LIVE REVIEW: Grand Magus @ Academy 3, Manchester

There are many Swedish metal behemoths to beckon with. The modest setting of Manchester Academy 3‘s stage may have been a small affair for Swedish metal behemoths GRAND MAGUS and WOLF, but the thirst from the near sold-out Manchester crowd were destined to make all witnesses feel like home in such uncertain times.

Bringing a wealth of proficiency onto the stage, WOLF gave gifts through their classics such as The Bite and Shark Attack to ensure the night. Hearing from their newest offering Feeding The Machine with the swift Midnight Hour and The Raven gave a nice taster of what’s to come prior to release. With their engaging closing trio of Skull Crusher, Voodoo and the easily-recognisable Speed On, the Swedes soaked up the energy not hiding a single smile towards their Mancunian crowd.

Rating: 8/10

A gigantic cheer ripped through the walls for the headliners GRAND MAGUS to step on the stage as the heavyweights greeted Manchester with the deafening openers Wolf God, Untamed and Kingslayer. Just by those titles alone, Manchester were not prepared from the roaring songs that were about to land. With each song that GRAND MAGUS brought to the table, it came with its own celebration with tracks Iron Will, Steel Vs Steel and The Shadows Know. It was clear that the musicianship of the trio, their metal mass loved eating every bite of the madness! With plentiful amount of crowd participation, the collective madness stop when Wolf’s Return, Valhalla Rising and Like The Oar Strikes The Water hit the floors and led into for their iconic closing trio I The Jury, Dawn Of Fire and Hammer Of The North bringing their outstanding set to a close. Behind the remorseless melodies and booming cacophony, GRAND MAGUS mastered their set well with massive choruses, custom built for air- punching and the formidable battle cries, so all bow down to their invasion fulfilled!

Rating: 9/10

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