Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Primitive Man, Wormrot – LIVE
Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Primitive Man, Wormrot
Liverpool O2 Academy, Liverpool
09/03/24
Live Review by Michael Nashvili
Photography by Rob Lindesay
Probably the heaviest gig of the year so far in the UK saw extreme metal legends headline a bill with 3 other established bands from overseas.
Discussions beforehand concerned which is the best Heavy Metal band of all time from the UK if you were to only consider the really heavy stuff, excluding classic yet still valued metal like Iron Maiden. We concluded that it is probably Napalm Death; such is the extent of their work over their near 43 year existence, with 18 studio albums plus several cover and live albums. Not only are they credited with inventing the grindcore genre, which may be considered the most extreme subgenre of metal, but they also incorporated many other heavy styles into their work including crust punk, thrash, death metal and groove metal.
On the bill first are Singaporean band Wormrot who are now grindcore stalwarts in their own right having formed in 2007 and play with great proficiency. As a 3 piece the guitarist and drummer are tight to the point of being mesmerising to watch, while singer Gabriel Dubko has as good a range of guttural screams and howls as any. Like many more recent bands, they don’t really need a bassist because it’s so heavy and brutal as it is. The intensity is what sets these bands apart though and tonight that’s what you get early doors from Wormrot. This is what makes grindcore great compared to most other forms of music in a world which will soon be flooded with AI generated cack.
https://www.facebook.com/wormrot/
Next up is Primitive Man. Anyone who thought after Wormrot that they were going to struggle with hours of extremely heavy and intense grindcore got a reprieve here as Primitive Man slow things right down with their doom metal style. The lights are dimmed red and the figures that emerge are each as though every single member of Crowbar is in one body. The “songs” are colossal affairs of huge heavy, distorted noise and riffs with the singer almost like a god at the dawn of time offering utterances to the other gods, maybe even spewing out a planet or two in rage and fury. Really a sight to behold, worth witnessing to see the next level in this type of music.
https://www.facebook.com/primitivemandoom
Like Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer are legends in grindcore and have now been going for over two and a half decades with a huge catalogue of albums where each one of them is just as heavy and intense. By now the crowd are getting going and a circle pit forms as the band play classics ‘Gravedancer’ and ‘Thumbsucker’ from their 2004 classic “Terrifyer”. What makes Pig Destroyer great is that amongst all the blast beats and fast parts are some inventive, technical riffs and chaotic metal parts that you would normally associate with more regular metal bands and so it’s accomplished as well as very heavy. There are also the samples from movies that are now played by their dedicated keyboard/noise guy Alex Cha while he goes wild with the crowd such as the classic ‘his eyes were gone, his ears were gone, his nose was gone, there was nothing left’. One of the best extreme metal bands that many people will have seen!
https://www.facebook.com/TheRealPigDestroyer
What is the most incredible thing about these types of bands is when you have a band that is still going strong after many decades like Napalm Death because of the stamina required to play this type of music. It takes a lot to play live at the speed and intensity year after year and so it’s a great privilege to witness them tonight as they play a mix of old and new with classics like ‘Scum’, ‘Suffer the Children’ and opening with ‘From Enslavement to Obliteration’ from the early records, alongside a mix from the later records. Iconic bassist Shane Embury doesn’t even have to look as he pummels his bass at lightning speed in what is an awe-inspiring sight, likewise with guitarist John Cooke whose dreadlocks are mixed up with the guitar strings as singer Barney Greenway screams with intensity and passion. The drummer Danny Herrera you could watch all night. They churn out songs from the 90s that are a bit slower, more regular metal or death metal, though it’s mainly
pummeling their grindcore that has influenced so many bands with along with the Dead Kennedys cover of ‘Nazi Punks F**k Off’. Everyone will have found it a real privilege to see these bands tonight. Barney’s parting shot delights the crowd as he announces that the band are nowhere near done, and that we should expect new music and more tour dates next year.
https://www.facebook.com/officialnapalmdeath
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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Michael Nashvili and Ever Metal. Photography the property of Rob Lindesay @rock.the.lens . It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
