Live Review: Thrashchester - Rebellion, Manchester
16th November 2024
Featuring: Tortured Demon, Incinery, Imperium, Regicide, Thrasherwolf
Words: Matthew Williams
Photos: Rich Price Photography
Firstly, I’d like to apologise to the bands I missed on Saturday on my first trip to Thrashchester, as I couldn’t make the full day, but when I walked into what seems to be my second home, Rebellion, it was heaving at the sold-out event, and Thrasherwolf were just about to begin.
With an introduction of “We’ve come from South London, are you ready to be Consumed?” it goes off again from the crowd who still seem to have an incredible amount of energy left in them. What was great to see what the mix of ages. People see thrash metal fans as people stuck in the 80’s holding onto something precious, but tonight proved that the young generation are coming through and picking up that gauntlet.
Thrasherwolf have a cracking bass sound and with lead vocalist/guitarist Daniel Lucas encouraging the crowd as he wants to “see some carnage” they rip through their set of songs played primarily from their latest album “Inside the Sickened Mind”. With some decent riffs in the songs, we are treated to “Scream Till Death” with the masses screaming on demand, before they end their energetic set with the excellent “G.B.H. (Gratuitous Bodily Harm)” as they watch out on a quite crazy pit.
Several of the bands on the bill were new to me, and with Regicide, they instantly grabbed my attention, with several cracking thrash riffs spread across their music. They have a great tempo, and occasionally slow it down, but more often that not, its heads down thrash, which is well received by the punters. With songs like “Unified Strength” and “One by One” they finally get a few stage divers to light the place up even more.
They have a decent amount of groove in their music as well, which also goes down well, and I felt that during “You Ain’t Nobody” I heard a bit of Biohazard in there. With vocalist and guitarist Niall Byrne saying that “it’s fucking dancing time” they rip into “Disposable Crown” with a Die, Die, Die chant that I’ve heard somewhere before, can’t imagine where, ha ha, before we get the obligatory wall of death and they end with another fast one called “Run your Mouth” to finish off a cracking set.
Next up were London thrash 5-piece, Imperium, who have a bouncy firebrand of a frontman called Ben Porter at the helm, who encourages everyone inside to “have a good night Manchester”. After some good riffs in the first song, we are told by a joking Porter “that was an acoustic song, now we’ll do some thrash” and do some thrash they do!!! Sadly, we get some tech issues from the drummer, but in the interim we hear some of “Orion” from bassist Rapha Comes, which is always welcomed.
Fully back, and with “a battle for the banana” in full flow being encouraged by Porter, they crack on with “Desperate Screams”, then he appears to get the wrong song, as stage divers emerge for “Here Comes the Night”. In full flow, they are a cracking live band and have the riffs to back them up, and the crowd seem to love them and with the last song, “When Kings Meet” Porter wants to see “people bleeding” which thankfully doesn’t happen, but they are impressed at what they’ve just watched.
“Manchester, let me hear you!!!!!” as Nottinghamshire based quintet Incinery waste no time messing about and plough straight into their set with I think “Behind the Lies” and with a second song full of groove, they are fun to watch, and the crowd are going nuts. “This has made the journey worthwhile. We’ve got lots of songs but not much time” as they play “Savage Lands” and so begins the stream of stage divers.
What I did enjoy was when the twin guitarists were engaged in their solo wars, like swordsman at a battle, frontman James Rawlings walks to the side of the drummer and turns his back on the crowd, immersed in his own world, and drifts back when required. They have some seriously fast riffs, “Carrion King” I think, before they slow it down a bit with the chugginess of “Dead, Bound and Buried” yet the mayhem continues both on and off the stage. With two more songs left, we are entertained with “Rise”, and they finish off with “The Madman’s Tale” which sees the bassist jump off the stage and play in the middle of the circle pit. Lots of fun to watch.
Having been announced as headliners at last year’s event, Oldham’s own Tortured Demon were back on home turf as they finish off their headline UK tour. With 2025 headliners being announced on stage as Lawnmower Deth, a personal favourite of mine, the crowd were now at fever pitch, as the slightly long introduction heralded the return of the local band and with a screaming “Thrashchester” from Jacob Parkinson, the pit has left some energy in the tank as “Rise of the Lifeless” begins.
I first saw Tortured Demon a little over a year ago at the Academy 3 and was really impressed with how far they’ve come in such a short pace of time. Having introduced themselves at “we are Tortured Death from right here in fucking Manchester” they play with speed, accuracy and fury to an expectant home crowd and with the stage divers getting more and more frantic, as they play “The Invasion” and “Conflict of Interest” both being insanely good.
“This shit is a dream to me” comments a beaming Jacob, “I first came here back in 2021 as a 15-year-old and was looked after so well, and what an introduction this is to an all day festival” with full applause given to the 0161 Manchester Underground Metal Community Team. “Disfavour” and the recently released “Nothing left to Say” sees the stage rammed with not only the band and a queue of stage divers but also more photographers than I’ve ever seen on a stage!!!
“Best hometown gig ever” as chaos ensure during “The Damage is Done” as bodies young and old, all shapes and sizes throw themselves off the stage and into a heaving pit, when everything suddenly stops. Somebody is down in the crowd people are frantically waving their arms and it looks serious. We all await the security/medical team, and you can see that the band are worried. “Please, I just want everyone to be safe out there and take it easy” says Jacob, as they carry on the song after being assured that the lady was sitting up at the back and was ok.
They finish off with a three song burst of “Erase Your Life”, the wonderful “Global Threat” and the vicious “A Knee to the Face of Corruption” and despite the previous incident and being told by Parkinson to take it easy, mayhem ensues and you can visibly see Jacob’s eyes and body language looking worried, but when looking out he would have seen hundreds of happy, smiling, and exhausted faces, as they have been treated to a day of excellent thrash metal finished off in style by Tortured Demon. See you next year.
Photo credits: Rich Price Photography
