Category: news

Live Gallery: Voivod – Rebellion, Manchester

12th June 2025
Support: Midnight, Cryptosis
Photos: Rich Price

We look back at the epic Voivod show through the eyes of our photographer Martin Hingley!

Voivod

Midnight

Cryptosis

Fans

Photo credits: Rich Price Photography

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

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Live Review: Voivod – Rebellion, Manchester

12th June 2026
Support: Midnight, Cryptosis
Words: Dan Barnes
Photos: Rich Price

Back at the Rebellion Bar in Manchester for one of the most anticipated events of the summer – for me, anyway. While the masses have braved the elements and relocated to Leicestershire for the Download festival this weekend, and are enjoying Limp – and probably soggy – Bizkits, we’re ensconced in the smouldering heat of Rebellion for one of the most Metal shows on the calendar this year.

Dutch destroyers, Cryptosis, have been able to witness the co-headliner carnage first hand every night on this tour, and as the last English date arrives, the three-piece is in devastating form. Firing up with a spooky intro, Faceless Matter gets things moving, with smoke pots and some serious power trio action. This is the most metal you’ll see: pure, unadulterated dedication to the craft of pummelling an audience. Blending uncompromising pace with atmospherics and a blackened thrash approach pays dividends as they move into Reign of Infinite, also taken from last year’s Celestial Death sophomore record. There’s a Venom energy in the vocal delivery of Laurens Houvast, who evokes the classic metal of back-in-the-day by playing shark-fin guitar.

Rhythm section of bassist Frank te Riet and drummer Marco Prij create a rock-solid platform upon which Laurens can operate, with Marco setting the precedence for the evening for superlative drumming. It’s Cryptosis’ first time back in Manchester since 2022 and their shows with Vektor, and they appear to have recaptured that thrashing momentum into The Silent Call. Third newbie of the night, Absent Presence, slows things down but increases the intensity for a doomy head-bobber; In Between Realities speeds thing right up again. It’s back to the 2021 debut for the closing duo of Death Technology and Transcendence, arriving as they do with youthful exuberance and blasting smoke pots. What a way to start the show!

It’s rammed solid for Athenar and his blackened thrash machine that is Midnight as they continue to celebrate fifteen-years of their debut full-length, Satanic Royalty. Another three-piece, masked and mysterious, Midnight blast off by going way back to the very beginning with demo track, Unholy and Rotten’s classic heavy metal sound. Second record, No Mercy for Mayhem is represented by the infectious chorus of Evil Like a Knife’s speed metal assault; it’s a foot to the floor riotous number that sees the first surfer heading over.

Then it’s a full play through of the debut record from the title track’s dirty riffing and thunderous bass lines to the thrashing beats and crash-ending of Shock Til Blood, it’s another punishing masterclass of how to do Metal. Classic gallops colour Necromania, Black Damnation veers between caveman aggression and precision technicality; Rip this Hell suggests being a ballad before ripping into something heavy and intense, and Lust Filth and Sleaze is primed to make you break the speed limit.

Athenar admits his love for the United Kingdom and its history as far as heavy music is concerned, leading into the very Venom speed metal of Violence on Violence. He even helps a surfer onto the stage without missing a bass beat during Savage Dominance, before calling for Manchester’s best football chant, admitting he’s drinking water, and waxes lyrically about the dubious benefits of Carlsberg Special Brew. Climaxing with the abrasive punk attitude of Fucking Speed and Darkness and the Metal-as-Fuck F.O.A.L. – or Fuck Off and Live – it’s hard to imagine watching a support band that makes you forget that there’s a headliner to come on. Even more so when Voivod is that headliner, but such was the nature of this Midnight set.

Whispered concerns were being muttered of how Voivod could follow what Midnight just did, but you don’t have forty-five years under your belt, fifteen records, a bunch of EPs and Live albums, as well as a rabid fan-base and limitless respect for ingenuity for nothing. Impossible to define and even more impossible to emulate, these Canadians have forged a career from being utterly unique and following their own path. The crowd appears to have thinned out a little after Midnight’s set, but those of us left are ready to pay homage to one of Metal’s most innovative and enduring acts.

With no new record to promote, other than the live Symphonique album, the band use this opportunity to take Manchester on a whistle-stop tour of their vast discography. Experiment and Tribal Convictions, both from 1988’s classic Dimension Hatröss album start the set, bookending the more contemporary – though no less essential – Obsolete Beginnings from The Wake. The organisation of the tracks show that Voivod have never really stood still, and their progressive, spacey extremity was as vibrant and vital in 2018 as it was in 1988.

After the hypnotism of Tribal Convictions, it’s back to the Eighties and the Rrröööaaarrr record for the balls-out thrashing of Korgüll the Exterminator, as Chewie blasts those old riffs like they were his very own. Nothingface’s The Unknown Knows has a grooving pattern and Snake scats over the mid-section as only he can; he admits to needing to stretch his vocal cords out a little for the only detour into the Eric ‘E-Force’ Forrest era material, Nanoman, and to his credit, Snake does a credible job outside of his usual comfort zone.

A war-torn Tornado follows; Snake and bassist, Rocky, drape covers over their heads in tribute to Midnight, before smashing into the debut album’s title track, War and Pain. This is what a sweetly purring machine looks and sounds like, with every facet operating at prime levels. Chewie’s fretboard is almost down to the wood in most places and behind the kit, constant and founding member, Away, might look like a university professor, but he’s the scourge of any drums he sits behind.

Graphics on the rear screen spool through a series of album art inspired images which, when studied, are deeply disturbing. Deep cut, Condemned to the Gallows, the first song the band ever recorded and included on 1984 To the Death… demo, has started to get played more of recent years, after spending four decades in storage. Pink Floyd’s Astronomy Domine sums up Voivod to perfection with it’s spacey, progressive vibes, it’s as much their song now as it is Floyd’s. Leaving only the band’s eponymous song, Voivod, to bring an end to the set and the evening.

Were Voivod in any danger of not competing with Midnight? Possibly not, but when two awesome band like this lock-horns, the only winner are the folks with the tickets in their hands. We’re only halfway through June and there’s already been so many great gigs this year that December’s End of Year poll is shaping up to be a joyous headache.

Photo credits: Rich Price Photography

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Album Review: Lost in Kyiv – We’re All Going to Be Fine

The summer of 2026 is looking to be a special year for Lost In Kiev…oh, sorry, Lost In Kyiv! The French post-rockers now operate under the new name. With festival slots at Arctangent and Pelagic festivals this summer, what other doors will be opened with the name change? With a new full length record “We’re All Going To Be Fine” about to drop, can this be the catalyst to get more heads turning in the world of post-rock and the platform for increased festival appearances? Let’s find out…

No fancy introductions, straight into the crunching grooves; distorted and with plenty of attitude, much like a Pearl Jam or 90s grunge acts. There’s deceptive sense of complexity within the layers and layers of textures, much like a Cult Of Luna composition. Though from these murky depths, there are occasional melodic opulent burst to provide contrast to the mix, with the light shining brilliantly. The pace and dynamics shift constantly in a way that feel organic and well calculated rather than taking the scatter gun approach, hinting at a carefully considered compositional approach.

Then things take a turn during ‘Becoming’. An instrumental band at the core, Lost In Kyiv enlist the vocals of Rebecca from i HAXA, one of the new breed on Pelagic’s mighty deep roster. The music becomes much more stripped back and minimalistic in the early stages of the song, with just the drums, bass, and gentle guitar arpeggios making way for her ethereal and soothing voice to take centre stage! That doesn’t stop the band from piling on the pressure with crushing walls of atmospheric during the chorus though! The impact of such chorus is truly felt when held in comparison to the more soothing versus and ambient segments of this. Just one problem though; as an instrumental band, how will they replicate this in the live arena, assuming Rebecca isn’t available to tour?

Lost In Kyiv have always flirted with the addition of electronic music, with evidence of this in the early stages of ‘Euphoria’. The song title feeling very fitting giving the song’s bruising crescendo and highlight of this 9 minute journey, with the guitars being the focal appoint of this cinematic and atmospheric arc. ‘Liminality’ is another that demonstrates that Lost In Kyiv can successfully apply the tried and tested formula of calmer more ambient segments, to build tension and intrigue, that progress towards huge cathartic and uplifting bursts!

Overall, “We’re All Going To Be Fine” represents evolution and progression for the band, and whilst the album isn’t likely to provide a serious challenge to the crown of post-rock kings just yet, it’s a solid effort in it’s own right.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

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Treat your personal data as a high-value asset. In an era where automated data harvesting is the norm, information exposure acts as a roadmap for threat actors.

To maintain robust operational security (OPSEC) in 2026, you must strictly control any telemetry or identifiers that could facilitate synthetic identity creation, locate your physical person, or enable unauthorized account access.

This includes PII such as Social Security numbers, biometric identification, full birth dates, and residential addresses, as well as operational data like travel itineraries, financial credentials, and real-time location tracking.

The threat landscape has evolved beyond simple spam. FTC data for 2025 indicates that approximately 30% of reported financial fraud originated on social media platforms, with losses totaling $2.1 billion.

Furthermore, the FBI cybercrime report estimated the cost of cyber-enabled crimes at nearly $21 billion, as adversaries increasingly deploy sophisticated voice clones, deepfake media, and fraudulent documentation to bypass traditional verification.

The Basic Rule: Never Share Data That Identifies, Locates, Or Verifies You

Proactive defense begins with a rigorous evaluation of every data point: could this information be leveraged by a threat actor to impersonate you, establish a physical location, or compromise a secure perimeter?

The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network aggregated 6.5 million consumer reports in 2024. It is critical to note that Sentinel data represents unverified consumer reporting, providing a significant cross-section of the visible threat landscape rather than an exhaustive audit of all national fraud activity.

Government IDs, Bank Data, And Official Documents

Maintaining zero-trust principles means never transmitting high-sensitivity documents, including Social Security numbers, passport scans, tax forms, student IDs, or medical records, via public social channels or unencrypted messaging platforms.

A digitized identification card provides threat actors with a template for identity duplication. Tax and financial documents contain dense clusters of PII (income, dependents, routing numbers) that can be leveraged for sophisticated phishing and account takeovers.

Use secure portals, company domains, written policies, and known phone numbers before uploading any document. Pressure is often the signal, not proof of urgency.

Passwords, One-Time Codes, And Security Answers

Strict confidentiality must be maintained for all passwords, passkey phrases, and authenticator tokens. NIST digital identity guidance explicitly mandates that subscribers are responsible for the protection of authentication secrets and prohibits their disclosure to third parties.

One-time passwords (OTPs) are frequent targets for social engineering. Adversaries frequently spoof trusted entities, banks, tech support, or corporate desks, to request OTPs. Under no circumstances should a legitimate support agent require your active authentication code.

Security-question answers also belong offline. Mother’s maiden name, first pet, first school, hometown, favorite teacher, and first car often appear in old posts, family comments, quizzes, or public records. Treat security answers like passwords: random, unique, and stored safely.

Birth Date, Phone Number, Address, And Location

Avoid the publication of full birth dates, mobile numbers, or specific location telemetry such as residence details and planned itineraries. CISA advises users to implement strict privacy settings, omit location-specific metadata, and disable active location tracking.

A quick check with VeePN can also show what your public IP address reveals about your connection, including location and ISP signals.

A full birth date can help match leaked data across old accounts, public records, breach dumps, and credit files. A phone number can act as a recovery key for banks, email, social media, delivery apps, and payment tools. Vacation posts and routine check-ins can also create predictable real-world patterns.

Regulatory protections do not eliminate risk. As of April 2026, 20 U.S. states had enacted comprehensive consumer privacy legislation, yet enforcement frameworks and data subject rights remain fragmented across jurisdictions.

Photos That Reveal More Than Planned

Photographic media often contains significant secondary data. Images can inadvertently capture workstation screens, financial receipts, hardware tokens, or reflections that provide actionable intel for an adversary.

Before posting, zoom in. Check corners, mirrors, windows, desk surfaces, fridge calendars, and background paperwork. Cover QR codes and barcodes completely, not with light scribbles. Cropping is safer than blurring when the hidden detail is sensitive.

Children’s Personal Information

Do not disclose a minor’s full legal name, school affiliation, or medical history. Children are particularly vulnerable to long-term digital footprint risks and social engineering through overshared family routines.

Children inherit a digital record they did not choose. A back-to-school photo can reveal a school crest, teacher name, grade, bus route, and birthday clues. Use nicknames, private albums, small audience settings, and delayed posting.

What Can You Share Safely?

Effective OPSEC relies on de-identifying data, implementing temporal delays in posting, and utilizing the principle of least privilege for audience access.

The goal is not silence. The goal is control over who gets enough information to act against you.

A 10-Minute Privacy Check

Run a fast audit every few months:

1. Enforce strict audience isolation on all social profiles.
2. Purge all PII (phone, DOB, residence) from public-facing metadata.
3. Disable active geospatial tagging across all application suites.
4. Perform regular OSINT audits of personal identifiers via private sessions.
5. Replace security answers with high-entropy strings managed via a password vault.
6. Mandate hardware-based or app-based multi-factor authentication (MFA).
7. Scrub historical data for legacy exposure points and archived routines.

The Identity Theft Resource Center reports over 25,200 U.S. data compromises since 2005, exposing approximately 79 billion records.

The 2025 data breach report underscores how oversharing provides the necessary context for adversaries to weaponize leaked data through cross-referencing and enrichment.

What To Do If You Already Shared Too Much

If sensitive information is already online, act quickly: delete the post, ask others to remove copies, change exposed passwords, revoke old app permissions, freeze or replace cards, and monitor account activity.

In the event of high-sensitivity data exposure (SSN, banking, or tax credentials), immediately execute a recovery plan. The FTC provides standardized identity protection steps to facilitate remediation through verified channels.

Implement credit freezes to mitigate the impact of identity compromise. CFPB guidance details how security freezes restrict access to credit reporting, preventing unauthorized account creation.

Summary of Defense Objectives

Mitigate the exposure of identifiers that facilitate identity theft, account compromise, or physical tracking. AI advancements and breach data markets have increased the utility of fragmented data.

A single identifier, a birth date, a badge photo, or a mobile number can serve as the pivot point for a targeted attack. Robust privacy now requires a strategy of high-friction data sharing: less detail, significant temporal delays, and strictly limited audience permissions.