It certainly makes a big difference travelling to Manchester on a weekend rather than the perils and jams of peak hour traffic on a weekday. The amount of traffic surrounding the Piccadilly area was very much unexpected however as a culture clash was observed due to some sort of rave/dance event taking place in the vicinity, meaning I had to park in some in an area that’s already dodgy. With plenty of people already in attendance and spilling onto the pavement outside it was clear this was going to be a busy gig, as the rumours of it being close to selling out proved on the money.

This gig was originally a four-band line up but one of them had to pull out unfortunately leaving Mortuary Spawn the honour to open the evening. With an EP, ‘Spawned From The Mortuary’ out this year the band seemed to play all the songs from it, though in what order I am not sure except for a couple, if I’m right that is. One thing I am certain of is that every band here had a phenomenal sound, all instruments balanced brilliantly making this gig ultra-penetrating and devastating from start to finish, so heaps of credit to the sound guy is in order. However back to Mortuary Spawn, with a gradual build up their opener was catapulted into grisly low-end deathliness, with deep resonating vocal reverberating through the venue as by now it was pretty much packed out as I stood about half way back and my shooter braved the front for his shots.

One thing that really could be improved for both bands and shooters is the lighting as it was not good, red light continually and not particularly bright making it difficult. Still, the band got on with their demolition, utilising a cracking drum sound where each kick drum hit felt like hammer blows raining down. There was a song about drinking piss according to the vocalist as they pummelled the gathered crowd and whilst they were not the most animated act I’ve ever seen in death metal their songs were extremely effective as I believe ‘Thorax And Abdomen’ was inflicted on us, using a slower more oppressive style before the inevitable blasted onslaught, but laced with groove at all times. Closing with ‘Spawned From The Mortuary’ the Leeds act absolutely flattened the crowd with their old school death metal as I vacated to buy their CD.

I’d seen Newcastle act Live Burial a couple of times before, enough to have bought their stuff, but nothing could prepare you for the exponential increase in quality since then. The power, violence and utter ferocity was staggering from start to finish as they seemed to focused on tracks from their last album ‘Unending Futility’. With an abrupt start the band was like being in hurricane speed wind tunnel, splattering their songs with unadulterated velocity but tempering everything with melodic touches and more subtlety than you would think judging by how fast they played. With more animation on the cramped stage the band unleashed ‘Condemned To The Boats’ with its hyper speed start and relentless beating as it was followed by ‘Swing Of The Pendulum’ with a crushing opening before the double bass kicked the crap out of us.

Standing towards the front on the right probably wasn’t my wisest move as the crowd had intermittent pits, but I kept myself safe enough. The speed of Live Burial’s music had that piercing edge as the seismic low tones matched the rocketing guitar work when ‘The Crypt Of Slumbering Madness’ aired next and one of my favourites of their set. There was a slight atmospheric touch here, faintly done I admit but it was there as riffs were fired out like missiles as I believe they played ‘Rotting On The Rope’ next. Again, there was some atmosphere here as the song plunged into miasmic slowness, though I’m not sure the bassist really needed to kneel down in a rock pose during it, it just looked tacky. I think ‘Cemetery Fog’ closed their set as again the band blended their slower aspects with punishing speed as the riff break early on was immense and left the crowd shouting for more.

I’d only seen Wode once before supporting Wolves In The Throne Room back in 2018 in Sheffield so was really looking forward to their set, plus this was classed as an album launch gig from the Manchester band even though the album was released in April of this year. Be that as it may they sectioned their set into three, playing three songs from the new album, then a couple from ‘Servants Of The Countercosmos’ then back to the new album for three more. Now, I did get a copy of the set list that they had put on the stage but I am not certain they actually stuck to it as they blasted into their set with absolutely no warning whatsoever. The sound had that piercing shrillness of black metal as the band took the opportunity to engage fully with what they were playing and launched into ‘Lunar Madness’. The riff breaks were hurled out as each punishing blast was greeted by another and the vocalist spat his lyrics out with acrid venom. Wode have subtlety too, their songs conjuring an epic aura at times as ‘Fire In The Hills’ proved.

‘Celestial Dagger’ was a short punk infused nihilistic number with pristine aggression and lead into the equally malicious ‘Temple Interment’ with its blasted assault and unmitigated power. There was a pause now, allowing the band a breather before the third section started with ‘Sulphuric Glow’ that quickly detonated onto the rabid crowd who were in full pit action once it started, though I thought some of them in it were total dicks and seemed to be looking for a fight with people. ‘Vanish Beneath’ was possibly next due to its slower more atmospheric start, building sequentially with its eeriness and powerful riffing. Now by my reckoning this set should have closed with the three-part construction of ‘Streams Of Rapture’ spanning the near ten minute mark but the overall duration didn’t match up so it is possible they closed with ‘Serpent’s Coil’ but I might be wrong and they played a shortened version of it. Be that as it may they obliterated the ravenous energised crowd with it, increasing the energy levels hugely as the band was asked for more but the singer just nodded and said ‘nah’ if my lip reading worked, as I had made certain I bought their vinyl earlier in the evening for fear of selling out as I’m pretty sure they probably did judging by how many I saw holding them during the evening.

This was a stellar brutalising evening of extreme metal that anyone in attendance surely enjoyed from start to finish as my shooter and I did. On the whole I think Live Burial just shaved it as best band but we’re talking only fractions between all of the acts as they were all so devastatingly good.

Review: Martin Harris
Photos: Andy Pountney