UK Slam Fest 2024 – Day Two: Saturday – Disavowed/Devangelic/Fulci/Anime Torment/Impurist/Anoxide/Spawned from Hate/Slug Gore/Colpocleisis/Type A Secretor – The Bread Shed, Manchester – 19/10/24 (Live Review)

Day two of UK Slam Fest. I couldn’t make day one unfortunately, but I had to make sure I was here for today. After all, it promises a glorious celebration of ugly heaviness. It’s brutal, fun, and had to be seen. The Bread Shed is not a venue I’ve been to before, but I like it and I’d happily come back here again.

Spoiler alert – this was a top day of brutality. Even Borat was in attendance, unexpectedly.

Type A Secretor

Type A Secretor  arrive on stage in an abrupt outburst of slamming heaviness. There are only two of them onstage, and apparently it’s their last show due to the tragic passing away of their drummer, if I heard correctly. They go out with a bang though, as their brutal slamming death metal sets the tone for the day nicely. They have some good chunky grooves.

‘Secret Band’ (Colpocleisis)

Yep, the organisers, (UKSF Events), announced a ‘secret band’ a few days ago, who are revealed to be brutal death slammers Colpocleisis. I’ve never heard them before now, but it’s gory, nasty stuff. The sickening chugs and hideous grooves are massive, and the band have an energy that’s undeniable. I know not a single note, yet they have me moving whether I want to or not.

During Colpocleisis’ set the crowd thicken noticeably, and the pit definitely approves of them. The band even get a wall of death going during their last song.

A very enjoyable set from a band I’d never heard of before today – one of the sets I enjoyed the most, actually. Colpocleisis unleashed the exact sort of barbarity that you’d hope for from a fest with the word slam in its title.

Slug Gore

Now here is a band I’ve 100% been looking forward to seeing. Slug Gore’s They Slime! They Ooze! They Kill! gets better and better the more I listen to it, so I have been waiting expectantly to catch them live.

After two slam-focused bands Slug Gore’s old school grindcore is well-received. It’s raw, harsh, and feels almost unrestrained as the band attack their material with belligerent vigour. Early on they don’t have the best sound, but where the mix fails them, their enthusiasm wins out. It soon clears up enough though, and Slug Gore kick out the jams like they were made to.

Live they remind me more than ever of a mix between Groinchurn and Brutal Truth. Heady praise, I know.

Great work from Slug Gore. They have not disappointed.

Spawned from Hate

Spawned from Hate are another band I’ve been looking forward to. After displaying early promise, (Accelerated Butchery and Promo 2018), the band finally delivered their debut earlier this year, (Elective Amputation), and now it’s time to get steamrollered by the Spawned from Hate live experience.

At least that’s what I was hoping for. The band suffer from the worst sound so far today, which is a huge shame as their slam death heaviness fits this show to a tee otherwise. There’s a cold mechanical efficiency to Spawned from Hate’s music, like an automated killing machine that once started is hard to stop, but it doesn’t get the chance to really gain traction due to the very muddy mix. Despite this, the band give it their all on stage, and seem genuinely happy to be here.

While it’s a definite shame the sound wasn’t better, it was still good to get to catch Spawned from Hate doing their thing.

Anoxide

Like Colpocleisis, I don’t know Anoxide’s music at all. They appear to be a death metal act made up of a good mix of old and new components. There’s a timeless aspect that takes influence from the greats, but also some contemporary parts that draw from the modern and technical death metal scenes. There’s definitely some bass wizardry going on.

The sound isn’t the best again, frustratingly, but it’s not terrible. Through the murk we get snatches of melody, (and even some solos, absent so far today), and plenty of brutality to satisfy. I think I detect blackened elements in their music, but it’s hard to be sure. Vocally, I like the singer’s voice; deep roars and abrasive screams, both well-delivered.

Their set is a short one, but good enough to make me interested in checking out what they sound like on album.

Impurist

Another band that I don’t know now, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying Impurist. The sound isn’t ideal, but Impurist don’t care, and neither do I really, as they tear out their deathly aggression with force.

Opening with a good, meaty riff, their death metal is merciless and manifests as a blasting assault. The songs are unforgiving walls of distortion, while the singer, who has more range than most, provides a focal point to the music’s carnage.

Good stuff. Impurist have made a good impression.

Dawn of Chaos

Dawn of Chaos made some waves in the UK brutal death metal scene, before calling it a day in 2013. Tonight they’re back for a one-off show. Unfortunately though I miss them almost entirely due to getting food, and only manage to witness the last 30 seconds or so, which is a shame as the very brief snippet I heard sounded good. Ah well, can’t have everything I suppose!

Anime Torment

I was only able to listen to a single Anime Torment release prior to seeing them today, (Void Terror), and only once, but I liked what I heard, and it whetted my appetite for their hybrid brand of slamming deathcore.

Anime Torment are clearly into what they’re doing and seem to be in their natural environment on stage. A good portion of the crowd mirror the band’s enthusiasm, and respond accordingly.

The music is heavy and brutal. It walks a tightrope between savage blasting and thunderous groove. The guitars flatten the audience, while the singer growls and screams his way into oblivion. The -core aspect of the music makes for dynamic experience, full of energy and explosive aggression. Yep, I can see why I liked Void Terror when I listened to it, and I definitely need to spend some more time with this band’s output.

I enjoyed Anime Torment, and they play a lethal set.

Fulci

Along with Slug Gore and Devangelic, Fulci are one of the bands that I have been most excited to see today. Their old-school horror-themed death metal is very moreish, easily digested, and great fun. The place is packed for it. You could tell how popular the band were going to be by the queues for their merch stall as soon as it was set up.

It’s mayhem in the pit from the first song. The most melodic band of the day, while also the most song-focused and crushing, Fulci are devastating live. Every song hits like a hammer, and those horror soundtrack interludes/intros/etc. slot perfectly into the gruesome heaviness. It’s a high impact performance. Fulci are masters of their grisly art, and they go down a storm.

Fantastic. What more can I say than that? 30 minutes of old-school death metal excellence.

Devangelic

It’s not over yet though, and now it’s time for something brutally tasty. The crowd has thinned since Fulci, but it’s those that are no longer here’s loss, as tonight Devangelic slay.

I’ve been listening to Devangelic since 2014’s Resurrection Denied, and they’re a band I never thought I’d get to see, yet here we are. Tonight they’re pulling material from their last two albums, (2020’s Ersetu and 2023’s Xul), and I could have swore they play something off their debut too.

Devangelic are professional and tight. Their death metal assault is blistering, but with atmospheric and melodic flourishes at key moments. It’s all relentless blasting and mid-paced power, until a mood-rich section appears and you can almost feel the winds howling across the ancient desert.

Driven hard by the band’s furious attack, this is a set of withering intensity. I think I like Devangelic even better live than on album, as they put on a smashing show. The music almost feels tangible, so ferocious is it. Devangelic have been destructively enjoyable, and I heartily recommend seeing them in the future if you can.

Disavowed

I’m relatively new to the Disavowed party, but can’t help but feel they are going to be damn good live; their blast-and-groove death metal is tailor made for the live arena, after all. It turns out, I was very, very right.

Theirs is a punishing set, packed with riffs that demolish, formidable blast beats that remorselessly pummel, and violent songs that get the blood pumping. They sound great, and deliver their Earth-shaking death metal with belligerent expertise. Disavowed are focused and tight, smashing skulls and breaking bones with ease.

The singer descends into the crowd more than once and really stirs things up, acting like a powder keg. There’s not really enough people to properly crowd surf, but he manages it anyway. All the time, his voice is absolutely inhuman. Not to be outdone, Borat gets to crowd surf too, and even joins the band on stage near the end of the set. Top work.

What else is there to say? An absolute beast of a set from Disavowed. I’m so glad I didn’t miss this.

Disavowed are worthy headliners to this show, and tonight they are pulverising. It’s a memorable performance by the band, and they demonstrate their pedigree throughout. Disavowed have conquered Manchester, and leave the stage triumphant.

Although this was my first excursion to UK Slam Fest, I have a feeling it won’t be my last. I’m already looking forward to coming back next year. If you’re in the region, make sure you get your tickets early.