Live Review : Signs Of The Swarm + Varials + Cabal + To The Grave @ Club Academy, Manchester on October 26th 2024

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.

Live Review : Dying Fetus + Nasty + cabal + Frozen Soul @ Academy Club, Manchester on February 6th 2023

Somewhere along the way Dying Fetus has become a big deal. Tonight, is near enough a sell-out, with over 500 tickets being shifted for a death metal gig on a Monday night. This is usually the graveyard shift and the reserve of no more than fifty or so aging men who should know better, slamming into each other as a last-gasp attempt to retain their youth. But not this evening, the vast majority of people here are young, really young. I would go as far as to say that a good proportion of them weren’t even conceived when I first clasped eyes on Dying Fetus supporting Nile at the late lamented Jilly's back in 2005.

Live Review: Impericon Never Say Die! Tour @ Academy Club, Manchester on November 11th 2022

t’s been a while since we had the joy of an Impericon tour of any shape on our shores, what with that pandemic and what not, so this bill of modern heaviness is a true treat. First up are Boundaries who hit us with brilliant lashings of energy. Think of Hatebreed, Biohazard or Malevolence but with occasional Korn-esque high discordant guitar rings. There's definitely something more experimental about these guys than most deathcore or hardcore metal acts, and that’s especially true with the guitars going grindcore at times.

Live Review : Lorna Shore + Distant + Cabal @ The Academy Club, Manchester on March 2nd 2022

There is a fevered atmosphere of anticipation in the Club Academy tonight. At some point over the last year (not sure actually exactly when) Lorna Shore have become a big thing, a very very big thing indeed. This is their first UK show since their transcendence from deathcore also-rans to the genre’s leading light and you can taste the sizzle of expectation in the air. This show has been bumped up venue sizes three times and still the sold-out sign is on the door. It is quite hard to decipher what has actually clicked with the tattooed masses squeezed in here tonight and my best guess is that it is Lorna’s Shore’s heady mix of intensity and humanity. They swagger and they rage, but they do so with an utterly relatable vulnerability. However, we have two other upcoming acts to contend with first before we reach the delectable main course.