LIVE REVIEW: Incite @ The Star & Garter, Manchester

After five albums, a myriad of line-up changes, and a number of high profile tours, Arizona groove metallers INCITE have settled into their rhythm and are enjoying the most successful period of their career. Almost a year after the release of Built to Destroy, the band’s most successful record to date, INCITE descend on Manchester with a host of up-and-coming British talent occupying the support slots, for a night of relentless evening of musical catharsis.

Kicking the evening’s proceedings off were Merseyside five-piece DEIFIED. After a short delay due to some stubborn house lights, the band wasted no time making their powerful presence felt throughout the top-floor venue. With the stage lights still being adjusted with hi-tech methods involving an old broom, DEIFIED took it all in their stride and delivered a textbook supporting performance only marred by their between-song ‘banter’ that would be categorised as awkward at best. The band’s biggest strength, as overt as it is striking, is the undeniable talent of their vocalist. Excellent rhythmic vocals, converge with a look and feel that would be right at home leading the charge in a band a lot further up the musical food chain. Overall a decent opening act, elevated a few notches by the prowess of the frontman.

Rating: 6/10

Next up were Londoners DEATH REMAINS, proving why they are amongst those leading the charge of the next generation of British metal. After a short tape intro, the band exploded right out of the gate and kicked off a performance that was as captivating as it was impressive. From start to finish the band plucked out superb song after superb song in a set that was utterly jam-packed with instant classics. Bringing their inherent knack for showmanship, songwriting tact, and their broad and comprehensive technical skill-set to the forefront, DEATH REMAINS set an incredibly high bar for the rest of the night. With a three-man circle pit ripping its way through a small portion of the audience, the band went from strength to strength ending their set just as remarkably as it began. If ever a support act was deserving of a starring role on tiers well above the toilet circuit it’s DEATH REMAINS.

Rating: 8/10

Rounding out the trio of British acts, the penultimate support slot was occupied by tech/metalcore familiar faces SWORN AMONGST. Active in the scene since 2004, the band have become one of the most consistent faces in the British metal scene releasing four full-length albums and as many EPs over their long reign on the underground circuit. Over the course of the band’s set, their wealth of experience shone through, with their artistry, tonal balance, and overall presence clearly benefiting from their 16-year span as a band. Backed by the full-throttle, aggressive, yet delicate performance of the instrumentalists was the brutal, unrestrained energy of the frontman, bounding laterally across the stage like Godzilla laying waste to another helpless city. With the room now replete with people eagerly awaiting the main act, SWORN AMONGST took the opportunity with both hands and gave the room a performance to remember.

Rating: 8/10

With INCITE‘s intro tape permeating every ear in the room it was time for the headliners to lay waste to the Manchester crowd. Jumping straight into the titular track from their latest album Built to Destroy, INCITE immediately fostered an atmosphere of pure, unadulterated aggression. As soon as the band took to the stage, it was as if a switch flipped in frontman Richie Cavalera‘s head. He was no longer the friendly, welcoming guy from the merch table, he was an unhinged madman that would be as believable chasing a group of teenagers, axe in hand, in the latest horror flick as he would fronting a metal band.

From the get-go, INCITE were at their very best, blasting through their intense back catalogue and whipping the crowd up into a frenzy. While the band we’re in sparkling form, they were unfortunately without guitarist Eli Santana who was unable to embark on the UK leg of the tour due to issues with procuring a work visa and will be joining them when the band hit mainland Europe. Doing a stellar job of filling in for the absent guitarist were both the guitarists from support act SWORN AMONGST, and while not an ideal situation, they both more than held their own with the rest of INCITE.

While the room was bustling with only the most passionate of fans, a band of INCITE‘s calibre deserve to be filling that room to bursting point. One factor that was possibly detrimental to filling the room was the fact that SLIPKNOT rolled into town the night before which more than likely affected attendance. Despite this, INCITE laid everything on the line and gave their all to that performance as if it was in front of thousands of rowdy metalheads.

Every aspect of their set was everything a fan of the band would want. Excellent song choice and their dominant stage presence converge in a truly great performance that was brutal in every sense of the word. Whether it’s their albums or their live show, Incite pour their heart and soul into everything they do and it really shows in the result. INCITE‘s live show is impressive, cathartic and successfully fosters an atmosphere that every metal band strives towards. Incite continue to make a name for themselves and they deserve every ounce of respect they’ve earned so far.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here: