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Dark Art Conspiracy – Download Festival UK Feature

June 3, 2017 darkartconspiracy Leave a comment

Why Download Festival UK Is Not To Be Missed!

So the time is almost upon us for the UK’s biggest and loudest rock festival, Download Festival. Taking place this year on the 9th-11th June, there are plenty of highlights across the weekend…

System Of A Down Return To Headline First Day

System Of A Down make their return to Donnington, with this marking their third appearance, having played as headliners back in 2005 and their reunion show in 2011. Now is a great time for them to headline again, following rumours of a new album which in turn hopefully means they are coming back for good in a long time scale. There is no other band that sound like System Of A Down and they are known for their high-octane and energetic sets previously, and will surely treat us to some new songs on the main stage, as well as their unique mental metal offerings, such as the ever popular ‘Chop Suey’, ‘Toxicity’ and ‘B.Y.O.B’ to name but a few. They will have the crowd going wild and is the perfect way to kick off the first day and close it!

Aerosmith To Play their final UK performance At Download

These American rock legends impressively have been going since 1970 and have in that time achieved so much, playing countless tours and festivals, releasing fifteen albums and earning the title of ‘America’s greatest rock and roll band’. Unfortunately, it had to end sometime, and this show marks just that for the UK, as part of their farewell tour in Europe. They have played Download a fair bit, but this will probably be by its very nature their biggest and best yet, as they need to go out in style after all. They are bound include their classic hits such as ‘Dream On’, ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’, ‘Walk This Way’ and ‘Crazy’. You would be mad to miss this momentous goodbye.

Pirate Metallers Alestorm Make Download Debut

Piratical masters Alestorm who hail from Scotland are bringing the shenanigans and the party to Download, as they are known for their fun party drinking vibes with their brilliantly absurd and random songs about pirates. This will without a doubt be one of the funniest and merriest sets of the whole festival, especially as this is their first venture at Download. They have just released their new and potentially best album yet with their fifth release ‘No Grave But The Sea’. Luckily the new album has some instant crowd favourites to grace us with such as singles ‘Mexico’, ‘Alestorm’ and their most ridiculous song ever ‘Fucked With An Anchor’ with lines such as “Fuck you, with a fucking anchor, you’re all cunts so fuck you all!” which is perfect for the crowds to singalong too, along with their classics such as ‘Drink’ and ‘Keelhauled’.

Of Mice And Men Play First UK Show Without Austin

Following the sad departure of vocalist Austin Carlie, the band vowed to carry on and prove that they are still going strong with their new track ‘Unbreakable’. Now with bassist Aaron Pauley as the main vocalist, making the transition easier and familiar, Download will mark their first UK show without him, so it’s a special and big moment for both the band and fans.

Final UK show for The Dillinger Escape Plan

Modern metalcore act The Dillinger Escape Plan are unfortunately calling it quits after a long twenty-year career. They have made quite a unique impact on the scene since their formation. They have been known to cause controversy at live shows and festivals in the past, and combine that with the fact Download Festival will be their final show ever, it is not to be missed and is certainly a way to go out with a bang!

Biffy Clyro Play Their First Headliner Slot At Download

The Scottish rock trio will play their first ever headline slot at Download Festival. They are known more for their mainstream rock and last year co-headlined Reading and Leeds Festival UK with Fall Out Boy and now they are breaking more boundaries. With Download, I’m sure they will be bringing their heavier offerings to the set list and will go out of their way to make sure this is a special headline set that will be remembered.

Super-group Prophets Of Rage Sub-headline At Debut Appearance

American rap rock super-group which consists of members of Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill formed last year and are making their Download festival debut, with a sub-headline set nonetheless. Expect to hear the biggest songs from each member’s band. Many bands are influenced by politics and their hatred of the system, but Prophets Of Rage formed solely for this purpose and with an election taking place the day before on June 8th and events like Brexit and the happenings of Trump, they will have plenty to rage about.

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Lots of New Upcoming Bands To Check Out

There are so many new and upcoming bands on the bill, with acts such as Creeper, Hacktivist, and Northlane making their main stage debuts and giving them the chance to share the stage amongst the heavyweights. Whilst elsewhere over the weekend Greywind, The One Hundred, Blood Youth and much more are playing. There are too many new bands to list in fact! So make sure you go and check them out and discover some awesome new music, festivals are the perfect platform for this!

So these are just some reasons why Download Festival is the place to be on 9th-11th June!

http://downloadfestival.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/downloadfest

https://twitter.com/DownloadFest

#darkartconspiracy #metal #music #news

festivals, news

Final Mammothfest UK Announcement Revealed! 3 UK Exclusive headliners!

May 31, 2017 darkartconspiracy Leave a comment

Mammothfest is thrilled to announce that Belgian doom act, Amenra will exclusively headline in the UK on the Sunday stoner doom main stage at this year’s festival. That’s right, ALL THREE of the main stage headline acts across the weekend including also Fleshgod Apocalypse and Rotting Christ can only be found performing at Mammothfest in the UK in 2017!

Not only that, previously announced black metal act Tsjuder are also confirmed for a UK exclusive performance at Mammothfest 2017!

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, Mammothfest are proud to announce the complete lineup that will perform at The Arch in Brighton between the 6th and 8th of October. Including the likes of Akercocke, Vodun, Abhorrent Decimation, Vigil (Poland), Confronted and more as a total of 16 bands have been added to the final lineup. Check out the full poster above!

So the days and stages now look like this:

BLACK METAL STAGE FRIDAY 6TH OCTOBER

Already announced for main stage and Rikstock (second stage) Friday:

TSJUDER who were previously announced will now be a UK exclusive also.

Black Metal Main Stage:
8.50 – 10.00 Rotting Christ (UK exc)
7.45 – 8.30 Tsjuder (UK exc)
6:45 – 7.15 The infernal sea
6.00 – 6.30 Vehement

Friday Rikstock Stage:
11:30 – 12:30 The Crimson Brigade
10:15 – 11:00 Deitus
8:30 – 9:00 Ethereal
7:15 – 7:45 Heathen Deity
6:30- 7:00 Necro nautical

NEW ADDITIONS AND NEWS FOR SATURDAY 7TH OCTOBER

MAIN STAGE EXTREME METAL STAGE – SATURDAY 7TH OCTOBER

London black metallers Akercocke who formed in 1997 and then split in 2012 made a surprise reform last year in 2016, so this is an exciting time for the band as it sees founding members Jason Mendonca and David Gray re-joined by original guitarist Paul Scanlan. The line-up completed by Nathanael Underwood. With this reunion comes a new sense of energy and drive, along with a new sixth album titled ‘Renaissance in Extremis’ with the release date yet to be announced. Hopefully, Mammothfest goers will be fortunate enough to hear some new offerings!

Joining Akercoke on the Saturday is another London act Abhorrent Decimation. The band are favourites at Mammothfest, having played back in 2014 and 2015. Now they are ready to make a triumphant return with their sophomore album ‘The Pardoner’ which is due to be released July 28th. This new album follows their successful 2015 debut ‘Miasmic Mutation’ which received high praise from press and metal fans. It was even heralded as “one of 2015’s must have Death Metal records” by Metal Hammer. Since the release they have done widespread touring including appearances at Bloodstock and went on to sign with Prosthetic Records. The new album is set to be their most inspired and dominating yet, so don’t miss a chance to hear new hefty offerings at Mammothfest.

NEW BANDS ADDED FOR RIKSTOCK STAGE EXTREME METAL STAGE – SATURDAY 7TH OCTOBER

Joining Lagerstein for the Saturday night VIP after party are Portsmouth party metallers Seething Akira who return to Mammothfest to close the late night party in style. In 2015 they headlined the Rikstock stage with their usual blend electronica and metal laced with tonnes of energy and are guaranteed to bring the fun vibes and get the place bouncing!

The Saturday stages look like this in full:

Saturday main stage
20:40 – 22:00 Fleshgod apocalypse (UK Exclusive)
19:30 – 20.10 Dragged Into Sunlight
18:45 – 19:15 Akercocke
18:00 – 18:30 Lawnmower deth
17:15 – 17:45 Meta-Stasis
16:30 – 17:00 Abhorrent Decimation
15:45 – 16:15 Death Remains
15:00 – 15:30 Bleed Again
14:15 – 14:45 Kill all the gentlemen (Moved up to main stage)

Saturday Rikstock
12:30 – 1:30 Seething Akira (VIP)
10:30 – 12:00 Lagerstein (Australia) (VIP)
20:10 – 20:40 No Raza
19:15 – 19.45 Warcrab
18:30 – 19:00 Ascaris
17:45 – 18:15 Materia (Poland)
17:00 – 17-30 Damaj
16:15 – 16:45 Synaptik
15:30 – 16:00 Devil wants her swagger back
14:45 – 15:15 Hole In The Sky
14:00 – 14:30 Gutteral carnage

NEW ADDITIONS AND NEWS FOR SUNDAY 6TH OCTOBER

SUNDAY HEADLINERS – AMENRA (UK EXCLUSIVE)

Mammothfest’s third and final headliner is Belgain post-metal doom act Amenra, who are doing a UK exclusive performance, marking three exclusives for all Mammothfest headliners. Since their formation in 1999 they have been paving their way to success, with critically acclaimed albums, touring with acts such as Neurosis, expanding their sound all of which has earnt them great admiration and a big following, including a collective group of like-minded artists and fans that call themselves ‘Church Of Ra’. As a band that is constantly growing and incredibly hard working and passionate to make a difference, their sixth upcoming album ‘Mass VI’ is definitely one to watch for, and can only be witnessed in the UK at Mammothfest this year.

Genre defining and exciting London act Vodun who have been described as “Like Aretha fronting Royal Blood after imbibing Ayahuasca” – MOJO Magazine and “The new best rock band on the planet” – James McMahon, editor Kerrang, amongst other things just to help add to the intrigue and highlight their impression and distinctive sound and the impact it is having on the metal scene. They released their highly praised full-length debut ‘Possession’ in 2016, so come down and be part of their spiritual celebratory presence that they invoke live, inspired by west African vodu – how could you miss that?!.

Other Sunday additions include Telepathy, Wren, Kurokuma, Solleme and new act Urne, which features ex-members of Hang The Bastard who can be considered to be for fans of Thin Lizzy, The Sword and Danzig. Urne are a band currently wrapped in mystery and that excites us enough to stick them on the bill along with the reputation of the musicians involved. Keep an eye out!

These acts join the already announced Sunday Main stage below:

23:20 – 00:30 Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters (VIP after party band)
21:00 – 22:45 Amenra (UK exclusive)
19:45 – 20:30 Vodun
19:00 – 19:30 OHHMS
18:15 – 18:45 Patrick Walker & 40 WATT SUN
17:30 – 18:00 Telepathy
16:45 – 17:15 Grave Lines
16:00 – 16:30 Wren
15:15 – 15:45 Haast’s Eagled
14:30 – 15:00 Kurokuma
13:45 – 14:15 Kalloused
13:00 – 13:30 Urne
12:15 – 12:45 Solleme

NEW BANDS ADDED TO RICKSTOCK STAGE – Sunday 8TH OCTOBER

Headlining the Rikstock stage is tech metallers Core of iO, who was born out of a shared enjoyment of technical and melodically intriguing music. Ever since 2014, the four-piece have established themselves on the underground scene, displaying an honest and unapologetically raw sound with their tech flavoured progressive rock. Core of iO are no strangers to hard work, the quartet have already released two EPs to date, as well as a dual single, which landed in 2014. The band have also played Mammothfest in the past and UK Tech-Fest, whilst touring the UK extensively and racking over 250 shows.

Joining them on the Rikstock stage is Polish djent groove metalles Vigil, tech metallers This Is Turin, Sluge act Thuum, the mental and unpredictable Confronted who have quite the reputation live for their antics, and lastly every year Mammothfest brings one band back together as a special one off performance and this year it is Wall Of Denial. They started in 2000 in Brighton, England and created their own unique noise with a blend of Hard Core, Thrash and Heavy Metal. They went on to tour with Norma Jean, The Blamed and played as main support for Dillinger Escape Plan, on more than one occasion at the Concorde 2. They also played festivals like Kerrang All Dayers in London, receiving brilliant reviews for their live performance. The band finally split in 2003 with their final farewell gig to a packed HobGoblin in Brighton, in support were “Counting The Days” better known now as popular British metalcore act “Architects” who also hail from Brighton, and as a final farewell present they covered one of Wall of Denial’s songs as their final song of the set! Which brings us to 2017. The band have had the urge in recent years to reform. There had been talk over the years of a reunion but it never felt right. Now it does. What better place than at Mammothfest 2017, a festival set up by a person that truly understands where bands like Wall of Denial come from and digs it. Wall of Denial cannot wait to hit the stage, and on their home turf again nonetheless, a very special moment indeed!

The full line-up for the Rikstock stage on Sunday looks like:

20:30 – 21:10 Core of iO
19:00 – 19.30 VIGIL (Poland)
18:30 – 19:00 Thermit (Poland)
17:45 – 18:15 Wall of Denial
17:00 – 17-30 Rotten Foxes
16:15 – 16:45 Negative Measures
15:30 – 16:00 This is Turin
14:45 – 15:15 Thuum
14:00 – 14:30 Confronted
13:15 – 13:45 Pensevor
12:30 – 13:00 Mutually Assured Destruction

Mammothfest have been busy in the run up to the main festival, hosting three Mammothfest ‘presents’ shows between April and May, most recently on May 6thwith headliners Brutality Will Prevail and Raging Speedhorn, ending a run of highly successful, diverse and enjoyable all day gigs in Brighton, UK.

The first event on the 1st April was with headliners Feed The Rhino and saw the launch of Mammothfest’s very own cider range.

Then on the 16th death metallers Vader headlined a special event and unveiled Mammothfest’s new home and venue, The Arch which is located by the beach and centre of the town.

The new venue has gone down well with gig goers at both Vader and Brutality Prevail, as has the launch of Mammothfest cider, selling out at all of the shows and meaning that 420 pints were had across the three shows. Mammothfest cider will, of course, be available at the main festival.

This is one hell of a line-up from Mammothfest and is not to be missed! Mammothfest is incredibly excited and proud to put this bill together, so be sure to join them at this massive event on 6-8th October!

Get more information and tickets here: www.mammothfest.uk

https://www.facebook.com/MammothfestUK/

#darkartconspiracy #metal #music #news

news, Reviews

REVIEW: Danzig – Last Ride (Single)

May 30, 2017 darkartconspiracy Leave a comment

DANZIG release their second single ‘Last Ride’ from the new album ‘Black Laden Crown’ which came out on May 26th 2017. DANZIG is the outlet for Glenn Danzig, a singer-songwriter and musician from New Jersey who impressively is the founder of the well-known and popular punk rock act Misfits, as well as Samhain.

The new single ‘Last Ride’ slowly creeps along in a dark and sorrowful manner, with penetrating powerful vocals from Glenn Danzig, and fuzzy ambient guitars, executed by Tommy Victor, which escalate in intensity and skill as it draws to a close, ending on a high. This is one corpulent bluesy doom offering that you have to hear.

SCORE: 4/5

You can watch the audio video for the new single here:

http://danzig-verotik.com/danzig/news.html
https://www.facebook.com/Danzig

#darkartconspiracy #metal #music #news

news, Reviews

REVIEW: From Eden To Exile – Modern Disdain

May 29, 2017 darkartconspiracy Leave a comment

fromedentoexileband

Northampton Modern metallers From Eden To Exile have been rapidly building a name for themselves since their inception. Early in their career they secured a slot at the ‘New Blood’ stage at Bloodstock festival in 2015 and have played alongside heavyweight acts such as Trivium, Black Label Society, Cannibal Corpse and more. They show no signs of slowing down and are ready to make an even bigger impact with their anticipated debut album ‘Modern Disdain’…

First track ‘Gospel Untold’ is a metal whirlwind, as its crushing, powerful and unforgiving, aided by the stomping heavy guitars and overall impressive guitar work, hellish commanding vocals and strong dark melodies. This makes quite an impressive with this first offering.

Title track ‘Modern Disdain’ again delivers belligerent vocals, fast driven riffs, and defiant and strong lyric statements such as “worked like slaves, if you look at the facts, mankind was born to kneel”, with yet more impressive blistering guitar work again from Tom Kelland and Mike Bell.

Single ‘Volatile’ is vast and tense with charged vocals and guitars. The melodic tones give it a hopeful vibe through the instrumentation, as well as offering up some head banging worthy breakdowns. This acts as a perfect summary of the album.

‘Victim’ keeps up the heat and momentum as seen throughout, with a tense build up and extremely melodic riffs with punishing and effective screamed vocals from Matt Dyne. This is a stand out track for me, as it offers up more diversity than some of the previous tracks. Whilst ‘The Dreamer’ shows some of the best guitar work seen so far, demonstrating their talents further. This is a resonant and all round impressive strong track that is a must hear.

Self-named song ‘From Eden To Exile’ is groove ridden and a great one to let loose too, and again breaking things up a bit and showing something a bit different is ‘What You’ve Done’, which features some interesting rhythms and unpredictable turns.

Closing song ‘Sentiment’ sets out to demolish once again in this last tumultuous blow, largely helped by the effective ambient instrumentation.

This is a very hefty extreme metal album that gives you non-stop intensity, massive breakdowns and strong snarling demanding vocals throughout. From Eden To Exile clearly, execute their craft and impressive musicianship with this debut.

SCORE: 4/5

From Eden To Exile’s debut album ‘Modern Disdain’ is released 2nd June, via Attic Records/PHD.

www.fromedentoexile.co.uk
www.facebook.com/fromedentoexile
www.twitter.com/FROMEDENTOEXILE
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#darkartconspiracy #metal #music #review

festivals, news

Amplified Open Air Festival 2017 Final Line-up with Phil Campbell confirmed plus exclusive custom ‘Iron Man’ Harley-Davidson to be won in prize draw

May 24, 2017 darkartconspiracy Leave a comment

Amplified Open Air Festival has confirmed its final line-up with the announcement that legendary Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell and his band The Bastard Sons will headline the Red Stripe Main Stage on Saturday night, 22nd July 2017. The group joins other stage headline acts including Puddle Of Mudd, Reef, Acid Reign, Diamond Head, Evil Scarecrow, Raging Speedhorn, Astroid Boys and Milk Teeth.

“It’s great to be headlining this brand new festival showcasing the best in U.K. Rock and Metal. See you guys there!” – Phil Campbell

Amplified is also excited to announce that they will be giving away in conjunction with Blade Harley-Davidson, Cheltenham a unique one-off motorcycle to one lucky ticket holder at this year’s festival. The ‘Iron Man’ themed Sportster XL833N custom built for the Harley Davidson ‘Battle Of The Kings’ event with paint livery by Reborn To Be Wild along with the special blue light-up Iron Man chest piece could be yours.

At a cost value of £10,000 with an approximate £2,000 worth of customisation, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A UNIQUE ONE-OFF!

Full details about this amazing opportunity plus terms and conditions can be found at www.amplifiedrocks.com. The winner will be announced on the main stage on Sunday 23rd July 2017.

Tickets on sale now:

Adult weekend £80 (includes camping and free parking)

VIP weekend £125 (includes camping and free parking + backstage access)

Day tickets £45

Discounted group saver offers are also available

Amplified_Festival_Final_May_2017

http://amplifiedrocks.com/tickets or via SEE Tickets:

http://www.seetickets.com/event/amplified-2017/quarrydowns-northleach/1045951

Check out Amplified’s event poster for the final line up.

Website: http://amplifiedrocks.com
Instagram: amplifiedrocks
Twitter: @amplified2017
Facebook: Amplified Festival
Contact: a mplifiedrocks@hotmail.com

#darkartconspiracy #metal #music #news

featured, Live Report, Live Reviews, news

LIVE REVIEW: Mammothfest presents: Brutality Will Prevail, Raging Speedhorn, Bleed Again plus supports – The Arch, Brighton UK – 6th May 2017

May 15, 2017 darkartconspiracy Leave a comment

LIVE REVIEW: Mammothfest presents: Brutality Will Prevail, Raging Speedhorn, Bleed Again plus supports – The Arch, Brighton UK – 6th May 2017 by Carina Lawrence

Headliners Brutality Will Prevail Cause Carnage!

All Photos Courtesy of Luke Buteman and Ajit Dutta (Raid Studios)

This marked the third ‘Mammothfest Presents’ show of the year (following hosting headliner shows with Feed The Rhino and Vader), and this time it was a seriously hardcore and metalcore affair, offering more diversity. These shows are aimed at different rock/metal genres and continue to highlight the importance of supporting local acts, especially with this third instalment, as this event was to celebrate the launch of upcoming Worthing metallers Bleed Again debut album ‘Momentum’, and what a way to launch your album, amongst heavyweights such as heavy metal veterans Raging Speedhorn and modern hardcore heroes Brutality Will Prevail who headlined the event.

Confronted

So I unfortunately missed the opening act, Operation Kino on the main stage, so I headed to the Rikstock stage (second stage) to see what was happening there and saw my first band of the day Confronted a crossover hardcore thrash band from the South Coast, UK. I’m very glad I witnessed this – for an opening act to put on an unforgettable and mental set like they did was unforeseen. Vocalist Ryan Hull quite simply was unhinged, with his confrontational and unpredictable stage antics. He literally pushed and shoved the crowd, and got right in your face, and managed to get around in places that he shouldn’t, such as behind the bar and standing on the counter, as well as just randomly and aggressively descending to the floor and laying in awkward places. You can see why they are called Confronted, luckily this went down well with the crowd for the most part, who were enthralled yet perhaps on edge understandably. He also kept getting a floor tom drum out sporadically and dragging and throwing it around whilst amongst the crowd. By the end, he had enough of the drum and smashed through it and wore it on his head, adding to the comical factor of their set. Humour aside, they have a brilliant aggressive sound and went out on a high, closing their energetic, brutal and awe-inspiring set with an impressive cover of Soulfly’s ‘Seek ‘N’ Strike’.

Bleak Falls

After a 3-year break, Worthing act Bleak Falls are back on the live scene, luckily for Brighton, as their melodic emotive hardcore went down well with the crowds, especially aided by front-man Rudi’s passionate, emotive and deep performance. They had great energy and as you would expect after their break, they came back fighting with new song ‘Love Hate Love’ which is the title track taken from their upcoming full-length album, which hopefully will be out soon, but the exact date isn’t yet confirmed.

Five piece metalcore band Everest also from the South of the UK, managed to get the first real mosh pit of the day when commanded. They were very safety conscious giving everyone a heads up so you knew when to expect things to get more savage. Bassist Owen helped engage and get the crowd going more-so by coming into the crowd a few times to rock out with the fans. This was a strong set with their hard hitting sounds receiving some good applause and appreciation from the crowd.

Seek nothing from Germany although they deliver hardcore music, injected some light heartiness into their set through vocalist Mike, with his great sense of humour, including shaming his sister in the crowd for being on the phone, having a dig at themselves for ruining people’s day after all the good bands, and also starting a new saying and getting people shouting “trifle of mosh” which could catch on. Jokes aside they have a great serious sound and ex-bassist Anthony Giles from Brighton made a few guest vocal appearances throughout the set, which made for some good collaborations and dynamics, throwing the mic into the crowd and screaming back at each other.

Death remains have built quite a reputation for their energetic and relentless shows and they lived up to this, with their great melodic sound and dominating stage presence. They recently unleashed their sophomore album ‘Destroy/Rebuild’ and treated us to some new tracks, including closing with the brilliant ‘Rebuild’ which is also the final track on their album. This show marked the end of their tour with tour mates and band of the day Bleed Again, and what a way to finish up.

Bleed Again

The band of the day Worthing metallers Bleed again certainly stood out with a stunning set as they should for their album launch show for the masterful debut album ‘Momentum’. They played all their finest and crowd-pleasing songs, which resulted in many a mental mosh pit, lots of bouncing and plenty of head banging for the entirety of their set. They fittingly opened with the blistering ‘Decimate’ the opening track on the album and went on to play the dominating anthemic likes of ‘Slavery’ and the perfect singalong ‘Icarus’ which had the crowd going wild. Latest single ‘Walk Through The Fire’ made a massive impact with the whole room appreciating their well-crafted melodic metal. They ended their soaring set with ‘Through My Eyes’ which gave the pit one more heavy workout. It is clear why they have earnt a respectful and well-known reputation for their energetic live shows, and have built a very loyal local fanbase as a result. With a brilliant debut now under their belt, Bleed Again are ones to watch and will no doubt be earning a lot more fans. For their hard work and efforts the man behind Mammothfest, Steve Dickson kindly presented them with a bottle of bubbly to celebrate their debut release and achievements.

British hardcore punk act Giants from Essex, UK were high on the bill with their great sound, which embraces melodic hardcore and the essence of punk. Unfortunately there was a low turnout for their set for some reason, but nonetheless, everyone who was there enjoyed themselves and enthusiastically danced and head-banged along to their catchy tunes from them 2016 debut album ‘Break The Cycle’.

Raging Speedhorn

Second headliners Raging Speedhorn from Northamptonshire UK have been around since 1998 on and off and quickly established themselves in the UK metal scene. This was a special show as it was vocalist Frank Regan’s first show back with the band, joining other vocalist John Loughlin to deliver a dynamic and crushing unstoppable blow. The energy, intensity and craftsmanship were immense throughout their entire set. The crowds were constantly moving and some extreme circle pits opened up, with fans running around madly pushing each other in what was a very packed room. Their years of experience shined through, as their performance was tight, commanding and they possessed great stage presence and interaction. They have recently released their fifth album ‘Lost Ritual’ and played the instant fan favourite ‘Motorhead’. They also as you would expect played well known and popular classic songs such as ‘Thumper’ and the hard-hitting ‘The Hate Song’ which made for ridiculous crowd reactions. This was a punishing and highly enjoyable set, and was definitely one of the best sets of the day which you would expect from these heavy metal veterans.

Brutality Will Prevail

It was clear to see that Welsh hardcore outfit Brutality Will Prevail were headlining, and who better for a day of predominately hardcore music to close the day. The level of crowd participation and mental antics went to a whole new level. There were safety barriers in place between the band and the fans, which was immediately broken as the fans were ravenous and grabbing front-man Louis Gauthier and sharing the mic with him, showing their devotion by passionately screaming the lyrics. From start to finish it was constant spinning kicks, circle pits and stage invasion, with fans wildly getting on stage and jumping off. Later in the set, they triumphantly carried Louis high above their heads to show their appreciation of their set and by the end, it was all too much, the crowd just couldn’t contain themselves as they fully engulfed the stage. The band themselves had heaps of energy impressively jumping at any given opportunity and with no depletion of their stamina in sight. They played some new songs from their latest killer album ‘In Dark Places’ such as the dark anthemic ‘Forever Restless’ and ‘Penitence’, as well playing some well-known tracks from them back catalogue, including their most popular song ‘The Path’. Their set was relentless and utterly exhausting, but brilliant and demonstrated why they were the front runners of this ferocious event.

This was a resounding success amongst the fans and bands alike, with everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves and letting loose, whether that was moshing, doing spinning kicks, jumping or taking over the stage, this was very brutal and was the mere definition of hardcore. Mammothfest now has three successful diverse all day gigs under their belts, all of which are contributing and building momentum and hype for the main festival, which takes place at The Arch venue yet again on October 6-8th. The metal scene is clearly strong in Brighton and these shows are a testimony to that. The shows highlight the ethos behind Mammothfest, bringing emerging and big acts together, offering something for all and showcasing the best local acts going. So spread the word of what savagery and enjoyment took place here and see you at the main Mammothfest event.

6-8th October: Mammothfest main event – Fleshgod Apocalypse, Rotting Christ, Tsjuder, Lawnmower Deth, Dragged Into Sunlight, Meta-Stasis, OHHMS, Lagerstein, Bleed Again & more! Tickets: http://mammothfest.uk/STORE/

https://www.facebook.com/events/373113623072880/