Listmania: Metal Noise Top #5 Live Bands of 2023!

The fifth category in our Listmaina Awards Season is dedicated to those bands who bring the heat to the stage, the one place where there is absolutely no hiding place. So of all the bands we’ve witnessed from all the shows and festivals we’ve reviewed in the past year, who stood out enough to make this short list without appearing on any other list? Let’s find out…

Armed for the apocalypse with last years “To Be Alive” album, Groove Metal outfit Gutlocker are a well oiled live machine that we’ve witnessed on multiple occasions in 2023. They may have only released one single this year in “The Payoff” but they have broken in a new drummer with more than 30 shows and maintained their upward trajectory. It was their more relaxed performance at Oxfords finest Metal Weekender Rabidfest is the one that earned them this prestigious award, the return of their Jamiroquai cover “Deeper Underground“ to the set alongside classics like “Sent Them All In“ making it one to remember.

In a year that saw New Jersey Symphonic Deathcore titans Lorna Shore play arenas, their presence at an 800 capacity venue on an off date between European Festival shows is one that lives long in the memory banks. A band greater than the sum of their parts in the live arena, Adam De Micco’s performance on lead guitars was as spellbinding as Will Ramos spits, snarls and snorts were vicious. There is no doubt that “Pain Remains” is a stunning album but to squeeze another five percent more energy out of these tracks live is what makes them special.

Californian Melodic Death Masters Nekrogoblikon brought The Goblin Mode tour to London in September and gained another dimension with Dickie Allen of Infant Annihilator as their unclean vocalist with John Goblikon and keyboard player Aaron “Raptor” Minich handling the cleans. The trio worked phenomenally well together, ripping through “Right Now”, “Dressed As Goblins” and “No One Survives” at a packed Camden Underworld as if it were nothing with hilarious stage banter between songs. Yes, it was sold out and no that wasn’t part of the criterial.

Sheffield Shredders Malevolence have long been wolves amongst sheep and the final United Kingdom show of the “Malicious Intent” tour at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town in November saw them at their finest. They’re masters at working a crowd, getting a circle or mosh pit going and were in London the party with Metallic Hardcore and Crowbar inspired Sludge Metal riff galore. It all went off with stage dives, high fives and crowd surfing while cuts like “Malicious Intent“, “Life Sentence” and “Self Supremacy” left our ears ringing and the crowd wanting more…

Having announced the departure of Jot Maxi a day before their set, to witness Grime DJentlemen Hacktivist with former Borders man Jordan “JJ” Olifent for the first time as they took to the stage at Tech-Fest in the summer was a real moment. No one really knew what to expect and not only did they crush it by injecting plenty of bounce into the mosh pit but they also brought out a brand new song in “Crooks And Criminals“. The energy of their live show is always outstanding with both prime cuts “Armoured Core” and “Elevate“ particularly good; James Hewitt ripping out a solo to confirm there is more to his game than meets the eye.

Honourable mentions? Forlorn at Techabilitation 2023 were equally as beautiful as they were savage. On the other end of the scale American Metallic Hardcore crew Fox Lake were a knock out at the final date of the 2023 Impericon Never Say Die Tour. Volumes one off show in London ahead of Radar Festival was immense as were Spiritbox at the O2 Intitute in Birmingham. All of that just leaves one final slot and that goes to Resolve who for some reason we had down as a more melodic band before we witnessed their Metalcore swagger.

Tomorrow will be time for the next chapter… what will it be?