Slaughtercult, Growth, Rivers Of Nihil & Psycroptic Review
Manning Bar was the place to be on Saturday night, and we got to rock out to four epic bands that took over the venue. The night was packed with crushing riffs, brutal vocals and impressive musicianship. Slaughtercult opened the night, followed by Growth, Rivers Of Nihil and Australian death metal heavyweights, Psycroptic, who closed out the show.
Slaughtercult opened the night and brought plenty of aggression, they set the tone for the slaughter that was going to occur. Their guitars delivered thick, distorted riffs while the bass added plenty of low-end weight underneath the mix. The drums were relentless, with pounding kick drums, sharp cymbal crashes and hard-hitting fills, and it drove the songs forward. Vocally, the performance was raw and aggressive, and it matched the intensity coming from the rest of the band. Slaughtercult brought hits including “Birthing Ceremony ”, “Steeped in Fungal Discharge” and “Molotov Cock-Tease” and the tight raw live energy brought mayhem from the word go. They certainly left their mark and had the Manning Bar crowd ready for what was still to come.
Next up were Growth, and they stepped things up with an even heavier and more punishing performance. The guitars were a major highlight, and they switched between crushing riffs and intricate rhythms, while the bass guitar sat underneath everything with a thick, powerful tone. The drummer was throwing out hard-hitting beats, that kept the entire set moving at full speed. The vocals added a layer of aggression, and cut through the heavy instrumental attack and gave the songs attitude. The moshpit was in full swing as songs including “Soul Rot”, “Forward, Further, Spirit Killer” and “Remember Me As Fire” played and the heaviness was in full swing, and the musicianship was on point. The crowd was well and truly getting into the night.
Rivers Of Nihil, were up next, and they brought their A game. They delivered one of the most technically impressive performances of the evening. The guitar work was incredibly detailed, and it moved between complex riffs, crushing rhythms and atmospheric sections. The bass guitar provided a strong tone underneath the guitars, while the drummer was an absolute machine behind the kit, and he kept up with the demanding arrangements with precision.
Rivers Of Nihil brought plenty of brutality to the stage, with their harsh and powerful vocals that the fans sang along to and moshed to. There was a real sense of musicianship throughout the set, and every member locked into their performance. Songs like “Rivers of Nihil”, “The Void From Which No Sound Escapes”, “American Death” and “Where Owls Know My Name” gave the crowd plenty to get behind, with the band showing why they have become such an important name within modern extreme metal. Their set was heavy, technical and incredibly tight from beginning to end.
It was time for Psycroptic to close the night, and the Manning Bar erupted as soon as they hit the stage. The Tasmanian death metal Legends delivered an absolutely relentless set, and the guitars fired off rapid riffs while the bass guitar added an enormous amount of weight.
The songs kicked into "Architects of Extinction , The Watcher of All and No Blade of Grass" and Behind the kit, the drumming was nothing short of phenomenal. The combination of blisteringly fast kick work, rapid blast beats and perfectly timed changes gave the songs their trademark intensity. The guitar was impressive, and the incredibly fast picking, technical and crushing rhythms came together and brought a sheer heaviness to the venue.
The vocals were brutal from start to finish, and they cut through the wall of guitars, bass and drums with an intensity that suited the music perfectly. Tracks including “Cold”, “We Were the Keepers”, “Enslavement”, “Gathering a Venomous Herd” and “Euphorinasia” had the crowd completely locked in, and the energy inside Manning Bar reached its peak.
Psycroptic finished their set with "Frozen Gaze , Ashes of a New Dawn and As the Kingdom Drowns" and the tight musicianship was on full display. Psycroptic brought extreme metal to the Manning Bar, and every riff, drum hit and vocal came together with precision. The technical complexity of their music was on full display, and the band never lost the raw aggression, and their live performance was powerful.
Psycroptic came back on stage to play one more song "Carriers of the Plague" and By the time the final notes rang out, Manning Bar had been taken through four different but equally heavy sets.
Slaughtercult started the night with aggression, Growth continued to build the intensity, Rivers Of Nihil brought technical brilliance, and Psycroptic finished the evening with a devastating display of Australian death metal.
As we walked out of the venue, we were in awe as we had just watched four bands, one stage and a night of absolutely crushing metal. Manning Bar certainly got its money's worth last night, and you should definitely check out all these bands.