On the eve of their biggest headline show in a packed out Wembley Arena, the award winning, Tik Tok trending powerhouse of UK metal that are Skindred are warming up at a sold out Manchester Academy. As always, Skindred promise to bring their usual high energy party vibes to the masses, and as always, the clientele is a fantastical mix of full-on-metallers, wide-eyed ravers and those of us who happily swing both ways.
Read MoreTonight’s headliners Filter have very rarely made it across to these shores, but have a loyal and passionate fanbase. Led by one-time Nine Inch Nails guitarist Richard Patrick, Filter mix elements of many different genres, but if you like early noughties industrial rock, with both light and dark aspects, then you’ll find something to enjoy in their vast collection I promise.
Read MoreWe are continually told that guitar music is dead. The mainstream piles on the narrative that rock music has had its day, and it is simply a forgotten genre in its death throes. If this is the case somebody has forgotten to inform the hundreds of multigenerational attendees that have packed out Rebellion for the last couple of nights. The simple fact is that death metal is sticking its finger up at all this "guitar music is out of fashion" nonsense and is becoming more vibrant and important by the day.
Read MoreOrbit Culture have been touted as being “the next best thing” since “Nija” appeared during the pandemic days. Despite only just embarking on their debut headline tour, after 10 years of being a band, they have earned acclaim from the likes of Trivium and Machine Head. Having blown us all away opening for the former last August, they are very much a band on everyone’s lips. All bar a few shows on this inaugural UK/EU slog are sold out, and the ones that still have a few tickets to be snapped up, are sure to be at at full capacity come show day.
Read MoreEvolution. The first thing that comes to my mind when viewing a tour consisting of Enslaved, Svalbard, and Wayfayrer. A line up that represents phenomenal histories and past accomplishments but also outstandingly bright futures. Most importantly it showcase that ability to morph and metamorphose as all three bands started in one place but very much transmuted into different entities
Read More“YESSS! Hypno5e are coming to Manchester!”. These were my initial thoughts as I learnt that the French progressive metal act’s upcoming European tour included a stop in my current home city of Manchester. To top it all, part of a highly impressive tour package consisting of 4 post/progressive metal acts who have pushed musical and stylistic boundaries throughout their careers.
Read MoreThis is Polaris’ first appearance in Manchester since their now semi-legendary show at the Academy 2 back in September ‘22. In the intervening eighteen months the band has had drastic highs, including opening While She Sleeps’ massive headline bash at Ally Pally and snagging a main stage berth at Download ‘23, as well as drastic lows with the tragic passing of lead guitarist Ryan Siew in June 2023. But they have dusted themselves down and they are now back keeping his memory alive touring their amazing new album “Fatalism”.
Read MoreThirty-five years is a long time in music…
Cast your minds back to the end of the eighties (if you can remember that far) and the musical landscape of the time was very different. Grunge was yet to come along and cause the sea change in the rock world whose ripples we are still feeling to this day, and nu-metal and the genre mutating new styles that would characterise the new century were still more than a decade away.
And it was at the tail end of that most glorious of decades that GUN released their debut album, the acclaimed “Taking on the World”, spawning the first of a run of chart bothering singles with ‘Better Days’, numerous Top of the Pops performances and increasingly successful tours.
Read MoreTo release an album of the year contender just mere weeks into the new year is one feat, but to follow it up with one of my most anticipated shows just a few weeks after that is quite the achievement. This seems like just another day at the office however for French 3 piece, Slift. Manchester Gorilla was rife with anticipation and despite Tesseract and Thrice occupying other venues across Manchester, the amount of punters who have turned out for the French 3 piece, is incredibly admirable.
Read MoreTonight’s headliners, Novelists, have undergone a recent changeup with Camille Contreras replacing Tobias Rische as vocalist. The four tracks recently released with Camille as singer have been impressive, and match the excitement the band have portrayed through social media. This European and UK tour is where many of us long-term fans can get a true feel for the songs, new and old, with this fresh line-up.
Read MoreWhen they first rose to prominence in the late Noughties, early 2010’s, The Blackout were following in the footsteps of an incredibly healthy and flourishing Wales Metal Scene. Bullet For My Valentine & Funeral For A Friend appealed to the Goths and Emo’s, Kids In Glass Houses & Neck Deep were the champions of the Alternative/Pop Punk Scene. The Blackout sat perfectly positioned right in the middle of this. Heavy enough to incite action in the pit, but with the song writing finesse and presentation to become bonafide idles to those who prefer things on the lighter side. Tonight, they are back. At least for now. After a triumphant return, performing their first show in 8 years at Download Festival, Sean Smith, Gavin Butler and Co. take The Blackout back out on the road for the first time in nearly a decade.
Read MoreThere comes a point in which most people decide to pick up a hobby outside of their usual day job to pass the time. Usually, they rely on relaxing, menial ventures such as fishing, brewing homemade ale, or getting a dog. This wasn’t enough for former WWE champion Chris Jericho, who in 1999 decided his extra curricular venture was to start a band and tour the world. This resulted in the formation of Fozzy. Initially an Ozzy Osborne cover band, Jericho along with Guitarist Rich Ward and then drummer, Frank Fontsere, moved away from dishing out covers and decided to focus on their own project and thus, the Fozzy we know today as born.
Read MoreThe stateside ground zero for Death metal used to be the tropical climes of Florida, however over the intervening years it has shifted westward and now the epicentre resides in the Lone Star state of Texas. Creeping Death and Frozen Soul are both examples of just how exciting modern American death metal has become. They have respectively evolved this art form by taking it back to its core routes. They have turned their back on the pick-and-mix shunt job that death metal had become and sought solace in their Bolt Thrower and Carcass imports. This is death metal shawn of its pretensions and re-engaged with its brutal ferocity.
Read MoreDespite releasing their debut album, “Reign of Suffering”, almost 11 years ago, Malevolence have been on something of a meteoric rise over the past couple of years. I was first made aware of them during the 2021 Download Pilot event, in which they were positioned as one of the first couple of bands on the opening day of the event. For me, this was one of those sets that go down in Download Folklore. Malevolence and their trademark dose of sheer brutality provided the perfect antidote for those 10,000 lucky souls in attendance, who had been devoid of any form of live music for the best part of 18 months.
Read MoreLiverpool’s The Heavy North are a little crowded on the Academy 2 stage tonight. Squeezed in front of Dirty Honey’s drum riser, they are shoulder-to-shoulder and it’s a good job they’ve not brought any cats as there’s no space to swing them. Drums, 3 guitars, bass and keyboards make for a full sound but also a very full stage.
Read MoreMost musical sub-genres have the lifespan of a Mayfly. They bloom and wither before the ink is even dry on the requisite hyperbole. Death metal has had a counterintuitive evolution. Born 40 years ago it completely bucks the trend by managing to go around in infinite circles of regeneration. Currently, it feels more vital and fuller of life (pun very much intended) than it ever has. Baest are one of those new generation of death metal acts who are deftly managing to remain steadfastly authentic but also bring a dimension of light and shade to the music. Basically death metal long ago stopped being an underground phenomenon and has now become one of the primary movers that are shaping modern metal.
Read MoreWithin the ranks of our very particular community, Evil Scarecrow have ascended to the lofty position of national treasure. This distinctly odd and ramshackle act has not only carved out a niche in our collective hearts but they have managed to transcend genres and tribal barriers. Tonight's audience is pulled from all over metal’s multicoloured subdivisions. We stand united by one thing, a desire to dance and embrace the silliness in a world that is becoming darker by the day.
Read MoreAt the start of last year, I’d never seen A’Priori play live; by the time twelve months had rolled around I had seen them numerous times, and they ended 2023 as the band I had seen the most during the year. And whether filling a support slot, appearing on a festival bill or headlining their own shows, the one thing that is blindingly clear, is that regardless of the venue or event, A’Priori are a ferociously entertaining and excitingly dynamic live proposition. Something they proved once again tonight.
Read MoreIt’s a rare hometown gig tonight as Ginger hits Preston’s The Ferret. Only the second gig reviewed by ROCKFLESH in the town in the last twelve months, with gigs on the horizon in the coming months from Fury, Spike and Acid Reign to name but a few, hopefully that trend is set to be reversed in 2024. And with a capacity of only a couple of hundred in The Ferret, the first Preston gig of the year promises to be an opportunity to witness one of the mainstays of the scene for over three decades, up close and personal.
Read MoreThere are cover bands and then there is Bat Sabbath, the crazed Sabbath-obsessed alter egos of Canadian hardcore heroes Cancer Bats. Initially intended as a daft way of blowing off steam, their commemoration of the inventors of metal has morphed into its very own thing. This evening Rebellion is packed to the rafters with a mix of Cancer Bat devotees and those looking to throw themselves around stupidly to the songs that started this whole blooming endeavour.
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