Live Review: Mephestofeles - Star & Garter, Manchester
6th November 2025
Support: Trill, Dungeon, Mind Burial
Words: Matthew Williams
Mephistofeles are an Argentinian stoner/doom metal trio, who incorporate a heavy fuzzed out sound that is quite extraordinary. When I saw that they were embarking on their first ever visit to Europe, including some UK dates, then I jumped at the chance to see them, especially as they were playing at Manchester’s renown house of doom, The Star & Garter.
What I wasn’t expecting, was a full bill of four bands, so upon parking my car nearby, I could hear the Scottish doom trio Trill in full flow. The venue was busy, and after a quick plug problem for the guitarist halted proceedings for a slight moment, they carried on with their young take on an old genre. They get a ripple of applause in between songs, but the vocal wasn't particularly clear and sounded a bit muffled at times. A quick tune up and lots of feedback greets the introduction to their final song as they launch into it with full gusto and make one hell of a racket to end their set.
A bit later than expected, Dorset trio Dungeon take to the stage with lots of reverb and echoes on the vocal, meaning that I couldn’t understand a word that the vocalist was saying. The music is the customary slow and heavy, but they break it up with bursts of mayhem and madness and they sound better when they are doing this. It's full of energy in contrast to the thoroughly enjoyable witching hour darkness of impending doom that the rest of the music is.
They continue with the eeriness, sounding like a thunderous storm approaching, with the drummer being an imposing presence throughout. After screaming another unintelligible song title, the bass has a slow, energetic bounce to it, like you are watching a balloon being burst in slow motion. They guitar sound is superb across the set, and the rhythm flows well and with a huge crescendo of noise they finish off.
The t-shirt on sale says “Very 'Eavy, Very 'Orrible” and it sums Mind Burial up perfectly. Another trio, who make one hell of a noise from the start, opening with the impressive “Obsidian Black”. The bass sound is huge, and they have plenty of big riffs but suffer as have all the bands from a muddled vocal sound. However, the music is very impressive with the bassist being so laid back that he's almost horizontal!!!
They plough on with “Only Good for Conversation” and “Night” which demonstrate their great mix, with the start of one being mellow and relaxing whilst maintaining that heavy edge. They switch tempo's well throughout and with the bassist taking on vocal duties whilst keeping the pace high. I can feel the floor reverberating underneath me such is the intensity of the bass as the rhythm is spot on. With the guitarist back on vocals they switch back to a doom sound and play “What’s Going On” which has a Motorhead feel to it, before they end with the venomous “Inertia’s Cradle” leaving to loud applause.
I had a quick chat with Mephistofeles vocalist and guitarist Gabriel Ravera before they started, and he informed me that they were enjoying themselves on this tour, and the energy in the room was palpable. With the first few notes of “Satan Sex Ceremonies” blasting out, the crowd were fired up and the energy from the stage electric.
The trio have a huge sound from the off, and the rumbling bass from Ismael Dimenza alongside the drums from Luca Frizza, combine to make one hell of a rhythm section. “Whore” and the brilliant “Black Sunday” are played to their adoring fans, as heads are banging all over the place. “We are Mephistofeles from Argentina, and it’s our first time in the UK” says a beaming Ravera as they get huge applause.
They mix their tempos superbly well, going slow and heavy when needed, which is mesmerising throughout the next couple of songs, “Buried in Worms” and “Profanation”. Both are phenomenal to witness live, with Ravera in full flow on guitar with the latter being the highlight of their set for me, as it was pure magic.
The musicianship on show is of an extremely high level, and the rhythm doesn’t falter or deteriorate for a second as they go into “The Meaning of All Evil”. Ravera introduces the band one by one, before adding “It’s our first time Manchester, we are happy to be here, thank you for coming” as they add that psychedelic groove ahead of “Curse of the Knife”. It’s slower, more expansive, with lots of cymbal work from Frizza, who then sets a pulsating rhythm.
They finish off with two more songs, the spellbinding “Lucky Spin” and the enticing “Evil Beauty” which are both heavy as hell, and draw the crowd closer to them, as they are captivated by what is being played out on stage before them. It left me and everyone else wanting more, so let’s hope that they come back to these shores soon.
