Combichrist – Still Making Monsters 202, Manchester Academy 3 – 24/05/2025 – Gig Review

I’ll admit. It’s rare I leave my comfort zones of black, doom, and post metal. Which is why it felt strange to be sat in Grand Central Manchester having a pre gig drink with my friend prior to the Combichrist headline show. This wouldn’t be the first time the industrial metal act had toured the UK, as they had been here in Manchester last summer in a run that culminated with an appearance at Bloodstock Open Air). However, this would be the first time I had ever laid eyes on Combichrist and thus was going in completely blind.

“This is going to be completely different to Fortress Festival” my friend advised. She was right. Still, I’m always seeking new experiences and was looking forward to trying something new. This would also be the first time I had ever been in Manchester Academy 3, the smaller of the stages at this venue. All of which I’m sure would make for a more intimate environment as we made our way in and found a suitable viewing post after a customary visit to the bar. In plenty time for our opening act…

 

EsoteriK

Allison on vocals, Brady on guitar, it was them two and their laptop against the world. Yes, not a full band but rather a Pagan darkwave duo. Allison had to ride a small wave of technical issues in the opening minute or so but remained composed and continued to deliver the vocals. Her energy was admirable especially given the painfully small performance area the two had been dealt with. Though sadly, this just wasn’t connecting with the crowd, which was cruelly sparse at this moment. Was this an omen of things to come for the evening and was it going to be a very quiet night? Whilst the stage attires were on point, it felt like too much was missing and there just wasn’t enough presence or command on stage, feeling more like a practice session with the backing tracks filling in for too much. Maybe this was my limited understanding of the genre but this didn’t feel like the strongest of opening sets, sadly.

 

Bank holiday weekends are always a funny one; gigs are either jam packed or sparsely full. I found Academy 3 to be more towards the quieter end which seemed worrying. Maybe Slam Dunk and/or Breaking Bands had ‘stole’ some of the audience for tonight? No time to philosophising as it was almost time for act two and one I had been looking forward to.

 

Crimson Veil

At Academy 2 last April, I saw Crimson Veil but only a short segment of their opening set to Finnish theatre rock legends Lordi. Positioned close to the barrier at the front, I had a much better opportunity to get a real taste of what the band was all about. Just watching them set up demonstrated we were going to be treated to something rather unusual. In particular, with Hana’s array of electronic string instruments: a harp, cello, and violin. Lemme tell you, she used these to great effect and added a unique dimension to what was already a genre-fluid performance. Genuinely, try to box Crimson Veil into one genre, and they’ll smash up that box and make you feel stupid for even trying! Anna laid down the foundations from behind the drums whilst guitarist Garry added a more traditional metal flavour with some crunching distorted rhythms. Vocalist Mishkin demonstrated unrivalled versatility from behind the mic with Pagan style throat singing, demonic growls, and jaw-dropping cleaner vocals. The fierce look in her eyes was enough to petrify. The genres swung like a drunken pendulum between sludge, doom, djent, death metal, and progressive rock. It sounds like a hot mess ,yet somehow there was an unifying coherence that made this blend of sub-genres make sense. Whilst they’re clearly serious and dedicated to their craft, seeing the jovial onstage antics and banter between them all was endearing and made me enjoy them all the more. I need to see them again, on a bigger stage. Maybe there’s a Crimson Veil-sized hole at Damnation Festival?

 

Extize

Now for something very different. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve really been into electronic music. I just never have understood it. Sometimes you just need a band who are supremely talented at what they do to make you change your whole outlook on it. That’s exactly what Extize did to me! I never thought I’d ever find 33 year old me dancing along to their tunes like a drunk uncle at a wedding party. But I was dancing. I loved it. Their powerhouse of a vocalist Cyb3rella worked the crowd into a frenzy and ensured everybody’s attention was sustained. Whether that’s by introducing an inflatable volleyball into the crowd during ‘Gothy Cool’, joining the crowd whilst striking a cowbell, or just generally commanding the stage like an absolute juggernaut! The music felt secondary whilst having an absolute ball was the priority. I think it’s safe to say that mission was achieved as it was obvious that the energy in the room had been raised sky high. Some festivals I’m going to later in the year will feature more electronic bands like this. If they’re half as good as Extize, I’ll need to add them to my watch list.

 

Combichrist

Time for the main event. Whereas it had been fairly sparse up until now, all those lurking towards the back made a beeline to the front to secure a prime viewing spot. I was happy staying in the relative safety of the fringes whilst still having a good view of the action. Believe me, there was action! Action coming in the form of a fully-fledged industrial metal rave complete with the first pits of the evening. Look anywhere and you could see arms outstretched and fans singing along their favourite songs. Whilst I wasn’t familiar and couldn’t join in with the sing-along, it was clear that there was a connection and many special Instagram story-worthy moments. On stage, everything about the band just seemed polished and sounded as smooth as butter, with the seamless blend of traditional heavy metal instrumentation. The hard industrial and electronic elements were impossible to ignore, yet not the sole focus of the music entirely, such was the surprising depth of Combichrist’s sound. The lazy comparison would be to industrial metal legends Rammstein, at least from a auditory point of view. All without the stunning visuals, though Combichrist more than looked the part and had that command of the stage too. This felt like a masterclass in the genre. 70 minutes or so of the set seemed like the ideal amount, clearly leaving the audience wanting more, as there was an encore and demands for “one more song”.

 

***

A decision was made once the calls for ‘one more song’ were crying out; leave a little early and make a customary visit to the merch stand. Sorry, Combichrist, but surely you won’t mind taking some of my hard-earned cash in exchange for one of your patches? That’s what happened. I spoke to Hana and Mishkin of Crimson Veil here too, who seemed to be very humble yet grateful when I told them how much I enjoyed their set. Had any woven patches been on sale, my bank account would have taken another hit.

“What?? Combichrist played Manchester yesterday????”

My friend’s response as I was sharing my experience of the night in our Discord server the day after. Considering that two of my friends had only learned of this show a few hours prior to doors, too, makes me wonder how well promoted the show had been. Or maybe I’m looking too much into it. In either case, I was one of the lucky ones who got to experience this in the flesh. Lucky to be given an opportunity to step out of my usual comfort zone and be able to try something completely different.