We headed down to the O2 Ritz to participate in another promised night of chaos as Manchester welcomes back aggressive punk / hardcore powerhouses STRAY FROM THE PATH on their latest headline tour, with support from KNOSIS, VOID OF VISION and MAKE THEM SUFFER.
Knosis
It’s an early start tonight and there’s plenty to pack in so no time is wasted and we’re straight onto the hard stuff as up first we are treated to a heavy dose of experimental metalcore from Japan courtesy of Knosis. We were not prepared as the start of this set hits with such force it’s enough to leave any unwitting observers effectively stunned before the infectious amount of energy radiating off stage takes hold and demands immediate participation. As well as being brutally heavy there is an incredible bounciness to the music which only helps to heighten the chaos that’s unfolding. Even the band themselves seem to spend more time performing high flying manoeuvres than they do in contact with the the ground.
Anyone familiar with Crystal Lake will understand the type of energy that vocalist Ryo Kinoshita brings to the table and with his latest musical outing there appears to be no sign of him slowing down. Honestly the masterclass in showmanship on display from all 4 members is exhilarating to watch unfold as each subsequent breakdown threatens to knock you off your feet.
They may be the first of 4 bands on tonight’s lineup with only a snappy 30 minutes to make an impression but Knosis are certainly determined to make sure you remember them long after the night is over.
Void of Vision
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After a quick changeover and a few much needed moments to catch our breath it’s time for things to take a turn for the gothic. As the lights dim we welcome our second act of the night, Melbourne’s own Void of Vision.
Set opener BERGHAIN aptly describes the image we see on stage, “Dressed pitch black from head to toe. Black eyes, black nails, black fucking soul”, the dark clad group storm into their set with an unrelenting pace with vocalist James Bergin in pure angel of darknees guise prowling the stage with a presence that demands the audiences attention.
Make Them Suffer
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Up next we have another group hailing from Australia, the excellent Make Them Suffer. Even from the opening moments of their set the excitement is visibly building, clearly a lot of people in attendance tonight have been eagerly awaiting their chance to see this group live as the room erupts in movement upon the opening throwdown of Ghost of Me.
The whole set is a glorious assault of chunky riffs and pounding drums laced with the guttural vocals of vocalist Sean Harmanis. This is just further complemented whenever the songs’ melody bursts through, with keyboardist Alex Reade providing a perfect mix of clean vocals.
The crowd is revelling in this set as the room has practically not ceased moving since the opening number. It very much continues in this fashion until regrettably the avid fans are left clawing for more as the closing breakdown of Doomswitch rings out.
Stray From The Path
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It’s the iconic soundings of Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping that blares out over the venue’s speakers as we await our headliner for tonight. It seems like an odd choice of ambience given the nights vibes but might just turn out to be prophecising with a cheeky wry smile the chaos that is about to go down.
The chipper tune is eventually replaced with a deep rising drone and the eerie sound of a blade dropping as a lifesized guillotine is unveiled from the back of the stage standing in front of a backdrop emblazoned with the cry of “OFF WITH THEIR FUCKING HEADS”. This can mean only one thing as New York’s finest Stray From The Path take to the stage and launch into the explosive Guillotine to a rapturous response.
It’s an impressive sight to witness a crowd that up to this point in the night has been going at a full tilt for a solid few hours reach into whatever emergency reserves they have left and somehow raise the energy level to an all new high.
Stray may only be playing a relatively short set at around about an hour long but they’ve packed this thing to the brim! Chock full from start to finish with fan favourites old and new and not a body in the room is standing still, the very earth beneath your feet bouncing as this capacity crowd savour every last second. Security down the front are also getting a major workout as crowd surfer after crowd surfer flows over the barrier.
A slight respite at the end leads us into our encore of the evening, the thunderous First World Problem Child. And as if this ending wasn’t already an incredible round off to a memorable night vocalist Drew Dijorio is joined on vocal duties by Knosis’ Ryo Kinoshita.
All image by William Mawdsley | Instagram