Live Review: Manchester Metal 2 The Masses Final
6th June 2025
Words: Dan Barnes
Photos: Rich Price
Interestingly enough, this is my third all-day in as many Saturdays, and it’s refreshing to see so many familiar faces, who I saw at either Uprising or Grind After Death. What is undeniable is the feeling of camaraderie that exists in the community, and of how important these events are to many of the people in attendance. Organisers and staffers give their time and energies for little reward, because it means something special to them – not just here in Manchester, but across the country, across the whole globe, wherever a small rock show is staged, someone has had to sweat blood to get it on.
There’s also the effect it has on attendees: being part of something, even in a small way, meeting new people, sharing an experience, could be the saving grace that person needs.
So, here’s to you – all the people – wherever you might be – who give of yourselves to make events like this happen. Thank you!
Onto the Metal 2 the Masses final in Manchester’s Rebellion Music Bar. A whole day of an event, nine non-competing bands and four who have fought their way to this stage today, and everyone is a real treat.
Opening things up is Chrysalid Homo, local lads in as far as they’ve travelled to be here, but I’d be remiss not to differentiate between Manchester and the city of Salford. For this trio of brothers are Salfordians and have brought electro-synth laden punk to the Rebellion after a comment from one of M2tM’s Manchester promoters that he’d love to see the band in front of a metal crowd. And here they are. Banks of synthesizers and a bass guitar are all that’s needed to get this party started. Monkey Boot Boy comes over as a nod to the Eighties European electronic scene, widescreen and cinematic and just the sort of introduction to the day that most of us didn’t know we needed. Brotherly love is shown when it’s announced the bassist has recently had anal surgery, and a handy intro to I Feel Shit. Singer moves in the edgy manner of Ian Curtis, dominating the stage as the musical element explore dark and dangerous areas. Their inclusion shows even a small-c conservative metal crowd can be won over by an honest performance. Well worth checking out.
Dual vocals and inflatables suggest Kringer and the Battle Katz, formerly only The Battle Katz, is the mob to bring the levity to the early part of M2tM, with their irreverent approach to everything from punk, thrash, groove and nu, as well of ska and funky, this Manchester mob is a party ready to happen. Infectious grooves abound as a third vocalist is added for Space T-Rex, though in fairness it is only a glove puppet, but if Sooty, Sweep and Gordon the Gopher can find fame, why not… With a setlist scrawled on a paper plate, K&tBK show their commitment to their craft with a tribute to the art of wrestling: Stone Cold Stunner and confirm their suitability for children’s parties with Drink Fight Fuck, taken from the band’s debut EP. Suitable madness before the serious business begins.
The Vikings are back. Local heroes VLKA, formerly Vlka Fenryka, make a welcome return to a stage in their hometown after a couple of years away, and the crowd at M2tM couldn’t be more pleased to see them. Even the band themselves aren’t fully sure whether this is a one-off show or the beginning of something bigger. For the moment, at least, the Rebellion Bar is just happy to see them back on stage. Playing into the pagan vibes that Bloodstock itself loves so much, a more melodic version of Amon Amarth could be one way to describe the band, especially as they have their name spelled out on shields across the monitors. The combination of male and female vocals, the inclusion of a violin, all contribute to the ancient sound, but this is pure heavy metal: furry codpieces, drinking horns and tribal face paint, which turn this corner of M1 into the halls of Valhalla.
2018 Metal 2 the Masses winners from over in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Kilonova, were barely over a year old when they won their right to play at Bloodstock, on a bill that included Nightwish, Gojira, Suicidal Tendencies and Emperor – oh, and Judas Priest and, if drunk me can be trusted, the Geordie thrashers put on a cracking show at Catton Park. Making a rare foray down into Manchester, Kilonova have lost none of the firepower they displayed that Saturday morning. Simultaneously aggressive and melodic in equal measure, crash the stage with a raw metal energy, showing how all six of the opening bands of today’s show have something a little different to offer the early punters.
Vocalist Ellen is a raging banshee, driving pit-forming screams with a power that never lets up. Grieve for the Living is the newest material the band have recorded and it brings with it a wall of death; Burned at the Stake gets all the two-steppers going, and Kilonova lay down the heavy marker for the rest to follow.
Straddling the England/ Wales border come deathcore machine Dystopian Sun who formed in 2018 and kicked, screamed and raged themselves to blag a spot on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air 2023. Punchy riffs and chunky breakdowns are the order of the day, as the pit at Rebellion swirls like a whirlpool. A bridge has distinctly Cattle Decapitation sound, with vocalist borrowing liberally from Travis Ryan’s high-pitched yawl. There are stage histrionics from the guitarist and bassist, adding to the performance aspect of the show, a sojourn into the front of the crowd for a ripping solo, as Manchester uses him as the fulcrum to their spin. The show ends with a previously unreleased tune and, if my eyes are not deceiving me, VLKA’s guitarist, still in her Viking warrior garb, is fully committed to every circle pit and every wall of death that comes along.
Manchester UKHC band, Dekaytah, are as underground as they come, hitting the stage at the Rebellion with a raw, hard-hitting metallic hardcore energy. It’s a performance that comes out of leftfield as the fist-in-yer-face aggression comes with sharp electronics. Feel This’ deep bass sound attracts the two-steppers, In Your Place is a new one and it shows the band maturing as songwriters, Move ignites the pit once more as though a Molotov cocktail had been launched into a firework factory.
I’ve seen the likes of Terror, Madball, Cro-Mags and Sick of It All lay waste to this stage and Dekaytah can hold their heads up high sure in the knowledge they can shoulder-to-shoulder with those hardcore legends when it comes to tearing Rebellion a new one. What was not expected was for the band to finish off with a Drum & Bass session, which had Metal 2 the Masses, bopping and boogying like we wuz down the club. Just as Chrysolid Homo had a few hours earlier, so Dekaytah again demonstrated there are many ways for music to be heavy.
Six bands in and it comes to the business part of the day: the competition to see who gets to play the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock 2026. Some notable graduates of that stage include tonight’s headliners, Ward XVI who played one of the best New Blood opening sets ever in 2017 and went on to play the S.O.P.H.I.E. Stage in 2021 with Raised By Owls and Onslaught; Raised By Owls themselves follow a similar trajectory, leading them to a Ronnie James Dio set in 2024; Deitus were a New Blood act in 2021 and made it to the main stage, also in 2024. South of Salem graduated to Stonedead and as support on the Kris Barras tour; so, I guess what I’m saying it, this is serious; shit just got real…
Lads from Macc(lesfield), post-metal cerebralists, Sigils are the first to face scrutiny, but the gremlins from Grind After Death seem to have found their way to Manchester this week and the beginning is delayed while things get sorted. Can’t be good for the band themselves, as adrenaline levels must be sky-high at this point.
Formed in 2022, Sigils’ alternative post rock styling goes straight for the cerebellum with their intricate blend of heaviness and fragility. Inertia is slow and doomy, evoking the likes of Opeth and Katatonia; crushing weight mixes comfortably with old school prog and post metal, which makes me think they’d be better suited to a slot at Radar, or in Damnation’s dark halls than a sun-drenched tent at Catton Park. They have a huge sound and a vast canvass upon which to express their expansive musical palette.
Even before a note has been struck of Technologist’s set you get the feeling that there is technicality abound as a six-string bass is brought out, alongside seven and eight string guitars. And, sure enough, the progressive sound of Sigils is carried into the next act, moving away from the post-metal model into a more Deathy vibe. An inventive use of the rear screen casts the band in silhouette, adding an otherworldly feel to the show; it’s the biggest pit Technologist have yet seen, and their blend of technicality and gut-punch heaviness lends itself to such audience shenanigans. Original bassist joins to add backing vocals as surfers go over the top and the pit whirls in constant motion. Technologist will take some beating.
I last saw Preston’s Aphotic Sky at Ward XVI’s Halloween Homecoming show – unsurprisingly – last October, and their blend of boundless energy has them literally bouncing onto the stage. Fast and furious modern hardcore is just a starting point for the band who don’t allow mere categorisation to define their sound. Manic energy and unconventional songs are the order of the set for another band playing to their biggest crowd so far. A song about mental health and opening up, Darkside, brings the early Nineties alt scene into focus, as though put through a twenty-first century filter. Spending time in the crowd and utilising a bullhorn seem to come with the Aprotic Sky territory, as does mandatory audience participation. The Day He Died brings something of a sombre note to the show, adding some gravity to the madness that is the band’s set.
Not wanting to repeat myself, but I last saw local lads, Bloodsaw opening the most Metal of shows with Devistator and Bewitcher over at the Star & Garter, and the young fellas more than held their own in the sheer and unadulterated metal stakes. Time has sharpened their cutting edge even more and the Bloodsaw that hits the stage at Rebellion tonight is hungry and set to Killing mode. Clad in classic band tees – Maiden, Metallica and Thin Lizzy let you know this is old school as f… Spikes and studs and timeless riffs, this could almost be 1986 all over again, if only I didn’t ache all over from standing up for too long. Heavy metal gets combined with Speed Metal and some Thrash, they have the air of Venom for a brief moment; a cut-price Eddie the ‘Ed enters stage left – just a bloke with an inflatable axe – but everyone has to start somewhere. Beach balls fly about bouncing off heads and faces at will, the bass player is in the pit, so’s the guitarist – it’s controlled chaos in the best possible way. In all honestly, you could put Bloodsaw on anywhere and it’d be pure, blissful carnage. Deep down, my inner sixteen-year-old is cursing that I’ve let him become me – he might have a point.
I would not like to have the responsibility of choosing just one band to play Bloodstock this year, so I’m glad it’s someone else’s responsibility. In the end, it was decided Technologist we the victors, but it’s a huge milestone to get to this stage and all three other bands should be proud of their achievement.
Time is running away with the show and we’re currently about three-quarters of an hour behind schedule, but the best laid plans, and all that, and with the serious part of the evening over and only the result to come in, it’s back to the music with London ladies, JOANovARC. Early sound gremlins rob the power from the vocal, but they’re back and firing before too long. Carved from the same stone as Girlschool and Rock Goddess, JoanovArc are as NWoBHM as they come, showing that the ladies can shred and scream as well as the lads. Mister Mister comes with classic Eighties vibes, and the band seem to be settling nicely into their Manchester debut; Escape the Fire’s title track is full of catchy hooks and recent single, Mechanical Overlords comes with a sawing riff. The set has slipped by in an instant and it’s left to Invisible Enemy’s Isolation to bring it to a climax.
There’s a huge amount of buzz around VMBRA tonight; not least as they are the band who won this competition last year, securing a spot on the New Blood Stage after having already been a late booking at Radar Festival a month earlier and wowing the crowd there too; but also there’s a sense of ownership from Manchester tonight, that Vmbra is their band and they’re proud as hell of this fact.
And so they should be; the band have an emotional range that far exceeds most others, and they embrace the progressive with open arms, turning every song into a passionate expression of art. I’m lucky enough to have a review copy of the upcoming Polylith album, out in a couple of weeks and was looking forward to seeing which tracks Vmbra might play. Vocalist, Ai Sánchez admitted the Rebellion Bar feels like home in her introduction to latest single, Wryrm. The complex vocal arrangements and cycling between harsh and mellow passages take the listener on a sonic journey. Combinations between all factions of the band interlink beautifully, providing us with a lush, heart-warming sound. A Man Walks In is the first song on Polylith and comes with synaptic visuals plastered across the rear screen; and Money Tree brings it to a close. I know it’s running way behind schedule, but we could have done with a little bit more Vmbra tonight.
But that might have impacted on the headliners, Preston’s gloriously theatrical troupe of shock-rockers, Ward XVI. I caught the inmates a couple of weeks ago down at Uprising Festival in Leicester and I’m recognising many of the devotees from that show here tonight.
It’s all hands to the pumps to set up the stage, with all members of the band working like a well-oiled machine to set the barred frame and lights ready for the show. As winners of the 2017 competition, Ward XVI went on to opening the New Blood stage on the Saturday with one of the greatest live sets that stage has seen. A return to Bloodstock came in 2021, this time to the S.O.P.H.I.E. stage, where they entertained alongside fellow 2017 New Blood alumni, Raised by Owls.
It’s late and my feet and back are screaming, but Ward XVI’s over-blown production and camp aesthetics are the perfect remedy to such things. Again, as with the Uprising show, it’s a truncated version of the climax to the story that began back on The Art of Manipulation. It’s three-quarters of an hour of Alice-like Grand Guignol and Kiss bombast all with a Maiden-esque soundtrack. Aches and pains be damned as Ward XVI again prove themselves to be consummate entertainers. I’m going to suggests the band follow the arc of Raised by Owls and should get a main stage slot, an early Sunday sermon from the inmates would go down a treat, me thinks.
Thus ends a full day of thirteen bands, many who might not yet be on your radar yet but, after attending an event like this Metal 2 the Masses final in Manchester, it’d be rude not to check them out.
As said in the introduction, the time and effort given freely by all involved is just begging for your support, so find a local show and get yourself along. You’ll meet loads of interesting new folk – and some idiots, it must be said – but it’s all part of life’s rich tapestry. Plus, even the biggest bands in the world had to start somewhere.
Photo Credits: Rich Price Photography
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