LIVE REVIEW: Cannibal Corpse @ The Ritz, Manchester

CANNIBAL CORPSE are the biggest band in death metal. Without ever comprising on their sound over their expansive and fruitful career, the band are at the very summit of extreme metal and now sit in a rather unique position where their name infiltrates the mainstream without ever abandoning what made them so infamous in the first place. On the back off last year’s fourteenth record, Red Before Black, the kings of death metal are trailblazing their way across Europe to do what they do best and with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and IN ARKADIA in tow, it makes for one brutal tour package. We caught their show at The Ritz in Manchester to witness the carnage.

Set with the daunting task of opening proceedings, French sextet IN ARKADIA provided a short but powerful opening performance to set the tone for what was to come. Dual vocalists Mike Faux and Alix Jeanguillaume combined effortlessly well to deliver a double-whammy of guttural and vocal blasts that kept the momentum of the chugging riffs flowing organically. Despite lacking that killer edge to really stand apart from the competitors in their respective field, IN ARKADIA packed plenty of bite and aggression in their live output and they did a formidable job of bracing the crowd for the oncoming storm.

Rating: 7/10

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER are one of the most consistently brilliant bands in the modern death metal climate. With each record surpassing what came before and building upon the band’s already exhilarating soundscape, it’s fair to say that Michigan metallers aren’t intending to slow down any time so. And their performance at The Ritz showed just that as THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER gave a performance that reflected their glistening class. Ample double bass drumming from Alan Cassidy combined effortlessly with the relentless riffing from Brian Eschbach and Brandon Ellis, creating a gargantuan wall of sound that washed over the enthusiastic crowd.

Their live mix was absolutely spot on as time and time again Ellis executed jaw-dropping lead guitar play throughout the set and Trevor Strnad‘s range of guttural lows and piercing shrieks hammered home as he bounced across the stage. It was stunning to watch. With the tour coming on the back of last year’s Nightbringers, a large portion of the set was comprised of new material and it sounded absolutely exceptional in the live environment. Nightbringers had the crowd bouncing, the sheer relentless speed of Jars whipped up a frenzy and Catacomb Hecatomb sounded even better live than does it on record. That and the inclusion of fan favourites like the tearing What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse or Everything Went Black made for the icing on the cake for THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. A band very much in a league of their own.

Rating: 9/10

For most bands, even attempting to follow THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER‘s rip-roaring set would prove to be in vain, but CANNIBAL CORPSE are of a different breed. Their illustrious career speaks for itself and in their headlining performance in Manchester, the death metal titans gave a set of sheer relentless power. The relentless mid-tempo chug from guitarists Pat O’Brien and Rob Barrett on Evisceration Plague had heads banging aplenty, Pounded Into Dust resembled a sonic maelstrom, a guest appearance from Trevor Strnad on Stripped, Raped and Strangled was a nice touch, adding even more firepower to CANNIBAL CORPSE‘s arsenal. And the inclusion of A Skull Full of Maggots shows that after all these years, the band have not forgotten their blood-stained roots.

With this tour coming on the back of Red Before Black, a neat cut of tracks from their latest opus made the set. The opening triple-whammy of Code of the Slashers, Only One Will Die and Red Before Black set the band off to a solid start whilst Scavenger Consuming Death and Corpus Delicti placement between their decorated deep cuts stood strong. Whilst the band’s notorious and revered tacks inevitably drew a bigger response from the crowd, the sheer fact the band’s latest material had the ability to stand up against their adored back catalogue proves testament to CANNIBAL CORPSE‘s sustained success at the top of the food chain.

At the heart of their explosive live sound, George Fisher stood tall in the eye of the storm. His monstrous vocal blasts have been trademark to CANNIBAL CORPSE‘s sound for years now and here, he delivered bout after bout of sheer visceral vocals. Interaction to the crowd was of a bare minimum, aside from announcing tracks and the expected introduction to I Cum Blood, but this worked in their favour as CANNIBAL CORPSE let their music do the talking to wondrous effect. Hammer Smashed Face concluded the set on an absolute high as CANNIBAL CORPSE gave one last gut punch to ensure no one was left standing. It was a performance that showcased their maturity and professionalism for their beloved craft of extreme music. A band who still very much have death metal in a chokehold.

Rating: 8/10

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