LIVE REVIEW: Currents @ Club Academy, Manchester

The popularity of technical metal has continuously grown in the alternative scene, spearheaded by acts like MESHUGGAH and PERIPHERY, and tonight underneath the Manchester University campus, a sold-out night of modern metal is hotly anticipated, with the queue spanning the pavement in the drizzling rain. CURRENTS arrive off the back of last year’s album The Death We Seek to prove their headline status.

First to the plate are New Jersey quartet SENTINELS with some of the hardest hitting progressive grooves you around, with chaotic riffs and pummelling drums. Their serrated chops cut and change at a whim, throwing you one way and then kicking you down another, knocking you off your feet. Atop it all is vocalist Kenny Stroh who’s bellowing screams and gutturals navigate you through the onslaught, and tonally suit the brutality behind. Sunglasses donning Danny Cruz may well be the coolest looking person in the building, dancing and leaning through the angular onslaught as though the grooves were a disco. Highlight of the set was last years single Glitch, which earns them mosh pits from the off, and perhaps in search of a record contains fifteen sub-drops just to add to the penetrating beef of their sound. The room may well need a minute to recover as SENTINELS depart having well and truly woken the room.

Rating: 8/10

Next up are a band not without recent controversy in OCEANS ATE ALASKA, having had two members depart less than two weeks ago, they arrive as a band with a point to prove. The turbo speed metalcore outfit bring their now renowned robotic chugs in full force, with new vocalist Joel Heywood taking the reins with an impressive range of screams all supported by the inexplicable Chris Turner on the drums, pulling out feats not intended for human limbs. Fan favourites Hansha and Metamorph get the room eagerly on side, opening up pits and raising arms from the off. Although the clean sections show Heywood to be somewhat less at home than his predecessor in that department, his impressive range of screams make up the difference with ease. “This is no place for hate, all love” he says before launching into New Dawn. Ending with Escapist, OCEANS ATE ALASKA show that recent changes haven’t stunted their battery.

Rating: 7/10

In a first tonal divergence of the night, BEING AS AN OCEAN arrive as somewhat of an outlier with their emotional hardcore much more melodic and atmospheric than what surrounds it. Equally odd for the outfit is the absence of regular vocalist Joel Quartuccio who’s unavailable, with ITHACA vocalist Djamila Azzouz taking the role at short notice having to learn the full set in four days. This however is barely noticeable, and Azzouz fills the gap as though born for the role, delivering the emotive lyrics as though they were her own. Guitarist and clean vocalist Michael McGough luscious vocals fill the gaps between screams with ear worming hooks and impressive delivery. “Joel would say himself it’s not about the people on stage, but the people in the room perpetuating the emotion” McGough confides following emotional singalong The Hardest Part Is Forgetting Those You Swore You Would Never Forget, in which guitarist David Baqi crowd surfs and leads the crowd in full voice from above. BEING AS AN OCEAN have undoubtedly proved that despite their sonic difference, they are more than justifiably here.

Rating: 9/10

Following up a bill this stacked is no easy feat, and CURRENTS arrive gunning to prove themselves as just headliners, and they begin in pummelling fashion with Living In Tragedy, with incredibly girthy riffs and an array of vocal screams. The power behind the group is unruly, almost unnerving the volume of air they’re able to move as the room erupts for the chorus hook, drinks go flying to the onslaught of drums and chugs. Remember Me encourages the first of many crowd surfers for the night to make their way up after the first chorus. Vocalist Brian Wille reacts to the scene saying “this is gonna be a good one” as the crowd show how up for the night they are with fervent jeers and shouts in the gaps between tracks.

High speed crusher A Flag To Wave encourages an avid circle pit during the monster displays of technicality from all of the members, devolving into a wall of death for the crushing breakdown. CURRENTS’ unambiguous wall of noise is monstrous with even some of the more dynamic sections like in Kill The Ache kicking you in the stomach, but always wanting more. The frequency of singalong moments, vigour in the participation in breakdown calls by the whole room is testament to Wille’s lyric writing prowess, how well his words connect and brandish themselves into your brain is second to none.

The procession of crowd surfers continues through the duration of the set spanning their last four albums, with arms and devil horns raised constantly this crowd is visually and vocally enamoured with the Connecticut metalcore brutes. The relentless set of pummelling draws to an end with Unfamiliar with a massive singalong for the choruses. Departing with no encore, the group look visually elated with their connection with the room tonight, and the sweat that has now spread through the whole room as voices are lost and breath is regained, CURRENTS have now well and truly shown their metal, all that is to be seen is where they go from here.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Jess Robinson here: 

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