A colossal billing is a thing of beauty and this was certainly one to tempt me over the Pennines without even a second thought. The venue, the O2 Victoria Warehouse, was one that I had never had the pleasure of patronising before but once the trauma of the parking demographics was navigated and I had made my way inside I was amazed, the interior was a thing of beauty and it was huge, the stage was probably as wide as the Main Stage at Bloodstock (or certainly it came very close) and the stripped back brick exposed walls only added to the natural charm and decadence of the venue.
First up were the Deathened Thrashers Schizophrenia and they wasted no time in pummelling us from every angle, Mandozzi was a beast on the vocals and thicker strings, each lyric spat out with venomous intent and toxic capability. Tracks such as ‘Souls Of Retribution’ and Structure Of Death’ were vehement, violent and incited action within the confines of the pit which overflowed with intensity and continuous aggressive tendencies. This had been an opening set on an epic and grandiosely successful stature, a set which will have made a lot of new friends and converts tonight. Simply put ladies and gentlemen, that is how you deliver an opening set.
Brutal, uncompromising, raw and battering Death Metal was up next by way of the legends that are Immolation. Dolan led the charge and emerged with the cavalry and wasted no time in launching into ‘An Act Of God’, the vocals were dispatched with power and dominance, each word launched with brutality and authority and soaked up by the adoring hordes stood before them.
The set progressed with flawless cruelty and decadent mutilation of any eardrums within shooting distance, ‘The Age Of No Light’ was mesmerising and a true lesson in stubborn, ferocious and vicious Death Metal, ‘Noose Of Thorns’ was a masterclass in fierce and blazing extreme music while ‘Father, You’re Not A Father’ from the majestic ‘Close To A World Below’ was absolute perfection and my personal highlight of the set, an absolutely crushing rendition and an example of a band, who like a fine wine are simply maturing and improving with age and still as relevant after 36 years as they were when they released ‘Dawn Of Possession’
It was time to swerve a little and take a slightly different angle with the sub headliners, it was time for some unadulterated Thrash from Richmond, Virginia, it was time for Municipal Waste. From the opening chords of ‘The Executioner’ there was an obvious necessity to strap yourselves in, that is unless you were part of the 300 plus surfers who contributed to the continuous tsunami of souls, the massive Niagara Falls of human bodies and one of the many crowd surfers who have now become synonymous with a Municipal Waste live event (and one which saw the security usher out the photographers during the second song due to the continuous bodies crashing down around us).
‘Headbanger Face Rip’ was energetic, ‘Sadistic Magician’ was bouncy and spirited while ‘The Art Of Partying’ was animated and ferocious in its execution. Foresta was his usual enthusiastic and passionate self while Ryan Waste managed his wing with influence and confidence, manipulating and traversing his fretboard with fluidity and intricate passion throughout the whole set. ‘Born To Party’ brought the set to a close, along with a much-needed respite for the security team up front, and then the Waste crew signed off with an obvious love and passion which they hold dear for the hordes of adoring fans stood before them (and a few still flying over the top even though the set had come to an end, god love ‘em)
So onto the main event, the epitome of Death Metal, the true definition of Extreme Metal and a band who are quintessentially barbarous in everything they do from their own moniker to the cover art on their albums to the guttural roars and the ferocious aural assault they unleash, it can be no other than the infamous and caustic Cannibal Corpse. As the strode onto the stage they were met with a heroes welcome which only went on to elevate a notch when Corpsegrinder came into sight, and then they were off.
‘Blood Blind’ was the first to carve us open and allowed us the first sight of just how demonic and impressive the vocals from Fisher were on this touring cycle. The set progressed with the likes of ‘Chaos Horrific’, a bludgeoning ‘The Wretched Spawn’ and a colossal ‘Kill Or Become’. This was Death Metal at its finest, stripped back and unrelenting, hammering and intimidating at every turn with the crowd reacting to just about every chord and beat that was laid upon them and every vocal that Corpsegrinder used to incite the violence and unleash the punishing soundtrack which we have all come to love and expect of the gargantuan Death Metal maestros.
Four bands, one bill and an evening packed full of everything any fan of Extreme Metal could ever wish for. Headbangers, it was time to check the calendars because on the back of that evening it may just be that Christmas has come early.
