Tonight it's all about the unbridled power of heavy metal. The pairing of the thrash revivals unsung heroes Warbringer and this week's hottest new band in Britain, Hellripper is genius. And I am not alone in thinking this marriage of convenience is manna from heaven as once again Manchester's metal hordes have swum against the cost-of-living crisis and more than adequately filled the place. Taking pride of place as the opening offer are Blackpool thrashers’ Blacklist (and to clarify not the recently reunited New York Goth revivalists of the same name).

This Blacklist pulls a highly receptive crowd of onlookers who in synchronisation bang their heads in appreciation. They join the growing number of young bands giving thrash a thoroughly modern facelift. Their style is fast, furious, and relentless, but it doesn't feel like a direct facsimile of what has come before. They have listened to and learned from thrashes forefathers, but they are not trying to directly emulate them. Blacklist’s brand of thrash has been filtered through years of listening to death, Black and even prog metal’s and it is all the better for it. The constant pleas for a mosh pit are finally answered during their final number, last year's rather spiffing single ‘The Shape’. In the hands of youngsters like Blacklist (I’ve just turned 50 everyone's young to me) thrash is definitely in a good place.

Let's cut to the chase, Hellripper’s “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” is already nailed on as one of the albums of the year, and if you don't agree then you are frankly reading the wrong website. The anticipation in the air is not just electric, it could power the National Grid for a good couple of weeks and the roar the band receives as they hit the stage is frankly deafening. As wonderful as Warbringer are (and I will be singing their salutations shortly) it is obvious that for a good majority of the crowd, it is Hellripper they have come to see. On Record, Hellripper is the solitary brainchild of James McBain but to bring it to life in the live arena he has for the last seven years used a stable set of session musicians. The fact that this isn't a group of aligned musicians living in each other's pockets makes the tight, taut nature of tonight's performance even more extraordinary.

Hellripper combine black metal, thrash and good old-fashioned NWOBHM into some unique alchemist concoction. Rather than sound like three distinct genres sown together, the output of their endeavours is something distinctly new and exciting. We get a blisteringly heavy 11-song set that, rather than lean in on their new release, takes us on an immaculately curated journey through their musical development. More than just two tracks from “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” would have been nice but to be honest I really am nit-picking at this stage, as they are absolutely stunning. The stage divers rain down like a tsunami of human bodies and the pit swirls with pent up emotion. James has managed to create a form of metal that is simultaneously forward-looking and evocatively nostalgic. Utterly, utterly wonderful.

The fact that the energy levels initially drop a little for the headliner is more an indication of the frenzied nature of Hellripper’s set than it is of the reception afforded to Warbringer. They are still greeted as conquering heroes, which is understandable as it has been over six years since they last graced us with their presence. One of the many many stage divers takes the opportunity to use his moment on the boards to give Chase Becker a big hug and thank him for coming back to Manchester. Warbringer have played a pivotal role in Thrash’s unexpected rehabilitation and resurgence. For a couple of decades, we managed to conveniently overlook the crucial role that thrash played (and continues to play) in metal's evolution. Without its youthful exuberance is unlikely that metal would have made it out in the 80’s. 

Whilst never really receiving the platitudes that they fully deserve, Warbringer have been at the heart of bringing thrash back to the masses. Those who know, not only know but are here tonight and are intent on making the evening as messy as possible. The space from the sound deck onwards becomes a molten pit of gesticulating bodies and everybody makes at least one attempt to throw themselves physically off the stage. John Kevill comments that they might well have been on tour for six weeks, but we are indeed the craziest motherfuckers that they are yet to encounter.

There is nothing nuanced and there is nothing reserved or refined about Warbringer's approach. This is pure adrenaline fuelled unadulterated thrash metal. They leave others to do the genre splicing and instead concentrate on head-down, riff-heavy thrash and it really is a wonder to behold. Short, sharp but utterly destructive, this is a masterclass in how to stoke up an atmosphere. Whilst we will usually write it off as stage banter when Mr Kevill states that he won't be another five years to be back in Manchester (actually its six but whose quibbling) we all actually believe him. Pure and utter mayhem in the most fantastic of senses.

 Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Warbringer, Hellriper, Blacklist