When it comes to music, I'm like Galactus, the devourer of worlds in the Marvel comics, I always want more. Music has the ability to entertain, amaze, inspire and move you but once I've found something that does any or all of those, I'm not satsified as I will then try and find the next artist, song or album which also does that. It is a neverending quest. Live music is no different. Live music often ampliies those feelings and deciding which to go to has an element of FOMO to it. I'm afraid of missing something which could blow my mind or change my life. One of my biggest FOMO moments was at Damnation 2024 when Dragged Into Sunlight played their seminal 'Hatred For Mankind' in full . Unfortunately, they clashed with the band I was most looking forward to, the German funeral doomers Ahab. I really enjoyed Ahab but after hearing the rave reviews from people who had watched Dragged Into Sunlight, it felt like I had made the wrong choice and I had a serious case of buyers remorse. Tonight I finally get to see them as they return to Manchester in a short run of shows which also includes an appearance at Incineration Festival.
Openers Plague Pit spend their set backlit by red light and largely shrouded in darkness. It looks very foreboding and suits their death infused hardcore perfectly well. They are crushing regardless of the tempo. There are some nice percussive touches from the drummer which make the beatdowns funky as well as devastatingly heavy. The vocals are harsh and abrasive but this dovetails well with some classic metal guitar work meaning it's not totally relentless. The fast parts are rampaging and don't let up while the mid paced sections are full of headbanging riffs. There is a nice balance of tempos and dynamics which keeps it interesting throughout. The band are fairly static but it hardly matters when they are this good musically.
It's a slow and doomy start for London's Vacuous before we're overwhelmed by a whirlwind of riffs and blastbeats. This is discordant, abyssal death metal which owes a lot to the likes of Portal but is as punchy and dynamic as classic Morbid Angel at the same time. Jo Chen has a colossal roar although the majority of the time he keeps it low and gutteral. It is crushing and the visceral guitars and vocals give them a really nasty edge. They keep up a pummeling pace throughout and the intensity of their attack is just breathtaking. Just when you think it is all unrelenting spite, they drop in 'Contraband', a more contemporary death metal number which has some catchy hooks although it is still heavy as hell. Michael and Ezra's guitar playing is great and provides just enough melody while Max Southall's drumming is fantastic and is what makes it feel so punishing. It often feels like being sucked into the eye of a tornado and it is pretty exhilarating.
Skull candalabras are placed on the stage (complete with synthetic flames) and the stage is bathed in an eerie yellow glow in anticipation of Dragged Into Sunlight. The lights are then shut off leaving the illusion of candlelight and a noise track plays building the atmosphere. Samples and doomy sludge riffs herald the beginning of 'Boiled Angel' before the band unleash their unholy groove. Playing 'Hatred For Mankind' in full again, it sounds and feels powerful as hell. The strobe lighting destroys my retinas whilst the relentless attack of 'Buried With Leeches' destroys my eardrums. Performing entirely with their backs to the audience, the band communicate with the unrivalled nastiness of those feculent riffs and the sheer power emanating from their speaker stacks. Filthier than a pox ridden scalpel and so heavy that it feels like the entire world is collapsing in on you, it feels like a ritual and the crowd are utterly enraptured.
Dragged Into Sunlight ****
Vacuous *****
Plague Pit ****
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