Offal Fest 4 – 24-26th July 2026 – Boundary, Manchester
Offal Fest 4 24-26th July 2026
Boundary, Manchester
Live review by Oli Gonzalez
It’s that time of year once again. When lovers of all things slam and brutal descend upon Manchester for one of the heaviest weekends on the festival calendar! 2025 saw rare UK appearances from the likes of Skinless and Cerebral Effusion, as well as blistering sets from Wormed and Defeated Sanity. Whereas this year would be spearheaded by a European exclusive set from Regurgitation, rising Italian force Fulci and brutal slammers Devourment to close the Saturday (well, more on that later).
Originally planned to take place at The Bread Shed, the team moved the festival to Boundary, as part of MMU’s facilities. In the process, they unearthed an absolute gem of a venue! One designed for high performance and production, as well as comfort given all the seated areas to escape the chaos. Geographical convenience too, given it was only a short walk from Oxford Road and the major public transport links.
The action began on Friday night with anything but a gentle easing in! The festival sourced some of the finest talent in the local area with my personal highlights being as follows.
Friday
Having released a blistering album “Led Into Oblivion” only a few weeks prior, imagine the excitement knowing that the rising Scottish force would be playing this in full! They did, and it was wonderfully disgusting and beautifully savage! The band’s name is appearing on festivals all over Europe and the UK. It’s no wonder with the uncompromising energy, led by frontman Daryl.
Imagine booking one of the supreme heavyweights of the genre, having custom merch printed for their headline appearance…only for them having to withdraw! That’s the reality of Devourment, citing visa complications as the reason for withdrawing 24 hours before their appearance! A terrible hand to be dealt and a scramble to begin! Who would realistically be available on such short notice? Let’s see.
A special reunion set, and highly anticipated one at that. They reported it had been 13 years since they had played – and sadly it did show! Technical errors did disrupt the flow of the show. Though make no mistake, once these issues were resolved, they sounded monstrously heavy up there! They took full advantage of the venue’s superior sound system to give the Offal Fest collective a pleasant reminder of what had been missing from the scene!
Saturday
Day two and the question that everybody was asking was promptly answered by the organisers, first thing in the morning. Despite wild rumours that the likes of Napalm Death and Carcass would be headlining, securing a band of Devourment’s level on such short notice was bordering on impossible! As such, a second set of the weekend for Regurgitation People demanding refunds for this really should look themselves in the mirror! Anyway, rant over before it really begins. Let’s get back to the music…
365 days since their debut live set, an entertaining set filled with just as many one-liners and stand-up comedy than riffs. However, today they looked a lot more serious and like the real package! 3 became 4 as they were now armed with a bassist this time to fill out the sound. Though this would be bittersweet given that it would be drummer Jake’s final show with the band. They made full use of the production on offer to forge a reputation as serious contenders in the underground extreme metal scene!
Representing the old-school death metal end of the heavy spectrum, their sound felt like a throwback to the early days! Fronted by Peter Clarke, he cut the image of a man possessed and instantly drew you in with his relentless energy and conviction. ‘Psychology Of The Sick’ represented a highlight of the set, a bruising and pummeling encounter that was also refined and technical. Especially drummer John, who peeled off ferocious double kick blasts without breaking a sweat. Any major death metal bands passing through Northern Ireland must have Stranglewire support and open for them!
First of two Italian bands today, they were capable of mixing up the slower bludgeoning edges with the breakneck speed yet retaining clarity in their sound simultaneously. Even with the second guitarist, which could have resulted in a muddier mix but instead served as an enhancement with a series of blistering lead guitars! Everything about this gave Cannibal Corpse vibes, especially with vocalist Michele’s towering presence! A series of circle pits showed that they were more than appreciated. A pleasant surprise indeed!
Having travelled from far east Asia to be here, this represented the festival’s commitment to scouring the globe for the best talent. The band’s frontman and guitarist Naru sported a unique World War 2 style gas mask permanently fitted with his microphone, which simultaneously eliminated the need for a mic stand and enabled him to move around freely and entice the crowd. Not that they needed much encouragement; within literally seconds of their set, one person decided to go airborne and crowd surf! The pits became even more feral as the set continued, as the set mixed up grind-inspired harshness with thrash-style melody, especially with a series of soaring guitar leads and solo! A breath of fresh air from the weekend’s brutality.
The second installment of Italian death metal today, sharing band members from Inverecund, including the instantly recognisable figure of Michele fronting the band. They were anything but a carbon copy, though. This was refined, technical, yet cutting no corners when it came to dropping the hammer. Being right at the barrier meant getting the best view, but also meant having to dodge a few crowd surfers like homing missiles! The price we pay for brutality! One of my most anticipated bands of the weekend, they did not disappoint!
Having laid waste to every venue they had played on this run of shows in the UK, this would end tonight in Manchester. Rather than phoning it in, they ensured they went out with a forceful statement and impact! What a statement they made. No fluff or thrills, this was straight-up brutal death metal from arguably the birthplace of it all, New York City. The crowd was red hot and orchestrated with frightening ease by frontman Zach, who effortlessly ordered what was comfortably the largest wall of death of the day with the simple command ‘split’. The Boundary venue has surely never seen anything like this before!
As is becoming tradition, an announcement for next year was made. Now, some terrible journalism on my part as I missed most of this, but the cheers and roars encouraged me to sprint back into the room and check it out. Visceral Infest were amongst the names, returning to the city after headlining Goremaggedon 2025. As well as the verbal announcement that Devourment would be making their return! More announcements to be made later in the year!
Now, we would have been gearing up for Devourment’s set. But Regurgitation kindly and gracefully stepped up at the last minute, offering a rare 2 for 1 deal! Though a combination of tiredness, fatigue, and aching meant catching a small 25-minute portion of their set for me, a primer for the next day…
Sunday
Arriving as soon as one-man Irish goregrind force Lymphoedema was finishing his set, the place was nicely packed out, some with hangovers, day ticketers arriving fresh as a daisy.
2 men against the world. Their guitars and years of venomous guttural angst pouring into their microphones! Whether they had a live drummer or not was irrelevant. The crowd loved it, and the pits were truly open for business. Whereas I admired from a safe distance at the back, impressed by their guitar skills and by how much sheer noise and carnage they created! They came highly rated, and it’s easy to see why.
Question. Could the bass tone be more clangy and rattling? With the guitar occupying the low end and the bassist on the higher end, this made for a more interesting mix. Though there was no lack of venom in the sound! Being a 3-piece meant there was no margin for error, and they remained tight and well-oiled throughout.
Answer. No.
Quite possibly the band of the weekend! They were heavy. Very heavy! But refined and oozing with technical prowess; whatever magic the sound engineers sprinkled on the desk brought out the very best in the French extreme metallers! This is why I love this festival, for unearthing gems like this!
Having missed them in April due to illness, this was a personal chance of redemption for me. They returned to the festival after a headline set in 2023. A hero’s welcome ensued. A delayed one given some technical issues, but that meant a more truncated 25-minute set to compress all that explosive energy in one devastating package! Easily the most violent pit of the weekend!
After being announced as the replacement for Lividity, I genuinely questioned whether the Italians warranted the boost up to co-headline and close out the festival. Well, how dumb I sound now! They represent the future of the genre, and no wonder. It’s not just their flawless old school death metal sound. It’s the visual aspect, with cult horror movies and with the lyrics projected on the screens, making this a visually engaging appearance as well as a transfixing aural assault! Fulci are going far!
Closing Thoughts
What’s more to say? Offal Fest is becoming one of my favourite festivals, up there with Damnation and Fortress. I’ll gladly go into the festival blind knowing that not only will they reveal pearl after pearl of a band, but they’ll always do the right thing and ensure every decision is made to give their customers the best experience possible.
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