LIVE REVIEW: Mammothfest Presents: Feed The Rhino Plus Supports – The Green Door Store, Brighton UK – 1st April 2017 by Carina Lawrence / Dark Art Conspiracy

Photo by Luke Bateman

Six months ago the Green Door Store was one of the venues to host the triumphant Mammothfest 2016 which included headliners Venom Inc, Textures and Conan and now Brighton metal heads gathered again here, for the first all day ‘Mammothfest Presents’ show of 2017, with headliners Feed The Rhino. The band were set to appear at the festival back in 2015 but were unable to, so to make it up to fans they had the honour of headlining the first of many Mammothfest events that are set to occur throughout the year, gearing up to the main festival taking place October 6-8th 2017.

The first band to kick things off were a very last minute replacement. An alternative grunge rock act from Weymouth called Tension Head – but what a welcome addition. They had a great groovy grunge sound, and marked a very different sound to what Mammothfest audiences are used to, being more accessible and mainstream, but it went down a treat with everyone dancing along. Even though the day was young as it was only 2pm the turnout was surprisingly good…

Next to take to the stage and in stark contrast to the opener was death metallers, End Of Salvation who churned out their very mosh worthy hardcore evil sounds. They also tried to start a new trend across the music scene by introducing a move for whose one are holding a beer in their hand, so that everyone can participate in some way. The audience tested this out and it provided some perfect comical material that made their set even more memorable.

Local Brighton band Hawka kept the energy going and with it brought more crowd participation, with frontman Rich jumping off stage and going to the entrance to entice more people in to witness their massive and crushing sound, inspired by the likes of heavyweights Parkway Drive, Machine Head, Korn and more.

Photo by Luke Bateman

Crazy Kickfist with said barrel mentioned below!

One of the best sets came from interesting infused nu-metal/industrial punk-core act Kickfist who intrigued the masses with their unique metal and unrelenting sounds, including their unusual but great cover of Prodigy’s popular ‘Firestarter’. Lead by frontman, Zakk Zander who sported a black mask and a baseball bat, the crowds were enthralled and their industrial Slipknot-esque grooves saw the room head banging aplenty and move as one, as their sound commanded it. Near the end of their set Zakk whacked the bat against a barrel to add to their madness so aggressively that he broke it, making for an unforgettable performance.

At the point when As Flames Rise came on, it was still considered quite early at 5pm and I don’t think the band were prepared for the carnage that unfolded and by such a humbling crowd reaction, playing their energetic melodic metal to a packed room now. Here is where some of the progressing circle pit action started to emerge, goaded by their hard hitting dual vocals and fast paced brutal guitars.

Core of iO mixed things up, being one of the first tech metal acts to grace the stage, with a hard heavy rock twist to stand out even further. They showered us with technical dynamic and intelligible sounds, and really showed off their impressive craftsmanship. To keep things well balanced vocalist/guitarist, Bob Tett injected some light hearted humour, commanding the stage even when not playing any music.

Technical melodic metal act The Five Hundred made a mighty return to Mammothfest audiences after opening the festival last year, supporting Textures. As before they got straight to the point, immediately asserting themselves with a very commanding stage presence and sound which was crushing, especially aided by evil demonic vocals from John Eley that soared and punished your eardrums. The crowd were very responsive, particularly during their well-known offering ‘Winters’, as well as treating us to an instant fan favourite with new song, ‘The Rush’ taken from their upcoming EP, ‘The Veil’.

Photo by Luke Bateman

Seething Akira’s Mental Set captivated!

The biggest surprise and moment of the night came from electronic dub hard rock heroes, Seething Akira who managed to take crowd participation and energy to a whole new level. They brought the party with their massive mental dance sounds, with the crowd going absolutely wild, with impressive pits forming. It was a non-stop spectacle that had to be seen to be believed. Inspired by the mental antics, frontman Kit Cuntrad threw himself into the crowd, in what was one of the most memorable and thrilling moments of the day, with the crowd proudly holding him high. Everyone in the room was jumping, moshing or bouncing, not a single soul was stood still, a sign that they simple destroyed it. This is a band you need to witness live.

Another anticipated and triumphant return back to Mammothfest was from Bleed Again, a fresh modern metal act from the South Coast. The band delivered one of the most energetic and unrelenting sets of 2016, coming close to upstaging bigger acts. This time round they caused quite a commotion yet again with their massive melodic metal, forcing the crowd to jump and shout along during their entire set, living up to their expectations. They were missing their bass player but luckily had Seething Akira bassist, Richard Speaight to fill in. Unfortunately because of this they didn’t play some of their most dominating songs such as ‘Walk Through The Fire’ and ‘Through My Eyes’, but they did play many a crowd pleaser with songs taken from their upcoming debut album, ‘Momentum’, such as ‘Drowning In Dreams’ and latest song, ‘Decimate’. They end on a belter with ‘Icarus’ which the crowds knew and shouted in unison.

Photo by Luke Bateman

Magna Carta – masters of the metal party anthems!

An explosive set came from Brighton based Metal/Drum ‘n’ Bass crossover act, Magna Carta who evolved from Collisions. Merging new members of other bands to bring their formidable new line-up, with James Hayball (ex Terrathorn) and Steve Dickson (the masked man in Meta-stasis as well as the man behind Mammothfest!). They opened up the dancefloor of metal madness, with endless pits and bouncing unity that left the whole room with an electrifying atmosphere. The perfect main support to get the crowds ready for the monstrous headliners…

Photo by Ajit Dutta

Headliners Feed The Rhino had the crowd on their knees!

When Feed The Rhino took to the stage, the rammed room suggested the crowd were eager and hungry for Rhino! From start to finish they didn’t let up, offering an hour of craziness and endless energy. Lead singer, Lee Tobin couldn’t contain himself, as he darted around the room and off the stage to get up close and personal with the fans. The band clearly were admired by the fans who awaited their return, and the band themselves revelled being at the forefront of this event, keeping their promise to play following their cancellation in 2015, and making it up to everyone beyond expectations. They delivered a brilliant headliner set and ended the day on an extremely intense yet insanely fun note.

This was a very successful start to the Mammothfest shows. For an all dayer the crowd were energetic and dedicated throughout, even early on in the day, highlighting the importance of such events and how strong the music scene is in Brighton. The atmosphere from the bands and the crowd was amazing, with everyone enjoying themselves and having a blast, especially aided by the newly launched debut of the Mammothfest cider, with the unveiling going down a treat, another proud moment and success the team can add to their list! Mammothfest is thriving and I’m sure the word will spread of the carnage and joy that was witnessed here and will continue at the upcoming shows.

http://www.mammothfest.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/MammothfestUK

Other Mammothfest events coming up:

6th May: Mammothfest Presents: Brutality Will Prevail, Raging Speedhorn and more for Bleed Again’s album launch show. Tickets: https://mammothfest.uk/product/brutality-will-prevail-raging-speedhorn/

https://www.facebook.com/events/1887206484828538/

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/

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