Sunday night is never a good night for a gig. I'd have maybe even got a little drunk on a Saturday. Prescription strength folic acid and vitamin D washed down with several pints. Doctor says I'm severely lacking in the essential nutrients to keep me functioning. Tonight should be fun then.

Extreme tiredness and unreliable Sunday public transport aside, I have managed to make it to Manchester Academy 2 for tonight’s fuckery. And it's fuckery in its finest form... Thy Art Is Murder are in town tonight and they bring with them an incredible line up. The line-up is 5 ferocious bands, all with their own thing to offer a Metal hungry audience.

First up are I Am with the bitch of all jobs  - the opening band. Unfortunately I am stuck outside negotiating Gregg’s photo pass. The receptionist is adamant there isn’t one. Nice. Inevitably miss 99.38392% of I Am and can’t offer anything more than “loud from downstairs" as a critique.  Sorry guys, you’re now in the “bands I owe stuff to” list. It’s a huge list as I am a well known idiot, missing sets and destroying interviews with my never ending incompetence. But seriously, this time isn't my doing and I will catch you next chance I get. Many thanks to TAIMs tour manager Kris for sorting us out as quickly as he did.

It is within Rivers of Nihils set that a frenzied energy begins to take hold of the audience tonight, prompting an enormous mosh pit that seems to span from the front of the stage to the sound desk. This band have a tech/prog/death thing going on. Maybe I should word that better? I am a moron. However I truly felt the fusion of the genres combined with the skilful deliverance of their performance carried the band into every crevice of the room. It was a deeply penetrating set, and an excellent example of why Rivers of Nihil have managed to stir up such a positive reaction as they continue to climb to greater heights. Stand out moment is ‘The Silent Life’, where the thick and fast clashes with the deep and thoughtful.

A quick change over brings Fit For An Autopsy, and we’ve had a lot of love for these guys in the past here at ROCKFLESH (see Stewart’s review from June 2019!). It’s easy to see why. Their performance is  a solid example of deathcore at its finest. Basking in the glory of their latest album, they open with its titular track ‘The Sea of Tragic Beasts’. It truly is face melting stuff with the back of the room vibrating violently with every bass note, but the band makes it look natural and effortless. They keep the latest album at the forefront of the set, launching into ‘Warfare’ and onto ‘Mirrors’. Stunning stuff.

Carnifex take to the stage around 9pm. Widely considered to be deathcore veterans, Carnifex take all their years’ experience and passion, and spit back at the audience with a venomous rage. It’s just exquisite… if you’re into that kind of thing. Luckily I am. Visually the band are stunning in their warpaint. Musically, they are tight and fierce. The atmosphere of excitement in the room is almost tangible.

But the night belongs to the headliners Thy Art Is Murder. The Venga Bus is coming everyone.

No seriously, this is playing before they take the stage. Metal heads love that song for some reason.

They open their set with ‘Death Squad Anthem’, with a skeleton hanging off the mic stand and CJ looming like some kind of hooded reaper. His performance switches wonderfully throughout the entire set, with the vocals making the leap from low guttural roars to the higher banshee screeches.

As they launch in ‘Make America Hate Again’, the entire crowd is bouncing and it doesn’t let up. Thy Art Is Murder set may be lacking in as much banter as we’d come to expect from previous sets, but it truly is a greatest hits parade tonight and the audience lap it all up very willingly. The band are focused on delivering the tracks to the crowd, which is great, as it  means more time for syncopated drums and fiddly guitar parts. It’s death core with lashings of groove and and an overload of aggression. And CJs leopard print shirt of course… last seen having one of the greatest BOA moments in the history of the festival.

There are still a couple of chances to see this tour on one of the other UK dates! If you are into deathcore, this really is the line-up for you. 

As for me… I need to lie down…