LIVE REVIEW: Chelsea Grin @ New Century Hall Manchester
With a lineup that promised a night of high energy and brutality, it definitely delivered. Roll the clock back to December 2025, New Century Hall welcomed CHELSEA GRIN for the Manchester date of their tour with support from none other than SIGNS OF THE SWARM, MUGSHOT, and CROWN MAGNETAR.
Starting the night was US deathcore rising stars CROWN MAGNETAR. Since their debut album, The Codex of Flesh, the band has continually delivered, while performing alongside some of the greatest in the deathcore scene. From Full Spectrum Hatred to Black Lotus, both from their debut release, the band had the audience gripped in a chokehold. From the demonic lows of vocalist Dan Tucker, the machine gun drum blasts, and the crushing down-tuning, the band led the charge with fury and intensity throughout.
Rating: 9/10
MUGSHOT followed on where CROWN MAGNETAR left off, with Frontman Ringo Waterman marching up and down the stage, inciting circle pits and encouraging crowd surfers. The band brought a metallic hardcore edge to the night, offering a just as aggressive but alternate sound, differentiating itself from the other bands on this stacked lineup. Despite the audible change, the pacing was just as intense. There wasn’t a moment of calm to be had during this set, and that kept the audience gripped.
Rating: 8/10
SIGNS OF THE SWARM took the next and final support slot, delivering a set that felt on par with a co-headline performance. The band opened with the title track of their latest album, To Rid Myself of Truth. Their sound was technical and immense, with furious blast beats from Bobby Crow. Alongside this were intense riffs and down-tuned chugging. Guitarist Carl Schulz and bassist Michael Cassese were on top form. Vocalist David Simonich performed with unrelenting power, his gutturals sounding as if they came from the depths of hell itself. A white t-shirt was a brave choice for the frontman, but he didn’t appear to break a sweat even whilst giving his all into the performance.
HELLMUSTFEARME and IWONTLETYOUDIE were clear audience favourites of the night. The pits didn’t cease for the entire set, if anything, only continuing to get bigger as the night went on. Amongst The Low & Empty closed out the set on a high note. It was clear that a significant portion of the crowd was already fans of the band, and that anyone remaining would eagerly make their way through the band’s discography when they got home.
Rating: 10/10
It was now the turn of CHELSEA GRIN to take to the stage. Despite their history of lineup changes, the band remains a top contender in the deathcore scene. The set started strong with Recreant, which kept up the pace set by the previous bands. For the audience, this meant no room for a moment of calm as the pit stretched from wall to wall. They offered plenty of fan favourites through the night, with a stacked 14-song setlist. These ranged from Desolation of Eden hit Cheyne Stokes to newer releases such as Sing To The Grave. Any member of the audience not spending the entire gig in the pit could be seen screaming the lyrics back.
The band’s longest-standing current member, bassist David Flinn was on top form. With the newest addition, Josh Miller, an unrelenting force on the drums. Not only this, guitarist Stephen Rutishauser delivered a masterclass with his technical solos. Vocalist Tom Barber had an immense stage presence but also a great rapport with the audience to match. Not only the standard encouragement of crowd surfers and pits, but also banter with the crowd. This included a brief game of rock, paper, scissors with a front row audience member between songs. Despite the sheer size of the setlist, the gig flew by, and the night of carnage drew to a close.
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Libby Percival here:
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