Spectral Wound & Final Dose - Gorilla, Manchester (6/8/26)

A variation of this review can be found on rockflesh.com.

Bloodstock may be in full flow eighty miles away but there is still a really good turnout tonight showing that metal still exists and is catered for elsewhere for those who aren't able to or don't wish to attend. Spectral Wound's profile has been boosted in recent years by appearances at Incineration and Damnation festivals which may have helped to draw in some people.

The stage is bathed in red light for the emergence of London's Final Dose. They play raw and primitive black metal which is pretty simplistic. There's a punk edge to them, particularly in the drumming which doesn't seem to use double kick pedals. However, it feels rudimentary and messy, especially when they play too slow or too fast. Mid-paced. galloping hellfire is where they're at their best, and the driving Motorhead feel of some of the tracks is pretty cool. Bruno Fusco's vocals are raw throated and full of anguish. However, it lacks intensity and for the first half of the set, it feels like they are going through the motions. The second half of the set is better but, at forty minutes long, it feels like they overstay their welcome by a good ten minutes. They get a good reaction from the crowd though.

There is an eerie intro before Quebec's Spectral Wound open with the feral 'Fevers & Suffering'. There's lots of tremolo picking played at a ferocious pace, and classic Darkthrone is brought to mind. However, it isn't just relentless second wave black metal worship as they add a number of elements which add variety. Illusory's drumming is great, providing a driving beat with a number of neat fills thrown in whilst the guitars add some melody.

Amusingly, a number of their song titles could be apt descriptors for their sound: 'Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal' and 'Black Satanic Glamour' both convey the mixture of nihilistic darkness and sophistication which is present in their sound. The former has a fist pumping, galloping groove which is almost anthemic and there are a number of classic metal touches too. 'A Coin Upon The Tongue' is a relentless frostbitten blast, breathless in its intensity, which is only broken by the brief Maiden-esque mid-section, whilst 'Less And Less Human, O Savage Spirit' starts off with a drumbeat and riff that could be classic Priest before the bass and double kick make it a thunderous rumble.

The guitarists are basic foot on the monitor merchants but the pizzazz comes from their fingertips as the melodic leads add Dissection or Windir qualities to their sound. Frontman Jonah is a magnetic presence who stalks the stage, headbangs and looks both menacing and cool as hell. His screams seem to come from beyond the grave and they help to add a rawness which acts as a counterbalance to any melody.

A savage and dramatic 'Twelve Moons In Hell' brings the show to a close. An expectant crowd lingers for a few minutes, hoping for an encore but alas, it isn't to be, An excellent showing nonetheless though.

Spectral Wound ****

Final Dose ***

Opeth, Paradise Lost & Katatonia - Piece Hall, Halifax (1/8/26)

Opeth have been playing some impressive places on this short European Summer tour. They played Pompeii earlier in the run and tonight they are at the historic and impressive Piece Hall which is the only UK date this year. They have brought a stacked line up with them too, with Swedish titans Katatonia and local heroes Paradise Lost completing a stellar line up.

There are big queues to get in at all four entrances so I miss the first couple of songs of Katatonia's set. They seem well suited to a venue like this, their sound filling the space with ease. Jonas Renkse sounds in good voice, his sonorous vocals travelling and translating well in the open air setting. The dense, complex riffs of 'Dead Letters' are satisfyingly heavy and hypnotic whilst 'Forsaker' is a headbangers dream. 'Old Heart Falls' is epic and the keys give it a near orchestral quality. These are complex, progressive songs with multiple twists and turns but the heft of the riffs still make them accessible to a metal crowd.

If ever a band was made to play this show on Yorkshire Day of all days, it is local doomsters Paradise Lost for a rare hometown show. A stadium doom intro leads straight into the bombastic heavy metal of 'Serpent On The Cross'. Nick Holmes looks every inch the rock star in his shades whilst his deathly growls sound authoritative. The hook laden goth metal of 'One Second' is good but it is the more uptempo numbers which work much better. An excellent 'The Last Time' is dispensed with surprisingly early. The stately, classic doom of 'Faith Divides Us- Death Unites Us' shines whilst 'The Enemy' picks the pace back up in a glorious fashion, and the mid-section is crushing.

The underrated Gregor Mackintosh's fretwork is dazzling throughout but his solo on 'Hallowed Land' is especially good and the track's balance of heaviness and accessibility is a grand reminder of how great 'Draconian Times' was. 'Tyrants Serenade' slows it down but the elegant riff gets thousands of fists punching the air, and the grinding verse is particularly good. The buoyant gothic cover of 'Smalltown Boy' is great fun. By contrast, the epic 'Embers Fire' brings the gloom in the best possible way. Opeth's drummer Waltteri joins the band on the uptempo goth rock of 'Ghosts'. The tight, solid riffing of 'Silence Like The Grave' closes the set in a fine fashion. The set is a masterclass in pacing and perfectly showcases the evolution of the band.

'Paragraph 1' is a bold opener for Opeth, as it is wildly progressive and heavy as hell yet it perfectly encapsulates them. The dynamic 'Hjartat Vet Vad Handen Gor' follows and both Mikael and Fredrik's guitar work is spectacular especially during the cleaner parts. Both sound to be in excellent voice and when the vocals come together, it is tremendous. Mikael's deathly vocals are still fearsome as demonstrated on the progressive death metal of 'Godhead's Lament'. The guitar playing during the mid-section takes it into Gary Moore territory.

It goes without saying that the musicianship is top notch. The complex 'Paragraph 7' is expansive and challenging yet engages throughout. Walttteri's drumming is intuitive on the pure prog of 'The Devil's Orchard'. The classy 'Windowpane' is mesmerising whilst the dramatic 'The Grand Conjuration' which follows provides a spectacular contrast. The choppy guitars and savage vocals of the encore 'Deliverance' bring the show to a close in an excellent fashion. The staccato ending is utterly fantastic, a masterclass in dynamics which causes the crowd to explode in appreciation at the finale. A brilliant and unique spectacle.

Opeth *****

Paradise Lost ****

Katatonia ****

Bat Sabbath, Froglord & Black Mastiff - Rebellion, Manchester (14/7/26)

A variation of this review can be found on rockflesh.com.

The Back To The Beginning event last year showed that the image of Black Sabbath has been firmly rehabilitated. The wilderness years of the eighties were a rough period for Sabbath (even though the Tony Martin years were pretty good) and many people forgot how good prime Sabbath were. However, over the years people have rediscovered the classics (often championed by newer bands) and Back To The Beginning showed that metalheads these days can't get enough of hearing these songs no matter who is playing them.

Tonight sees Canadian metalpunks Cancer Bats in town as their Bat Sabbath alter ego. There are a fair few Cancer Bats, Sabbath and Ozzy shirts but metal is represented by its many tribes from death metal, doom classic metal, pop punk and everything in between showing the universal appeal of Sabbath.

Edmonton's Black Mastiff open up the evening and start off as heavy blues reminiscent of Clutch but as the set progresses, it takes on more of a heavy grunge feel. Bobby Yiannakoulials' voice is great; clean and powerful with a bit of soul similar to Chris Cornell which lends a Soundgarden edge to them. A couple of tracks are Alice In Chains style dark grunge and the vocal harmonies only add to the comparison.

The bassist Clay Shea asks "are you you ready to worship Sabbath?" before they cheekily play the intro to 'Heaven And Hell'. The penultimate track has a Hendrix style blues groove which feels quite spontaneous. The bass playing is fluid whilst the drumming is versatile, loose when it needs to be but tight and driving at other times. The final track is bluesy grunge which comes across as The Black Crowes with Layne Staley on vocals. Good stuff.

The stage is covered in foliage for Froglord, helping provide a fitting setting for their swampy doom grooves. 'Green Inferno' is slow and heavy with an Electric Wizard feel. The use of harmonica only adds to the 'down in the bayou' feel. Musically, they're fuelled by low tuned bass and tar thick guitar riffs whilst Benjamin Oak's vocals range from gutteral death metal growls to a cleaner, psychedelic style. I'm not always convinced by the vocals as they dont always seem to be in tune but it kinda works with the music and he is a shamanic presence as a frontman.

They really know how to work a crowd and they get a great reception. The ritual frog is brought at one point and the bassist even plays his guitar with it. 'They Came From Saturn' has a slow blues-doom groove and is mildly hypnotic. The closing 'Swamp Boogie' is a groovy stoner-blues number. They go down a storm and you can't really argue with a band who can draw that kind of reaction.

Bat Sabbath open with the pulsating 'Children Of The Grave' and frontmn Liam Cormier brings out his own floor tom to add extra weight to the beat. The mid-section sees hundreds of fists punching the air in unison. The band are fucking great, with Jaye R. Schwarzer replicating Geezer Butler's bass runs whilst Mike Peters still adds in Bill Ward's drum fills yet puts his own spin on it. Jackson Landry's tasselled shirt is magnificent and his guitar solos are equally good. Resplendent in a cape, Liam is a livewire who covers every inch of the stage. We see a different persona of Liam tonight, slightly tongue in cheek, as he talks about metal in a deeper voice than normal. His vocals on 'Supernaut' are closer to that of his day job though.

It is getting hot and sweaty as they launch into a riotous 'N.I.B.'. There is a punk energy running throughout the set and 'Electric Funeral' is particularly wired. The proto-thrash of 'Symptom Of The Universe' is incendiary and even the mellow blues interlude is blazing. The groove of 'Into The Void' is monstrous, but you know that already. There are no deep cuts here, this is Sabbath 101. Liam bangs his head and raises his arms in the signature Ozzy pose, and he is having as much fun as we are.

The quiet part of 'Fairies Wear Boots' is a rare opportunity to catch your breath before it goes wild again whilst an ominous 'Black Sabbath' is devastating. The crowd singing along to the verses and closing guitar passage of 'War Pigs' is magical. The encore sees them transformed back into Cancer Bats as the guitarists take their tops off and Liam reverts back to his normal self for the intense, chugging sludge punk of their own 'Lucifer's Rocking Chair'. You're always guaranteed a great time with classic Sabbath but this was fantastic.

Black Sabbath *****

Froglord ***

Black Mastiff ****

D.R.I. & Under The Influence - Holy Diver, Stockport (11/7/26)

A variation of this review can be found on rockflesh.com.

This is the first time I've been to Holy Diver, a new rock club just off Stockport's main shopping thoroughfare which has been open for eighteen months. On first impressions, it looks pretty impressive with a good sized stage, decent decor, plenty of space and a lot of rock memorabilia including a huge Ozzy Osbourne stained glass window style artwork.

It's been another blazing hot day and there is a rather important football match taking place later but there is still a decent crowd for the return of hardcore punk/crossover veterans D.R.I.

Yorkshire's Under The Influence open with 'Pipebomb' which is a basic slice of punk but it does have a driving rhythm and a bit of character. The slower part of 'Dead Babies' is a bit hackneyed but it shows its teeth when it changes gears. The singer's voice is shrill and aggressive and she has some terrifying screams in her arsenal too. She has a great stage presence and shows real attitude.

The more percussive moments give them a Dead Kennedys edge although musically they're much closer to Black Flag. They get better as the set progresses and it is rather enjoyable by the time they reach the end of the set. The crowd doesn't move too much but they do seem appreciative.

D.R.I. start off at a relentless pace with the pounding 'All For Nothing'. The guitars sound thick and full bodied whilst the rhythm section is as tight as can be. The ripping, snarling crossover thrash of 'Manifest Destiny' continues with the same intent. The blazing harcore punk of 'Id Rather Be Sleeping' gets the pit moving. When they play fast, it's at a pace that few can match which is amazing considering they arguably invented this blasting style of playing over forty years ago. Frontman Kurt Brecht looks in good health and sounds great with his bratty punk style with slacker undertones.

Each song merges into the next and the set moves along at breathless pace. The signature 'Who Am I' is still a memorable blur. The hard thrashing 'Hooked' sounds tar thick. It's so intense it's almost overwhelming, which probably isn't helped by the 30 plus degree temperature outside.

The thrashing 'Acid Rain' is absolutely punishing and the guitars have a Leeway feel to them. The guitars keep going super loud for no discernable reason but it doesn't make any difference to the show. They play over thirty songs but it isn't at all boring becuase of all the little variations which help to punctuate the otherwise relentless pace. The sludgy stomp of 'Syringes In the Sandbox' has an awesome groove reminiscent of Crowbar or maybe even Exhorder.

The band are incredibly tight, playing with military precision. The stamina of the band, especially the drummer Danny Walker, is unbelievable considering the sheer pace of tracks such as 'Mad Man' even though they've been playing for nearly a hour at this point. 'I Don't Need Society' ups the speed and energy even more. The revenge anthem 'Five Year Plan' is the final chance for people to dance and the crowd responds to the furious thashing energy whilst Kurt repeatedly hollers "I win". Fantastic.

D.R.I. *****

Under The Influence ***

Ho99o9 & Violent Magic Orchestra - Deaf Institute, Manchester (7/7/26)

Blinding strobe lighting starts as soon as Violent Magic Orchestra take to the stage, and combined with the music, a hybrid of black metal and dance music, is a comlete sensory overload. The electronic beats are really hard, ranging from gabba techno and hard trance to heavy industrial metal with guitars and gutteral growls mixed in for good measure. The gabba techno is probably the hardest element to be honest. It's a bonkers mix which is impactful and gets you moving. The only criticism early on is that each track is too brief although this settles as the set progresses.

The singer looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, and she dances like she is in a j-pop outfit but she sounds feral. The DJ does a sick somersault into the crowd at one point and band members jump into the audience at various points to start the crowd dancing and it works. The crowd start off as static and hesitant at first but this becomes a full on rave midway through. With strobes, lasers and big screen visuals, it's a hell of a show for a support act.

After the atmopheric 'I Miss Home' intro, Ho99o9 launch into the Bad Brains-esque hardcore of 'Escape'. From there, it's straight in to the rock rap of 'Target Practice' and already plenty of the crowd are moving. The industrial hip hop of 'Power In Numbers' is kinetic, and it's clear that they have much more power and energy live. Yeti Bones (aka Eaddy) machine gunning the crowd in time to the gunfire beats of 'OK, I'm Reloaded' looks cool as hell.

Eaddy takes a breather whilst Crystal Waters' 'Gypsy Woman' plays over the PA, then it's straight back into the full throttle punk rock. Aside from the drums, all of the instrumentation is provided by a backing track but the two vocalists give so much of themselves that they are drenched in sweat and it feels like an authentic live performance rather than a public appearance.

The closest comparison most of the time is Bad Brains, particularly on the 'United States Of Horror' material, and those blasts of hardcore are brilliant. However, they are equally as good at bass heavy hip hop as they are at hardcore punk. theOGM's gritty vocal delivery is reminiscent of DMX whilst Eaddy is no less agressive and their flows are really good.

'A Machine Of' sounds like Nine Inch Nails whilst the hard bounce of 'Knuckle Up' causes mayhem on the floor. The closing 'Godflesh' is a high energy thrashabout which sees Eaddy in the moshpit and it is a suitably intense and sweaty end to a fantastic show.

Ho99o9 ****

Violent Magic Orchestra ****

Def Leppard & Extreme - Co-op Live, Manchester (6/7/26)

The heatwave continues . After yet another day of scorching heat, we find ourselves looking forward to the perfect accompaniment with some summery, commercial '80s rock. The queues to get in are pretty lengthy though with some people reportedly queueing past the Etihad to get in.

'Decadence Dance' is a great energetic opener for Extreme. The band sound great and Gary Cherone is in decent voice too. The hard rocking 'REBEL' follows and, to no-one's surprise, Nuno Bettencourt shreds like his life depends on it. The 'We Will Rock You' intro leads into the explosive 'Play With Me' which features another incendiary guitar solo. The acoustic country-blues stomp of 'Hole Hearted' is terrific fun and the whole crowd ends up clapping and singing along.

Let's be honest, Nuno is and probably always will be the main attraction and Nuno's solo spot is as mindblowing as ever. No matter how many times you've seen them, it still impresses. He is in fine form throughout but you wouldn't expect anything else from arguably the world's greatest guitarist. He is also really funny when he interacts with the crowd.

'More Than Words' is probably the bigggest hit played tonight (including the headliners) and it is spine-tingling. The fret-tapping extravaganza that is 'Flight Of The Wounded Bumblebee' is incredible whilst 'Get The Funk Out' is a big crowd pleasing number. 'RISE' is another hard and heavy rock song, and the solo is unbelievable. Still riding off the acclaim Nuno got following the Back To The Beginning concert last July, the band play an excellent Ozzy medley, and seeing Nuno playing those Randy Rhoads solos is truly emotional. I've seen Extreme a number of times but this is probably the best time I've seen them.

Def Leppard open with the latest single 'Rejoice', and it is classic Leppard with that bass throb they've been using since 'Rock Of Ages,' along with wailing guitars and a solid chorus. 'Animal' is driving and powerful yet is anthemic as hell. As cheesy as it is on record, 'Let's Get Rocked' becomes an absolute anthem in the live arena. Their cover of Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus' is decent but does seem to suck the life out of the venue. Their cover of 'Rock On' by David Essex makes much more sense, driven by Rick Savage's groovy bassline whilst Joe Elliott sings amongst the crowd, up in the Gods.

The 'High 'N' Dry' one-two of 'Bringin' On The Heartbreak' and 'Switch 625' is as far back as the band go. The former is a great power ballad whilst the latter is a killer NWOBHM instrumental. Joe Elliott still looks the part (although his sparkly jacket is giving 'mother of the bride' vibes) and he soaks up the adulation as 19000 fans sing the majestic chorus of 'Rocket' back at him. The progressive 'White Lightning' allows guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell to stretch their wings. As if two world class guitarists isn't enough, Nuno Bettencourt joins them for the funky, hip hop influenced 'Slang' which is great fun.

Def Lep's career has been built on fantastic vocal harmonies and they can still nail them, as demonstrated by the fantastic acapella intro to 'Promises'. Of course, it's the tracks from 'Hysteria' and 'Pyromania' that everyone wants to hear, and the run of songs that goes from 'Armageddon It' to 'Love Bites' to 'Rock Of Ages' and finally on to the closing 'Photograph' is stunning. It really is hit after hit, The encore sees them play two killer ballads in 'When Love And Hate Collide' and 'Hysteria' before closing with the triumphant 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. Def Leppard may not be fashionable these days but they are still clearly popular and tonight is a fantastic demonstration of what once made them one of the biggest bands in the world.

Def Leppard ****

Extreme *****