FESTIVAL REVIEW: Damnation Festival 2017
Damnation Festival has grown into one of the biggest one day metal events in the UK. Year in, year out the festival has showcased the best bands in underground metal and 2017’s festival is no different. Selling out in record time, 2017’s edition of Damnation boasted a strong lineup of some heavy hitters in metal alongside some exciting new prospects. We were on the ground at this year’s festival to see the action unfold, so read on for our coverage of Damnation Festival 2017!
DISENTOMB – Terrorizer Stage
On the Terrorizer Stage the day is kicked off in disgusting fashion by Aussie brutal death metallers DISENTOMB. After last crushing our stages with INGESTED last year and ahead of touring with CARNIFEX in 2018, DISENTOMB are becoming well acquainted with our island, and today they waste no time in their half an hour set opting to deliver one slamming punch after another. Their assault is one you feel in your gut, and an ultra-taut rhythm section makes their tempo changes from frenetic blasts into thick, deep grooves feel seamless but impactful. Frontman Jordan James is the star of the show, his vocals not possessing much range (or any at all really) but being very good at the monstrous and guttural thing that they do, while his stocky frame stalking the stage intently is endearingly offset with his constant thanking of the crowd by way of heavily accented profanities. The closing shot of Vultures Descend steals the set, and now with it being over three years since the release of Misery, it’s about time DISENTOMB deliver a new record to keep things fresh.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Perran Helyes
WIEGEDOOD – Terrorizer Stage
WIEGEDOOD played their first ever UK show at Damnation Festival two years ago alongside their Church of Ra peers AMENRA and OATHBREAKER (frontman Levy Seynaeve plays bass in the former while guitarist Gilles Demolder and drummer Wim Sreppoc play for the latter). This time WIEGEDOOD return on their own, with an increased standing and reputation than last time they were here. This year’s De Doden Hebben Het Goed II is arguably an improvement upon its predecessor, and now with two well received albums behind them their sets have more quality material to draw from like the menacing Ontzieling. With no bassist in their ranks, their black metal is all mid-range that cuts like an icy wind, an effect amplified by the almost constant blast beats and Levy’s hissing shriek.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Perran Helyes
PG LOST – Eyesore Merch Stage
There was a fair amount of post metal on offer at this year’s Damnation Festival and Swedish experimental outfit PG LOST gave a mesmerising and moving performance on the Eyesore Merch Stage at this year’s festival. Delightful and intricate riffs from Mattias Bhatt and Gustav Almberg created a lovely and immersive atmosphere whilst Martin Hjertstedt supplied some excellent percussion behind the drums. It was a performance that ebbed and flowed organically and offered some excellent melodies to those in attendance.
Rating: 8/10
Words: James Weaver
PALLBEARER – Jagermeister Stage
Opening the Jagermeister Stage at this year’s Damnation Festival is PALLBEARER, who arrive on the back of the excellent Heartless. With a limited time on stage, the band’s set was relatively short with only four songs performed but the quality on offer here was absolutely fantastic. Low, rumbling bass tones from Joseph D. Rowland packed a mighty punch whilst the intricate and melodic dual guitar play from Brett Campbell and Devin Holt washed over the crowd to glorious effect. Campbell‘s vocals also came across well in the live environment, with the soaring vocal lines on Thorns being a brilliant moment. Overall it was a solid performance from one of doom metal’s bright sparks but with a fire alarm dampening what should have been a glorious finale in Foreigner, their ending should have been so much better than what it was.
Rating: 7/10
Words: James Weaver
PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT – Eyesore Merch Stage
Whilst Damnation Festival typically offers music that caters for the extreme, there are a few curveballs on this year’s lineup and Italian outfit PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT are the cream of the crop at this year’s festival. Offering something slightly different to the relentless aggression, the band graced the Eyesore Merch Stage and gave one of the most gripping and enjoyable performances of the day. Jacopo Fallai‘s guitarwork boasted hooks in absolute abundance whilst the steady rhythm from the combined efforts of bassist Riccardo Giuffrè and drummer Mirko Buia kept the pace flowing naturally over the course of their set. With a wall of sound that harked back to the glory days of psychedelic and hard rock, it allowed frontwoman Virginia Monti to absolutely dominate the stage. Moving effortlessly to the music, Monti held the audience in the palm of her hand and unleashed some absolutely sensational vocal lines. An outstanding performance from one of Damnation Festival‘s wild cards.
Rating: 9/10
Words: James Weaver
VALLENFYRE – Terrorizer Stage
The fire alarm that unexpectedly cut short PALLBEARER’s set in the main room has thankfully had zero effect on the running of the other stages, and downstairs VALLENFYRE go about their business subjecting those in attendance to one of the filthiest showings of the day. Ahead of his set with PARADISE LOST later, Greg Mackintosh relishes flexing his muscles in a very different role, an entertaining frontman bursting with dry sardonic wit who had somehow been hiding behind a guitar for twenty years. VALLENFYRE’s music is beautifully grimy, a savage mix of Swedish death metal, British crust punk and grindcore, with a dash of potent gloom seeping in from Greg’s main band. This is mainly felt today in The Merciless Tide because they otherwise stick to their faster material, the wild abandon of Nihilist and Kill All Your Masters carrying so much grime that you probably need a tetanus shot afterwards. Fear Those Who Fear Him is one of the finest albums of the year and the material from it is vicious, but Desecration ending the set is one of the standout death metal songs of the decade, its destructive cyclone of a riff inciting many a head to bang.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Perran Helyes
MYRKUR – Jagermeister Stage
Damnation Festival boasts a lot of unique talent on this year’s lineup and MYRKUR is perhaps one of the biggest attractions on offer. Since announcing herself onto the scene with M in 2015, the black metal project fronted by Amalie Bruun has taken the black metal world by storm and there was a lot of anticipation going into her set at Damnation Festival as to whether she could replicate her haunting atmosphere in the live environment. And she did just that. From start to finish MYRKUR created a spine-chilling atmosphere as the band rolled through their vast soundscape to present a thoroughly enjoyable performance. Amalie Bruun was the focal point for maintaining this atmosphere as her tremendous vocal range flowed seamlessly from hair-raising operatic cleans to menacing and icy shrieks. Backed with a solid live band that held the dynamic changes in mood and tone, MYRKUR showcased a truly fantastic live performance, one which more than demonstrated why she is storming through the ranks within black metal.
Rating: 9/10
Words: James Weaver
BEYOND CREATION – Tone MGMT Stage
BEYOND CREATION come armed with technical wizardry, stamina, and compositions covering all spectrums from brutal death to progressive metal. However, heartbreakingly, BEYOND CREATION were presented with appalling sound and left the audience with a dominant mix of drums and mush. Performing a mixture of old and new material, from Omnipresent Perception to Earthborn Evolution, despite the sound, you can tell these gentlemen are fluent in their instruments and astonishingly in sync with one another. Their fretless bass is a truly beautiful element within their music and it’s disappointing that their sound mix left him completely inaudible.
Rating: 6/10
Words: Zoe Gale
DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT – Terrorizer Stage
Anyone in the building who hasn’t seen DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT before though doesn’t quite know what’s coming. DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT are a band who can always be relied on to turn up on any bill and make the bands around them feel safe, and to turn whatever room they’re playing in into the deepest darkest pit of Hell. The room is plunged into total darkness aside from their trademark candelabra in the centre of the stage. Screens on either side begin to show a clip taken from the documentary Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, in which serial killer Aileen Wuornos rails against society and those who condemned her in an interview the day before her execution, those in attendance viewing in total silence. Then DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT kick into To Hieron and the very room begins to shake. “Intense” doesn’t even begin to cover it, the sheer sonic violence conjured up by this band in the live environment a mandatory experience for anyone with a passing interest in extreme music. Spine-crushing grooves somehow interweave with pure white noise, an unholy cacophony almost unparalleled in modern extreme metal. It’s a barrage so visceral that it’s almost hypnotising, people frozen in place by the sheer savagery of it. DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT don’t even face the audience, instead turned towards their thick wall of amps at the back which combined with the minimal lighting paints them as little more than silhouettes, but these shadows are violent, writhing and flailing in tandem with the malevolent bile spilling forth from the speakers. It’s a monstrous showing from a band who simply do it every time, and one that we should count ourselves lucky as having on our doorstep.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Perran Helyes
WARNING – Jagermeister Stage
For a great many people here today, WARNING playing their album Watching From a Distance in its entirety is the must-see set of the day for which they’ve bought their ticket. The revered British doom outfit who reunited recently for this string of shows taking to this stage is a genuine big deal as these are songs that mean a hell of a lot to a lot of people in this room, and what follows is the kind of communal but intimate live experience that shows like this were meant for. Watching From a Distance is the pure unadulterated sound of heartache. Patrick Walker’s voice is just devastating. Each and every time that he sings “I wish you were with me tonight” on Bridges after dedicating the song to a long departed friend, it hits home like a tonne of bricks, while the closing minutes of Footprints see him at his most naked, impassioned and desperate. The songs that make up Watching From a Distance are incredibly minimalistic, each focusing on a core riff and melody for practically their entire seven to twelve minute run time, so it’s testament to the sheer heart-rending power of each and every moment that these songs are so timelessly affecting. In the midst of it, Patrick assists in a proposal for two audience members in the balcony, a special moment that gives everything just another level of poignancy. This may be the only chance we get to see these songs before WARNING disappear yet again, so above all else is a strong sense of privilege to experience such a life-affirming band while they’re here with us.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Perran Helyes
NAILS – Terrorizer Stage
Despite the fact that Damnation Festival boasted some of the biggest names in extreme music, it’s a fair shout to say that the most anticipation and excitement surrounded NAILS‘ performance. Following a mysterious hiatus which resulted in a cancellation at last year’s festival, there was a huge air of relief when Todd Jones and co. took to the Terrorizer Stage. This would be all the relief the crowd would get as NAILS held nothing back and unleashed one of the most hair-raising and intimidating performances of the day. Taylor Young‘s explosive blasts on the drums blistered through whilst the band’s hardcore punk infused death metal sonics engulfed the crowd and the reaction from the crowd was emphatic. Todd Jones‘ vocal barks and growls held their own against the musical carnage and to say that the overall result was intimidating is a massive understatement. NAILS‘ performance at Damnation felt like a long time coming but the band delivered and gave a performance that shook the audience to its core.
Rating: 9/10
Words: James Weaver
AGENT FRESCO – Eyesore Merch Stage
AGENT FRESCO provided a refreshing break amongst the ‘heavy’ that Damnation Festival had to offer. Performing alongside a replacement bassist, Nicolai, whilst Vignir travelled back home to become a father, the band oozed a balance of professionalism and play. Playing their more well-known songs such as Dark Water, the band exploded with energy that couldn’t help being reflected in the crowd. Emotions ran high as Arnor explained how Wait For Me was inspired by his father’s passing of cancer; his vocal ability to pass from angelic to incredibly raw was breath taking to watch. AGENT FRESCO are truly passionate about their fans and treated the Damnation crowd to a brand new song off their upcoming album, and ended their captivating set with Arnor spending the entire song walking and shaking the hands of the audience; a pleasure and a must see.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Zoe Gale
PARADISE LOST – Jagermeister Stage
With Damnation Festival for the second year in a row featuring three headliners with hour-long sets each rather than one overall headliner, the first of this year’s three to grace the stage are Yorkshire’s own gothic doom legends PARADISE LOST. This is very much home turf for them, and seeing them perform classics like Enchantment and As I Die in such a setting has a special sort of charm to it. Songs from the last decade though like The Enemy and Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us receive just as strong a reaction, possessing powerful choruses designed to be bellowed back from a crowd. Unfortunately Nick Holmes is noticeably less good-humoured than he is with BLOODBATH later tonight, instead seeming irritated at technical issues plaguing his microphone and monitors, but he certainly doesn’t let it hamper his performance as he switches with ease between his mournful cleans and ragged growls which he has re-adopted in recent years. PARADISE LOST’s distinct personality is all over everything they do, and so their ability to switch from the crushing doom of The Longest Winter into a bona fide pop song in Say Just Words without it feeling jarring is worthy of real applause. An hour sadly just isn’t enough for all the material that the people want to hear, such is the strength of their back catalogue, but it’s a set with no fat that leaves people looking forward to their upcoming UK tour.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Perran Helyes
THE GREAT DISCORD – Tone MGMT Stage
Arriving at Damnation Festival on the back of the sensational The Rabbit Hole, there was a lot of hype surrounding THE GREAT DISCORD and unfortunately, their performance was plagued with sound issues which hampered the band’s impact on the Tone MGMT Stage. Frontwoman Fia Kempe‘s unique stage apparel gave a strong visual aid to the band’s live presence and when her vocals could be heard in the mix they were excellent, with the chorus on Darkest Day being a strong highlight. That and when each component of their progressive sound came through the mix, the band’s quality was easily recognisable and interesting to watch. Yet, as a result of the ongoing issues with the sound, the band’s live presence felt flat, with Fia‘s vocals on Omen being completely inaudible, and resulted in a performance that was thoroughly disappointing. Hopefully the next time THE GREAT DISCORD grace our shores fans will get the performance they know the band can surely deliver.
Rating: 5/10
Words: James Weaver
LEPROUS – Eyesore Merch Stage
2017 has been a landmark year for LEPROUS. They have always been good and especially stunning in the live environment, but gradual improvement to their craft year upon year has seemed to all boil over with the release of this year’s Malina. It’s a genuinely breath-taking record that should appeal as much to fans of MUSE as to fans of LEPROUS’ mentor and EMPEROR frontman IHSAHN, and it comes into its own even more so live. The hooks on the likes of Stuck and From the Flame are just a level above anything else coming out of the prog world right now, the kind that don’t just glue themselves to your consciousness for days at a time but feel tremendously imposing and rich with emotion thanks to the delivery of vocalist Einar Solberg who is simply unbelievable. He nails every one of the insane, sweeping high notes, and injects so much dramatic flair into every aspect of his performance balanced alongside so much sense that he means every word so that it in no way feels like posturing. Mirage uses swelling, atypical guitar rhythms that border on djent but feel a million miles from the likes of PERIPHERY or any of their peers, while the use of a real cello on stage gives that beautiful extra little touch of texture. The Malina stuff is so good that the older songs that made their sets so great in the past now feel a little outclassed by their newer neighbours, good as that material is. They’re as prog as they come but with songs like these now in their arsenal, LEPROUS are ready to break out and make some very real waves. Someone really needs to take these guys out on some bigger stages.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Perran Helyes
SODOM – Jagermeister Stage
SODOM have been part of the elite of thrash metal for decades and arriving for a headlining performance on the Jagermeister Stage at this year’s Damnation Festival, the band intended to inject some adrenaline following the gothic/doom sonics of PARADISE LOST. And indeed the band delivered this high-octane energy throughout their headlining time on stage. Armed to the teeth with tracks from their extensive back catalogue, the band displayed riffs laced with speed, bombastic drumming and razor-sharp vocals from Tom Angelripper throughout their set. From In War and Pieces‘ slick riffing from Bernd Kost, Agent Orange‘s breakneck speed and Sodomy and Lust showing that SODOM have not forgotten their roots, the band were solid to say the least. That, and a nice selection of material from latest album, Decision Day, and a tongue-in-cheek inclusion of Surfin’ Bird, SODOM gave a good performance at Damnation Festival; one which demonstrated why the band are considered an iconic name in thrash metal.
Rating: 8/10
Words: James Weaver
AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED – Terrorizer Stage
Unbelievably this run of shows marks AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED’s first ever visit to the UK, and the result is there is an army of rabid grind fans who have waited a very long time to witness this band in all their mental glory. And mental it totally is; the set that follows, even with all of the knowledge that this is a band who once fit ninety-nine tracks onto a twenty-two minute record, is just downright bewildering in its intensity. AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED live is such an assault that you’re left not really knowing how to cope or what to do with yourself, songs being fired at you in such quick unrelenting succession that it’s nigh on impossible to get a handle on anything. Scott Hull is an absolute riff-machine, and here they’re chucked out and disposed of so rapidly that it makes his main band PIG DESTROYER feel like NEUROSIS in comparison. Famed for their use of a drum machine not out of laziness but because their drum parts just can’t be physically played by humans, the space where a drumkit would be is instead occupied by just yet more enormous amps and speakers taller than a grown man, while dual vocalists Richard Johnson and Kat Katz dart around manically spewing their guts into their microphones. It’s such an ear-bleedingly harsh onslaught that when they choose to close on the seven minute sludge dirge of Not a Daughter it’s almost a relief, but yet this song carries a different kind of weight to it, Katz shrieking in tormented agony detailing her mother’s gradual death to cancer. It adds a very human close to a set that otherwise defies belief in how those creating such a bombardment could possibly be human.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Perran Helyes
NORDIC GIANTS – Eyesore Merch Stage
There really isn’t a way to put into words how astonishingly mesmerising NORDIC GIANTS are live. This post-rock duo describe their music as ‘claustrophobic post rock cinema’; fusing a series of short films with powerfully moving soundtracks leaving you hypnotically entranced. Their intensely beautiful films take centre stage, leaving this mysterious duo lurking in the shadows created from copious amounts of dry ice and rapid strobes. It’s an incredibly immersive experience; inspirational, uplifting, and hard-hitting. NORDIC GIANTS captivated the entire audience and had them encased within their dark imagination in a state of comatose. The credits roll. It’s the end of the show, and the world suddenly doesn’t make sense anymore.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Zoe Gale
BLOODBATH – Jagermeister Stage
When it comes to death metal, BLOODBATH have been amongst the most recognisable names since the project first drew breath in the late 1990s. Now, almost two decades after they formed, the supergroup of death metal arrive to Damnation Festival to close the festival on their biggest stage and the band gave a performance that lived up to their intimidating reputation. Colossal riffs from Anders Nyström and Per Eriksson engulfed the room as the band powered through a set covering the best elements of their impressive career. The slick riffing on Soul Evisceration or the sheer brute force of Cancer of the Soul are just a glimpse into the ferocity of BLOODBATH‘s live sound and the band did not give the crowd a moment to catch their breath. Fronting the carnage was Nick Holmes (on double duty that day with PARADISE LOST) and Holmes delivered his range of growls and snarls to great effect. And whilst he sounded the best on material from Grand Morbid Funeral, his vocal deliveries on the band’s older material still held up here. An impressive feat indeed. From start to finish BLOODBATH showcased why they are so revered within death metal and closing with the iconic Eaten ensured that Damnation Festival closed with an absolute bang
Rating: 9/10
Words: James Weaver
