Live Review: Bleed From Within – O2 Ritz, Manchester
10th October 2025
Support: After The Burial, Great American Ghost
Words: Matthew Williams
Photos: Tom Atkin
I’m always sceptical about going to watch metalcore shows, as it’s not my favourite metal genre, but with a sold-out show at the O2 Ritz in Manchester, Scottish band Bleed from Within intrigued me. This show came the night after I’d witnessed the spectacle that was Thrash of the Titans in Manchester, so they were faced with a massive challenge to match that.
A clap of thunder accompanied by flashing lights appear before openers Great American Ghost enter the stage in darkness. There's a huge scream of "Manchester, let's go" from vocalist Ethan Harrison, as they start with "Hymn of Decay". With guitarist Grayson Stewart providing softer vocals it mixes well with the aggressive frontman. There's a heavy start to "Lost in the Outline" with Harrison asking if Manchester "is out there".
Their songs are a mix of deep heavy sounds and traditional hardcore beat drops, and as the vocalist asks how many in the crowd know who they are, they launch into the blistering "Altar of Snakes". Apparently, he's done with "that standing still shit" and joins the crowd at the start of "Kerosene" as they are also from Manchester, albeit the New Hampshire one, and wants “to be at one with his siblings”, so he opens a wall of death, which gets the crowd fired up. It's a fierce song, played fast and gets people moving, which is exactly what he wants.
"Echoes of War" sees a slower start, with a clearer vocal and they sound good. "This means the world to us that you've shown up to watch us, get your phones out and light them up" as the crowd sway from side to side during "Writhe". With the guitarist taking on more of the early singing, Ethan comes back with the aggression later. "Our merch is there, come and see us after we finish, but Manchester, I want to see you spin this place, spin it, spin it" and the crowd do exactly that during final song "Forsaken" and it's a strong finish to their set with the siren sounding guitar riff.
Another new band to me were After The Burial, and the stage is bathed in green lights as the four piece from Minnesota take to the stage and we are encouraged to “bang your heads" by vocalist Anthony Notarmaso. With a stinging little riff, "In Flux” gets things off to a flying start with his mix of screamo vocals and deep growls.
"Spin this fucking room" as the aggression ramps up for second song “Exit, Exist" which gets a midpoint clap along and crowd surfers emerge. "Thank you all, we are After The Burial, and I need a little favour, I wanna see everyone front to back, side to side jump" and when they hit full pace he screams “now jump" and most take part. This was during “Behold the Crown" which is full of decent riffs.
"How many have heard of us? How many have seen us before?" He asks, "well, our bass player Adrian had to fly home due to a broken arm, so give it up for Anthony from Great American Ghost for stepping in for us. We've had a break but been in the studio, so we are playing this new song on tour", it's called "Hum from the Hollow" and it goes down well, with lots of heads banging and bodies moving to the rhythm. "Lost in the Static" sounded more like the metalcore sound I was expecting to hear tonight, before we had another bass change, with Grayson from Great American Ghost coming on stage to play the final two songs, "Death Keeps us from Living" and "Collapse" which have rumbling bass lines, heavier drums and faster solos to keep the masses happy. They leave to loud applause from an appreciative crowd.
Just before Bleed from Within started, I thought I was at the wrong gig, as Bon Jovi’s “Livin on a Prayer” blasts on the PA, and the crowd are in full voice, but when it ends, a stormy intro ushers everyone forward and the clapping begins, before the cheers as the quintet take to the stage.
With both guitarists stood aloft the platform either side of the drummer, they rip into “Violent Nature” followed by “Zenith” and the crowd are going beyond mental. With singer Scott Kennedy asking to “see those heads banging Manchester” he changes his vocal range well. There’s a wonderful eeriness to the backing vocal coming from a shadowy figure at the back, who is later introduced as Hannah Boulton. With the stage props looking like gold covered prawns, the crowd were loving it, and “Sovereign” is introduced as “a fucking heavy one” as the crowd surfers go wild.
They have some cracking solos, and huge double bass sound from drummer Ali Richardson, and I felt more at home than I thought I would at a metalcore show. They are intense and aggressive, and when Kennedy introduces them as “we are Bleed from Within from Glasgow, Scotland” the audience erupts. “Welcome to the Zenith tour. This really is a dream come true for us, and it’s such a beautiful sight. We’ve been a band for 21 years, so this is huge” and I could tell that he was overcome, and a bit shell shocked by what he saw unfolding in front of him several times across the night.
They rip through their set, with “I am Damnation”, and the brilliant “Stand Down” as he says that Manchester is the “second best place for us to play, next to Glasgow” but he’s massively impressed with the energy inside the venue and says that he’s “not sure how Glasgow beats this.” With “A Hope in Hell” followed by the fierce “Crown of Misery” they know how to pace their set extremely well, and the crowd knows all the words to next one “Levitate”. I could feel the floor shaking with the rumbling bass and as it ends, and he chats to the crowd, there’s a solitary crowd surfer, to whom Kennedy smiles and says, “that’s why Manchester are mad cunts.”
“Night Crossing” proceeds a drum solo, before we get to my favourite song of the night, “Dying Sun” which has a deep bass sound, and Boulton back on vocals. It’s an eerie song, and heads are exploding all over the place, before we all get down on the floor and bounce up for “God Complex”. They play their first single “Hands of Sin” from latest album “Zenith” next and it’s a proper rager, sparking more wildness in the crowd.
They even have time for a little acoustic number, “Edge of Infinity” a short of melodic metalcore ballad, which sounded good as it goes from soft to heavy in a flash. “We feel very grateful right now, and none of this is possible without you. We truly are living our dreams because you buy the albums and the tickets, so thank you. I also want to say thanks to Hannah Boulton, as she makes our songs so much better.”
They have none of that “encore bullshit” and finish with two further songs, “The End of All we Know” which sees the crowd in full voice and finally, “In Place of Your Halo” which I’m informed by the chap stood next to me, who has seen them four times this year, that I’m in for “a treat with this one” and he was right. The crowd gave their all, the band responded, and I left as a new fan of Bleed from Within.
Photo Credit: Tom Atkin
