but the scheduling of Hungary's Nest of Plagues smack bang in the middle of a run of symphonic Black Metal bands provides real texture and variation to the evening. Whereas the preceding and succeeding bands have gone to town with the Victoria Secrets bondage collection, Nest Of Plagues have rolled off their tour bus bunks and grabbed whatever clothes smell the least. Dániel Ivanics sports a striking and colourful silky leopard skin shirt that provides a striking juxtaposition to the oodles of patent black leather available elsewhere. He offers it initially to the crowd but then changes his mind and instead instructs us all to head to the merch desk.

The deviation from the rest of the tour doesn't stop with the music. Unlike the sword and sorcery fantastical themes being explored elsewhere, Nest Of Plagues’ lyrics are deeply personal and speak about the universal themes of belonging and feeling an outcast within modern society. Dániel speaks honestly and bravely about his recent diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and his feeling of acceptance both within his band and also within the wider metal community. Given that musically and athletically they are fundamentally different from everybody else on this tour, the rapidly filling room accepts them with gusto and the bodies fly with vigour in reaction to their breathless and brazen breakdowns. In a sea of corpse paint and symphonic virtues, they are a real find, and you get the distinct impression that their honesty and passion have led to them making many friends this evening.

It's straight back into the highly theatrical symphonic Black Metal with Greek disciples of the dark arts W.E.B.There is more than a whiff (try pungent reek) of Dimmu Borgir about their posturing and their musicality. However, if you are going purloin then do it with style and complete conviction. Their mannerisms may well be borrowed but that doesn't stop them from being effectively delivered and highly entertaining. It's entertainment value that really shines through their set. It is bombastic, it is wonderfully over-the-top, and it’s essentially half an hour of blissful escape from anything that can be perceived as reality. They have gigantic choruses designed specifically for communal singalongs and the final track seems content to wholeheartedly raid the power metal rulebook resulting in an emphatic clamour of raised fists and soaring voices. Not original in any shape or form but for 30 minutes on this cold evening that didn't matter. They were fun, really really fun and there is no better compliment than that.

They may well be playing a dingy club tucked beneath a railway arch and adjacent to a strip joint, but Fleshgod Apocalypse have pulled out all the stops. They have managed to shoehorn all their finery (including a concert piano) onto Rebellion’s less-than-generous stage. They ferociously operate in a peerless field of one. Whilst other acts may flirt with symphonic arrangements, Fleshgod Apocalypse are unashamedly having a full penetrative sexual relationship with orchestration. It is not just an add-on or a passing fad, it is an essential and evocative facet of their sound. This is not a Death Metal act that plays with a few classical samples, it is a fundamental part of their being.

This marriage of orchestration and crunching death metal manages to actually be larger than the sum total of both ingredients. It is still crunchingly and incredulously heavy but with a fantastically poignant level of additional bombastity. Everything feels bigger, denser, and more vibrant. There is no time or space for reflection, they have an hour and they wring every morsel of goodness out of it. Every track, from beginning to end is played as if it is the finale. There is a pulsating intensity to their performance this evening, with everything dialled up to the proverbial eleven. All of this is as we would expect from Fleshgod Apocalypse. 

The biggest change however from when they last graced these boards in those halcyon days before the pandemic is how much more part of the whole act is opera singer Veronica Bordacchini. On their previous appearance, she was an honoured guest, drifting in and out of the action. Tonight, she is an absolutely fundamental cog in a well-oiled machine. Her ascension to a main player on all tracks gives them yet another layer of pomposity and grandiose elegance. Adding to that feeling that Fleshgod Apocalypse are about far more than just the usual components of rock 'n' roll, pianist and lord of the orchestral samples Paolo Rossi operates as both maestro and rabble-rouser. Essentially he is Bez with virtuoso training.

A frankly wondrous ‘Minotaur’ gives way to a defiant NO, which Francesco Paoli informs us was written in direct reaction to the pandemic, and its fiery vernacular adds politics as another string to their bow. Everything has been building majestically but the momentum seems in danger of crashing to the ground when he informs us not 40 minutes into the show that there is only one more song to go. The early finish and truncated nature of the set are blamed on the fact they need to get to Paris for tomorrow's performance. The shocked reaction of the hordes before him seems to gird him into action and suddenly it's three more songs we are getting (or it could have just all been an act and I've just been very gullible).

Knowing that the end is nigh means the audience’s reaction is ratcheted up further as the band plough through their final numbers. Fleshgod Apocalypse are dependable in the fact that you always know that they are going to be distinctly different from any other communal garden Death Metal act. Tonight they surprised by being even better than we know they can be. The sheer act of being stuck home for nearly 2 years has seemed to have fired them up to a point where they just burnt off the stage. Absolutely and utterly extraordinary.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Fleshgod Apocalypse, W.E.B., Nest Of Plagues, Dark Mirror Ov Tragedy, Ethereal Sin