Live Review : Gospelheim + Lure In + Omega Throne @ Satan's Hollow, Manchester on February 11th 2023

Despite being a haunt of mine for some time, this is the first time I have ever attended a concert at Satan’s Hollow. It’s unique in the round setting offers punters a chance to have a 360-degree viewpoint, meaning that every bit of atmosphere can be soaked in.

Opening tonight’s 3 bands bill were Liverpool Blackened Death Metallers, Omega Throne. At first, Omega Throne just came across as your run of the mill Death Metal Band comprising all the regular staples found within the genre to create inoffensive music that does enough to keep the punters inside Satan’s Hollow nodding their heads along to it.

Live Review : Katatonia + Sólstafir + Som @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on February 11th 2023

I need to be honest and say that this is one of those reviews where objectivity goes out the window. You see, for me, Sólstafir and Katatonia represent the finer points of modern metal. I adore, with a heartfelt passion, both acts, and, in my eyes, they illustrate how metal is evolving as an art form.Sólstafir’s bleak metallised sonic landscapes speak to my lifelong love for Springsteen, whilst Katatonia have taken remorseless doom and made it utterly beautiful. This long-delayed but much-anticipated tour brings them both together in what can only be a win-win scenario for those who like their metal based on emotion and pathos. The Ritz is not heaving, but there is a good-sized crowd in and the number of couples that I see in his and hers matching Sólstafir and Katatonia T-shirts shows that there is a massive cross-section in their two fan bases.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas12 February 2023O2 RitzKatatonia, Sólstafir, Som, O2 Ritz, Manchester, 2023, Live Review, Stewart Lucas, Johann WierzbickiComment

Live Review : Kris Barras Band + Dea Matrona @ The Tivoli, Buckley on February 10th 2023

Little do I know as I wander into the always welcoming arms of the Tiv that tonight is going to be a night full of surprises! We start off with Dea Matrona, who are two young lasses from Belfast who came to fame via youtube. Apparently they busk on the streets of their home city, film it, and have amassed over seven million views in the last couple of years. Not bad going! Tonight they also bring a drummer and come on playing bouncy blues. OK, that's not a bad start, accessible and hummable.

Live Review : Leprous + Monuments + Kalandra @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on February 9th 2023

A source of perennial discussion at ROCKFLESH Towers is the question of what is metal. I have even gone so far as write a 666 on the subject. These deliberations are usually a prelude to the much thornier question of do we cover this or do we cover that band. The simple truth is that Leprous are probably beginning to orbit away from our world. Their last couple of albums have exited metal completely, with “Pitfalls” being a wonderful exercise in baroque pop, and “Aphelion” having the same relationship with metal that homoeopathy has with common sense. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to cover them, as they, metal or not metal, are quite simply an astounding live act.

Gig ReviewAuthor : Stewart Lucas11 February 2023O2 RitzLeprous, Monuments, Kalandra, O2 Ritz, Manchester, 2023, Live Review, Stewart Lucas, Johann WierzbickiComment

Live Review : Stone Broken + Scarlet Rebels @ O2 Academy 2, Liverpool on February 9th 2023

We’re in the little Academy tonight, which is not the best venue when you’re short and it’s (pleasingly) full. So tonight’s review will mostly consist of notes on what I heard rather than saw, as a description of the top of the band’s head is never very exciting.

There should have been a full band set by Scarlet Rebels, but unfortunately due to an unspecified emergency within the band it turns out that only singer Wayne Doyle is available. Well, drummer Gary is here too, manning the merch and apparently feeling very frustrated.

Live Review : Karnivool + The Ocean @ Academy 2, Manchester on February 7th 2023

If you're looking for a band that blends the perfect mix of atmospheric and progressive metal, then look no further than The Ocean. As a band they’ve been plying their trade for over a decade with a sound that blends heavy, driving riffs with complex arrangements and a cerebral approach to song-writing. The German-based quintet are established as one of the most innovative and captivating acts in modern metal, and tonight is no exception.

Live Review : Life Of Agony + Madball + Tarah Who? @ Academy Club, Manchester on February 7th 2023

Tasked with opening proceedings on this night, a celebration of Life Of Agony’s 1993 Album “River Runs Red”, was Tarah Who?. There was quite a bit to like here from the notable grunge, punk & blues elements to the absolute shift put in by Tarah’s bassist and drummer. They epitomised what a backing band should do, giving Tarah a tightly knit canvas to showcase what her music is all about.

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 : Florence Black + The Howling Tides @ The Tivoli, Buckley on February 4th 2023

After last night’s nostalgia-fest here at the Tiv, tonight I am viewing two of the stalwarts of the modern British rock movement.

The Howling Tides start tonight with some rather smashing slide guitar and a bluesy accompanying vocal. I would describe them as modern retro -they have that 70s feel but with a modern twist and they mix it up well. There’s plenty of melody but also with that heavy bass sound and beat.

Live Review : Alcatrazz + Girlschool + Tytan @ The Tivoli, Buckley on February 3rd 2023

Tonight is set to be a night of nostalgia down at the Tivoli. Three bands that I remember from many years back who are still going in one form or another, I’m hoping for an evening that takes me back to my teenage years in the early 80s. The thing is, can these three veterans of the scene deliver?

Gig ReviewAuthor : Jo Crosby8 February 2023The Tivoli VenueAlcatrazz, Girlschool, Tytan, The Tivoli, Buckley, 2023, Live Review, Jo Crosby, Jason SamuelsComment

Live Review : Von Hertzen Brothers @ Night and Day Cafe, Manchester on February 1st 2023

Mid-week gig!?! Gulp. Turns out if you turn up fashionably late to a gig and there is no support band you don’t miss anything. Extraordinary… What is also extraordinary is I have never been to a gig at Night and Day Café until tonight. It is a sold-out show so it’s rather packed, but it is good to see a live act in such close quarters.

It is mostly a sea of middle-aged men amidst the glitter balls and red string lights (and I am already regretting getting my Covid-19 and flu jabs this afternoon). I don’t know if I am hot because of the vaccines or the fact it’s busy. The atmosphere is one of chilled anticipation and I’m looking forward to the show, even though I can only name one song by the band.

Live Review : Tarja + Temperance + Beneath The Embers @ Academy 2, Manchester on February 4th 2023

You can't help but feel sorry for our Tarja. In Lisbon on the 7th of March 2020, she embarked on an envisaged mammoth tour of continental Europe to support the release of her latest album, “In the Raw”. What was meant to be a glorious celebration of her rapidly ascending profile, unceremoniously ground to a halt in Bilbao after a solitary four shows. It was the dawn of the global pandemic and borders were slamming shut all over Europe.

Live Review : Apocalyptica + Epica + Wheel @ Academy, Manchester on February 3rd 2023

With two full headline sets to get through, it’s inevitable that tonight is going to be an early start but being pushed on stage at ten to seven feels particularly harsh on Wheel. The cavernous confines of the Academy are empty, and it only starts to fill up towards the end of their brief 25-minute set. All of this is a real shame as they are favs of us here at ROCKFLESH towers. Essentially if you like Tool you are going to like Wheel and if you don't like Tool, well then you best stay at the bar.

Live Review : Deez Nuts + The Acacia Strain + Unity-TX + Brothers Till We Die @ Rebellion, Manchester on January 30th 2023

Brothers Till We Die from Madrid, Spain open proceedings with their passionate and organic take on deathcore. You can definitely hear both the death metal and hardcore influences, but it's not necessarily like they're trying to mix the two, instead styles constantly switch between them and on the whole it works well. The vocals are reminiscent of Rok Rupnik from Within Destruction and perfectly complement the intense songs, which are similar in style to Malevolence, but with a little less nuance.

Live Review : Undeath + Celestial Sanctuary + Iron Tomb @ Star and Garter, Manchester on January 29th 2023

For myself and many others, The Star & Garter is the last true cesspit in Manchester in which Death Metal can thrive. It is gritty, it is unhinged, it is claustrophobic, it is wonderful. Tonight bill pits 3 of the finest Death/Black Metal acts that can be found parading a venue this small and as a result, the 150/200 strong capacity were in for a night of absolute violence and intensity.

Live Review : Black Stone Cherry + The Darkness + Danko Jones @ M&S Arena, Liverpool on January 29th 2023

Black Stone Cherry and The Darkness make interesting bedfellows. The latter haven't bothered arenas since 2005, whilst the former is desperately battling diminishing returns to retain their arena-bothering status. Tonight's double-header is designed to be a win-win for both bands and both sets of fans. In terms of quality, it achieves this in spades as both acts roll up their well-tattooed sleeves and deliver astounding performances.

Live Review : Holding Absence + Void Of Vision + Maybank @ O2 Academy 2, Liverpool on January 28th 2023

Holding Absence have made it clear that the opening slot on their UK Tour will be reserved for some of the finest up and coming local talent that the UK has to offer. It would be a true once in a lifetime opportunity for these smaller bands to be able to open for a name such as Holding Absence, and this is a model that is both extremely commendable and should be implemented by other bands on the scene.

Live Review : Elvana + Unholey @ Albert Hall, Manchester on January 27th 2023

My first gig of 2023 and truth be told I am really not feeling it tonight. It is a major struggle to leave the house and I take with me some heavy thoughts but I arrive in time for the end of the Unholey set. Unholey are twin sisters Charlotte and Stephanie from Newcastle. I recognise them straightaway. They are the backing singers for Elvana and although they can sing, I have a rational (or irrational depending on your opinion) hatred of Hole, and anything associated with Courtney Love.

Live Review : Imperial Age + Control The Storm @ Rebellion, Manchester on January 26th 2023

I have a feeling in the back of my mind that I've seen Control The Storm before, I remember a female singer but I can't remember when or where it was so I can’t remember being particularly impressed by them. However I may have done them a disservice with this memory because when they come on they are very good. They play melodic power metal and they do it really well.

Live Review : Cryptic Shift + Inhuman Nature + Sanhedrin + Suicide Samurai @ Star and Garter, Manchester on January 25th 2023

Suicide Samurai from Oldham open tonight’s proceedings. They're a new proggy-grungy-metal band on the local scene for only a month or so, and let me tell you they promise good things. There’s plenty of raw energy and emotion in the vocals, which are matched by the skilled musicianship of the entire band. The songs are heavy, yet melodic, with a strong sense of dynamics. When I say grunge I’m not talking about a nostalgia trip,