I am Midlands-bound this evening for the UK tour of Soulfly, with support from Nailbomb and Dosed. Let's get inside and check out how it all went down.
I arrived early in Brum to get into the O2 Institute, as first up this evening we have Dosed (8), a band ironically from where I set off two-plus hours ago to get here, my home town, Newport, South Wales. A hardcore punk/thrash band that has been on a big rise since the band's formation in 2024, from early local gigs to venturing out to much bigger venues and farther places, each step of the way adding Bloodstock Festival to their already impressive line-up of appearances so far.
The band walk onto the stage with that air of confidence that shouts, "We are here to bring the noise." We kick off with Chewing On The Entrails Of A Dying Dickhead from the band's latest EP release, No Signal, a song that gets this sold-out crowd moving from riff one. Guttural vocals from Foz and circle-pit-inducing drums from drummer Chong set us off for the chaos that we are all now a part of.
The band get huge applause and cheers after that opener. In four short minutes, they have turned the venue into a sweaty mess. We get another new song in the shape of A Pitiful Attempt At Life from the same latest EP, then onto Aquarius from the band's first EP, Jawbreaker. By this time, the pit has opened up big. Aquarius really shows off the band's punk side but still keeps that brutal hardcore riffage going; the circling of mosh goes hard in this one.
The band take some time to say thank you to all and any support they have had playing this and the previous tour date in Southampton. Foz explains they commented on Gloria Cavalera's social media post asking what bands want to open up on the tour, and then the next morning they had a message to ask them to open up on the Soulfly tour. A very surreal experience, but a very honoured one, explains Foz.
A song that stood out for me was Self Doubt Is For The Weak from the band's first EP, a more thrash-influenced song that gets your blood pumping for the first half, then lets you stomp it out for the remainder.
The band end their set just as we started, with more circle-pit madness with the song Fucked With A Pickaxe from the latest EP. By this time, everyone is in a bliss of hardcore/punk/thrash metal sweatiness. A perfect opener and a band that pulls no punches in letting you know who and what they are about. Really enjoyed the set, and I wasn't on my own in this opinion if you heard the roars and cheers at the end.
I first heard the cult album Point Blank around 2005. My best friend invited me to try out for a band called Sick Cell at the time, and they were heavily influenced by the Nailbomb (8) album, and I loved it ever since. So many memorable songs; it has been an album that I go back to many times and always include my favourites on any playlists I make.
I never would have thought I would be hearing those songs live, so I was so happy to be here to witness this tour. The band is mainly just Max Cavalera's ensemble of talented musicians, including his son Igor Amadeus Cavalera, as since the band's reunion in 2024, Alex Newport did not join back up with Max.
The roars and cheers rang out as the band walked onto the stage while the intro to the first song on the album, Wasting Away, played, and just like that, we are at peak mosh adrenaline again. Barring a few songs, we kind of get the album tracks in order, with the band going straight into Vai Toma No Cu and then onto 24 Hour Bullshit.
By this point, everyone here is packed in like a furious tin of sardines, layered in a thick helping of juice from the pit of the circle. Max and son Igor take a breather to thank the crazy crowd and everyone that has come out to see the tour so far.
The sound of these songs is just perfect tonight in the Institute. Kudos to the sound guy. We get the next four songs in track order, before missing Cockroaches and For Fucks Sake and moving onto World Of Shit, a personal favourite.
Coming to the end of the set, we get Shit Pinata, Religious Cancer, and we end with the last song on the album, Sick Life. A set that I won't forget. Being able to hear these songs live was a real pleasure, and Max and the rest of the band did not disappoint at all. What a night so far.
Having never seen Nailbomb and not even hearing the one and only album they made ten years later to a band that I own nearly all of their back catalogue of music, yet I have only seen Soulfly (8) once before, and that was in 2001, so this was going to be another memorable set for me.
We get a small break before we are hit with the tribal sounds of an extended intro to Back To The Primitive from the band's 2000 album, Primitive. Huge roars and cheers crank the volume up when the band walk onto the stage.
Max, now sporting an Aston Villa home shirt, walks back to the stage to give his second performance of the night, and he did not miss a beat throughout. From there, we go straight into Seek'n'Strike from 2002's album 3, and then we go all the way back to the first album with No Hope = No Fear.
What a start to the set. Three songs that have everyone here bouncing around like they were given free pogo sticks on entry. A little break for Max to thank the crowd, but then we get the intro for Prophecy, and we are back at it.
We then get our first song from the band's latest album, 2025's Chama, No Pain = No Power, a song that is that awesome blend of old-style Soulfly but has that newer edge of modern metal riffage in it without sacrificing any of those dreamy tribal parts.
Max then entertains us with his berimbau, which leads to the intro of another classic song, Tribe from the band's first album. A ripping performance so far. Everyone here is enjoying this a lot, me included, as we move onto I And I from the band's 2005 album Dark Ages, and then we go back to 3 with Downstroy.
To end the set, we get a mix of Jumpdafuckup from Primitive and Eye For An Eye from the first album. The noise coming from the crowd after this could write this review and tell you everything you needed to know about the set we just got from Soulfly.
It has been so much fun seeing them again, and hearing songs I listen to often played live by legends is just pure bliss.
A night I won't forget any time soon. Enjoyed every single thing about it.
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