Newcastle was treated to a killer night of four Death Metal bands, two of which were from the USA, as Undeath stopped in the North East on their Europe/UK tour at Think Tank? The New York Death Metallers were joined by fellow stateside band Horrendous and two local bands, Plague Rider and Inhuman Suffering, for a stacked bill of midweek mayhem.
Undeath – Horrendous – Plague Rider – Inhuman Suffering
Think Tank? Newcastle – 13 August 2025
Words: Matty Hunter
Photography: Alan Bell / Vision Impact Photography
Think Tank? is a hidden but popular spot in the centre of Newcastle, that had already seen the likes of Malevolence and High Parasite play this year.
It was hot outside, but even warmer inside as the crowd began to shuffle through the doors underneath the flickering venue sign, ready for what was an amazing night of Death Metal.
Undeath
When Undeath took to the stage, there was not a gap in sight on the floor in the hot room as phones went up and the voices were loud. This was what everyone had come for.
The tour, which started at the turn of the month at Dortmund Death Fest, was nearing its final few dates, but you would not think so with the energy on display from the Rochester natives throughout.
Undeath had played Newcastle once before, back in January 2023, and vocalist Alex Jones said they were happy to be back as they love the UK.
Despite the incredibly stuffy temperature inside Think Tank?, the fans and Undeath did not let up for what was an incredible set from the headliners.
The band played a set which went across their discography, with favourites from their newest effort More Insane, a couple of tracks from their first record Lesions Of A Different Kind and many more.
Fans were even treated to hear one of the tracks from the singles that the band independently released on 1 August in the incredible headbanger that is Enter Patient.
As the five piece group neared the end of their set, the mosh pit opened up the whole floor as they blasted into Lesions Of A Different Kind and crowd favourite Brandish The Blade before they went off the stage to a grateful reception from the fans after blowing the roof off.
Undeath are a band who have been making huge waves in Death Metal ever since bursting onto the scene just over six years ago, and everything about them interests me, from their stunning discography to their musicianship.
The way that they control the crowd is superb. Their stage presence is excellent with all five members loving what they do and mastering their craft, and the riffs and hooks live are just special.
The sky is the limit for these guys, and they are going from strength to strength after already sharing the stage with the likes of Exodus, The Black Dahlia Murder and Suffocation, playing Bloodstock festival, and the singer Alex recently just collaborated with Technical Death legends Cryptopsy on the medley Blasphemy Made Fresh. 
Horrendous
The penultimate band of the evening saw the first stateside group hit the stage as Horrendous played their fourth of five shows here in the UK in their first visit.
Ever since this gig was announced, I have been really looking forward to seeing Horrendous live. They are a band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who have offered a fresh and unconventional take on Death Metal since 2009.
Their music has mind-bending melodies, spewing old-school Death Metal vocals and intricate song structures. The style of Horrendous offers a modern take on OSDM, and in recent years their releases have taken on a more progressive Death sound, with their newest effort released two years ago to the month.
Both Damian Herring and Matt Knox take turns doing vocals and guitars. As soon as they began, Matt said, “Alright Newcastle, let’s see what you’ve got”, and wow, were the crowd hot for this one.
The audience were treated to songs from across Horrendous’ catalogue, and they absolutely blew the roof off the stuffy venue. Their stage presence was phenomenal, and you could tell they really enjoyed what they were doing.
At one point, Matt opened up a pit by jumping onto the floor and moshing into the wall of headbangers all whilst playing complex and mind-blowing riffs on his Gibson SG, the same one Angus Young from AC/DC uses!
Great tracks such as the Cult Of Shaad’oah were played, alongside older tracks such as Golgothan Tongues, and the crowd loved every second of it. Just before going off stage, the band mentioned that they have loved their first visit to the UK and cannot wait to return.
Plague Rider
Second on the bill were Plague Rider, one of the most unique and eclectic acts I have ever seen live. They are from Durham, near Newcastle, and have been playing the weirder side of Death Metal for some time, blending brutality with technicality after their formation in 2011.
Their early work could be classed as Thrash Technical Death, whereas their recent releases most likely fall under Experimental Technical Death. 
As the four-piece band came to the stage, the crowd all started to question what vocalist James Watts was holding and setting up. It was a wearable pedal board, which he was using as a guitar, and it soon became apparent that Plague Rider are going to be something different from the norm. 
I myself am a huge fan of Technical Death. It is one of my favourite sub-genres and I have always found the complex sounds fascinating. Straight from the offset, the eclectic Plague Rider caught my attention as their first number burst into a cacophony of noise which mixed a series of bellowing guttural tones with vocal notes crazily high in the register, all brought together by the several instruments.
At one point, vocalist James started playing the pedal board like a violin, caressing it and lightly playing the unconventional instrument. Plague Rider were weird, in the best way possible, incredibly technical and left a mark on every fan who watched their half an hour set.
Inhuman Suffering
Opening the bill for the evening were Inhuman Suffering, a five-piece brutal Death Metal outfit who were playing their first ever concert. The hype around their debut EP, Internal Decay, released on 8 August 2025, was in full effect, as plenty of eager fans had come down to the venue early to catch the new kids on the block in action.
They were not left disappointed following the conclusion of the bands short but effective set.
Inhuman Suffering features members of the bands Bloodfury and Cruelty. Took little time for introductions as they blasted straight into their slot on the bill and powered through. There were no first-show nerves.
The band were brutal, unrelenting and unapologetically heavy in typical Death Metal fashion, and should not be slept on. I would highly recommend checking out the recent Inhuman Suffering EP, which is available on streaming platforms now, and keeping an eye out for this rising band.
Fans of early Internal Bleeding would take a particular liking to these guys, as their sound is reminiscent of them. Every fan in attendance can proudly say “I was there” for Inhuman Suffering’s debut show.
Think Tank? Death Metal Midweek Mayhem
Overall, it was a breathtaking show of Death Metal midweek mayhem, and every fan will have left perplexed by what they had just experienced.
There was not a shift of energy throughout, as the hype was kept up all evening for the stacked four-band bill in a very warm building. Check out all four of these bands; they are all unique, and each one provides a fresh take on Death Metal. What a night.
