Photo – tnddrummer_photography for www.overdrive.ie
It was a feral, sweaty, neck-wrecking night of proper old-school violence… the kind you’d hope for with a bill like this.
Kuazar kicked things off with a fiery set of muscular South American thrash. Though clearly the underdog on the bill, they tore into their slot with conviction, firing off razor-edged riffs and relentless double-kick work. The crowd, still filing in, quickly found themselves swept up in the band’s rabid energy. It’s no small task to win over a room waiting for cult favourites, but Kuazar did themselves proud, leaving a solid first impression on Irish soil.
KAZAR – Photo – tnddrummer_photography for www.overdrive.ie
Exhorder, meanwhile, were nothing short of phenomenal. Frontman Kyle Thomas is a force of nature — his voice as sharp and cutting as it’s ever been — and with former Cannibal Corpse guitarist Pat O’Brien now permanently in the fold, their sound has grown even more venomous. The setlist struck a fine balance between groove-soaked punishment and their more frantic thrash roots. “My Time”, “Legions of Death” and “Desecrator “went down like an adrenaline shot to the chest, with O’Brien’s riffs slicing through the room and Thomas’ snarling delivery igniting the pit into its first properly violent state of the evening. By the time “Desecrator” closed the set, bodies were flying and beer was airborne.
EXHORDER Photo – tnddrummer_photography for www.overdrive.ie
This being Vi0-Lence’s first ever Irish show, anticipation was thick in the air, and when the opening barrage of “Liquid Courage” hit, Whelan’s erupted. It was chaos from the jump — a rowdy, swirling pit peppered with occasional stage divers, much to the delight (and sometimes mild panic) of security.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of their landmark album Oppressing the Masses, Vio-Lence’s current line-up is a fascinating cross-section of American thrash pedigree. Sean Killian, despite a slight early hiccup with his in-ear mix, was in sharp, sneering form, his distinct delivery cutting through a dense wall of guitars from Ira Black (Lizzy Borden, Metal Church) and Claudeous Creamer (Possessed). The rhythm section of Nick Souza (Hatriot) on drums and Jeff Salgado (Psychosomatic) on bass kept things viciously tight as the band ripped through “Subterfuge”, “Officer Nice” and particularly savage renditions of “Eternal Nightmare”, “Kill On Command” and “Calling in The Coroner”.
Photo – tnddrummer_photography for www.overdrive.ie
Killian’s dry, taunting sense of humour was on full display throughout, regularly goading the crowd, joking about the dangers of old-school pits and casually reminding everyone of the imminent danger of stage-diving in such a confined space. It was exactly the kind of sardonic banter you’d hope for from a veteran frontman, and it lent a brilliantly unfiltered edge to the night’s unhinged atmosphere.
By the time “World in a World” brought the night to its skull-fracturing close, Whelan’s felt like it had been transported back to some sticky-floored Bay Area dive in 1988. Vio-Lence didn’t just tick a box on their tour itinerary — they delivered the kind of feral, no-frills thrash show that felt refreshingly authentic in an age of overproduced nostalgia.
Verdict? A raucous, sweat-drenched triumph. Here’s hoping it won’t take them another four decades to come back.
Photo gallery below.
Like and follow us for daily news, reviews, interviews, competitions and much more. Choose your favourite social link here.
Check out our recent interview with Vio-Lence frontman, Sean Killian via the link below and please take a moment to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Words – Oran O’Beirne
Photos – Stephen Maloney tnddrummer_photography
www.overdrive.ie © 2025
