What can you say about Max Cavalera that hasn’t been said before? In extreme metal cricles, the guy is an absolute legend, and every year, he comes out, wearing metal on his sleeve, playing countless shows all over the world. Tonight, Cavalera was in typically fine form, bringing along his SOULFLY tribe to tear up a packed Manchester Academy 2. Set opener ‘Blood, Fire, War, Hate’ was like a call to arms, as Cavalera revelled in the electric atmosphere. The band was tight, and the sound was crisp and clear – all the right ingredients for a metal night to remember.

There’s still room for a few SEPULTURA classics in the set, and ‘Territory’ and ‘Refuse/Resist’ were amongst those that got aired tonight, alongside the essential ‘Roots Bloody Roots’. Still, SOULFLY’s better songs are just as good as ‘Frontlines’, ‘Seek ‘n’ Strike’ and ‘Back to the Primitive’, all rocked like hell. Any band that features Cavalera, is always going to put on a good live show, and tonight was no exception. SOULFLY came, and they well and truly conquered.

Ratings:

INCITE 4.0/5.0

SOULFLY 4.6/5.0

Review by James Allman

Photography (including setlists) by Alexander Shaw(click here)