Amaranthe, Dragonforce and Infected Rain Deliver Power and Theatrics in Manchester [Photos]

Manchester Academy welcomed one of the best tour packages to play in the UK so far this year, which brought 3 of the most exciting and engaging bands together to entertain an audience that was, regardless of the horrific rain outside, in magnificently high spirits.

Openers Infected Rain are a class act that are clearly loved by many, as evidenced by the almost full Academy when their set began with an atmospheric build-up over the PA.

Lena’s command over the audience was instant as she whipped her hair back and forth, resembling some kind of warrior Queen. She’s absolutely one of the most charismatic performers out there and has the sweetest speaking voice when addressing the crowd which is a world apart from her menacing growls and powerful clean vocals.

It’s been 5 years since the Moldovans were last in Manchester, and they’ve brought a new bassist, Alice, and fantastic new album Time along with them. The energy was incredible and most of it came from guitarist ‘Vidick’ who is the human realisation of the Tasmanian Devil, with his dreadlocks in a state of perpetual motion throughout the show.

A longer set from them wouldn’t have been a bad thing, but in the time they had they made a massive impression, particularly on one young boy who made an equally big impression on Lena as he bounced around the circle pit on his dad’s shoulders. She later made sure her setlist was hand delivered to the little legend.

Next up were London power-metallers Dragonforce, who as you might expect are masters of their trade, albeit masters who have a complete lack of restraint when it comes to putting on a show. There was definitely a production meeting at some point where the words ‘no’ or ‘too much?’ were never once uttered.

2 giant arcade machines provide platforms for them to climb up to, and with the peripheral lighting, lasers and pyro there’s barely enough room to swing a cat – but that doesn’t stop them bringing in two giant inflatable dragons or filling the rest of the room with confetti… and a chicken.

They are definitely a band that leaves a lasting memory.

New material showcases a new disco metal theme that builds nicely on their heavily classic gaming influenced sound. Frontman Marc Hudson gets plenty of free time on stage as dual guitarist Li and Totman battle it out during long and intricate guitar solos that gave me some unnerving Guitar hero PTSD but showcase the virtuosity of the duo. The Celine Dion and Taylor Swift covers are both absolutely ridiculous, stupid and fun and sit well in the set.

The aforementioned chicken gets thrown off the stage amid one of the confetti bombs with clear instructions that it must make it up to the balcony. Which it does, but where it went afterwards is anybody’s guess. Hopefully it made it back onto the tour bus before they set off for the final show in London, because things can get quite sketchy for a chicken in Manchester on a Saturday night.
The whole Dragonforce show is really enjoyable, but it’s a complete and utter overload of the senses.

The sheer amount of stuff they have on stage means it takes an age for the roadies to dismantle, which is probably not a problem on the night’s they actually headline this co-headline tour but for tonight makes the break between them and Amaranthe feel long and kills the buzz a little.

Amaranthe are such a powerful presence. With 3 vocalists splitting the clean, gnarly and beautiful they layer and build a cacophony of exquisite noise, that, with the underlying drums and guitars, sounds heavier live than you’d maybe expect. Elize could easily masquerade as a Disney princess who sings about frozen stuff or letting go of things but sit perfectly with Nils and Mikael to create a unique triple threat.

The last time they were due to play in Manchester, they unfortunately had to pull out of the show at the last minute due to illness, so this show had been a long time coming and everything felt like it had been turned up a notch to make up for last time.

“The Catalyst” from the recently released album of the same name was a massive highlight with its pounding drums, as was the song written for the Swedish eSports team PvP. The melting pot of different styles works so well throughout the set and takes the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions.

A brilliant return to Manchester for one of the most enjoyable bands around.

All-in-all, it was a night of metal power and theatrics that must have left the audience absolutely exhausted, in the best way.

Amaranthe (w/ Dragonforce, Infected Rain) @ Manchester Academy (Manchester, UK) on March 26th, 2024

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