Ultha, Ante Inferno, Andracca – Rebellion, Manchester – 14th April, 2025 – Gig Review

There’s a first time for everything. First date, first job, first concert. Or in the case of Ultha, their very first tour of the UK. Many will have laid eyes on the band for the very first time in the summer of 2024 as they tore apart the main stage of Fortress Festival in a truly legendary and emotional performance that left many reeling for hours afterwards. Myself included. I was there. This prompted me to book my place at Samhain Maastricht in October 2024 to catch their set at the festival. Though this time, I would not have to travel to another country to see the German atmospheric black metallers live, but rather 2 miles from my home in Manchester. The Dark Heart Of Everything tour would feature two of the rising stars in the UK’s stacked underground black metal scene. This included touring partners Ante Inferno, fresh off the back of releasing the critically acclaimed “In Death’s Soliloquy” album, and opening act Andracca.

 

Andracca

Having had multiple opportunities to catch the band live, for one reason or another, this hadn’t worked out for me. No excuses this time, and I would catch the band for the maiden time. It was seemingly quiet in terms of attendance, but as soon as the first note rang out, suddenly everybody descended into the venue after lurking at the bar or in the outside smoking area. They certainly looked the part with the stage attire and some in corpse paint, as well as smoke machines and a solid lighting display. All part of a commanding stage presence. Everything about their sound felt more traditional, a throwback to an earlier wave and incarnation of the genre. Yet with a sprinkling of modern production and innovation, whilst retaining that early blackened-thrash grit, they sounded anything but generic or a poor imitation of this era.  No, this is a highly original take on black metal. Kaspars had informed us that this would be the band’s first show in 6 months or so (and I also learned after that this would be his final with the band), though he showed no signs of stage rust. When the band introduced one of their best-known songs, ‘To Bare The Weight Of Death’, this was met with a solid reaction from the crowd and was met with roars of approval, later followed by headbanging in appreciation, and finally a small pit at the end of the set! If I had one gripe, though? The silence between songs was deafening at times, taking away from the atmosphere they had already built. Some kind of backing track or more engaging crowd interactions would have spared this. Nonetheless, it was a solid way to open tonight’s proceedings, though and it was a more than adequate opening act.

 

Ante Inferno

Having featured in multiple line-ups and festivals on the continent, Ante Inferno would be touring the UK for the first time in over 5 years on this run of shows. A friend had informed me that their performance in York 2 days earlier had gone down extremely well, and now, 4 dates into the tour should have been well-oiled and tighter than a mechanic’s spanner. Well, details matter and they had them down to a tee.

Visually, Ante Inferno just get better and better each time I see them! On this night, the ominous silhouette effect added to the atmosphere as well as the teal shaded fog, whereas the sparsely used strobe lighting added to this when deployed. In terms of audio, Ante Inferno are clearly a band who understand and know their sound inside out now. The mix felt elegantly balanced, with each element of the band’s complex sound given adequate time to shine in the mix. Drummer Gary has a reputation for being amongst the loudest of loud drummers, and my concern was that he would overpower the mix in such a small venue. Yet this wasn’t the case as he held down the rhythm perfectly whilst offering that shaking-your-trousers kind of rumble that you can only get from a live show. It’s exciting to observe Ante Inferno’s rise and to see how far they could ascend to.

 

Ultha

“No matter how hard you try, nothing can prepare you for Ultha”.

 

My friend’s words were ringing in my ears as he alluded to the sheer visceral intensity of Ultha’s live show. It was time. Time to brace for impact. What an impact this was! Though it felt like a slow burner at the outset, it wouldn’t be long before the machine started moving and got into full throttle. The crowd was clearly locked in and engaged, with a flurry of fists in the air, headbanging, and later, the pits to hell opened. I had never considered Ultha to be the kind of band to mosh to, either, which speaks to the band’s aforementioned impact tonight. Though it wasn’t just the relentless assault on the eardrums that came at a sadistically fast pace. It was the clever, slower, ambient, almost psychedelic elements coming in at strategic intervals that allowed for your senses to take a breather and regroup before being obliterated again.

A bittersweet occasion as we had learned that this would be amongst the final performances for Andy. His mastery of the keys and synths added an extra dimension to the band’s sound. Now, Ralph is a solid vocalist, adding grit and a harsh edge to the vocal assault. Though Chris is, with all due respect, an absolute behemoth and one-of-a-kind vocalist! Whilst also handling bass duties, the blood-curdling screams he can conjure are somewhat superhuman and should be studied by vocal coaches the world over. These elements are part of what makes Ultha so unique. A band that truly deserves to ascend the ranks of the black metal scene

“I felt every emotion I could possibly feel then,” my friend commented after their set. Is there a better anecdote for Ultha’s impact tonight? Maybe the queue to the merch stand right after the set would be a good one too. Whether this was the first time any of those in the queue had laid eyes on the band, it was clear they had valued this experience.