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Manchester Academy 1 is about to get its roof well and truly ripped off tonight as Five Finger Death Punch hit town, these American heavy groove metallers are eager to entertain the legendary Manchester crowd but before they get their chance we have two support bands to entertain and get the crowd worked up ready for them.
First into the fray is Pop Evil who might be new to me but the capacity crowd seem to know them as they chant and sing along during the set. A great alt rock/nu metal sound they kick out a great set and I’m surprised the drummer managed to stay behind the kit with the amount of jumping around he was doing.
As Upon A Burning Body stroll onto stage you might have thought you were at the wrong venue as their suited and booted appearance lulls you into a false sense of security.
But before too long, as they crank into opener ‘Devil’s Advocate’, it is evident that Deathcore has arrived in the building with vocalist Danny Leal egging on the crowd surfers who dutifully get aloft during ‘Once Upon A Time In Mexico’.
These Texan rockers are musically excellent and the formidable double time drumming sets the pace mixed with the timely sub-bass rumble that rattles the building itself.
With ‘Dio’ horns replaced by two handed cow horns from the crowd the last track ‘Sin City’ hits in and with a final flurry of surfers and the parting line from Danny ‘Life suck’s then you Die’ the set is over and it’s time to breathe again.
Five Finger Death Punch are a band who somehow I had totally missed out on until I got their CD on the cover of Metal Hammer last year. Their brutal hard hitting metal is right up my street and by the now totally packed Academy would seem to agree with that.
Right from the off with ‘Under And Over It’ and ‘Burn It Down’ the crowd go crazy and the band are tight as hell with combined windmilling from Chris (bass) and Zoltan (guitar) and lead breaks from Jason Hook (guitar) all fronted by the manic looking Ivan Moody (vocals) who delivers his vocals with an aggressive yet precise tone.
They are as metal as I expected and even when they break into ‘Bad Company’ (Bad Company cover) the groove side of them comes through and fits extremely well, I’m surprised how many in the crowd know all the words, but wonder how many know the original.
I know some people dismiss them for their political views but if you take it back right to the music they are an absolutely awesome band both on album and certainly live. I would love to see them at a big festival with a willing crowd under their control.
Review and photos by Simon Dunkerley
Setlists
Pop Evil: Deal With The Devil, Hero, Boss’s Daughter, Goodbye My Friend, Sick Sense, Torn To Pieces, Trenches, Last Man Standing
Upon a Burning Body: Devil’s Advocate, Desperado, Mimic, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Carlito’s Way, Game Over, El Mariachi, Texas Blood Money, Sin City
FFDP: Under and Over It, Burn It Down, Hard To See, Lift Me Up, Bad Company(Bad Company cover), No One Gets Left Behind, Burn MF, The Agony Of Regret , Remember Everything, Battle Born, Coming Down, Never Enough, Mama Said Knock You Out (LL Cool J cover), Here To Die, Far From Home(Acapella 1st Verse & Chorus), The Bleeding
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)
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