LIVE: Nile, Hideous Divinity, Intrepid, Pestifer
Nile, Hideous Divinity, Intrepid, Pestifer
Rebellion, Manchester
10/09/2024
Live Review by Oli Gonzalez
Nile. A seminal Death Metal band and genre heavyweights. A band I’ve admired for over 15 years since I first stumbled across them in my late teenage years. Yet for one reason or another I had just never been able to see them live. As a seventeen year old, I was drawn to the wonderful blend of technical complexity and raw brutality centred around the unique theme of ancient Egyptian mythology and culture, so you can imagine how excited I was to finally get the chance to see them as they were rocking up into my newly adopted hometown! The USA natives were storming across Europe on tour in support of their newly released album “The Underworld Awaits Us All”. In support were Hideous Divinity, Intrepid, and Pestifer, bands at various stages of their evolution but closer to the cutting-their-teeth phase rather than the seasoned veteran status of Nile. Having seen chaotic Extreme Metal gigs at Rebellion in recent months, I was expecting the very same on this Tuesday night!
Pestifer
Having been given what some consider the graveyard slot, the Belgian act had to contend with a tight space on the stage due to the masses of gear, appearing a little uncomfortable at first.This discomfort quickly became a fierce and technically furious performance as the first notes echoed brilliantly through the venue. The venue that seemed disappointingly quiet at this moment. Well, for those who couldn’t make it early, it was their loss! This was wonderful! Every musician delivered a phenomenally technically refined performance, though it was the bassist who stood out the most. You know things are going to be serious when you see a fretless bass appear! This was anything but root notes. No, over-worldly hypnotic grooves gave a flavour similar to that of Opeth or Beyond Creation, making it well and truly a main and not a background character. This was a solid start indeed and a fantastic find for me personally, a band who I had no idea existed until 30 minutes earlier!
Intrepid
Estonia’s Intrepid were up next. Despite appearing to be very young, they played with a maturity beyond their years and delivered an older school brutal flavour of Death Metal, reminiscent of Cannibal Corpse or Cryptopsy. No glamour or fancy bits, just old fashioned Death Metal. Like water simmering in a saucepan, you could sense the pits were going to open soon, with some swaying and movement increasing. Then it came, the first pits of the evening. The highest compliment for a band, no? It felt as though the crowd were saving their energy as the night was still young, though this was certainly well received. It’s safe to say the band have a bright future ahead of them if tonight was anything to go off of.
Hideous Divinity
Continuing the international theme, Italy’s Hideous Divinity were up next. A more refined act but no less heavy or brutal as those that preceded them. All the traditional elements of an extreme metal band were present – blistering guitars, a phenom of a vocalist, alongside thunderous bass and drums delivering the exclamation point. Though it was the cleverly intricate use of synths and backing tracks that really drew me in, offering a melodic quality working in sweet juxtaposition to this Extreme Metal cadence. The band’s frontman oozed with class and charisma, delivering frightening depth and ferocity in his voice, and also carried the band exceptionally well during a period when their guitarist suffered technical issues. The crowd were well and truly awake at this point, with the pits in full motion. I wonder how many in attendance had been introduced to Hideous Divinity this evening. I’m one of those and I am glad!
Nile
“NILE! NILE! NILE”
The main event. The crowd chanting in unison to encourage the band to hit the stage earlier and end the seemingly never ending wait. They hit the stage. No fancy walk on, just calmly collecting their instruments and getting straight into the first smash hit, ‘Sacrifice Unto Sebek”. This set was to feature a mix of old school bangers and fresh hits from their latest album, offering a broad and true reputation of what is a phenomenal back catalogue. The crowd were more than satisfied and demonstrated their appreciation by crashing into each other repeatedly for well over an hour! The pits and chaos calmed as the pace slowed to a glacial drip as we were treated to the masterfully sludgy riff fest that is ‘Sarcophagus’. The pace picked up swiftly afterwards as the evening finished with ‘Black Seeds Of Vengeance’, with the whole room chanting along in darkened unison, almost like a cult ritual as the song closed out. Then, that was that…
I’m spoilt. So spoilt to have gigs of this quality available right on my doorstep here in Manchester! To be exposed to some brand new music as well as ticking off a huge bucket list band is a genuine privilege too! What bucket list bands will I be ticking off my list in 15 years’ time from today?
VENUE
PROMOTER
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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez 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.
