It's fascinating how the entire inference of a tour can be altered by the simple switching of billing. The Pins and Knuckles’ sponsored Faces of Death tour was originally conceived as a co-headlining affair between Progressive metal core legends Veil of Maya and hotly tipped deathcore mainstays Signs of the Swarm. It was a nicely balanced mixture of genres that appeal to those who like to a bit core in their life. But then sadly Veil of Maya inconveniently went on immediate hiatus, Signs of the Swarm were promoted to singular headlining status, much fancied Danish deathcore proponents Cabal were given a berth and suddenly, Bob's your uncle, this tour leans much more towards a deathcore fan base.

Australian Vegancore activists To The Grave wear their beliefs firmly on the sleeves. With song titles such as ‘Vegan Day of Violence’ and ‘Burn your Local Butcher’ it's fairly obvious where they stand in the animal rights debate. Their commitment to their chosen cause is admirable, however sadly their version of deathcore is messy and under refined. It's like all the components of a gourmet meal have been tossed into a blender, creating an unidentifiable slop. It feels like they are being angry for angry’s sake and their ode’s to humankind's mistreatment of the inhabitants of this planet just all blur into one. 

There is a small battalion of early door two-steppers, keen to use To The Grave’s indignant noise as the soundtrack to flailing arms and some quite impressive cartwheels. For some inexplicable reason, the house lights stay on for the entire set meaning that the antics in the middle of the room prove to be more engaging than the band on stage. They get positive ticks being so strident in their beliefs, but if they are to preach to more than the converted they really need to bring some light and shade into their rather monotone sound.

Cabal on the other hand are beautifully defined in their thoroughly modern reimagining of deathcore. They describe themselves as heavy music for sad people and there is something addictively maudlin about their approach. They are heavy as fuck, but this heaviness is wrapped up in morose atmospherics. It is also immaculately rendered, and you can hear all the distinct moving parts of the music. It comes from the base of the deathcore but there are points where it moves completely away from its origins and dabbles in as varied influences as nu-metal, goth and techno.

The Club Academy has a temperate zone separate from the rest of Manchester, as it regularly varies between blisteringly hot and Arctic cold. Andreas Bjulver is obviously aware of the latter and is replete in a padded jacket for the first two tracks. He obviously feels acclimatised by the time we reach ‘Exit Wound’ and his coat is dramatically dispensed with. They seem pretty comfortable in this room which is understandable as this is the fourth time they have supported another artist here. Whilst the first of those engagements (Lorna Shore) was only two and half years ago, they seem an entirely different band. They now exude confidence and self-awareness, sprinkled with a distinctly Scandinavian understatedness. This is deathcore entering a new stage evolution and within the regulatory half an hour they prove they are a band to be incredibly excited about.

With the absence of Veil of Maya, Varials have become distinctly an outlier on this bill. Firstly, you can clearly hear what Eddie Knight is singing (and yes he is singing rather than growling). Secondly, they are much more traditionally metal than any of their tour mates. They may own the tag of metalcore but there are plenty of moments where they wander into almost Lamb of God style grove. Despite the stylistic left turn, they still manage to send the audience bat shit crazy. The shanking whirling dervishes are temporarily restrained because there is so many people bouncing up and down on their floor space. The polished metal core certainly speaks to the masses as they scream back the words to the band.

However, it's not all plain sailing. A poor soul attempts to stage dive but without the requisite landing zone and ends up having to be patched up stage right. Then Shane Lyons’s guitar cuts out completely, leading to a bit of improvised noodling on the bass from Mike Foley whilst his bandmate frantically twiddled knobs at the back of the stage. Eddie Knight may well be still a temporary fill in (he is keeping the seat warm while Mitchell Jones recovers from an accident) but he deals with this enforced intermission well, even if it does eat into both their stage time and set list.  To the Grave front man Dane Evans has been diligently watching stage left and joins them stage for final number ‘Stigmata’. A slight anomaly in a sea of blast beats and guttural vocals, they still manage to be pleasantly entertaining and entertainingly erudite.

With a distinguished back catalogue behind them, Signs of the Swarm take a big risk in deciding to parade out a set made up exclusively of an entire run through of last years “Amongst the Low and Empty” and a newly released single. The gamble pays off as they are simply astonishing, and the place goes suitably crazy (even if the crowd has thinned out a bit). They run through the album exactly as it is on record, but their rampant enthusiasm means it still feels fresh and invigorating. At the start of ‘Between Fire & Stone’, David Simonich requests the crowd light up the auditorium, resulting in a sea of neon illuminated swaying hands.

Whilst “Amongst the Low & Empty” may not be the strongest of their releases, live it gains an additional heft and girth. ‘Shackles Like Talons’ careers along at a tumultuous place, whilst the guitar solo at the end of ‘Dreamkiller’ is simply divine. The audience lap it up and dutifully adhere to David’s continual requests for a circle pit. This is deathcore, but but it just feels so widescreen and cinematic in its delivery. Yes, there are the juttering changes in pace and almighty drops but it is wrapped up in almost euphoric performance that lets the music breath.

As we reach the albums final track, ‘Malady’ it feels almost criminal that we are already at the tail end of the set. They make another brave move ending with recent single ‘IWONTLETYOUDIE’, but instantaneously it is clear that they know what they are doing as the highly engaged crowd screams along the words with them. They may well be ignoring any of the material that bestowed them with this level of adulation, but there is still a monumental bond between band and audience. David states that this is the first time in Manchester where they haven't played Rebellion and he clearly has great affection for our city. The same affection that the crowd had for them, as they exit at the end of ‘IWONTLETYOUDIE’ the eager cries of one more song ring out. Sadly, a sullen shake of the head from Michael Cassese shows that this is not today and we collectively skulk out into the night with the knowledge that we have witnessed an at times flawed but ultimately highly enjoyable showcase of the different faces of our music.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Signs Of The Swarm + Varials + Cabal + To The Grave