Nile/Hideous Divinity/Intrepid/Pestifer – Rebellion, Manchester – 10/09/24 (Live Review)

vMe, miss a chance to see the mighty Nile once more? Especially as they’re touring on the back of the very strong The Underworld Awaits Us All? No way. So I once again find myself in the loving care of Rebellion for the evening, and tonight it’s all about the death metal.

Pestifer

Pestifer - Rebellion, Manchester - 100924

Unfortunately, traffic issues mean that I’m late to the venue and only catch the last ten minutes or so of Pestifer. It’s a shame, as I like their music and was looking forward to seeing them properly. The venue is really busy, and plenty have manage to turn up in time to see the band, which is great. What I do manage to see is good, and I like their engaging brand of technical/progressive death metal.

Intrepid

I’m totally unfamiliar with Intrepid, but the crowd remains full and the band get a good, enthusiastic response throughout.

Intrepid are revealed to play a brutal form of death metal with a healthy thrash influence. There’s punishing drums, a host of meaty riffs, and plenty of screaming solos. It’s old-school death metal, (think Cannibal Corpse, Broken Hope, Morbid Angel, and Deicide), with an energetic delivery, crossover appeal, (think early Sepultura), and also some of Misery Index‘s pit-friendly heaviness. Throw in a quality vocalist who has some very gruesome growls, and you have a good impression made.

I enjoy their set a great deal, and I’m clearly not the only one. Intrepid have impressed.

Hideous Divinity

Hideous Divinity - Rebellion, Manchester - 100924

I’ve seen Hideous Divinity a couple of times before so I know that they do well in the live environment. Tonight is no different – the band very capably unleash a wall of viciously brutal tech death that’s massive.

The band are tight and precise, and deliver their material with skilled passion. As always, Hideous Divinity put on a good show, and the crowd seem quite satisfied with their performance. Their set is an entertaining one, and they even play Chestburst off LV-426, which sounds monstrous.

Winner.

Nile

Nile - Rebellion, Manchester - 100924

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen Nile over the years. Suffice to say that I know they put on a damn good show.

Nile put the work in tonight, unleashing over an hour of ferocious death metal that the packed crowd lap up. Their set takes in most of their albums, and the band are on fire.

Highlights are many, but I’ll pick a few in particular. Defiling the Gates of Ishtar sounds absolutely immense. One of my favourites off the new album – To Strike with Secret Fang – is savage. Kafir almost destroys the place. Vile Nilotic Rites boasts a churning groove that really gets people moving. Lashed to the Slave Stick is just fantastic. The remarkably titled Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes – with full introductory announcement – hits the spot hard. Annihilation of the Wicked is devastating with its atmospheric heaviness and merciless blasting. Ending with the utterly brutal Black Seeds of Vengeance, Nile just dominate.

Nile have once again shown why they’re one of the best in the business. The next time they play near you don’t miss out on their crushing show.