Hexvessel / Iress / Reliquia / In Crooked Wonderment @ Rebellion, Manchester, 13th August 2024

When you get a text from Shaman HQ saying ‘do you want to go and see…’ then it’s always something to jump at, and with Hexvessel in town, I was intrigued to see them.

They are a band I’ve heard lots about, but never really paid much attention as the occult sound of the Finnish forest has never really grabbed my attention, but I set off on the hour journey up to Rebellion for the Tapestry Promotions gig in Manchester.

I always try and do some research about the bands, look up setlists and get a flavour of what they sound like, and when you hear lines like ‘tending to the weeds in my mother’s garden’ on the song Phaedra I was left shaking my head and thinking WTF is this??? I was about to find out.

It was almost as if Hexvessel had summoned the weather gods as it was pouring down when I arrived in Manchester and due to slow traffic and no parking outside the venue, I missed the first few songs from openers In Crooked Wonderment. They are a self-described gothic, dramatic alt folk rock band, and I thought I’d walked into a Levellers gig at first, but with the band in subtle blue lighting, vocalist Conor Price started telling a story about a Netflix film, I think was called The Wonder and their song all about it, Burn The Heretic.

We have a few chatty moments as Price introduces songs about ‘getting fucked over’, talks about a band called Poor Man’s Poison and how their final song of the evening, Providence, was the first one they ever played and that it’s always in their setlist. With a gruffer vocal and heavier bass, it ends with all the band, except the drummer on their knees, and off they go.

Next up, are Manchester’s own gothic doom metallers Reliquia, who give of a heavy sense of 1980’s Sister of Mercy. The voice of frontman Gregg Neville is unique, but strangely familiar, as the five-piece kick off their set with Shallow and some decent riffs follow. Fear Of The Light showcases a harsher vocal, but it mixes well with the softer tones and the general gothic vibe.

‘We played Rebellion last October and it’s great to be back playing with some awesome bands’ says Neville, before they start the relatively new song Temple, which is very atmospheric and moody with a synth overplay. The riff is simple but hits the spot perfectly and as the guitarist’s fist pump on stage, they play in unison, ramping up the noise. We get introduced to the band, who are now three members from The Machinist, as they end the night with Give which was a bit more up-tempo and gets heads bopping in the crowd.

California’s Iress are on their first visit to the UK and tonight was only their second show of the tour. I was excited to see them live and with a thumping first kick drum, which made us all jump, they commanded our attention and opened with Blush. The soft voice of singer Michelle Malley has that dreamy quality about it, and they follow up with the wonderful Ricochet, again demonstrating their serene side.

They are categorised as shoegaze or doom metal, but one thing that is clear from the off, is how much heavier they are live than on record, which adds more to their sound. The one-off finger plucking on the bass from Michael Maldonado on Falling was impressive and added to the big sound of Glenn Chu on drums. The soft harmonies continue throughout Nest before they go slightly heavier.

After a quick guitar change and a ‘thanks for coming along’ from Malley, we get more powerful vocals with The Remains from their latest album Sleep Now, In Reverse but it feels moodier, sleepier and more dramatic, with some excellent guitar work from Graham Walker. Stripped of her guitar and earpiece, Malley commands the centre stage on the finale, Wolves and is more expressive and animated than before, showcasing her vocal talents. It’s another brilliant song and wraps up an extremely impressive set. I look forward to seeing them again.

And onto the headliners, Hexvessel. As they enter the stage in hooded cloaks, shrouded in mystic they begin with Black Mountain Poet, the haunting vocals of Mat McNerney, the Londoner who moved to Finland, coming through the PA with the sumptuous rhythm of the plucked guitar.

‘Manchester, England, good evening’ comes from the stage as atmospheric moodiness of The Tundra Is Awake hits us. It’s a song full of drama with the keyboard adding to the tension as the more sinister Listen To The River follows, with the green lighting adding to the sense of shivering gothic undertones. As he stands there holding his hands aloft, McNerney acknowledges the crowd again with ‘our friends in Manchester, thank you so much’.

With elements of black metal, Eternal Meadow is a belter of a song, with a cracking riff and lovely double bass from Ville Hakonen. It feels somewhat darker as it’s dedicated to the many lost souls, and then we are treated to a new song, Spirt Masked Wolf, set to be released next year, it’s all about people losing touch with nature and features a piercing yet powerful vocal performance.

The shivering Phaedra draws the crowd back in with the floor tom drum sound being quite mesmeric before we get the elegant and decadent Crepuscular Creatures which slowly builds upon the drama before a sudden finish. McNerney then speaks about the bands switch to black metal and how it has been criticised but ‘it’s always been part of the band and in myself’. He goes on to elaborate further about black metal being a ‘feeling of nature, mysticism, and a search for something other than religion’ as it leads perfectly into Older Than The Gods.

Entering the final three songs, we are treated to Ring, a Finnish myth about people who go into the forest and never return, which has an eerie and creepy feel to it, followed by McNerney thanking Iress for coming out on tour with them, and the other support bands as he’s heard about the ‘vibrant Manchester scene’. He left England a long time ago, as he felt more of a ‘nature person than a city person’ and when he’s away, he feels Finland calling him and with Homeward Polar Spirit, I get a sense of the song being more personal and heartfelt.

‘Do you believe in freedom Manchester’, hell yeah we do, ‘then sing Freedom after these words’ as they commence with the epic A Cabin In Montana with the chant of ‘who speaks for the wolves?’ ringing across the room. This brings about the end of a night of mystery and intrigue that has left me impressed with what I’ve seen. I might even start reading up about more Finnish folklore now!

Hexvessel

Iress

Reliquia

In Crooked Wonderment

Scribed by: Matthew Williams
Photos by: Lee Edwards