LIVE REVIEW: Lamb Of God @ Academy, Manchester

It may be three years on since the COVID-19 pandemic hit and changed the world as we knew it, but in 2023, the live music industry is steel feeling the aftershocks. Tours still crumble under the weight of rescheduling issues and the resulting economic turmoil has made live performances for bands and fans alike much more difficult. Such is the case as the State Of Unrest Tour. Initially billed to take place in the year that we strive to forget, the double header of LAMB OF GOD and KREATOR has been a long time coming and has suffered from a myriad of logistical problems and has been pushed back time and time again. Now, three years later, the tour’s UK leg kicks off in Manchester with anticipation at fever pitch.

Initial apprehension to a sparse crowd, largely down to tonight’s early doors, is quickly squashed by the time Virginian party thrashers MUNICIPAL WASTE take to the stage. With the support card changing numerous times from the various rescheduling of the tour over the past three years, MUNICIPAL WASTE live good to their mantra of high-octane metal by quickly blowing the cobwebs off as they bulldoze their way through opening salvo Demoralizer, Breathe Grease and Mind Eraser. It’s a exhilarating start and as the venue continues to fill, the band only grow in confidence.

They might have only been on UK shores fairly recently (supporting thrash titans ANTHRAX), but there’s no sign of fatigue or weariness as the band continue to keep the adrenaline surging with little room for respite. Sadistic Magician‘s riffs pound through the speakers and ignites chaos in the pit, You’re Cut Off sees frontman Tony Foresta deliver his vocals at breakneck speed, Wave Of Death sees bodies cascade over the barrier and Born To Party (a bonafide thrash anthem of the 21st Century) ends MUNICIPAL WASTE‘s time on stage with beer, sweat and fist-raising euphoria.

Rating: 8/10

The second coming of KREATOR has been one of the biggest success stories for metal in the 21st Century. Whilst 2005’s Enemy Of God and 2009’s Hordes Of Chaos were well received across the metal community, 2012’s Phantom Antichrist reignited the veteran thrashers in explosive fashion and since then, the band have been on scorching form with consistently superb studio releases and a fierce live reputation. Tonight in Manchester, it’s business as usual for the German horde, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that experiencing KREATOR live is nothing short of exhilarating.

They erupt with Hate Über Alles, the title track from last year’s excellent latest album, and from there, KREATOR rarely let the intensity dip as they power their way through a lengthy set. Hail To The Hordes is an early highlight as frontman Mille Petrozza croons with his trademark bark in the anthemic chorus, Enemy Of God‘s thunderous riffing from Petrozza and Sami Yli-Sirniö is as explosive as it is emphatic and standalone single 666 – World Divided has all the weight and quality that reflects the consistency of the band’s recent output. As a one-two punch of the anthemic Violent Revolution and thrash classic Pleasure To Kill draws the curtain on KREATOR‘s time in Manchester, one thing is clear, the Germans second-wind looks destined to continue surging forwards.

Rating: 9/10

LAMB OF GOD might have graced UK shores last summer headlining Bloodstock, but tonight’s appearance in Manchester marks their first appearance in the northern powerhouse since supporting SLAYER on their farewell tour in 2018. As such, the crowd awaiting the Virginian heavy hitters is heaving and as the band roll into set opener Memento Mori, the excitement is palpable. It’s a confident set opener as the grooves pack a punch and vocalist Randy Blythe dispatches his vocals with aplomb. From there though, the intensity soars as LAMB OF GOD deliver hit after hit; reinforcing their position as one of metal’s heavyweights.

Ruin sees the pit swell and surge as bodies collide, Walk With Me In Hell sees the crowd resemble a wave as people jump in unison with the band surfing above with ample grooves and bite, and Now You’ve Got Something To Die For sees the crowd bellow the chorus so loud, Blythe‘s vocals are almost lost in the noise. It’s testament to just how cherished the band are within heavy music circles and the appreciation displayed from Blythe and co. is as clear as day.

What helps is that the band are on scorching form. From Contractor‘s rapid burst of aural mayhem before subsiding into a delivery of gnarly riffing and monstrous grooves where Blythe‘s vocals snarl and snap, to an incendiary triple encore of Vigil, Laid To Rest and Redneck, LAMB OF GOD are a well-oiled machine at this point in their lengthy career, and their professionalism and experience is reflected in the performance. It took a long time for the State Of Unrest Tour to land in the UK, but as the dust settles following a bombastic delivery of Redneck, it’s clear that the wait has been worth it.

Rating: 8/10

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

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