Beartooth @ The Ritz (Manchester, England) on December 12, 2016 [Photos & Show Review]

Beartooth released their second album, Aggressive, via Red Bull Records in June of this year shortly before winning “Best Breakthrough Band” at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. To back up this critically acclaimed release, the Ohio natives took to the roads for a lengthy tour which is currently wrapping up in the UK.

The queue outside The Ritz when the doors opened is testament to how popular Beartooth have become with just two albums out, and it takes some time for the masses to filter into the venue. By the time the first chords of “Burnout” ring out, the floor of the venue is packed and everyone is ready to party. And it’s a good thing that they are because there is very little respite available, with songs coming thick and fast. “Beaten In Lips”, “Dead” and “Hated” sees mosh pits breaking out everywhere and bodies seem to start piling over the barrier just to escape the madness. The first break in the onslaught comes eight songs in when Caleb Shomo calls for an “unofficial intermission” and tells everyone to get down on one knee before launching into “The Lines” which, again, sees mayhem unleashed.

From a technical side of things, the band’s sound is loud. Very loud. And at certain points, too loud. Shomo’s vocals seemed to distort quite often during the more intense portions of songs and it was quite hard to pick out distinct guitar pieces from the monstrous wall of sound being thrown out from the stage. But, these are only niggling points in an otherwise very good performance.

Shomo announced in the middle of the set that the band had come to Manchester to “leave our mark” and after the closing salvo of “King of Anything” and “Body Bag”, he can be pretty confident in declaring Mission Accomplished.