Manitoba Metalfest Day 2 - Show Review (Allegaeon, Kataklysm, Septicflesh, Decapitated)

 Manitoba Metalfest Day 2 started as soon as some people got to the venue from work - with local band Wilt starting their set at about 5:50pm. That did not stop the entire room being filled in mere minutes after the sounds of a few chords hit. The incredible lighting set the mood immediately and their atmospheric black-doom metal style set the theme for what was to come on this night - an array of experimental, progressive death metal.

Sadistic Embodiment from Edmonton was next to play, playing a headbanger's ball of old-school influenced, pure death metal which didn't let up. Tyler Augusto (of Winnipeg metal bands Entity and Cell) filled in on bass for their performance.

Next, to start the tour off proper was Allegaeon, with an album released in 2022 and another one in the pipeline, potentially coming very soon, the band is back with a ton of new material. Their performance -  which was nearly a year after their last show in Winnipeg - was extremely impressive. Noted highlights include their excellent stage presence, with vocalist Ezra Haynes acting as a conductor for the audience, like an orchestra performance. The technical ability that Allegaeon puts on display is also nothing short of impressive, with guitarist Greg Burgess shredding complicated scales. Keep your eyes peeled for new Allegaeon music within the upcoming months!

Kataklysm's return to Winnipeg proved that Canadian death metal is not dead, performing a great selection of material from their recent release "Goliath", as well as older material from their large discography, including from their Juno award-winning release "Of Ghosts and Gods"

Greek symphonic death metal outfit Septicflesh were up next with a breathtaking, eyecatching performance - many thanks in part to frontman Spiros Antoniou's commanding stage presence and a fantastic stage prop design and light show. Septicflesh drove through their 50 minute set with sheer power, technical display and shared material from both new and old albums alike, including their latest, "Modern Primitive", released in 2022.

Poland's Decapitated ended the night with their signature brand of technical and groovy death metal. Commonly described as one of Europe's top death metal bands, they showcased their versatility in both groove and technicality.
Touring in support of 2022's "Cancer Culture", the setlist included a great mix of old and new, and vocalist Rasta is great at working a crowd.

Having the Cancer Culture tour come to Winnipeg was a blessing, with some great local music to start it. The weekend doesn't stop here, as NinjaCats Productions Manitoba Metalfest 2024 had another great tour roll around the next day - the Dying Fetus/Full of Hell "Maryland Rampage" tour, with special guests Kruelty and 200 Stab Wounds. Read my review of that show here.

Manitoba Metalfest Day 3 - Show Review (Kruelty, 200 Stab Wounds, Full of Hell, Dying Fetus)

Tyrants Demise started the last night of Manitoba Metalfest 2024 off with a brutal assault of melodic death metal. Highlights including vocalist Keith's strong stage presence and the cover of Pantera's "Fucking Hostile" to close out their set.

Kruelty have been making waves in the Japanese hardcore and metal world since they started releasing music in 2018 and especially when their debut record "A DYING TRUTH" came out in 2020. Kruelty first came to Winnipeg last year supporting Sanguisugabogg, Gates to Hell and Vomit Forth, and it was great to see them back and playing a great setlist to a packed house. Kruelty would go on to play an aftershow with a longer setlist, taking place at The Handsome Daughter.

Cleveland's 200 Stab Wounds responded with an onslaught of brutal, old-school-style death metal. Touring in support of their upcoming new release, "Manual Manic Procedure", which releases in June, they performed a stacked setlist which included "Masters of Morbidity" and material from their debut album, "Slave to the Scalpel". 200 Stab Wounds are a band to watch in the modern metal scene, and this excellent performance showed them prove that.

Full of Hell came back to winnipeg for the first time since 2017 and performed a 45 minute set of noisy, grindcore and powerviolence inspired extreme metal that did not let up for one minute. Being one of the most well known bands to do this sound, they spontaneously go from ambient soundscapes to harsh, vicious walls of noise in a matter of seconds. Full of Hell is currently touring of their album "Coagulated Bliss", which came out at the end of April.

Lastly, Dying Fetus is a band that I was never super familiar with, admittedly - at least compared to the other bands on the bill. I was pleasantly surprised by the technical ability and consistency as well as the effort and stage presence that these 3 guys put on. Dying Fetus played a good mix of new and old material, including really early stuff from their 90s era.

Ninjacats Productions and the staff of The Park Theatre put on an unforgettable weekend of brutal, heavy metal and hardcore, all 3 days sold out in record time, and proved Manitoba is still a great place for heavy bands to play. Here's to many more fests and great lineups in Winnipeg. I also want to give a quick shoutout to the amazing sponsors and supporters of the festival: our friends at Sookram's Brewing; CKUW 95.9; Intergalactic Sauces; Eye and Ear Control Records and Rotting Reign.