It’s time for the 3rd annual Offal Fest, a slam and death metal festival smack dab in the middle of “Slamchester”, where fan-run shows are creating huge excitement in a scene that has often struggled with poor attendance in the past. Not so in 2025-Offal Fest is officially sold out this year. The room is absolutely packed with a huge cross-section of people, from older fans who have been part of the scene for years, to a huge contingent of younger fans who are partially responsible for the scene blowing up again in recent years. Last year’s fest was a huge success, and there are high hopes for this year too.
Friday Pre-Show
First up on the Friday pre-show (a pre-show easily as good as other fests’ actual shows!) is Hacked Up-a Warwickshire-based slam duo who, despite being the band to kick off the whole show, have the place absolutely jam-packed and cartwheeling by 6.15pm. Impressive! Their brand of bouncy and groovy slam is the perfect vibe to kick off the proceedings.
Next up is Hartlepool’s Rumination (formally known as Dawn of Chaos), who keep the crowd entertained with their ridiculous banter and demands of circle pits, hammers and, hilariously, “slammer head sharks”, where everyone has to travel round the pit as Jaws. Stupid? Yes. Entertaining? Absolutely. The crowd are loving the chaotic vibe, especially as the set ends with their lead singer crowd surfing without missing a single beat!
The mighty Exhumation are next. Made up of members of other Liverpool bands (Crepitation being a notorious one), their brutal death metal style creates violence in the crowd that the band are only too happy to take advantage of, with both the bassist and the vocalist Chris taking to the pit for their last song, passing the microphone to the fans in that long-standing tradition that underground music so loves.
Current slam metal darlings and Manchester’s own .357 Homicide take to the stage next. Another duo, .357 have been exploding in popularity over the past year or so, and their expertly-crafted riffs and complementary vocal styles from both drummer Jake and guitarist Mat have the crowd going absolutely mental. With their calls for a wall of death heeded, their set was easily one of the craziest of the evening, with fans throwing themselves all over the place.
Headlining Friday is the local grind/death metal stalwarts Foetal Juice, who have been fixtures on the Manchester death metal scene since 2005. Filling their set with their customary dark humour and groovy riffs, the crowd are absolutely heaving by this point. Covering tracks from all their 3 full-length albums, Foetal Juice are the perfect band to headline an evening of ridiculous riffs and slammy slams, and the crowd absolutely agrees with me-if the whirling mass of limbs, hair and hammers are anything to go by!
Saturday
Saturday openers are another Manchester act Dawn of Animosity who immediately got the crowd going with lots of hammers and a very enthusiastic pit for an opening act. Their slamming riffs and crowd banter definitely wake the crowd up, especially the hardcore kids who take great pleasure in beating each other up for the entirety of their set.
cerebral effusion and skinless
Newcomers Disgracing are next. Despite only having one released song (which of course means lots of new tracks live!), their set is eagerly anticipated. Disgracing feel like a bit of a local slam supergroup with members of .357 Homicide, Chainsaw Castration, and others involved. Although this is technically their second show (after their impromptu jam-fest at the recent Blasts n Slams show), this is their first official performance with actual songs, and they are absolutely lapped up by the crowd. To top it off, the band themselves are extremely funny with tons of banter (“Can I get more ego in the monitors please!” “No, I’M 50 Cent, b*tch!”), and with this being backed up by monster slammy-slams, I fully predict big things for Disgracing in the future.
Norwich’s Thy Flesh Consumed take to the stage next, suffering from, in their own words, “alcohol-related decisions” from partying the night before. This doesn’t detract from their set at all, though—their enthusiasm overcomes any lingering hangovers and goads the crowd into even higher levels of violence. Taking tracks from their multiple EPs over the years, they leave the crowd sweaty and absolutely ready for the next act.
Chainsaw Castration insist on playing a Madonna compilation whilst they are setting up, complete with giant disco ball-but all that frivolity disappears once they take to the stage. CC took a break for several years after supporting some genuine legends in the slam/death metal scene such as Suffocation and Cryptopsy, and have returned from their hiatus with brutality and purpose, as well as some excellent (and unhinged!) banter from guitarist Jack and drummer Lewis. A firm Slamchester favourite, the crowd is absolutely loving having them back on the scene.
Impurist, featuring former and current members of Extreme Noise Terror, Gorerotted, Winterfylleth, and Introrectalgestation, are another band that feel like somewhat of a supergroup. Despite only forming in 2022, they feel experienced and polished-which is probably to be expected with such previous band provenance. Their riffs are fast and aggressive, more death metal than slam, but that just means more pit action to this hyped-up crowd. Vocalist Ben is ferocious, barely standing still for more than a second.
A UK-exclusive next with the “experimental sh*t project” gore/death grind from Finland, 55Gore. Most of their releases are EPs, practice sessions, and splits-but that doesn’t phase the audience at all. They are overjoyed to see these balaclava-wearing Finns and respond with a very aggressive pit that opens up the whole floor. Their set is high-energy, with the vocalist’s guttural goregrind style fitting perfectly at Offal Fest. Not much in the way of breakdowns-their fast-paced riffs are the perfect early-evening pick-me-up.
Italy’s brutal death metal legends Putridity are next, touring off the back of their first full-length release in 10 years – this year’s excellent Morbid Ataxia. They don’t just stick to newer tracks though, playing songs from their 20-year history and driving the crowd insane. Not much in the way of stage banter—Putridity prefers to concentrate on the riffs, and no one was complaining!
Cerebral Effusion take to the stage next. Hailing from the Basque Country and active since 1998, their brand of straight-up, no-nonsense brutal death metal absolutely floors the whole room. A band known for their pulverising riffs and intense brutality, they also have an extensive back catalogue to take from, playing all their most well-known tracks for this intense crowd. Stage divers are filing up to take their turn, eager to fling themselves atop the audience in a bid to win a t-shirt from the band for whoever can get to the back of the venue whilst crowdsurfing. Cerebral Effusion feel like a headline act in their own right—but we still have one band to go.
It’s sweaty in here. Thankfully, not too smelly—but every single soul in the building is absolutely drenched in sweat by this point. It’s uncomfortable and ridiculous, easily one of the hottest gigs I’ve ever attended. But as soon as New York’s Skinless get onstage, all is forgiven.
The crowd goes absolutely MENTAL. It’s been 17 years since they last graced our shores, so the excitement is about to raise the roof. Playing their seminal 1998 album Progression Towards Evil in full (plus a few extra tracks!), this crowd is absolutely hyped to be here. Crowd surfers, stage divers, push pitters-there are arms and legs flailing everywhere. Lead singer Sherwood Webber is full of charisma and cheeky banter, and it’s very clear that Skinless are having the time of their lives. Promising to come back again-and not leaving it so long next time!—they leave the stage to the dulcet tones of cheesy American country music which feels absolutely correct.
Rancid Offal Promotions is one of the relatively new clutch of fan-led, extreme music promoters. Considering its sell-out weekend, it’s clear that slam, brutal death, and other extreme forms of metal are making a massive comeback, especially on the live scene. Along with Hammerhead Events, Kings of the North Promotions, and old-timers UK Slam Fest Events, they are ushering in a time of bounty for fans of extreme music, with multiple shows-mostly in Manchester each month, covering everything from deathcore and slam to beatdown and hardcore. It’s never been a better time to be a metal fan in Manchester!
