LIVE REVIEW: Hatebreed @ Academy 2, Manchester

Seven albums, a Grammy nomination, and 25 years in the trenches of the metalcore/hardcore punk genres, HATEBREED are a band that means so much to so many. Throughout their career, the band have amassed one of the most passionate, dedicated fanbases around, and produced some of the biggest albums hardcore punk has ever seen. In their 25th anniversary year, HATEBREED bring the party to Manchester in one of only two UK dates on this tour.

With the room already being flooded with people getting down early, it was time for Horsham boys DYSCARNATE to kick the night off with their explosive brand of death metal. Since appearing on the scene back in 2004, the band have gone on to become synonymous with British death metal – with no conversation about the genre being complete without a mention of their name. Despite the crowd not necessarily being a death metal crowd, right from the off the band went down an absolute storm. Playing a relatively brief set, the band blasted through some of their standouts from their discography and straight away the room was fully behind them. Once the band had finished their set, talk around the room centred on how they didn’t know who the band were before their set, but after witnessing their incredible performance they were now big fans of the band. DYSCARNATE are one of those ever-rarer bands that can play to a cold room of people who may not know who they are, and by the sheer power, intricacy, and veracity of their music, they can convert those people into new fans. DYSCARNATE are one of the true gems of British death metal, and this performance further solidified that fact.

Rating: 8/10

Now the room was rapidly approaching full capacity, it was time for local lads BROKEN TEETH to shift the mood from death metal to hardcore. After bursting onto the scene and becoming a well- respected figure in the underground hardcore scene, the band subsequently signed a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records and released their debut album in 2016. Since then, however, things have been pretty quiet on the BROKEN TEETH front with no news of a new release, and only a handful of tours, it would seem the momentum they had in 2016 is gradually slowing. After DYSCARNATE‘s set blew the room to smithereens and promptly set the bar at an incredible height, it would seem BROKEN TEETH had a mountain to climb. The band took to the stage and right out of the gate kicked the energy up to a 10. This is their home crowd, this is their people, and they are going to show everyone why they are the pride of the Manchester hardcore scene. Their track Nothing Like You absolutely lit the room on fire. The catchy metal guitar riff, punctuated by a heavy, driving beat that hits you in the chest like a punch from a heavyweight boxer, rapidly opened up a pit of flailing arms and spin-kicks as people released all their pent up frustrations to a heavy hardcore soundtrack. With a performance like this, you can only hope they release a new record soon – BROKEN TEETH are too good to just fade away.

Rating: 7/10

Kicking their 25th anniversary celebration in style, HATEBREED opened proceedings by throwing things back to 2006 with the track To The Threshold. The opening lyric “This is the sound of the lost” acted as a call to arms and pulled the trigger which sent the room into overdrive. From one side of the room to the other, from the front barrier to the bar at the very rear of the room, every single person was shouting the lyrics back to the stage. Adding more gasoline to the explosive atmosphere in the room, the band jumped into one of their most universally known, and widely adored track Looking Down The Barrel of Today.

Right from the start of the set, the immense celebratory atmosphere was immediately obvious. The band didn’t look like they were just going through the motions, playing tracks they’ve played thousands of times for the benefit of the paying public. Every member of the band looked like they were thoroughly enjoying every minute, pouring every ounce of energy they had into their art and the crowd were feeding the energy right back to them. For a band that means so much to so many, a band that’s been there when people had no one else to turn to, the strong bond they have with their fans was creating an unparalleled atmosphere that very few bands can achieve live.

HATEBREED‘s set fully encapsulated the band’s progression over their stunning 25 year career, hitting all the high points from 1997 up until the present day. From old-school hardcore tracks like Last Breath from their first release to the live debuts of tracks like As Diehard as They Come, by all accounts this was the quintessential HATEBREED set, showcasing the multifaceted brilliance of the band’s material. Last year HATEBREED promised to come back to Manchester to celebrate their 25th year, and boy did they deliver on that promise. The band cultivated an atmosphere that only those special few can match, and that is a true testament to their longevity. Some band’s earn peoples love and that love fades over time, but the passion fans have for HATEBREED seems to grow stronger as the years progress. The whole show was as close to perfection as a band can get, if you get the opportunity to join the band on their anniversary celebration, do not pass it up, you will regret it.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery from the action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography below: