Bristol was spoiled for choice this evening when it came to metal shows as you not only had Imperial Triumphant playing at Dareshack and Voivod playing at The Fleece but you also had the combined forces of Cannibal Corpse, Dark Funeral, Ingested and Stormruler threatening to leave a smoking crater where the O2 Academy stands.
With a stacked line up for four bands it was an early 18:30 stage time for openers Stormruler (8) who were the only band on the bill who I was not wholly familiar with but a band that seriously impressed me as the music they play is right up my street. Although hailing from Missouri in the US, the band could easily have said they come from Stockholm in Sweden having a melodic black metal sound that brought to mind bands such as Dissection, Unanimated and Naglfar.
With a stacked line up for four bands it was an early 18:30 stage time for openers Stormruler (8) who were the only band on the bill who I was not wholly familiar with but a band that seriously impressed me as the music they play is right up my street. Although hailing from Missouri in the US, the band could easily have said they come from Stockholm in Sweden having a melodic black metal sound that brought to mind bands such as Dissection, Unanimated and Naglfar.
Razor sharp frosty riffing, plenty of melodies and a furious onslaught of blastbeats ensured that Stormruler earned a good number of new fans this evening. It was only a short five song set but songs such as Sacred Rites & Black Magick and Internal Fulmination Of The Grand Deceivers got the crowd nicely warmed up for the evening of extreme metal ahead.
Next up were UK slam merchants Ingested (6). Having been on the road in Europe for several weeks the band were keen to play on home soil and performed a short set of barbarically brutal death metal with crushing intensity and bags of enthusiasm. Ingested mixed pulverising blast filled death metal with bone fracturing heavy breakdowns in such songs such as No Half Measures and I, Despoiler. Like a lot of bands who play this style of death metal it gets very repetitive very quickly and it is not a style that appeals to me at all. Despite my misgivings over brutal/slam death metal there’s no denying that Ingested played a very solid set and there were plenty in the audience who loved every second.
In the main support slot were a band that I have seen perform at festivals in the blazing sunshine and as such the conditions have never matched the music. Tonight finally I got to see the mighty Dark Funeral (9) in the right surroundings and bathed in darkness which is exactly how black metal should be seen. The lighting was kept to a minimum ensuring the right level of dark ambience was maintained for the entirety of the set and the blasting intensity of the music became the focal point.
Next up were UK slam merchants Ingested (6). Having been on the road in Europe for several weeks the band were keen to play on home soil and performed a short set of barbarically brutal death metal with crushing intensity and bags of enthusiasm. Ingested mixed pulverising blast filled death metal with bone fracturing heavy breakdowns in such songs such as No Half Measures and I, Despoiler. Like a lot of bands who play this style of death metal it gets very repetitive very quickly and it is not a style that appeals to me at all. Despite my misgivings over brutal/slam death metal there’s no denying that Ingested played a very solid set and there were plenty in the audience who loved every second.
In the main support slot were a band that I have seen perform at festivals in the blazing sunshine and as such the conditions have never matched the music. Tonight finally I got to see the mighty Dark Funeral (9) in the right surroundings and bathed in darkness which is exactly how black metal should be seen. The lighting was kept to a minimum ensuring the right level of dark ambience was maintained for the entirety of the set and the blasting intensity of the music became the focal point.
It was a set heavily drawn from the last two Dark Funeral albums - We Are The Apocalypse and Where Shadows Forever Reign - with songs such as Let The Devil In, Unchain My Soul and the moody When I’m Gone going down well with the crowd though old school fans were treated to furious renditions of My Funeral and The Secrets Of The Black Arts. The band were a force of furious nature especially drummer Jalomaah whose blastbeats are off the scale. It was nice to see Dark Funeral perform in the UK at a show that wasn’t a festival or in London and the fact that the room was absolutely packed out for the band showed that this was a very anticipated set by Bristol metal fans.
The headliners don’t really need any introduction being possibly the most well known and infamous death metal band out there and are quite rightly legends within the genre. The band of course are Cannibal Corpse (10) and this was their first visit to the UK since 2018 so it was safe to say that the crowd was pumped for this show and ready to get involved. The band have a grand total of 15 albums to their name and whilst latest album Violence Unimagined got the most coverage the band also put together an 18 song set which covered 13 of their albums so fans of every era of the band would be satisfied.
The headliners don’t really need any introduction being possibly the most well known and infamous death metal band out there and are quite rightly legends within the genre. The band of course are Cannibal Corpse (10) and this was their first visit to the UK since 2018 so it was safe to say that the crowd was pumped for this show and ready to get involved. The band have a grand total of 15 albums to their name and whilst latest album Violence Unimagined got the most coverage the band also put together an 18 song set which covered 13 of their albums so fans of every era of the band would be satisfied.
It is safe to say that the band absolutely crushed it with a monstrous sound and absolutely furious performances from guys who are now all in their 50’s but performing with the strength and vigour of a band in their 20’s. Guitarists Rob Barrett and Erik Rutan ripped out furious riffs, churning grooves and ripping solos whilst Alex Webster provided enough low end to loosen anyones bowels and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz pounding his kit into absolute oblivion. Of course the most recognisable figure on stage is the man mountain himself George “Corpsegrinder” Fischer whose trademark roar is just as effective as ever and he still puts most headbangers to shame with his effortless windmilling. George is also one of the most wholesome figures in all of metal and dished out plenty of dad jokes amongst the death metal carnage. And carnage it was with a crowd with surged and boiled and smashed into each other with impressive energy.
Of course with songs such as The Time To Kill Is Now, Fucked With A Knife, I Cum Blood, Evisceratiion Plague and Scourge Of Iron there was no doubt that this show was going to be a crazy one. Energy levels did start to flag towards the end though one last wave of energy was unleashed for the closing duo of Stripped, Raped & Strangled and Hammer Smashed Face before the show sadly came to an end. Even when the rest of the band had left the stage, George lived up to his wholesome reputation ensuring all the setlists on stage were given out to the crowd and sticking around to shake hands and chat with fans.
When I’ve previously seen Cannibal Corpse live I’ve either been unwell or disgustingly hungover so I’ve never managed to fully appreciate a set of theirs. Now that I have witnessed a Cannibal Corpse show in good health I can fully appreciate why the band have such a rabid following and why the show tonight was 100% sold out. Cannibal Corpse were a masterclass in extreme metal from start to finish and will easily be one of the death metal highlights of the year for me.
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