LIVE(STREAM) REVIEW: Ingested @ Dominion, Manchester
With COVID-19 still running rampant across the globe and nations gearing up for a second lockdown, the possibility of seeing live shows returning to the times of before seem impossible, and it is a depressing realisation. For better or worse, livestreams have become the only tool for bands and their legions of fans to try replicate the feeling and experience of seeing a band live in the flesh. Whilst the freshness has faded and the memorability of streamed performances have waned as the months crawled on, for bands that get it spot on, the results can be incredible. Fortunate then, that INGESTED fall into the latter category and demonstrated their dominance with a gripping and jaw-dropping spectacle.
Since announcing their explosive intentions with 2009’s vicious Surpassing The Boundaries of Human Suffering, the Mancunian death metal band have been a firm favourite in the extreme music underground. However, more recent studio outings including 2018’s The Level Above Human and 2015’s The Architect of Extinction showed that INGESTED are far from being just ‘another’ death metal band. Now, armed with their magnum opus Where Only Gods My Tread, the band look to assert their dominance and hit new heights with a streamed performance from a secret venue in their own stomping ground.
Right from the moment that the band roar into life with the bruising The Divine Right of Kings, you just had the feeling that the streamed show had the aura of being something truly special. The band’s sound was tight and precise with every double bass blast from Lyn Jeffs and venomous riffing from Sean Hynes and Sam Yates hitting the target. Soaring above the aural carnage is frontman Jay Evans, who instantly makes a lasting impression with his razor-sharp gutturals and commanding stage presence.
Speaking of Evans, the Dominion livestream really showcased a side to the frontman we’ve not seen before. Sure, his presence is still as captivating as ever and his demands for people to mosh around their living rooms felt strong, albeit it still feels like a strange request in these strange times. However, it was with the added stage props and enhanced enthusiasm leading the line that made the biggest impact. From lurching on a lectern and dramatically tearing pages on the stomping The List to the emphatic swinging of a flag on No Half Measures, these little show enhancements demonstrated a new theatrical element to the INGESTED live experience and it will be
Whilst these new splashes of stage creativity certainly helped provide a more enjoyable visual appeal, the focus of course, is the music and in that department INGESTED continue to assert themselves as one of death metal’s best bands of the modern era. Helped by an expansive set that spanned the breadth of the band’s career, including a sizeable portion of new material from Where Only Gods May Tread, the band kept swinging and the punches kept coming. Invidious‘ hench grooves sounded absolutely colossal, Mouth of the Abyss kept the momentum flowing in top-gear in the performance’s latter stages and the one-two punch of Dead Seraphic Forms and Last Rites was nothing short of pulverising.
In truth, no matter how good a livestreamed show is, nothing, absolutely nothing will replace the adrenaline and sheer euphoria experienced at a live show in the flesh. COVID-19 has taken away so much we hold dear and until normality resumes, this is the new reality. But, in these times of darkness we must all cherish the moments that offer respite from the miserable abyss. And INGESTED achieved just that. Showcasing a new level, both through their music and theatrical tricks, the band have stepped up to a new level and when shows return, which they will, INGESTED should be one of the first names on your list to go and see.
Rating: 9/10
Check out a selection of photos from the livestreamed show in Manchester from Lee Willo here:
