Deathcore is unlikely to be your grandma’s favourite music: though the genre’s name aptly spells out the fusion of hardcore and death metal, it’s nonetheless a hilariously melodramatic title befitting of the garish aesthetics and abrasive sounds that most of its bands employ. Despite how off-putting the genre may seem at first, deathcore has a passionate fanbase who’re keen to support the newest and heaviest talents: those fans were out in force at the Old Cold Store, only becoming increasingly frenzied as Mangata Productions showcased eight up-and-coming acts over the course of a full day of music. Though we were only able to check out the final four acts of the event, we feel confident in our conclusion that, while Lorna Shore may be bringing deathcore to a wider audience, the genre still flourishes in the underground scene it was raised in.

Opening things on the most melodic note of the evening— though there really wasn’t much competition— 7eventh Sea brought us our first taste of the blistering riffs and brutal breakdowns to come. The four-piece fused clean singing into an otherwise extremely punishing sound, injecting a dose of metalcore into their choruses that carved the band out a unique niche. The clean vocals, delivered by the group’s lead guitarist, fit the sound perfectly and were overall quite admirable, even if a few voice cracks were starting to crop up by the set’s end. Remarkably, however, those melodic elements took very little away from the group’s heavier moments, which were filled by wave after wave of pummelling breakdowns: 7eventh’s Sea’s harsh vocalist had the screams down to a tee, and cuts like the particularly vicious ‘Betrayer’ or the more symphonic ‘Lifetime’ were just begging for some head-banging.

You can only play so many breakdowns before they grow wearisome though, and we’d argue that, despite the melodic elements, 7eventh Sea’s set grew a little stale towards its end. We’d also add that the group suffered from the weakest mix of the bands we saw, dialling in a slightly muddier and flatter guitar tone than their peers that held their riffs back from truly bringing the house down: the increasingly violent breakdowns were good fun, no doubt, but compared to what was to come, they seem also tame in hindsight. They’re very small criticisms though, and we can’t deny that 7eventh Sea captured their combination of metalcore and deathcore very well at the Old Cold Store, starting the evening off right.

The following ‘Orbital Alignment’ got off to a bit of a shaky start— their vocalist’s mic wasn't working! That was soon fixed, however, and the five-piece tech death outfits momentum was unstoppable from that point onwards. Blasting through a plethora of original material, the group had their technical wizardry on full display— every member of the band is an undeniable juggernaut in their field, from the ferocious, whiplash-inducing drumming to the precise yet aggressive guitar work, and the set benefitted greatly from the group’s ability to go at 200 miles an hour. Ethan Watson-Chatterly’s lead vocals are simply bestial, leaning into some abrasive gutturals for much of the show, and the thunderous collection of sounds had the entire venue buzzing: many audience members found it fitting to take their shirts off, raising chants of “get your t*ts out” that the band were more than happy to amplify.

As one concert-goer put it, it was very refreshing to see a band full of real people. Orbital Alignment had an infectious personality to them, joking around among themselves and with the audience at every opportunity. Whether it be the constant cries for a “circle pit” or the dancing people were attempting to the classical interlude in ‘The Cataclysm of Nobility,’ the group had everyone in the palm of their hand, plowing through their show while having the time of their lives. If we had to criticise them, we’d say that the band could be a little static mid-song: considering the extreme precision necessary to pull off their tech death sound, we’d call that a worthwhile sacrifice, and though that signature style could grow a little monotonous at times, we can’t deny that Orbital Alignment absolutely killed it at the Old Cold Store.

Next on the bill were deathcore fanatics Draconian Reign, who’s ‘Necromantic’ and ‘Tragedy Eternal’ EPs made quite a splash in the underground deathcore scene in the past few years— expectations were certainly high. One thing’s for sure: the band can absolutely play their instruments, ripping through their set with a ‘full speed ahead, peddle to the metal’ approach. The group’s vocalist had the high screams down to a tee, sending banshee squeals echoing throughout the venue, and the guitarists hands were a blur as they executed increasingly punishing, furious riffs and breakdowns. Bringing on a guest vocalist for the final song was also an excellent choice as the band managed to bring their show to a climactic and satisfying conclusion.

Despite all of that though, we’d honestly call Draconian Reign a bit of a let-down. The ‘too many breakdowns’ comment we labelled 7eventh Sea with applies tenfold here, as the constant blast beats and chugging guitars grew monotonous shockingly fast, blurring everything together to create a fairly one-note show— we certainly couldn’t tell you which of their original tracks the band played. Compounding the issue, the band’s mix was satisfactory but not nearly as crushing as they were probably aiming for, neutering many of their heaviest moments. When all was said and done, we could hardly remember much of Draconian Reign’s show, and though they were far from putting on an awful performance, we’d surely rank them as our least favourite of the evening.

And finally, Harbinger: really, what can we say about one of the most promising modern deathcore bands? The band are a tour de force in the genre, bringing more intricate songwriting and heavier riffs than any of their competition and executing them brilliantly in the live setting. It doesn’t hurt that they have one of the best vocalists in the game— while all the frontmen we saw across the night were excellent, Dilan Alves still managed to come out on top, showcasing his inhuman low growls and frightening high screams at every turn. It also doesn’t hurt that the rest of the band are similarly perfectly tuned into that beloved deathcore sound, with lead guitarist Charlie Griffiths delivering a host of stunning yet surprisingly melodic solos.

Pulling from across their discography, the group were able to rile the band up with a mix of faster cuts from ‘Compelled To Suffer’ and the heavier, more anthemic cuts of ‘A Letter To Anguish,’ providing a refreshing amount of musical variety throughout their show— the band’s focus on infusing more melodic elements into the sound has also paid off in spades, making this the most memorable set of the night. The band’s biggest hit ‘Prayer Of Deliverance’ had the entire room in a frenzy of mosh pits and head-banging, and they also showed off an upcoming single ‘No Vermin Atop The Throne,’ which Dilan described as “the best thing we’ve ever made:” the song went down a treat with the live audience, and we can’t wait to get an official release. Ending things out on the one-two punch of ‘Guile’ and ‘Hate File’ cemented Harbinger as the perfect capstone to a brilliant event, and the wall of death they achieved spoke for itself.

Deathcore is right at home in the underground, and the fans are more than willing to keep coming out to support the latest talent: if your average show is anything like what the Old Cold Store was hosting, they’re right to do so. With incredible talent like Harbinger and Orbital Alignment leading the way, we can’t wait to throw ourselves back into the genre soon.