FESTIVAL REVIEW: Damnation Festival – A Night Of Salvation
Looking back at 2019, the ease of getting bands to travel to the UK was in a way, taken advantage of. Nobody expected that in early 2020, the world would shut down and live music would be taken away from us, least of all now in late 2021 finding it a struggle for international bands to travel without certain restrictions. Thankfully, live music has resumed to the best degree it can, amongst the list, the much-loved Damnation Festival was able to open its doors once more after a painstaking year away. To celebrate, fans were offered an extra night of riffs, mosh pits, and of course something we never thought we’d miss; sticking to a beer soaked floor. As one of the most anticipated events since live music’s return, we returned back to Leeds University Union for Damnation Festival – A Night Of Salvation.
AKERCOCKE
A Night Of Salvation is an evening of one-offs; special performances from the curated billing of bands to make the night even more special for Damnation‘s return. For AKERCOCKE, this means a performance of The Goat Of Mendes in its entirety to celebrate the record’s 20 year anniversary. Suited and booted, akin to the days of old, the English extreme metallers do more than an admirable job of kickstarting the night as a barrage of blastbeats, pulsing riffs and a utterly demonic vocal display from Jason Mendonça ensures that AKERCOCKE kick off A Night Of Salvation with the mightiest of bangs.
Masks of God is thumping in its delivery and the bombastic sound of the band effectively fills the room of the Refinery, Horns of Baphomet‘s sinister lurking instrumentals and eerie cleans sound big and bold, and Ceremony of Nine Angels is a truly magnificent finale; showcasing the band in all their glory. AKERCOKE have long been considered underrated darlings of the extreme metal world and judging from the reception upon their closure, the respect held towards the band has only been strengthened.
Rating: 8/10
Words: James Weaver
SVALBARD
For SVALBARD, last year’s When I Die, Will I Get Better? Was heralded as one of the year’s strongest releases and for tonight at A Night of Salvation marks a special occasion; the performance of the record in its entirety. And from the moment the band open through the alluring Open Wound, you can’t help but get the feeling you’re witnessing something special. And special it was. On incendiary form and riding the wave of much deserved plaudits, the band are simply spellbinding to watch.
Click Bait is utterly ferocious with Serena Cherry holding nothing back as her ferocity in her vocals is as clear as day, Throw Your Heart Away shimmers with gorgeous fragility whilst still sounding absolutely enormous and the rendition of Listen To Someone is just utterly gripping. Throughout their time on stage SVALBARD ran the whole gamut of emotion, with a truly moving finale of Pearlescent, performed instrumentally due to Cherry‘s admission that singing the words would make her cry. Billed as a one-off performance, for those present, they have witnessed something special. And judging from the way in which SVALBARD held the crowd in the palms of their hands, they relished every single second.
Rating: 9/10
Words: James Weaver
ORANGE GOBLIN
Dedicating their 25th anniversary set to the late Malcolm Dome, one of rock and metal’s finest journalists, it is apparent that ORANGE GOBLIN had no other motives other than to show how humble they are to be playing live again, and to show why after a quarter of a decade, they’re not going to slow down.
Opening their set with Saruman’s Wish, taken from their 1992 debut album Frequencies from Planet Ten, ORANGE GOBLIN quickly set to dominating the stage and the night as a whole. The audience energy, already at a high from previous bands SVALBARD and AKERCOCKE, amplified in drastic scales, echoing the output from the British metal band’s spirited performance. With Ben Ward‘s roaring vocals during Some You Win, Some You Lose, Joe Hoare‘s guitar work partnering in a thunderous grace with drummer Chris Turner, and the impeccable grooves from GOBLIN‘s newest addition, bassist Harry Armstrong, on Scorpionica, there wasn’t a moment in time to stand and catch your breath. After 25 years, it would be accepted in seeing some signs of slowing down, if ORANGE GOBLIN‘s 25 Years of British Rock and Heavy Metal set is anything to go from, just put their foot down full throttle.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Jessica Howkins
RAGING SPEEDHORN
Closing the pre-show, RAGING SPEEDHORN perform their self-titled debut album in full. The album at the time of its release was angst-driven, intense and full of volatility, and 21 years later, that’s exactly what they delivered on stage.
Whilst there were moments of tension in the air and noticeable sound issues, it didn’t deter SPEEDHORN from punching out riffs, throwing themselves into the audience or sounding as dirty as they could physically manage. When throwing out the likes of Superscud, Random Acts of Violence and Necrophiliac Glue Sniffer, it is difficult to simply ignore the intensity that quite clearly made RAGING SPEEDHORN‘s debut album so cherished amongst their fans. So much so, Damnation‘s own organiser Gavin McInally went flying over the barrier a number of times. Riddled with chaotic antics, heightened emotions and high-energy riffs, maybe we’ll be seeing SPEEDHORN on the main stage of the main bill next time.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Jessica Howkins
