Warbringer
Special Guests: Hellripper + Blacklist
Venue: The Bread Shed, Manchester
Date: 27th April 2023.
Review By: Mark Young
Typically, it’s a wet and miserable evening in Manchester. Despite this, there is a steady influx of patron’s filter in as doors open, battle vests on display which is a positive indication of what is to come. It’s quite an inclusive attendance too, which is always a major positive.
Blacklist
With first act Blacklist kicking off with some old school windmill head banging, it is fast, heavy and furious as they try to shake the crowd up into joining in and getting them to move. They have got some good songs here, which displays their talent, and another major plus is that any band that writes a song about the Evil dead can do no wrong in my eyes.
Their last song finally gets the crowd going and is brutally heavy, resulting in a short but blistering set.
Great start, and you should put these on your radar. 
(4 / 5)
Hellripper
Take to the stage at 8.20pm and have approximately 40 mins to lay waste to the audience and stamp their authority tonight. I reckon it took them about 15 all told. Those here tonight witnessed something a little bit special as they tore through the fastest set of songs I’ve seen since Slayer were special guests of Slipknot in 2004. That night, Slayer decided to show them they could still cut it. After maybe a minute, the floor opens, and that circle pit just didn’t stop until they finished. Crowd surfers are making their way to the front and then turning round as there are no barriers set up, which I thought was awesome.
Their sound is immense, with clarity in attack and there is an incredible sense of fun, as they mix head-banging and boogey shoes whilst just hammering their guitars. And the drummer, he just didn’t stop, like Philthy Animal combined with Dave Lombardo just annihilating his kit.
It is just amazing to witness, and they are surely destined for bigger things. 
(5 / 5)
Warbringer
After the organised chaos that was Hellripper, they will have to play out of their skins, as the bar has been set incredibly high. And they do, playing some top-class thrash which is just note perfect.
By now the crowd are properly warmed up, and they are not disappointed as they hit the ground running with their different brand of metal. For the next hour, they pull out all the stops and continually pummel the audience with their best songs, all received with enthusiasm by the collected.
Lead singer, John Kevill is everywhere on that stage, and they manage to make the stage bigger than it actually is. He is doing everything to keep the audience going, and the pit widens in appreciation of this.
Their attack is honed from just having better stagecraft, and they do everything, pulling all the shapes to keep that energy going.
What I know is that they give the crowd everything in what feels like the quickest hour ever and once they do finish there is a buzz that we have had a truly magical night. (5 / 5)
