Kreator / O2 Apollo / Manchester

With only 2 English shows on this tour, we had a choice to make…. London or Manchester, and so we’re heading across the Pennines on the M62 to the iconic O2 Apollo, for the visit of German thrash titans Kreator on their 2026 tour, with special guests Carcass, Exodus and Nails…. What a line up !

First up are American hardcore punk icons NAILS from Oxnard, California. Formed in 2007 the bands current line up consists of Todd Jones (vocals & guitar), Andrew Solis (bass) and Carlos Cruz (drums). They released their debut album “Unsilent Death” in 2010 and their forth and most recent “Every Bridge Burning” in 2024.

With Motorhead’s Speedfreak on the PA system, NAILS step out onto the dark, red lit stage to unleash their fearsome live reputation on the Manchester crowd with the opening track Suffering Soul. There is no complexity to NAILS, no showiness…. This is pure, simple, and raw hardcore.

It’s a short set of just 30mins but boy do they pack every minute with wild noise. The riffs are furious and intense as is Carlos’s drumming, incessant fast pounding of the pedals drives each track to the edge. It’s brutal and thoroughly brilliant !

There’s no flashy performance, no posing on monitors or swirling basses, just a chainsaw to the gut. Its like a tidal wave stretching out into the crowd, unstoppable and intense. The Apollo is filling up quick and the early birds have caught a real treat. A man of few words, Todd thanks the crowd for showing up and promises to be back later this year to huge applause.

They end the set with the brutal pair of You Will Never Be One of Us and Unsilent Death both chaotic anthems of noise that whip the crowd up into a frenzy.

An incredible live band, who don’t stand on gimmicks, but perform their material as it should be, hard and brutal.

Setlist

Suffering Soul

Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy

Conform

Scum Will Rise

Violence Is Forever

God's Cold Hands

Wide Open Wound

Made to Make You Fail

I Can't Turn It Off

I Will Not Follow

Endless Resistance

You Will Never Be One of Us

Unsilent Death

Next up, are American thrash icons Exodus, formed (unbelievably) back in 1979 in Richmond, California. Often seen as one of the big six alongside the likes of Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica and Anthrax), Exodus are Tom Hunting (drums), Gary Holt (guitars), Jack Gibson (bass) and Lee Altus (guitar). And recently, Rob Dukes has returned on vocals having previously sung with the band between 2005 & 2014.

Since releasing their debut album “Bonded by Blood” in 1985, they’ve gone on to release 13 albums, with the most recent “Goliath” coming out earlier in 2026.

The crowd stomp along to the beat of Queen’s iconic We Will Rock You signally the imminent arrival of Exodus to the stage before the recognisable riffs of 3111 right off the new album “Goliath” blast out at us. Gary Holt shows no sign of slowing down, as he delivers riff after riff, still in his iconic battle jacket and sporting a big grin. Rob is also clearly loving the experience being back in the band with gusto as in Bonded By Blood which gets howls of joy from the crowd. He winds up and interacts with the crowd at every chance, asking if there are any Manchester United fans in. When the response is muted, he admits to not knowing much about football, being a hockey fan (Go Rangers he yells !)

The Apollo crowd are lapping it up and singing along with passion to tracks like the icons Bonded by Bloodthe title track of their 1985 debut and it’s vinyl partner A Lesson In Violence. The pit is in full swing now and it tips over the edge as they tease a snippet of Slayer’s Raining Blood before transitioning into the magnificent The Toxic Waltz.

Exodus are a band that I think has often slipped under the radar, but they are true legends of the genre, and they just seem to get better and better. “Goliath” the new album is well worth a listen. A fantastic set.

Setlist

3111

Bonded by Blood

Deathamphetamine

Blacklist

Goliath

A Lesson in Violence

The Toxic Waltz (With 'Raining Blood' Intro)

Strike of the Beast

Next, are Liverpool death metal band Carcass, formed in 1985 they broke up n 1996, but reformed again in 2007. The current line up consists of Bill Steer (guitar), Jeff Walker (bass & vocals), Daniel Wilding (drums) and James 'Nip' Blackford (guitar). Their debut album “Reek of Putrefaction” came out in 1988 and their latest, “Torn Arteries” in 2021. Tonight Daniel is not available and so up stepped Waltteri Väyrynen on drums with virtually no prep, and what a job he did !

As with Exodus before, Carcass demonstrate that they simply get better and better with age, as they delivered a blistering and powerful set packed with heavy bass and crushing riffs.

The set covers almost all of their back catalogue with tracks like No Love Lost and Exhume to Consumehitting like a hammer. With racks like Buried Dreams and Heartwork they remind us that Carcass aren’t all about shock, but are in fact a technically very talented, and tight group. For me, Death Certificate was the absolute highlight, powerful and intense throughout.

A band that has helped shape the genre and re-shape it again, icons that have helped so many other bands to find and develop their own sound, Carcass remain as vital,

Relevant and awe inspiring now as they ever had.

Setlist

Unfit for Human Consumption

Buried Dreams

Incarnated Solvent Abuse

No Love Lost

Death Certificate

Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1 in B)

Genital Grinder

Exhume to Consume

Corporal Jigsore Quandary

Heartwork

Generation Hexed

The night could have ended now with that performance from carcass, but there was more to come….. much more ! Kreator are a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982, and the line up currently consists of Miland "Mille" Petrozza (guitar & vocals), Jürgen "Ventor" Reil (drums), Sami Yli-Sirniö (guitar) and Frédéric Leclercq (bass). From their debut “Endless Pain” released in 1985, they’ve gone on to release 16 studio albums, the most recent being their new 2026 release “Krushers of the World”. Like with Exodus’ “Goliath” Kreator’s new album is equally impressive.

As Maiden’s Run To The Hills blasts through the PA a video is projected on to the giant white screen before the sheet drops to cries from the crowd. The stage is brilliantly set, with giant inflated demons either side of the stage, and the drums on a riser behind another huge horned demon. Kreator are masters of their craft, not just musically, but theatrically too. Almost all the tracks are accompanied by smoke and pyros, that war the face and cast a fiery, hellish glow across the crowd. Amongst all this Frédéric and Sami stomp around the stage, swapping places and pulling poses with feet planted on the monitors, both waving and encouraging the crowd to shout and cheer at every opportunity.

Time just flies by as we go on a roller coaster of a ride through all the blistering highlights of their 40 year career. Each one a hit, generating cheers and impromptu singalongs to the chorus sections. The pit is roaring too, circling menacingly in the crowd. The atmosphere is just incredible.

Kreator have an ability unlike most bands, and it feels like every song is a set closer, but just in the music, but the atmosphere it generates in the crowd, especially on songs like Enemy of God, fan favourite chant-along-to number Hate Über Alles and Loyal to the Grave. New tracks like the title track from the new album Krushers of the World fitting in perfectly.

The set finally draws to a close with the power duo of Violent Revolution (from the 2001 album of the same name) and Pleasure to Kill (from the 1986 album) both fan favourites and both cranking up the fervour just one … more … notch… The flames lick out into the crowd as Mille declares ‘Kreator will return” to HUGE cheers.

It feels like the whole auditorium can now breathe in. The flames have assisted the mosh pit in ramping up the temperature and its so hot in here now, the cool street air a blessed relief.

Kreator, carcass, Exodus and NAILS were all incredible tonight, and as I walked to the car, I thought about all the great shows I’ve seen recently, where the 2, 3 or 4 bands have all complimented each other perfectly and performed well, to packed houses, and it reminded me, just how popular and powerful the metal scene, in all its various forms, is right now.

And long may it continue….. with Kreator leading the charge !

Setlist

Seven Serpents

Hail to the Hordes

Enemy of God (With 'Coma of Souls' Intro)

Satanic Anarchy

Sergio Corbucci Is Dead (tape)

Hate Über Alles

People of the Lie

Betrayer

Krushers of the World

Hordes of Chaos (A Necrologue for the Elite)