LIVE REVIEW: Venom INC @ Rebellion, Manchester

Whilst fans continue to bicker over whether VENOM or VENOM INC are the true VENOM, there is no doubting that the former bolsters some serious firepower. Following the release of their debut effort Avé, the trio, featuring Mantas, Tony ‘Demolition Man’ Dolan and Abaddon, have took to the road on a lengthy European trek with death metal royalty SUFFOCATION in tow. We caught the show in Manchester to see if they could deliver a performance that matched their infamous reputation.

With the Manchester show being extended to operate more as an all day event, a plethora of more support bands had the task of igniting the fire for what to come and VISIONS OF DISFIGUREMENT had the audacious task of being first on. Despite performing to a paper thin crowd, partly due to taking to the stage before their previously allotted time, the Mancunian slam quartet delivered a reasonably solid performance. Consistent and blistering drumming and down-tuned riffing kept the pace running in top gear whilst an abundance of guttural growls and shrieks from Daniel Bramley kept the tone disgustingly dirty. A short set but one that was met with warm appreciation from those in attendance, demonstrating that VISIONS OF DISFIGUREMENT are certainly rising up the ranks in the Manchester metal scene.

Rating: 7/10

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for CHAINSAW CASTRATION. Plagued by a series of technical difficulties throughout their set impacted their ability to maintain any sort of consistency in their performance and the result was a set that quickly becoming strained and tiresome. When they actually were able to drive on, the band had glimmers of quality in their brand of brutal death metal. Whilst the relentless double bass blasts and guttural vocals were monstrously heavy, they quickly wore thin, but fortunately, the guitar-work from Jack Boaden was easily the stand-out element to CHAINSAW CASTRATION‘s sound. Yet it wasn’t enough to salvage anything remarkably worthwhile resulting in a performance that will be quickly forgotten.

Rating: 5/10

Hailing from Malta, death metal quartet BOUND TO PREVAIL aimed to keep the tone and mood flowing in devastating fashion and largely, they achieved just that. Guitarists Tyrone Misfud and James Horton‘s buzz-saw riffing packed hooks in absolute abundance whilst successfully emulated the relentless and savagery one expects with death metal. At the heart of this sonic whirlwind, frontman Alan Briffa had buckets of enthusiasm as he bounced across the stage and delivered bout after bout of guttural vocal blasts to great effect. Considering this is their UK debut, BOUND TO PREVAIL gave an enthusiastic and tight performance and most likely gained a wave of new fans.

Rating: 7/10

Aiming to inject a slice of thrash into the evening’s proceedings, Japanese thrashers SURVIVE gave a solid set that was packed to the absolute brim with adrenaline. Chugging riffs from guitarists Gaku and Masuru Nemoto kept the rhythm flowing in top gear with the former delivering punishing vocal shouts to great effect. With the intensity of thrash keeping the momentum hurtling forward, the band subtle sprinklings of death metal helped add additional firepower to their sonic arsenal and whilst confined to a short amount of time on stage, what SURVIVAL achieved with their limited stage time was deliver a solid and thoroughly entertaining set and one that left a positive impression.

Rating: 8/10

Now four bands into the show’s proceedings it was going to take something special for AETERNAM to stand out from the now rapidly expanding audience. And they achieved just that by delivering a performance that was utterly stunning. The Canadian quartet brought an enormous soundscape to the confined space of Rebellion and delivered it with absolute ease. Soaring Middle Eastern-influenced percussion created an intoxicating atmosphere that was only reinforced through the crushing and jaw-dropping musicianship from guitarists Achraf Loudiy and Maxime Legault. Playing off one to another to brilliant effect, the duo swung the rhythm of their enticing sound through head-snapping riffing to jaw-dropping soloing. It was brilliant to see and in the case of Loudiy, his range of growls and combined cleans with bassist Maxime Boucher showcased their class, helping the melodies at the core of the band’s sound hammer home. It was a performance that left a resounding impression; one which firmly announced AETERNAM to a largely unsuspecting crowd.

Rating: 9/10

Brazilian thrashers NERVOSA have been building a solid reputation since their inception back in 2010 and their performance at Rebellion reflected eight years of hard graft; professional and utterly crushing. Throughout their time on stage, the trio hammered their way through a blistering performance that reflected the speed and intensity of a hurricane. Prika Amaral‘s lead guitar riffs packed a punch and added a dice of melody, with the slick lead play in Death! Being a particular highlight, and demonstrated some effortless soloing, new-girl Luana Dametto gave absolutely everything in a solid display behind the drums and at the eye of NERVOSA‘s sonic storm, Fernanda Lira showed her quality. Her vocal shrieks were laced with venom and acted as a commanding force, especially in finale Into Moshpit, and her thick bass tones provided plenty of bite, resulting in their sound to be enormous in the live environment and the crowed lapped it up with sheer delight. With a new album on the horizon and a tight and explosive live sound firmly under their collective belts, it’s fair to say that NERVOSA are far much more than a flash in the pan, and will continue to cement their name in modern thrash metal.

Rating: 9/10

SUFFOCATION are legends in extreme music. Their technical trickery and iconic brutality have blasted them to the top of the food-chain in death metal and their co-headlining performance in Manchester was packed full of quality. Dancing between technical flurries from Terrance Hobbs‘ complicated lead rhythms to absolutely punishing dual chugging when Hobbs and Charlie Errigo combined, SUFFOCATION created a massive wall of sound that was effortlessly maintained throughout their lengthy set. New material from last year’s …Of the Dark Light, Clarity Through Deprivation and Return to the Abyss, held their own against the band’s most cherished material but when SUFFOCATION hit top gear through these decorated cuts, like Effigy of the Forgotten or Infecting The Crypts for example, the impact was absolutely gargantuan. Since Frank Mullen retired from full-time touring, there have been question marks on whether they could continue to provide their notorious live sound without their talismanic frontman, but stand-in vocalist Ricky Myers quashed this with absolute ease. His monstrous vocals and animated stage presence ensured that SUFFOCATION were able to fire on all cylinders and deliver a solid slab of death metal, one which was able to meet the imposing standards that is expected from one of the genre’s giants.

Rating: 8/10

There might still be lingering doubts on whether VENOM INC can replicate that same burning intensity that VENOM did all those years go, but these doubts were quickly put to bed just moments into their lengthy headlining set. Partly, this was due to dropping the absolute classic Welcome To Hell as the second song which sent the crowd into a frenzy, but VENOM INC‘s class extended to so much more than just pumping out iconic VENOM tunes. Mantas provided those classic riffs in absolute abundance and whilst Tony Dolan is certainly no Cronos, Dolan certainly lives up to his stage name of ‘The Demolition Man‘ by consistently delivering vocals that are full of bite and power. Despite it being disappointing that Abaddon was absent from the show, his stand-in, Jeramie Kling certainly did his part in keeping the rhythm pumping with a solid display behind the drums.

This tour arrived on the back of the band’s debut album, so naturally, one would expect a large portion of the set to be focused on their most recent material. But, with only there tracks making the cut, VENOM INC‘s performance was basked more in sheer nostalgia. Naysayers may see this as a backwards step, with the band opting to relish in their decorated past rather than forge forward in their new name, but these discussions are for another day. Because, at the heart of it, this was a band celebrating their legacy by performing classic VENOM tracks to wonderful effect. Don’t Burn The Witch had heads banging aplenty, Black Metal bore witness to some of the biggest pits of the night and Countess Bathory soared throughout the walls of Rebellion. Sure, we might not ever witness the VENOM that ignited and changed heavy metal forever all those years ago, but what VENOM INC do give, is one hell of a solid performance; one which for a couple of hours is bask in delight at a band effortlessly delivering some of the most iconic songs in metal.

Rating: 8/10