Cartoons Can't Die/Pandora's Pain/Burnt Chapter/Father Of Lies – Network 3, Sheffield, Saturday 21st February, 2026
Network 3 in Sheffield hosted four bands for some loud, hard and Heavy Metal and Metalcore.
Kicking off the proceedings was Father of Lies. Having previously caught them at The Yorkshireman during Tramlines, I knew what to expect, yet they still managed to surprise. While they describe their studio sound as, 'blackened sludge crust punk', their live energy leans much harder into a thrash-punk assault.
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Frontman. Sid acted as the band's natural anchor, leaning into the crowd with fast vocals. He fought for the spotlight against Guitarist, John, whose animated stage presence and technical proficiency made him impossible to ignore. In the shadows, Bassist, Denn was the ultimate professional, delivering a faultless performance despite battling guitar strap issues.
However, the true revelation of the night was the remarkably young drummer, Toby. Playing with the confidence and precision of a seasoned veteran, he stole the limelight entirely.
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Together, Father of Lies delivered a set of immense power and genuine fun. It’s not often you see smiles and seriously heavy metal coexist so perfectly. A fantastic start to the night.
When it comes to second band, Burnt Chapter. I'd like to say that I had the pleasure of interviewing the band prior to the Gig. You can watch the interview on my YouTube channel Dales Rock Interviews, Metalliville-zine online magazine as well as listen to on Spotify!
Burnt Chapter hit us hard from the start with their style of Death Groove metal. Jude wears a balaclava and he must be melting during every gig because he never stopped. Even venturing off stage into the crowd playing his guitar.
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These lads are such a nice well spoken bunch. I was blown away by the contrast between Tom’s polite off-stage persona and his monstrous vocal range. He really commands that stage! The whole sound hits you and transports you into their world.
It is hard to not sit still. You have to get involved and headbang. Or in the case of the younger, fitter members of the audience, create a mosh pit. I wish I could have thrown myself into that with them.
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Burnt Chapter are so talented, from the outstanding drums from Jacob to the melodic guitar and bass from Jake and Tony. This band needs a bigger stage because they are really good. The set was excellent and the crowd loved them. A great performance.
Third up are Pandoras pain whose music I once described as 'Zombie Music'. It was right at the start of my Gig Reviews career and I had never seen a band like these or understood the genre. I have had my musical tastes blown wide open since that night. I have evolved and so has this band.
They were a man down tonight. Their drummer Lewis had stretched himself too thin by being in a few other bands so he had other commitments. That meant Pandora's Pain had to use a backing track.
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Laura's voice is really good and she totally commands that stage. Flanking her were the two dreadlocked guitarists, looking for all the world like her personal security detail. They snarled and played their way through a heavy, engaging set that felt both menacing and meticulously crafted. Chris, in particular was a standout. His guitar work was top-tier and his onstage chemistry with Laura provided the anchor for the entire performance.
Then we get around to the 'Elliot' Factor. It wasn't a perfectly seamless night technically; Elliot, the bassist, was on backing track duty and managed to lose the remote a couple of times mid-set. However, these minor hiccups were mere footnotes. Despite the technical blips, the band’s actual performance was faultless.
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They played with so much more cohesion than the last time I got to see them. And.... They changed my mind. They have swayed me, converted me to the Zombie noise coming from them. In fact they were awesome. I really enjoyed the performance and would happily go and see them again. A brilliant performance.
Finally the headline act in Cartoons can't die who consist of Mac, Maria, Danny 5 and new drummer, Ada. Me and my partner was lucky enough to find this band during Tramlines at the Yorkshireman. We loved them that much I made it my mission to interview them. You can watch the interview on my YouTube channel Dales Rock Interviews and Metalliville-zine online magazine.
They are heavier than what we would normally listen to but their performance back then made us fans. The look of post-apocalyptic musicians before us gave a foreboding feel before a note is played. They totally smashed it. Dominating the stage belting out their industrial sounding metal core.
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The growls from Mac and Maria, with Maria's voice cutting through the gloom and grime. There was excellent guitar from from Danny 5 but Ada stole the show. For her to be the newbie she played like she had been there from the start.
'5am', 'On A Mission' and 'Catherine' were for me the stand out songs. Tom from Burnt Chapter joined Mac and Maria for 'Bodysnatchers' which was a nice touch. Having three singers made for some interesting dynamics and it worked really well.
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By Dale Holford
This was definitely an excellent end to a heavy night of music.