Sylosis, Revocation, Distant & Life Cycles, O2 Ritz Manchester, 21.02.26
Manchester didn’t just host a metal show tonight. It survived one.
As Sylosis rolled into town, the venue
was already buzzing before doors properly opened. You could feel it in the air.
That low, electric tension that only comes before a heavy show where you know
things are about to get out of control. And from the very first note, that
tension exploded.
Life Cycles (8) kicked things off with zero
hesitation. No slow build. No easing in. Just heavy, punishing riffs that
instantly snapped the crowd into motion. From the first breakdown it was a sea
of heads moving in unison, bodies crashing together as the pit formed almost
immediately.
The front filled with moshers within seconds, crowd surfers were
already flying over the barrier, and somehow — unbelievably — a small kid
throwing himself into the chaos proved this one was for the fearless. Their new
song hit especially hard live, sounding bigger and nastier than it had any
right to this early in the night. It was a proper statement opener and set the
bar high.
Distant (10) took that already boiling energy
and twisted it into something darker and more unhinged. The room shifted from
hyped to outright feral. This was where things got wild. Kicks and fists were
flying in every direction, massive circle pits swallowed half the floor, and
there were two-steps happening at all angles.
The breakdowns felt seismic, the
kind that make the floor bounce and the walls shake. It was heavy, relentless,
and borderline violent in the best possible way. Security barely had a second
to breathe as surfer after surfer came crashing over the barrier.
Then came Revocation (7), and somehow the
intensity climbed again. Easily one of the wildest crowds of the night, maybe
the wildest overall. Crowd surfers poured forward one after another in a
constant wave. Musically, they were razor sharp.
Clean, cutting riffs sliced
straight through the chaos, technical but never losing that raw aggression.
Every transition was tight, every solo landed perfectly, and the crowd
responded to every single shift. It was controlled precision on stage while the
room completely erupted around them.
By the time Sylosis (10) hit the stage,
Manchester was beyond ready. The lights dropped, the intro hit, and the place
detonated. They didn’t just deliver. They dominated.
The new album sounds
insane live, somehow even heavier and more punishing than on record. The
guitars felt thicker, the drums hit harder, and the vocals carried a commanding
presence that controlled the chaos rather than getting lost in it. The pits
were the biggest and craziest of the night, constant motion, constant bodies
flying, no room to stand still even if you wanted to.
One of the standout moments came mid-set
when the singer spotted a kid who’d been crowd surfing all night. Instead of
brushing it off, he brought him up again and handed him a drumstick, a
genuinely class moment in the middle of total carnage. It was chaotic, yes, but
there was that sense of unity underneath it all. Everyone there understood the
energy. It was aggressive, but it was shared.
Vocals were powerful and commanding
throughout, cutting clean through the wall of sound. Meanwhile, the guitarist
unleashed an unreal amount of headbanging that somehow matched the ferocity of
the riffs without missing a single note. The whole band looked locked in tight,
aggressive, and completely at home in the madness unfolding in front of them.
From start to finish, there was crowd
surfing during almost every song. Not just the big ones, almost every track. It
was relentless. Sweat dripping from the ceiling, barriers shaking, voices
shredded from shouting every word back at the stage. The kind of night where
you leave aching, exhausted, and grinning.
Loud. Brutal. Chaotic. Exactly what a
metal show in Manchester should be!
Party Cannon have regurgitated their latest dose of absurd extremity with Subjected To A Partying, an amusing play on Dying Fetus’ Subjected To A Beating and the newest statement of intent from Scotland’s most chaotically unhinged export.
Formed in 2010, Party Cannon have built their reputation on pairing punishing, old-school-inspired slam brutality with their own riotous creativity and a colourful, party-fuelled aesthetic that emphatically works.
The band have evolved into one of Extreme Metal’s most recognisable bands, and their growing stature in the modern landscape is impossible to ignore.
Party Cannon – Subjected To A Partying delivers crushing slam riffs, remixed cuts, two live tracks and of course, the band’s signature sense of fun
Releasing via Unique Leader Records, the nine-track EP delivers crushing slam riffs, remixed cuts, two live tracks and of course, the band’s signature sense of fun. It is available on all major platforms, and can be ordered on CD, vinyl and amusingly, on Nintendo 64 as well, and that particular platform has already sold out on pre-orders.
“We are going where no slamming Death Metal band has before, Nintendo 64,” Party Cannon bassist Clankenstein said. “That’s right, it’s time to get N or get out. To celebrate Daryl ‘The Frogman’ Boyce’s first release as our new vocalist, we decided to make it something truly special, and there’s nothing more special than a console whose lifespan ended in 2001.
“Vominic Stonebones painstakingly designed and ported the cartridge himself. The Frogman sounds like unfettered pressurised sewerage pouring all over these tracks, and we couldn’t be happier with how disgusting these vocals are. It’s a new era of Party Slam.
“It’s been a mental year for Party Cannon. Played every festival ever, toured non-stop, new vocalist, the official addition of a skull man to the band. So we wanted to give you all a taste of the new low the band has sunk to, rather than making you wait seven years for a new album (again).
“We took a slightly different approach to writing this EP. We distilled our sound down to its four main components, slam, goregrind, early 2000s brutal Death Metal, and NYDM and wrote a song that focused on each of those styles while still retaining the Party Slam sound.
“So, one song is slam-focused, one is goregrind, etc. As a spicy treat, we also invited some of our friends to join in on the dumbassery. The EP features remixes from low IQ legends Kmac2021, Frontierer and Ritual Studio.”
Subjected To A Partying opens with Parisian Bed Bug, which is a brutal track that leaves a little introduction to Party Cannon, whether that is for a first-time listener or an OG fan. The track is one that does not let up on killer riffs, the best drumming on the record, in my opinion, and it has several humorous samples, which, for me, I am a huge fan of.
Track two is my favourite track that Party Cannon have released to date. Thirst Trap officially dropped as a single on 13 June 2025, and fans who caught Party Cannon live in the second half of last year will have heard this song played. I heard it live when they supported Nekrogoblikon in September, and I could not help but have a smile on my face the whole time as I admired the spectacle and listening assault that it was.
It is whimsical as ever, and despite only being two minutes long. It has a chaotic song structure, and every element of the track makes for a great listen, and it is already a fan favourite at their live shows.
The following song is High Tariff Behaviour, which also dropped last June and has already been played live on many shows that the band have done since. It opens with a hilarious sample of Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants exclaiming, “Good grief, he’s naked”, before bursting into a cacophony of noise for four minutes.
It is brutally slamming and keeps you engaged for its duration, and for anyone who has never listened to the band before, it is a perfect example of what their music is about.
Improper Use Of A Speculum is next, which was dropped last Halloween as a treat for the fans, and the musicianship on this one is particularly admirable, with Martin Gazur’s snare sound being filthy. Clocking in at just under five minutes in length, it makes you want to mosh and is again a highlight of Party Cannon’s set of late.
The lyrics for this song make you feel for the person who has suffered this unfortunate event with the surgical instrument. I will let you look them up.
Tracks 5-7 are remixes, and they add even more chaos to the already hectic tracks. Thirst Trap (Kmac2021 remix) is heightened with elements of drum & bass and techno, but it just works. Low IQ Behaviour (Frontier Remix) follows in the same vein and is full of welcome surprises. The final remixed track, High Tariff Overture (Ritual Remix), further highlights the insane vocal talent of Daryl and is chaotic as hell.
Finally, the EP closes with two live tracks, both from a show in 2025 in their home country of Scotland, in Glasgow, only about 40 miles away from their hometown of Dunfermline. These are High Tariff Behaviour (Live in Glasgow 2025) and Human Slime (Live in Glasgow 2025), the latter of which is a track from the band’s latest album Injuries Are Inevitable.
The two songs highlight the humour of the band, marring spewing vocals with blunt precursors about the songs’ meaning and even an order for the crowd to perform a push-up pit at one, and I can vouch that this is great to see live.
This EP will drop less than a month before Party Cannon teams up with New York slam institution Internal Bleeding, with support from slam heavyweights in Guttural Slug, for the UK/IE Vomitour, which will steamroll its way across the UK and Ireland in April, into the start of May.
Billed as “the dumbest tour of the year,” the trek will see Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding trading headline-length sets each night, promising high-tariff behaviour and extreme IQ loss in equal measure.
Bassist Clankenstein says the band have put together “a lineup that can only be described as the epoch of barbarity” and recommends that fans wear a helmet, because injuries at these shows are pretty much inevitable.
I will be in attendance on the first night of the tour in Newcastle. Stay tuned for my review of what is sure to be a chaotic, IQ-lowering concert.
Tour tickets are on sale now via linktr.ee/PartyCannonUK. Subjected To A Partying is out now via Unique Leader Records. For more details, visit party-cannon.com.
April
The Grove, Newcastle1 St Michael’s Rd, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 1QU
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating
Event Details
Party Cannon announces UK/IE VOMITOUR – True Slam Edition – set to steamroll through the UK/IE this April.
Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding will co-headline the 2026 UK/IE VOMITOUR, featuring headline-length sets and rotating slots each night.
Good Day Noir Family,
Pentrilox launch Apotheosis: The New Frontier with an ancestral female chant in “Breaking the Well,” and you understand this will be an epic journey.
Apotheosis: The New Frontier is Pentrilox’s Album Out Now
The voice rises alone at first, ritualistic and evocative; then an arpeggiator cuts through with a futuristic pulse.
Soon after, guitars crash in with hard rock force, pushing the track forward without sacrificing melody. The balance between drive and tunefulness defines the band’s identity right away.
“Distant Future” expands that vision. Once again, the textures suggest distant galaxies and advanced civilizations; however, this time subtle harmonic variations introduce a Middle Eastern flavor that adds unexpected color. The female vocal shapes the atmosphere with grace and clarity, while the male counterpart injects grit and weight. Their interplay becomes one of the album’s strongest assets. She often carries the more melodic passages; he reinforces them with power, and together they create a dynamic contrast that feels purposeful and bold.
With “Finding a New Home,” the adrenaline rises noticeably. The male vocal sections venture firmly into metal territory, harmonically and rhythmically. The riffs tighten, the percussion intensifies, and the energy climbs. Yet the band never loses control. They channel that force into structured progression, keeping the track sharp and engaging.
Then “The Symbiotic Bloom” invites you to throw your horns in the air. The tempo is fast, the rhythm relentless, and the male vocal pushes with conviction. The dystopian and intense lyrics transport the listener into a futuristic world on the brink of transformation. The band paints vivid images of symbiosis between technology and humanity, reinforcing the conceptual thread of the album.
“The Galactic Bridge” hits like a black avalanche, driven by a crushing riff. Shortly after, the melody resurfaces through the female voice, and once more that familiar vocal interplay shapes the emotional arc. The production sounds powerful and direct, enhancing the cinematic dimension of the music.
“The New Destiny (Sol 2)” closes the record on an atmospheric note. It suggests renewal, a new beginning beyond the stars. As a whole, Apotheosis: The New Frontier feels like the soundtrack to an epic sci-fi film or a visionary video game, rich with fantasy and ambition.
Apotheosis: The New Frontier is Pentrilox’s Album Out Now!
Transcendent!
Pentrilox is a progressive metal and cinematic electronic project from Indianapolis, Indiana. Combining heavy riffs with expansive, futuristic atmospheres, they create immersive music inspired by space exploration, high fantasy, and human transcendence.
Produced entirely in their private studio, Pentrilox’s sound is bold, polished, and forward-looking — a powerful soundtrack for those who believe the future is something to build, not fear.
Pix by Marky B Photography DALLAS FRASCA SARAH MCLEOD DALLAS FRASCA & SARAH MCLEOD
