Live Review : Hippotraktor + Cobra The Impaler + Abdicator @ Future Yard, Birkenhead on April 18th 2025

Sometimes you get the chance to attend a gig that throws up a new band for you to experience live. Sometimes it can be a couple of bands that you get to experience fresh. But rarely do you get to see two fantastic new bands in a brilliant new venue for ROCKFLESH. Tonight, we have the pleasure of not only catching the awesome Belgian prog-metal bands Hippotraktor and Cobra the Impaler - as well as getting to interview both bands (see here and here) - but also we get to cover the gig at the impressive Future Yard in Birkenhead.

Merseyside’s very own Abdicator kick off proceedings tonight. The crowd is still gathering as they set about their business, but it doesn’t stop them from confidently delivering their blend of grunge, punk and general alternative metal. The riffs are solid and the rhythms tight, while the vocals from the bassist are punky and forceful. There’s an American rock-metal vibe to the songs which brings to mind bands like Godsmack. There’s not necessarily any hooks or catchy melodies, but that’s possibly the next step for these guys to work at and push on with.  

Cobra the Impaler don’t take any prisoners. They also don’t fit in any neat genre box – and that’s a good thing. No, it’s a great thing. It means they’ve taken the best elements of a load of different influences from their combined experiences as musicians and created something uniquely them. You can make comparisons to Mastodon but these guys are very much to be taken on their own showing. Traditional and thrash metal mixes with progressive and stoner elements to create an accessible but unpredictable sound.

They’re unfortunately minus bassist/vocalist Michélé De Feudis on this tour as he’s ill, but that doesn’t stop the rest of the Cobras from putting on a complete and dynamically superb performance. There’s emotion and passion in every single note played, drum hit and word sung – it’s so vibrant from each member of the band that the crowd can tangibly feel it without the need to be up there with them. Leading that power is the phenomenally impressive and technical drumming from Gert Stals.

The guitar riffs from James Falck and Tace DC sometimes harmonise in a classic metal fashion and at other times interweave expertly. They switch from crushingly impactful to delightfully intricate at will, never letting up on the intensity and musicianship. Tace unleashes some delicious lead segments, while James commands the crowd in between flying into overdriven riffs. Manuel Remmerie effortlessly matches the instrumental variety with hauntingly beautiful cleans swelling into raucously powerful harsher vocals. The whole set is excellent from start to finish and these guys can only be a major success waiting to happen.

Finally, we have Hippotraktor, and tonight’s headliners prove every bit their description in print – they are a monumental juggernaut of a modern progressive metal band. They meld together brutally impassioned heavy segments with groove inducing hypnotic passages. At all times they retain fantastic technicality, but never at the expense of a well structured and melodic song. Followers of any fellow Pelagic Records bands will adore these guys, not least fans of The Ocean, but there’s plenty here for those who prefer something more along the lines of Gojira or Haken with both ends of the prog spectrum catered for.

There’s an artistic yet visceral heaviness to their sound, but the whole experience is elevated by the more open and expansive sections that showcase the beautifully harmonised vocals of Stefan De Graef and guitarist Kristof Du Jardin. The guitar work from Chiaran Verheyden and Du Jardin oozes groove and technicality throughout, yet is never over-elaborate and feeds into the cohesive tapestry of the expertly constructed soundscapes.

The balance in the sound tonight is perfect and allows the crowd to tune in to whichever aspect of the holistic performance they want at any given time. I find myself lost in the moment at frequency points, a good sign for any band but especially for a progressive one that is looking to present an all-enveloping experience such as this. Just like Cobra the Impaler, there can only be awesome things on the horizon for Hippotraktor.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Hippotraktor + Cobra The Impaler + Abdicator