Damnation Festival 2024 – BEC Arena, Manchester – 02/11/24 (Live Review)

Another year, another Damnation Festival. As always, the organisers are to be commended for putting on one of the UK’s premier metal festivals. I’ve been coming here most years for almost two decades now, and I’ve never yet had a bad day.

There are three stages. Two smaller stages that clash with each other, and a main stage that clashes with nothing.

Enforced

Shockingly, and completely unexpectedly, when I arrive there’s no queue and I waltz straight in. I had resigned myself to missing Enforced, but instead catch most of them, ( apart from the first ten minutes). There’s a good crowd here already, (and even a bit of an early pit), and the band’s crossover thrash is great fun.

I would have liked to have seen Pijn who are playing at the same time, but Enforced’s thrashy goodness is just the perfect way to start the day’s festivities.

A.A. Williams

I wander over to the main stage just as A.A. Williams is starting. Her voice is clear and powerful, and immediately captivates me. I have never heard A.A. Williams before, and her music is different to what I was expecting. I thought it a folky affair, but it’s actually dark, brooding, and doomy; exactly the sort of thing I like. I’ll have to check out some recorded work now.

Her performance is strong, and the music has a potent atmospheric presence. I’m impressed. I really enjoyed her set, and I’m not the only one it seems.

Hexis

I last saw Hexis playing with Zatokrev, way back in 2019, but it seems like only yesterday. They blew me away with their fury, so seeing them today was mandatory.

Once they take to the stage, Hexis’ blackened hardcore is brutal and sharp. They throw themselves into their performance with gusto, and they play like it’s their last show ever. It’s always a joy to witness a band who clearly love what they do and who give it their all on stage; it’s infectious. Hexis maintain the intensity levels throughout their set, and it’s great to see them live again.

Hexis brought the gift of dark heaviness to Damnation, and it was most welcome. A commanding performance from a first rate live act.

Gatecreeper

Gatecreeper are a popular choice it seems, as I suspected they would be. There’s a lot of people present to take in their old-school melodic death metal, and the main stage is a busy place.

The songs are good, and despite starting with a less than ideal sound, (with a somewhat strange drum sound, to my ears at least), they deliver the goods. Besides, the sound quickly improves, and the crowd don’t seem to care that much regardless, and neither do I really. Gatecreeper know how to handle their material and deserve the positive reaction they get from everyone in attendance. They also boast the first crowd surfer, (that I see anyway).

Gatecreeper play a solid and enjoyable set of arena-friendly death metal, and I’m glad I’ve managed to see them.

200 Stab Wounds

Hexis, Gatecreeper, and now 200 Stab Wounds is a crushing triad of heaviness and extremity, but the most brutal of the three is saved for the now. 200 Stab Wounds bring their hardcore-edged caveman death metal belligerence to Damnation, and their barbaric stomp smashes the stage to oblivion.

The band’s chunky riffs and thrashy grooves go down a treat. They’re heavy heavy heavy, and they hit hard. There’s spiky riffs flying all over the shop, slaying left, right, and centre. They boast a remarkably crisp sound, and use it to demolish the crowd. I don’t stop moving throughout. The vocalist sounds less deep live, but that may be either the sound or where I was standing. Plus, his voice was probably just swamped by the AVALANCHE OF HUGE RIFFS pouring from the stage.

I was looking forward to seeing 200 Stab Wounds, but wasn’t quite expecting them to be as good as they were. I like the band on record, (particularly this year’s Manual Manic Procedures), but live is apparently where they shine the most. Their set flies by, and before you know it they leave the stage, leaving only a smoking crater behind.

Gruesome stuff. The next time they tour the UK, I’m there if I can be.

Ne Obliviscaris

Now for something a bit mode sophisticated in the form of Ne Obliviscaris playing their 2014 album Citadel in its entirety for its ten year anniversary. They don’t draw the crowd that Gatecreeper did, but that matters not one jot to the people that have come to see them. The only time I’ve seen the band before was also at Damnation, in 2018, so it’s great to catch them once more.

Ne Obliviscaris’ complex and layered extreme progressive metal initially loses some of its nuance live due to a bit of a muddy sound, but that doesn’t prevent the band from putting on a good show for the crowd. Besides, as with Gatecreeper, the sound improves over time, and a fuller Ne Obliviscaris experience is soon revealed.

With the benefit of this clearer sound the highlights of the set are many. If you know Citadel then you know it’s a multifaceted album full of fiery aggression, rich emotion, and deep atmosphere. Ne Obliviscaris do the record justice today, and the album is well-rendered live.

The band deliver a professional show, reinforcing why they are as well-regarded as they are. Ne Obliviscaris give a very confident and enjoyable performance.

(Post-show note – I didn’t recognise the singer who performed harsh vocals during this show, and it turns out it’s because it’s the singer of Black Crown Initiate/Replacire/The Faceless filling in for Ne Obliviscaris’ normal vocalist).

Nails

As expected, the main stage is packed for Nails. The last time I saw the band was also at Damnation, in 2017, playing a stage which even then was too small to contain their sonic violence.

Exploding with You Will Never Be One of Us, Nails are devastating. The songs come thick and fast, each one ferocious and intense, with the occasional burst of steamroller groove. The band’s grinding hardcore assault is withering, and the crowd eat it up and ask for more. There are even pyrotechnics used that complement Nails’ fiery delivery.

The band tear into the songs with brutal enthusiasm, unleashing murderous speed, immense punishing riffs, and snarling hostility. The mid-paced/slower parts are especially potent, and don’t fail to provoke a crowd response. The audience are here to be pulverised, and Nails give the people what they want.

Nails’ performance is tight, gripping, and they don’t disappoint. The large crowd seems very happy, as am I.

Dool

So here it is then, the worst clash in all of my many years attending Damnation. I’m sure for many, Dool and Memoriam being on at the same time wouldn’t be an issue, but for me it’s terrible. The agony of choice! I love both bands, and have had real trouble deciding between the two. In the end I went for Dool on the rather flimsy reasoning that Memoriam are from the UK, so at least in theory I might be more likely to see the again in the future. However, I’m not sure how much that stands up to scrutiny, as in all of the years I’ve been listening to Memoriam I’ve never yet managed to see them live. Ah well.

Regardless, Dool it is then.

This is my first time at the smallest stage today, making for a much more intimate show than the others I’ve seen so far. Dool are animated on stage and attack their material with vigour and passion. They clearly love what they do, and what they do is put on an incendiary performance. The band thrash, flail, and headbang through their set like you’d expect to see from a much heavier and more aggressive band, while also having a certain grace all of their own. It’s wonderful to see them so into their music.

The songs are rich in emotion and ripe with hooks. Dool’s dark rock translates live very well, with a rawer potent energy and a captivating presence. The singer’s powerful and nuanced voice is just as strong as it is on album, and the entire band put on a riveting show. Each song is absorbing and as far as I’m concerned it’s hit after hit after hit.

After experiencing them live I now love Dool even more.

Bleeding Through

Tonight Bleeding Through are playing all of their 2003 album This Is Love, This Is Murderous. At least I thought they were; what they actually do is play a mixed set from a few albums, and only play select songs from This Is Love, This Is Murderous. I last saw the band sometime around this album was released, so catching them again is long overdue, regardless of what they ended up playing.

It’s such a classic album and tonight its songs are recreated with brutal finesse, as are the others being aired. Bleeding Through know what to do live, and they deliver an enjoyable set that sees them showcase their pioneering brand of metallic hardcore in all of its gritty glory. The music’s multigenre influences were much less common back in the early 00s, and their music holds up wonderfully in 2024.

A solid addition to this year’s Damnation. Whether it’s the pummelling heaviness, the muscular riffs, or the anthemic choruses, Bleeding Through hit the spot. The crowd seem to approve too.

Inter Arma

Inter Arma have a diverse, wide ranging style, and live it takes on a life of its own. The band’s extremity has many facets, all of them making the transition to the live setting fully intact and vibrant.

This is a performance that feels alive, almost like anything could happen. The music’s breadth, coupled with the band’s individual stage presence, makes it seem like you’re witnessing something special. It’s not so far from the truth either, as Inter Arma make for a compelling and very enjoyable live spectacle throughout their set. They seem almost one step away from descending into chaos, yet never deliver anything other than a tight rendition of their expressive songs.

The songs are cleaner and crisper than they are on album, allowing them to be seen in a different light. From brutal death metal carnage, to vast progressive worldbuilding, to immersive sludge soundscapes, to the most colossal of doom riff-factories, to scathing blackened hostility, to hypnotic drum solos, and more besides, Inter Arma have it all.

The band are having a whale of a time on stage, and so does everyone else too. The drummer alone is worth the price of admission.

An extreme metal masterclass. Just brilliant.

Russian Circles

Russian Circles are a band I’ve been looking forward to seeing for a very long time, so the anticipation is high.

Russian Circles’ instrumental post-rock/metal is one that I always have time for. They paint pictures with sound that are unrivalled for the style, in my humble opinion. Tonight the songs flaunt Russian Circles’ talents in no uncertain terms, and the band’s show is extremely strong and satisfying.

The band may play to a largely monochromatic light show, (albeit one that cycles through different colours), and their music displays a mastery of light and shading. The set is a textured one that explores the music’s sound and shape, projecting it at the audience with clarity and emotive atmospheric weight. The heavy parts are really, really heavy, but the lighter parts still manage to be deft and delicate. Theirs is an immense sound for only three people on stage. Somewhat underrated too is their capacity for killer riffs. Some of the damn things are just massive and colossally heavy.

Russian Circles give less of a visceral, raw performance than someone like Inter Arma do, and instead seem embedded in the lights, letting the music’s manifold strengths take the lead. The band give it their all, for sure, but it’s the music itself that’s the prime focus throughout.

After years of waiting to see Russian Circles, I leave extremely happy by the end of it. They exceeded my expectations. Excellent stuff.

Dragged into Sunlight

Only two more bands to go tonight, and for many, many people, seeing Dragged into Sunlight perform their 2009 album Hatred for Mankind in full is at the top of their must-see list. As such, the stage is an extremely full one. How a band as abrasive and extreme as this got to be so popular is beyond me, but it’s not like they don’t deserve it; Hatred for Mankind is a beast of an album.

Delivering a set that bleeds darkness and malevolence, Dragged into Sunlight take no prisoners. Their hybrid blackened sludge doom death, (or whatever you want to call it), style is near-impenetrable in its thick menacing distortion. Having said that, it benefits from a surprisingly clear sound, allowing the music to breathe its toxic fumes unhindered.

We get shadowy figures, swathed in infernal red light that’s punctuated by bright strobes and occasional flashes of other sickly colours, (and even some fire later on); the band keep their backs to the crowd and focus on delivering feral intensity to the eager masses. The music shifts, warps, and mutates constantly, with only an ornate candelabra an unmoving anchor in the chaos. The crowd are drawn into the band’s ritual of mayhem, and it is an impactful, crushing set that’s unleashed. Dragged into Sunlight dish out the punishment, and the crowd are only too happy to receive it.

Experiencing Dragged into Sunlight live has lived up to its promise.

Cradle of Filth

So here we are then – the final stretch. At this point the fatigue is very real, but Cradle of Filth are worth sticking around for.

I’ve seen Cradle of Filth many times in the past, but not for some time now, so I was pleased when they were announced as this year’s main stage headliner. Tonight they’re playing an ‘old-school ritual’ set, drawing from their discography prior to 2001 exclusively, which is just swell.

Cradle of Filth bring the largest stage show of the day, as expected, and put on a damn good show. The band’s legendary frontman Dani Filth is on fine form, but all of the band are enthusiastic in their performances. I imagine it’s hard not to be with such strong material to work with. Also, I don’t know what elixirs he’s been imbibing, but Dani’s voice sounds like it hasn’t aged at all.

I very much approve of the songs chosen, which includes some personal favourites like formidable opener Heaven Torn Asunder, the scathing The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, and the simply amazing The Forest Whispers My Name and, to name just a few. Another highlight of the evening is the stunning Her Ghost in the Fog, complete with someone, (I have no idea who), who comes on stage to deliver the opening spoken word part. Cradle of Filth close with From the Cradle to Enslave, and a great time was had by all.

I loved every minute of Cradle of Filth tonight, and so do the remaining crowd as far as I can tell. Outstanding fun. What a winning way to end the day. It’s fantastic to hear these songs live again, classics all of them.

Another Damnation over with for yet another year. It’s been an exhausting, but very rewarding day, and I have no complaints at all. Next year is the festival’s 20th anniversary, so make sure you get your tickets early, as I’m sure it’ll be an unmissable event.