Each year Impericon sends the Never Say Die Tour across Europe and the UK and this years line up was one of the biggest yet. With a huge line up bringing bands from America, Australia and Europe the Never Say Die Tour was sure to bring plenty of mosh to Manchesters Club Academy. Openers Hand Of Mercy (6.5) did a good job of kicking things off as the room slowly filled up. Their fairly standard take on Metalcore still managed to get plenty of people moving and they showed plenty of promise during their short set. Northlane (8.5) on the other hand were treated like headliners by the packed out room. Over their short four song set they had the entire room under control with “Quantum Flux” sending everyone into a frenzy of moshing and screaming the lyrics band to frontman Adrian Fitipaldes, it’s very clear to expect big things from Northlane. Hundredth (7.5) struggled to follow such an impressive act especially when with the exception of a few hardcore dancers most of the crowd weren’t interested. It’s a shame as Hundredth definitely stand out among a lot of Hardcore bands right now. Frontman Chadwick Johnson packed every moment when the band weren’t playing and even offered some free merch to anyone who could make it onstage which did get a good few crowdsurfers flying towards the front of the venue .
Despite some technical difficulties leading to a late start and meaning Aaron Matts vocals could barely be heard for the first few songs, Betraying The Martyrs (7) receive a much better reception than Hundredth with their Symphonic Deathcore gets plenty of pits going. Unfortunately their set had to be cut short meaning they didn’t get the chance to play a new song they had been trying out on tour which left some fans feeling disappointed. I Killed The Prom Queen (7.5) also suffered from having their set cut short but they still made the most of their short time on stage mixing in fan favourites with new songs from their upcoming album. The band put on such a slick set of Melodic Metalcore it’s difficult to tell that most of the line up is made up with new members, Jona Weinhofen being the only original member left. Main support Carnifex (8.5) smash through the heaviest set of the night again mixing some newer songs from their upcoming album with older songs. With plenty of head banging and windmilling going on as well as a few circle pits it’s clear that the crowd were loving Carnifex. The pits get so crazy that even some blood is shed by an unlucky few (including this reviewer). “Hell Chose Me” ends their set on an epic high leaving the crowd perfectly warmed up for tonights headliner.
Emmure (9) are often criticised for their simplicity but tonight they prove why they have built up an impressive fanbase over the past few years. Opener “4 Poisons 3 Words” gets the crowd moving but when they drop “Solar Flare Homicide” immediately after things are taken to a whole other level. The entire of the Club Academy screams every lyric whilst jumping, moshing and crowd surfing. This chaos doesn’t stop as Emmure blast through some of their biggest songs. The likes of “I Thought You Met Telly And Turned Me Into Casper” and “Drug Dealer Friend” might be incredibly daft lyrically, but when an entire room is screaming along to them it’s nearly impossible not to have fun. Frankie Palmeri proves himself to be a brilliant frontman as he commands the crowd with such ease and vocally he is on form tonight. And the constant breakdowns provide the perfect soundtrack to mosh to. “MDMA” brings their main set to a close before Emmure encore with “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong” sees one last burst of energy from the crowd with a final pit opening. Despite not being the most sophisticated band ever, Emmure show tonight that they are an incredibly fun live band and bring the 2013 Never Say Die Tour to a brilliant close.
