LIVE REVIEW: Bewitcher, / Devastator - Star and Garter, Manchester 29th May 2025

By the time work relinquishes its cold grip on me, I end up being late for local boys Bloodsaw’s opening set. From the looks of it I have missed out. They are deep into a cover of Painkiller and doing an excellent job by the time I get to the stage. The crowd is large and very much into it. I really do feel like I missed out on this one. Sorry guys. 

It’s not long before Tom Collins strolls menacingly onto the stage, with scythe in hand to rapturous applause. He swaps scythe for bass and we are off. Collins confidently takes his position behind his ram skull adorned mic stand, providing the thumping, pounding bass lines Devastator’s music contains. The black, roll, thrash metal takes very little time to cause a manic pit to open up. We have bodies, hair and grins flying around this venue and it’s awesome to witness. I have been a fan of this band for a long time now. I have seen them entertain on both small stage and larger festival stage, and not once have I been disappointed. 

Chris Whitehurst’s painted face manages to portray many a maniacal expression (most involving his tongue) while ripping out fast Satanic riffs, backed by fast shredding from Richard Bateman who on the quiet is a master at his art. Something he proves as he continues the set with broken guitar strings, not that he tells u this is the case. Drummer Jack Scarlett to the rear keeps the rhythm at a fast pace. His performance is unrelenting.

Throughout most of the set drunken song requests are shouted towards vocalist Collins ranging from Darkthrone to ABBA, all laughed off in good fun. A very fast rendition of Worship The Goat rains out towards the crazy crowd before the chants of “Dev-A-Stator” materialise between songs. The dual guitar solo in Spiritual Warfare always causes goosebumps to form on my flesh, with tonight being no exception. Their is a large amount of skill and practice room attendance concealed within these diabolical, unholy songs. Devastator’s Motörhead, Venom, trad metal approach is very appealing, it’s also gives no time for the crowd to relax. A frankly tremendous wall of death is performed at the outset of Baptised in Blasphemy leading into a flurry of stage diving; one such stage invasion kills the bass guitar sound for a while until a bit of technical fiddling manages to reset the pounding sound. This was a tremendous set performed by a gem of a metal band.

It’s a cool thumbs up provided by Bewitcher’s bass player Andy Mercil that indicates the band are ready to follow the carnage just witnessed, and it’s not long before Too Fast for the Flames creates a similar manic pit as earlier. The trio out of Portland, Oregon, waste no time to capitalise on the atmosphere that already exists, they could easily have folded having to go on after the amazing Devastator set, but no, in fact not at all. Their black magick metal is a perfect fit. Three dudes make a hell of a racket when needed, but it’s not just noise, it’s a carefully planned sonic attack. 

As with Devastator, I have been a fan of this band for a number of years, but unlike Devastator this is my first time seeing them live, and it’s a treat. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Litton (or Unholy Weaver of Shadows & Incantations to use his true name!) can pour out solos for days, and is an accomplished front man. It’s not any calls from the stage though that create an even wilder crowd, it’s the tune Spell Shock from the recent album of the same name that brings this on. Bewitcher's mix of speed and catchy tunes has grabbed Manchester, and the boys have no intention of releasing their grip. Tonight’s gig is electric, the bands are loving it, the fans are adoring it. So much so drummer Aris Wales decides he wants a piece of the action, running from behind his drumkit summersaulting into an accepting crowd. 

Tonight’s gig feels like one of those I was there moments, a testament to the bands and a fun loving mad, but respectful crowd. All bodies that fell to the floor were carefully scooped up, all sexes enjoyed the energy of the pit and the thrill of a stage dive. What a night.

Review and photos by Neil Thrashtash Bolton

Thanks to Andy Turner at Palmer Turner Overdrive.