Kataklysm, Vader, Blood Red Throne – Club Academy, Manchester – 22nd February 2026
Sometimes, you need a dose of something heavy. No frills, no trends, just brutal, direct death metal, and this old school bill delivered exactly that, bringing together three bands, who have all stood the test of time. All capable of headlining in their own right, showcasing three facets of death metal at its best.
BLOOD RED THRONE
Openers Blood Red Throne took to the stage fifteen minutes after the doors opened, meaning the crowd was still making its way into the cramped confines of the basement venue as Unleashing Hell was reverberating around the hall, and it sounded immense! Predictably bathed in dense (blood) red light, the band delivered a tight set of crushing True Norwegian Death Metal with Every Silent Plea and Vermicular Heritage flying past at juggernaut speed.
The sound was crystal clear throughout the whole venue with the bass sounding particularly punishing and this continued for the whole night. The short set was brought to a close with older track Smite which sounded as fresh as it did twenty years ago. This had been an impressive short, sharp, brutal barrage – Let’s hope for a return to these shores in the near future.
VADER
After a short turnaround, it was the turn of Poland’s Vader to keep the momentum going. Drowned in green and yellow lights, and with Piotr being partly obscured by a large inverted cross microphone stand, the band opened with a particularly vicious version of older track Sothis, followed by Fractal Light and Wings. By this point, the pit was in full flow with an endless stream of crowd surfers making their way over the barrier.
Where Blood Red Throne had been like a rampaging bull, Vader were more precise in their onslaught, cutting through the lively crowd like a scalpel. Cold Demons was followed by chants of “Vader!” with the band being reverentially treated as headliners before This Is The War saw the band appearing as silhouettes in a blur of green strobes. The room was nowhere near full but this meant that there was plenty of space for those at the front to enjoy themselves, and the whole crowd were loud and lively. Dark Age took us back to the debut album before an abrasive Carnal and an anthemic Helleluyah!!! (God Is Dead) bought things to a triumphant close.
KATAKLYSM
The crowd remained in good spirits as the stage was set for Kataklysm. The band wasted no time and before long, a cold Sunday night in Manchester was transformed into a big sweaty mess as Northern Hyperblast ricocheted off the walls providing the soundtrack for a lively pit and the surfers. An aggressive Goliath and pulsating The Rabbit Hole provided contrasting facets of the band but were equally well received. A short drum solo followed, before ‘The Resurrected’ which led into the the highlight of the set starting with In Shadows & Dust.
The ominous spoken word passage led into the intro and then the crowd erupted when the song kicked in proper. This momentum was kept up for the massive groove laden As I Slither and Bringer Of Vengeance, both providing a soundtrack for the ever increasing number of crowd surfers followed by the rhythmic pounding of Crippled & Broken. This section had been huge and the highlight of the night for me and judging from the crowd’s reaction, I don’t think I was the only one. A few songs later, the set was brought to a close leaving the crowd to file out into the night battered and bruised, but ultimately satisfied.
This had been a celebration of death metal, with three bands at the absolute peak of their powers well and truly bringing the goods to Manchester. The turnout might have been (inexplicably) modest, but this felt like an intimate private party for those that were there and will be remembered for a while to come.
All photography by Andy Pountney (Event Photography Awards Winner 2024 and 2025). You can check out more of his work on shot_in_the_dark_photography2 on Instagram.
Kataklysm: Website
Vader: Facebook
Blood Red Throne: Website