Tonight, the Academy is sold out. With Sepultura rolling into town on their Euro leg of their Farewell tour, they have brought with them a stacked support that brings in Jesus Piece, Obituary and Jinjer. This of course means that doors open at 5pm and given that getting into Manchester is sometimes dependent upon stars aligning in the right way you wonder how many will in attendance for opening act, Philadelphia’s Jesus Piece (7). There is a healthy number present when they kick off with a tight 30-minute set.
So now for the main event. So, just for the sake of argument, there will be no Max/No Max discourse here.
Sepultura (8), in their own words have a lot of songs to get through and burn through a set that captures everything from Schizophrenia to Quadra. As the opening video montage unfolds there is an audible rise in volume, the audience has waited long enough and then its an explosion as they unleash an opening of Refuse Resist, Territory and Slave New World, each one as potent as the day they were written, and the place just goes nuts. Its glorious, and I should point out here that Derrick Green is covering a lot of ground here, the human definition of perpetual motion.
It was a first time for me, so I can’t tell what they sang but will say that they come in with an attitude and an intensity that sets the bar high for the bands that come next. It’s a brutal affair, with Aaron Heard giving the crowd no respite from start to finish, constantly cajoling and barking instruction whilst their songs run from the rapid to crushingly slow, the constant being that they have this massive sound which is used to hammer the audience into submission.
This stuff swings, and they use their allotted time so well in a brutal but brief set. It's good to see the crowd reacting to it too, a far cry from some of the gigs I’ve seen recently where there is little or no movement. By 6.20pm they are done and have set a high bar for the rest to follow.
Obituary (9) are next and well proceed to show that as they close in on their own 40th anniversary there is still plenty left in the tank. Choosing a set list that enables them to maximise their 40 minutes must have been murder but kicking off with a 1-2-3 of Redneck Stomp, Threatening Skies and By The Light is a welcome selection. Trevor Peres has one of the most recognized sounds in metal and one Obituary do is bring it live. Its heavy, loud and front and centre is John Tardy, hasn’t lost any of the vocal power and sounds immense.
Obituary (9) are next and well proceed to show that as they close in on their own 40th anniversary there is still plenty left in the tank. Choosing a set list that enables them to maximise their 40 minutes must have been murder but kicking off with a 1-2-3 of Redneck Stomp, Threatening Skies and By The Light is a welcome selection. Trevor Peres has one of the most recognized sounds in metal and one Obituary do is bring it live. Its heavy, loud and front and centre is John Tardy, hasn’t lost any of the vocal power and sounds immense.
By The Light is massive, the drums especially so that they every time they land, the fillings are rattling in my mouth. Their newer stuff sits proudly with the classics with The Wrong Time coming in, reinforcing that Trevor Peres is underrated as a supplier of diamond sharp riffs. A highlight for me is the medley (for the ages) that starts with Chopped In Half that ends with Turned Inside Out and they are just on fire tonight, managing to cram as many bangers as possible in 40 or so minutes. The sound of guns opens the next one as War brings tons of groove with Donald Tardy doing his impression of a death metal octopus as arms and legs are everywhere. He is spot on as always, the core that never fails to deliver.
They end with Dying Of Everything and Slowly We Rot, with the former a raging beast that is delivered as a statement of intent that you come for them at your peril. Slowly We Rot, oh my. The opening bars have been slowed down by design in order to really hit hard. It is monstrous, and when it’s time to speed up, the pit kicks off. It has lost of its brutality since its release and is a perfect way to end their set. They are touring a full set later in the year, go and see them. Thank me later.
Ah, Jinjer (7). Now, I must be one of the only people who haven’t heard any of their material and have been told that they are one of the ‘must see’ bands. I could use Setlist FM (similar apps are available) to inform of what they performed, but that would be slightly dishonest. I’ll approach this from the perspective of how well they went down for me and the rest of the crowd. Bearing in mind, by the time they start its only 7.20pm, but the place is rammed and for the next 50 minutes they play a faultless set that keeps the crowd up and moving.
They end with Dying Of Everything and Slowly We Rot, with the former a raging beast that is delivered as a statement of intent that you come for them at your peril. Slowly We Rot, oh my. The opening bars have been slowed down by design in order to really hit hard. It is monstrous, and when it’s time to speed up, the pit kicks off. It has lost of its brutality since its release and is a perfect way to end their set. They are touring a full set later in the year, go and see them. Thank me later.
Ah, Jinjer (7). Now, I must be one of the only people who haven’t heard any of their material and have been told that they are one of the ‘must see’ bands. I could use Setlist FM (similar apps are available) to inform of what they performed, but that would be slightly dishonest. I’ll approach this from the perspective of how well they went down for me and the rest of the crowd. Bearing in mind, by the time they start its only 7.20pm, but the place is rammed and for the next 50 minutes they play a faultless set that keeps the crowd up and moving.
Each song is received incredibly well and there is no sense that anybody was disappointed by what they played or didn’t play. What cannot be denied is that Tatiana is the absolute focal point for everything that happens on that stage. Everything she does is done in complete synch with the music, the moves, the looks, everything is set and carried out with laser like precision. Watching her just own every inch of that stage whilst singing/growling and all points in between with no audible transitions between styles is breath-taking. As a performer, I’m not really sure who comes close to her.
So obviously you are thinking why just a 7? Well, its because that music itself doesn’t have a visceral energy to it. Its almost mechanical in its delivery and whilst it is heavy it just didn’t excite me. Opinions will no doubt vary especially when you consider that the place was probably full for their set.
So now for the main event. So, just for the sake of argument, there will be no Max/No Max discourse here.
Sepultura (8), in their own words have a lot of songs to get through and burn through a set that captures everything from Schizophrenia to Quadra. As the opening video montage unfolds there is an audible rise in volume, the audience has waited long enough and then its an explosion as they unleash an opening of Refuse Resist, Territory and Slave New World, each one as potent as the day they were written, and the place just goes nuts. Its glorious, and I should point out here that Derrick Green is covering a lot of ground here, the human definition of perpetual motion.
Everything he does is in perfect unison with the music around him and with it comes a commanding performance which goes a long way to pick up the slack from having only one guitar on stage. We have a rough idea of what they will do tonight, and of course there is material from the later albums which is heavy but doesn’t have (at least for me) the same impact as those from the Max era. In any event, the Academy is lapping it up, from the very old school Schizophrenia’s Escape To The Void which is magnificent. Kaiowas is a highlight for me, the way they get friends on stage to assist to make sure that percussion driven sound is in place and is respectfully received too.
And they keep rolling them out as we enter the final stretch with the inclusion of Orgasmatron which I really didn’t think I would hear live. Arise closes off their set, and still a lightning in a bottle moment for extreme metal.
One complaint is encores. Please just play to the end and go.
Anyway, return they do and drop with Ratamahatta/Roots one-two which causes an explosion of movement, arms, legs the lot as the pit collectively lose their minds until the frantic last seconds. I suppose that its fitting that they finish on what was once considered a divisive song upon its release and is now one of their must play tracks. They depart, and we leave, safe at least in the knowledge that if this is the end for them then we have seen them deliver a genuine classic set.
Well, nearly. No Beneath The Remains.
And they keep rolling them out as we enter the final stretch with the inclusion of Orgasmatron which I really didn’t think I would hear live. Arise closes off their set, and still a lightning in a bottle moment for extreme metal.
One complaint is encores. Please just play to the end and go.
Anyway, return they do and drop with Ratamahatta/Roots one-two which causes an explosion of movement, arms, legs the lot as the pit collectively lose their minds until the frantic last seconds. I suppose that its fitting that they finish on what was once considered a divisive song upon its release and is now one of their must play tracks. They depart, and we leave, safe at least in the knowledge that if this is the end for them then we have seen them deliver a genuine classic set.
Well, nearly. No Beneath The Remains.
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