The Omega Particle - Satans Hollow, Manchester
The Omega Particle are a young Manchester-based band with a passion for metal and hardcore. Officially (which means on their Facebook), they list themselves as 'melodic deathcore', and tonight they played an all-day event hosted by Satan's Hollow in Manchester.
It is obvious from the opening seconds that a word easily applied to The Omega Particle is HEAVY. Indeed, during setting up and adjusting the volume to their equipment, when they were telling the sound guy what needed to be turned up, shouts of "everything!" could be heard from them. However, this does not mean noise without talent, as was demonstrated throughout the set; these guys clearly know how to play their instruments and how to craft this kind of song. The opener started off relatively slow, but built up into a fast, thrashing guitar section, with the singer's vicious scream/growl/whatever you'd like to call it relentlessly pounding above the music into the crowd. The crowd itself evidently had a fair amount of already-established fans in it, who the band showed their appreciation for by constantly interacting with them between (and sometimes during) songs. When the last song was played, a small but insane circle pit broke out, and the singer took the opportunity to whip their fans up into frenzy: it was a pleasure to see.
On some tracks, the vocals were shared between singer and bassist, with the bassist's vocals offering a nice alternative to the heavier vocal, and the balance was well-struck. In general, the music, though being heavy and fast, showcased some talented and quite intricate playing on the part of the guitarists, who worked well alongside each other. The drum kit received an intense punishing throughout too. The highlight of the set for me was a song called Shadow Walker, in which the band really let themselves loose and played a blinder. The vocals again were relentless, and the bass and guitars seemed to be the fastest they were all night - they really rocked out and the crowd loved it. Good song.
I would be lying if I said the music I was into was usually this heavy and of this kind, but I enjoyed The Omega Particle: they're good at what they do I liked the way they played, the energy they put into the performance, and the charisma they showed with their fans. If you like your music really heavy, fast, screaming and rocking, you would do well to check these guys out.
I'm also told they changed Dale's life.
You can find them on Facebook (where I believe there is a link to their EP as well)