Hard Rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Jack J Hutchinson has confirmed the release date of his forthcoming studio album Soul Believer and shared its powerful title track and accompanying video.
Soul Believer is scheduled for release on 22 January 2027 and is available to pre-order now. To celebrate the album launch, Hutchinson will headline a special show at O2 Academy Islington on 21 January 2027.
O2 Academy, Islington16 Parkfield St, The Angel, London N1 0PS
Hard Rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Jack J Hutchinson has confirmed the release date of his forthcoming studio album Soul Believer and shared its powerful title
Event Details
Hard Rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Jack J Hutchinson has confirmed the release date of his forthcoming studio album Soul Believer and shared its powerful title track and accompanying video.
Soul Believer is scheduled for release on 22 January 2027 and is available to pre-order now. To celebrate the album launch, Hutchinson will headline a special show at O2 Academy Islington on 21 January 2027.
Co-written with Josiah J Manning at Momentum Studios, the new single Soul Believer combines Heavy riffs, gritty vocals and an uplifting message about resilience, self-belief and confronting life’s challenges head-on.
“Soul Believer was written during a period of turmoil and instability in my personal life,” Hutchinson said “It’s about taking all the shit that life can throw at you, raising your head above the parapet and saying, ‘bring it the fuck on!’.
“There’s no point being pulled down by the chaos. We all have that spark in us to keep fighting and carrying on. It’s about believing that eventually there will be brighter days and that hope is a powerful thing.”
Recorded across Momentum Studios in Plymouth and SuperFly Studios in Nottinghamshire, Soul Believer follows Hutchinson’s 2024 album Battles, which topped the Official Independent Chart. “To get it in the charts was an incredible feeling,” Jack told MetalTalk in September 2024. “I didn’t even check because I didn’t think that I would be able to get into the independent chart. But when I got a message that Friday evening saying you’re in the chart, I was really blown away by it. It set us up for a really good six months of touring after that, which was cool.”
Jack J Hutchinson Announces New Album Soul Believer And Releases Explosive Title Track
The new album features 12 tracks that move between hard-hitting blues rock, melodic acoustic moments and cinematic songwriting inspired by records such as Physical Graffiti and Exile On Main Street.
Having recently shared stages with FM and King King, Hutchinson will support the new album with an extensive UK tour featuring his power trio of Greg Smith on bass and Phil Wilson on drums.
Tour dates include appearances at Firevolt Festival, HRH Blues, Maid Of Stone Festival and a headline London album launch show at O2 Academy Islington.
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Hard Rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Jack J Hutchinson has confirmed the release date of his forthcoming studio album Soul Believer and shared its powerful title
Event Details
Hard Rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Jack J Hutchinson has confirmed the release date of his forthcoming studio album Soul Believer and shared its powerful title track and accompanying video.
Soul Believer is scheduled for release on 22 January 2027 and is available to pre-order now. To celebrate the album launch, Hutchinson will headline a special show at O2 Academy Islington on 21 January 2027.
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set
Event Details
Jack J Hutchinson will bring his Soul Believer Tour 2026 to the road later this year. The tour is named after his new studio album, Soul Believer, which is set for release early next year. The title track is expected in May 2026.
“This will be the first opportunity to hear the new tracks we have been recording,” Jack J Hutchinson said. “The tunes sound massive in the studio, and we can’t wait for the adrenaline rush of playing them in front of an audience. These shows are certainly going to pack a punch.”
Firevolt Rock Festival will return from 7 to 9 August 2026 at Whitebottom Farm, bringing another explosive weekend of heavy rock to Etherow Country Park. Now entering its fifth year, Firevolt has rapidly established itself as one of the UK’s friendliest and most atmospheric rock festivals. The event combines established acts with rising talent, creating a diverse lineup for fans of classic and modern Rock.
The 2026 lineup includes Mason Hill, Massive Wagons, The Wildhearts, Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts, FM, Wednesday 13, The New Roses, Dare, These Wicked Rivers, Virginmarys and many more.
Organisers Stret and Bev have earned praise for creating a welcoming community atmosphere alongside an impressive live music experience.
Set within the picturesque surroundings of Whitebottom Farm, the festival also features local food and drink vendors, independent stalls and a relaxed environment that keeps fans returning year after year.
Firevolt Rock Festival will return from 7 to 9 August 2026 at Whitebottom Farm, bringing another explosive weekend of heavy rock
Event Details
Firevolt Rock Festival will return from 7 to 9 August 2026 at Whitebottom Farm, bringing another explosive weekend of heavy rock to Etherow Country Park. Now entering its fifth year, Firevolt has rapidly established itself as one of the UK’s friendliest and most atmospheric rock festivals. The event combines established acts with rising talent, creating a diverse lineup for fans of classic and modern Rock.
Nestled in the stunning Etherow Country Park, this hidden gem of a venue is the perfect backdrop for what has quickly become one of the UK’s most beloved grassroots festivals. Firevolt is a community, a family, and a full-blown sonic pilgrimage for lovers of all things loud.
The 2026 lineup includes Mason Hill, Massive Wagons, The Wildhearts, Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts, FM, Wednesday 13, The New Roses, Dare, These Wicked Rivers, Virginmarys and many more.
The Moth is the culmination of over ten years of planning, writing and trying to figure out how to get the idea from his head to a finished article for Devin Townsend.
Devin Townsend is no stranger to genre flipping or crazy musical flights of fancy. From the crushing Industrial Metal of Strapping Young Lad to the abstract soundscapes of The Puzzle, Devin has tackled a lot of musical styles throughout his career.
Therefore, it was not surprising to his fanbase when he started talking about an opera he was working on quite a few years ago that he called The Moth.
Devin Townsend has announced The Moth, his ambitious new orchestral Heavy Metal project. Out 29 May 2026 via InsideOutMusic.
It was not until the North Netherlands Orchestra contacted Devin and told him that they would be up for the challenge of The Moth that the project really took shape.
Originally starting out as an opera about dicks and vaginas, yes, you read that correctly, Devin honed his original concept into what we have here.
The Moth, in its most simplistic form, is a metaphor for personal growth and releasing the shackles of doubt and fear to embrace the amazing individuals that we all are and the often turbulent journey to get to that realisation.
Townsend is certainly not an artist who bows to convention. Last year, he debuted The Moth in two sold-out shows in Goningen, Holland. Complete with the North Netherlands Orchestra and Choir, Townsend and his band played an album that no one had heard and was not even fully completed.
The second of those shows was made available as a live stream, which your correspondent paid for and rewatched countless times over the three months it was available. To say that I was blown away would be an understatement.
As a fully paid-up Devotee, with the knowledge of the man and his music, the scale of The Moth is staggering, even to me. Townsend had to learn how to orchestrate in order for the vision to become a reality.
The Moth opens with Semi-Prologue, with lush strings underpinning Townsend’s refrain of “we’ve been lying and we’re all just runaways. I’m so in love with you, we’ll find a way. Please don’t leave me.”
War Beyond Words is where The Moth really starts. The band kick in with the orchestra providing back up to Townsend and Anneke van Giersbergen’s beautiful vocals. The track twists and turns through various emotional and musical themes and is proper Devin.
I have to say, at this point, that The Moth is best listened to with good quality headphones and your eyes closed. It is a proper cinematic sound experience. There are nods to Devin’s past in places throughout The Moth, and it is a real treat to hear them.
There are 24 tracks on The Moth, with no less than ten of those coming in at under two minutes. These tracks serve as musical punctuation and work incredibly well.
Covered By Causes is the longest track on The Moth, coming in at eight minutes and five seconds and is also the most instantly recognisable Devin Townsend song on the album. It is a thing of sheer beauty.
The Moth is set out in two acts, complete with an intermission. The first act deals with the realisation that life is a constant battle with not only yourself, but also outside forces. Act two deals with the war that is fought emotionally in order to get to a place of inner peace. Yes, I know it sounds very pretentious when put like that and in lesser hands, I have no doubt it would be.
Fear not, this is Devin Townsend we are talking about here. As such, these highly emotional moments are treated with a deft touch and such care and thought.
For me, the album closes with the magnificent Stained Heart, with its powerful vocal motif of “a stained heart is a strong start”. It is such a euphoric track that fitfully encompasses the emotional turmoil that has gone before.
There are still two tracks left on The Moth. Let Go, and We Don’t Deserve Dogs. Both of these are under the two-minute mark, and they feel like musical relief from the sheer weight of The Moth itself.
Is this Devin Townsend’s finest album? For a lot of people, it will be. As for myself, it is certainly his most ambitious, and he has pulled it off majestically.
So with that in mind, I definitely think The Moth is the finest album of Devin Townsend’s career to date. It is not a Progressive Metal album, or an ambient piece. It is The Moth, and it is beautiful.
Devin Townsend releases The Moth on 29 May 2026 via Hevy Devy / Inside Out. Pre-orders are available from dvn.lnk.to/TheMoth.
Tickets for the Metamorphosis Solo UK & European Tour 2026 are on general sale on 8 May 2026 at 10 am BST. For more details, visit www.hevydevy.com.
September
The Glee Club BirminghamThe Arcadian, 70 Hurst St, Birmingham B5 4TD
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album
Event Details
Devin Townsend has announced his Metamorphosis solo UK and European tour for 2026, marking his return to the stage following a previously declared hiatus. The tour supports his upcoming album The Moth, released on 29 May, and will see Townsend perform across 23 dates in 10 countries.
Goddess – Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof (Majestic Mountain Records)
Goatess were a band from Stockholm, they released three albums of heavy riffing doom in 2013, 2016 and 2019 ripe in the Swedish heavy sound.
After that they went on a bit of hiatus with founding guitarist Niklas leaving the group, but remaining members vowed to carry on so with a slight change of name we have the ‘debut’ from Goddess, which really is the fourth album from Goatess, you with me? Good!
It may seem flippant calling it this but Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof, not only has goat imagery all over it it also continues the fuzzy musical path of their previous moniker, freshly signed to Majestic Mountain Records, this is stoner/doom with massive grooves and mountainous riffs and bellowed vocals.
Goddess come from the Swedish school of Monolord and Spiritual Beggars on Inquisition and Blood Fever. Throwing in some occult drone of Electric Wizard on Godless, Sleep on To Be King and anthemic nature of Orange Goblin on Devil’s Reef.
Goddess will trample you under their cloven hooves and while the names have changed the songs remain the same, so turn up the volume and worship. 8/10
The Dead Collective – The Dead Collective (Self Released)
We’ve been following the exploits of Oli Brown in this publication since he was a young hot shot blues player, having massive recognition and success in the blues rock sphere, admittedly a but too much for such a young musician.
People get older, and they change, Oli formed heavy rock band Raveneye, where blues met hard rock, this made Brown a bigger success moving away from being a blues prodigy into a fully fledged rocker but as the pandemic hit Raveneye faded and The Dead Collective was born.
Brown joined by guitarist Sam Wood and drummer Wayne Proctor and again their music shifts with alt rock being the biggest influence on these four tracks. Well I say alt rock but I actually mean Chris Cornell as Brown’s vocals have aged into a delivery similar to the much missed master of heavy grunge.
The emotion and power perfectly balanced on Goliath, where the atmosphere is soaked in the introspective anthemia of Cornell’s solo sound. However opener Cracks brings the heavy style of Muse, Estranged moves in ambience, some emotive singer songwriter influences driven by the electronic beats.
Album closer Falling continues with the electronics, building from inauspicious beginnings into an anthemic last moment of this self titled EP. With The Dead Collective, Oli Brown drops his name from the project but expands his remit beyond what has come before. 8/10
Beggars Bliss – Beggars Bliss (Self Released)
I’m not quite sure what to do with this one. As keen as I am on bands in the NWOCR, listening to this record I had to do a double take a few times as there are riffs and melodies that have been ripped off other more famous rock bands.
Now having a style similar to a band like Zeppelin, The Stones, etc is all fine, it’s reinventing these influences for a new audience and a new era while appealing to the original fans. However playing something that is exactly the same grates a little, though that may be my slightly spicy brain, I think there’s something to be said for imitating a style rather than just copying it.
Beggars Bliss are a blues rock band from Derby and their influences are obvious, it’s The Stones, The Black Crowes, Free and more recent bands such as Rival Sons. Their debut album kicks off with the strutting I Am I and they’ve got just what you want, big riffs, gritty vocals and plenty of organ, Peaches N Cream is a filthy rocker with lyrics from the 70’s, exactly the time period where Beggars Bliss pitch their rock n roll.
Then the groovy Forbidden Fruit half inches Crosstown Traffic, Train Song sounds suspiciously like Pressure & Time as the beginning of Sunshine takes the solo from Thin Lizzy’s Dancing In The Moonlight. These are the only ones though as most of the record wears it’s influences very clearly but never strays into copying. Dusk ‘Till Dawn adds a Allman ambience but is all their own as I’m On Fire slithers, Spiralling is the the heaviest song here while the closer Rabbit Hole is extremely similar to Pearl Jam.
Beggars Bliss’ debut record is the sound of a band with a lot of experience on stage but still looking to lock down their own identity, they will definitely do that on future releases and there’s a lot of great blues rock here. 7/10
Black Revelation – No Light Upon Us All (Nine Records)
Black Revelation are a heavy doom band from Germany but they borrow their sound from bands like Manilla Road, Candlemass, Witchfinder General etc, you know those bands that play 15 minute tracks that are just at the apex of classic heavy metal and epic doom. It’s the band’s second album and they’ve gone bigger than on their debut Demon.
Over an hour but still only six tracks, well five and a cover of One Mind by Saint Vitus, No Light Upon Us sees this four piece increasing the vocal histrionics, elongating the riff fests, slicing through the doom fog with some heavy metal guitar heroics. It’s epic doom alright, both heavy and groovy but also melodic and what you get out of the album depends on your opinion of this style of doom.
I personally love a record that’s clad in leather and bathed in the occult, drums carrying the steady headbang as the bass fuzzes beneath leading the gallops when the tempo moves to classic metal muscle on say Veil Of Eternal Night which is as close to a new Mercyful Fate song as you’re going to get. Black Revelation is epic doom with a heavy metal grunt and No Light Upon Us should be in your rotation if you dig it. 7/10
Flamboyant Illinois born, Nashville based singer-songwriter James Bruner announces the release of his debut album ‘Can’t Keep Wanting You‘, due for release on the 4th of September, and shares the track ‘Wish I Could Stay‘ from it on May 29th. Pre-save ‘Wish I Could Stay‘ – here This blues-infused slice of alt-rock gold was produced by […]
Live Review: We Lost The Sea – Academy 2, Manchester
24th May 2025 Support: Dimscûa and Overhead, The Albatross
Words: Matthew Williams
I was fortunate to review Dimscua’s set at last year’s Damnation Festival in Manchester and was suitably impressed by their performance, so when I saw they were on this bill, it was one that piqued my interest. Having also caught the back end of Overhead, The Albatross at Damnation, I was intrigued about watching them once more and joining them were headliners We Lost The Sea, a band I knew very little about, but on a hot May night, Manchester was about to get even hotter.
We start with Dimscûa, who open with the gentleness of “Elder Bairn” before singer Alex Rowlonads launches an ungodly scream to announce his arrival. Their music is captivating, with pounding drums, adding to their devasting sound, to create atmospheric post metal that really must be seen to be believed. The stage smoke adds further to the doom and gloom of the environment as “The Dusteater” is drowned in red lights, with the song pulverising all around us.
Rowlands proceeds to scream two words, “Existence/Futility” as a way of introducing the next song, which is dark and sinister across a backdrop of changing tempos. They seem to go from anguish to despair to hope all in one song, and end with “On Being and Nothingness” as spoken words filter across the slow, poignant platform, leading to a pulsing bass and great riffs as the power drips through. Dimscûa are one of those bands who must be seen to be believed.
Next up are Dublin’s Overhead, The Albatross, offering their instrumental post rock musings, and open with the groovy “Your Last Breath”. The quintet offer varied soundscapes across their performance, as the video screen plays a variety of flashing images. With spoken words and soft piano music, it’s a great opener followed by “At Sea” as the bassist stands aloft the barricade. The drums hit hard, but collectively, the music flows beautifully, as they incorporate the keyboards and cello for a delightful rendition of “Hibakusha”.
Blue stage lights beckon “I’ve Got a Few Years Left” which has a high tempo drum n` bass section to bring the song alive, before the crowd are jumping along to “This is Like Love” as the wonderful melodies combine with an array of musical structures to create another excellent song. They dedicate their last song to “Paul Lynch” a friend who passed away, and without whom, the band wouldn’t be here today. It’s emotional, full of passion and meaning and you can see that it matters to them, as the crowd serenade the band with their words.
As I’ve stated, I didn’t know much about We Lost The Sea apart from the fact that they were Australian and played post rock music. After an opening monologue, a single light is focused on one of the guitarists as he stands and plays alone, and like a beating heart, the others follow as they play “If They Had Hearts”. The music intensifies as the crowd do that slow head nod which only seems to occur during post metal/rock gigs. They play purposefully and one thing is immediately clear to me and it’s that they sound more intense live than on record.
“A Dance with Death” has smooth transitions across the shifting soundscapes, with a sea of red flashing lights adding to their moving and relentless musical harmonies, as it adds depth, emotion and context. What impresses me most is how seamless it all is, as they move straight into “Everything Here is Black and Blinding” with softer, more melodic tones that build towards dramatic waves of noise, embracing the drumming as part of an emotional track.
They raise the intensity levels further with “A Beautiful Collapse” as the keyboards are heard more clearly alongside an excellent rhythm, and then bathed in purple lights, a single subtle guitar resonates as the crowd sway in time to the melody of “A Gallant Gentleman” The moodier and sombre tones return for “Bogatyri” which was probably my favourite song of the night and they showcase their skills with repetitive notes which allows the guitar solos to flourish as the blistering rage takes over. It’s like a crescendo of noise reaching the apex leaving us with the calming piano outro tape.
The group return with another dramatic and emotional score in the shape of “Blood will have Blood” as the piano combines with the floor tom to construct another colossal rhythm. I’m stood at the back of the venue, and in all the times I’ve been to the Academy 2, I’ve never felt the floor shake like this before. They end with “Balaklava Cold” as they are joined by Liam from Hidden Mothers to finish off what has been a night of immense pleasure and to prove that the world of post rock is in rude health.
Amberian Dawn have just released a brand new single.