M2TM Manchester 2023 – Heat 8
M2TM Manchester 2023 – Heat 8
The Rebellion, Manchester
Date: 12/03/23
Review by Rob Sutton
We reach the end of the heat so that means as well as 2 bands going through tonight, we also find out who gets the wildcard votes.
Taking the stage first was heavy rockers Bourbon Hitcher, a band I have shared the stage with previously and seen on multiple occasions. They begin with a cracking intro where the lights flashing red really create the perfect atmosphere for their set. Blasting into the first song we are met with some fantastic riffs and great beats with the gritty voice from the guitarist fitting their style perfectly, although did have a tendancy to break in a couple of places but nevertheless it was a very solid sound. Their overall performance was also really tight, each song was played to a very high standard and got the crowd bobbing their heads throughout. While the band have good presence on stage, filling it beautifully, it is between the songs where things are lacking. We are left with a lot of silence, leaving the crowd a little lost and when they do speak to the crowd there is very minimal crowd pumping. A brilliant comment was made by the front man “It’s gone a bit quiet,” – well in fairness you’re the performers so fill that silence! Give another member a microphone or give some of your energy to the crowd. What I will say though is Bourbon Hitcher were the first band in the competition to mention merch which was actually quite nice as merch has been lacking throughout the competition. Overall there is a massive improvement on their performance in terms of music from the last time I saw them and couldn’t really fault that bit, but the gaps between songs did leave a lot of people losing interest.
https://www.facebook.com/BourbonHitcher
The stage then turned into a scene from a Viking series on Netflix, and that can only mean one thing… Manchester’s own village raiders Vlka hit the stage. Now these guys I have reviewed a fair few times before and this time we have a bit of a different set, including a new intro which is lacking some horns but still works well. The riffs are to their usual quality and the solos here really stand out. The addition of a new song, something about war – as every song is about war with these guys – seems to stray away from their usual style, featuring a much fatter sound with some breakdowns thrown in for good measure. This is a fantastic song though I can’t help but feel the vocals are lacking a bit of power and perhaps some lower pitch to them on the heavier bits. Besides that, it’s a cracking tune and the crowd loves Vlka with many of them dancing, pitting and even doing the usual Viking metal rowboat. For the final song they try to get half the crowd to shout one thing and another to shout another before going into a wall of death. It felt a bit unprepared as I had no idea what was going on but still there was an epic pit after it. This was a very solid set and realistically there wasn’t much I could pick at. The crowd loved it and so did I.
https://www.facebook.com/vlkaofficial
The first of 2 new bands for me start with Wicked Side, a NWOBHM band based in Manchester. Looking these guys up they have been around a fair while, since 2009 from their Facebook, so I was expecting a high level of professionalism and I wasn’t disappointed. Their set begins with a Disney intro which the crowd loved before flying straight into the first 2 songs, both of which were laced with old school riffs and soaring solos. This is all straight to the point for the genre and the vocals and drums add to this beautifully most notably a brilliant drum solo into the second song. As the set progresses there is plenty of crowd interaction and a lot of showing off, again on point for the genre. Though as the set goes on the lack of range in the vocals do end up making the set drag a little. Overall this was a very tight and enjoyable set with bags of character on stage. If you are one who enjoys the old school sound of metal then these guys will be just right for you.
https://www.facebook.com/WickedSideBand
Finally taking the stage was another new band for me, Vmbra. These guys and girl bring a very proggy approach to the evening with plenty of atmospheric sounds through the use of a keyboard as opposed to backing tracks. These are simply stunning and coupling this with some sublime vocal harmonies just make their sound simply beautiful. In fairness I am completely in awe of the talent on display here – vocally this is a masterclass! As for the rest of the music it is beautifully slick with the transitions between songs working a treat to keep the ambience levels on point. For a band to blend these levels of prettiness and heaviness is a rarity but Vmbra execute this perfectly. I think I could ramble on all day about how much I enjoyed these guys and would highly recommend them to anyone who has a soft spot for pretty music!
https://www.facebook.com/VMBRAUK
So that’s the heats all done and dusted and with this being a strong heat to round out proceedings there is a chance that some of these could go through on the wildcard. Going through by crowd vote was Vlka and judges was Vmbra, both i agree with! We also find out the 2 wildcards and the first was Destroy Planets who I am glad got another chance as they were incredible in their heat and the second went to Napierdalec, although their set was a mess on their heat I am intrigued to see how they perform if things go their way.
Despite mixed reviews of the heats, overall this has been a very strong year and I am looking forward to seeing who ends up in the final.
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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rob Sutton and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
