Live Review: Warbringer - The Bread Shed, Manchester
27th April 2023
Support: Hellripper, Blacklist
Words: Matthew Williams
Photos: Rich Price Photography
On a late April evening, I head to The Bread Shed in Manchester, a venue I’ve never visited before, to watch the much anticipated return of Warbringer to the North West, and they’ve brought along one of Britain’s finest black/speed metal band, Hellripper, along for the ride.
The venue is really busy for a Thursday evening, buzzing in anticipation of seeing two bands who have reputation for explosive live shows. First up though, are Blackpool thrashers Blacklist, who have a fast and furious style, almost like a return to the 80’s thrash era, but with a modern twist, and the appreciative crowd give them a well earned round of applause at the end of their set.
With the release of 'Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags' earlier this year, Hellripper have released my album of the year so far, and this was my first time seeing James and his assembled crew. And boy did they turn up the heat and not let me or anybody else down. At 8.20pm precisely, the chaos began. Standing in a Bathory t-shirt, James commanded the stage, and let rip with opener 'Spectres of the Blood Moon Sabbath', the noise is deafening and the pit begins to grow. And by the time 'Hell’s Rock and Roll' starts, the pace is kicked up both on and off the stage.
For a band who live at opposite ends of the country, they are like a well-oiled machine, and when instant classic 'Goat Vomit Nightmare' is played, the crowd go ballistic, bodies flinging around everywhere, but still not as crazy as when another new song 'The Nuckelavee' gets an airing. Its speed metal personified, and gives you everything you want from a live song.
They rip through the next few songs, 'From Hell' with a stunning solo, 'The Affair of the Poisons', with the drum heavy intro and insane guitars, just gives way to more utter bedlam from the crowd, before they end with 'All Hail the Goat', which sparks wild fury, a pit filling the entire floor, a comically failed crowd surfer and James bellows that we are all “crazy fucks” before we have three minutes of more madness with 'Headless Angels'. Insanely brilliant from start to finish.
The crowd goes off in search of liquid refreshment, and to get ready for another hour of ferocious thrash metal from Los Angeles headbangers Warbringer. Doing his mic check, frontman John Kevill asks the waiting masses, “Are you ready to wreck this place or what Manchester?” And the answer is a resounding yes, yes they are ready, but I don’t think they were quite anticipating what they were about to receive.
It's been about 5 or 6 years since Warbringer last played Manchester, supporting Havok I later questioned with John, and the intro music began, subtle red lighting floods the stage, each band member comes on to rapturous applause, before a crack of thunder beckons the frontman to the stage and they launch into 'Firepower Kills'.
After almost six weeks on the stage, Warbringer are like seasoned professionals, and this performance is slick, with the expectant crowd getting involved from the off. They cruise into 'The Black Hand Reaches Out' and the trio of opening songs from 2020’s “Weapons of Tomorrow” concludes with the awesome 'Crushed Beneath the Tracks' which inspires more insane pit action from the crowd.
John Kevill commands the stage, basking in the applause of his adoring public, all here to pay homage to their thrash heroes. He assures us that it won’t be another 5 or 6 years until they return, but this is an hour or so of brutal thrash metal, with the band and crowd in unison every step of the way.
The band produce a killer set of hit songs, carefully selected to ensure maximum effort from both the band and the crowd. 'Living Weapon', epic, 'Woe to the Vanquished' anthemic and when 'Living in a Whirlwind' begins the frontman demands bigger circle pits, crowds surfers, stage divers and he gets exactly what he wants from the crowd. But with 'Hunter-Seeker', the intensity goes up another level, with a guitar riff from hell, and a roar of approval from the masses of sweating bodies.
The encore begins with the song of the night for me, 'Silhouttes' as wall of people link arms in the middle of the floor and start headbanging in unison, the monstrous 'Remains Violent' and finally we arrive at 'Total War' which sparks off the biggest circle pit of the night, as the madness continues across the venue for a final time. A truly epic performance from Warbringer, relentless, seamless, and destructive.
All photo credits: Rich Price Photography
