FESTIVAL REVIEW: Damnation Festival 2022

Falling outside of the hectic summer season of festivals, Damnation Festival has prided itself on being an outsider next to the heavy hitters, despite the fact year on year the annual event boasts some of the best bands in extreme music. Following their heroic return last year against the odds as the Omicron variant of COVID began wreaking havoc, this year’s Damnation is a special one. Not only is it the first Damnation to welcome back a fully fledged international lineup in a post-pandemic era, but with a move to Manchester’s massive BEC Arena, 2022’s Damnation Festival is their biggest and most grandiose year to date. It’s make or break and with a star-studded billing, Distorted Sound headed to Manchester for the festival and their slick pre-show; A Night Of Salvation. Here’s what happened.

A Night Of Salvation

MASTIFF – A Night Of Salvation

Kicking off a festival is no easy task, with the weight of expectation on the band tasked to ignite the action and for Damnation Festival, and the Night Of Salvation pre-show, it falls to Hull’s purveyors of metallic noise MASTIFF. Still supporting last year’s slab of aural brutality, Leave Me The Ashes Of The Earth, the band waste no time in pummelling the crowd as the tempo is raised to top gear from the first booming riff to the last. Although it was disappointing that their explosive intro was met with a thinner crowd than a band of this ilk deserves, as more people filter through into the BEC Arena, the band end their set facing a sea of grimaced faces as their amalgamation of sludgy hardcore and razor-sharp riffs, alongside a menacing vocal barrage from frontman Jim Hodge, ensure that Damnation kicks off to the most brutal of starts.

Rating: 8/10

PUPIL SLICER – A Night Of Salvation

Akin to their fellow countrymen like HERIOT, ITHACA (more on them later) and MALEVOLENCE, PUPIL SLICER have been taking the scene by absolute storm this year. Fresh from their demolishing sets at Bloodstock and ArcTanGent, the band take to A Night Of Salvation and lay down a fresh claim as one of UK metal’s most exciting bands. The band, spear-headed by Kate Davies, deliver an absolutely manic set that twists and contorts to their hybrid of noise, hardcore and grind. The likes of Husk, Vilified and Martyrs sound absolutely enormous in the large confines of the BEC Arena and standalone single, Thermal Runaway, remains a clear highlight in the band’s set. With the book closing on Mirrors and attention turns to their next studio outing, excitement towards PUPIL SLICER is at fever pitch, and their outing at Damnation proves to be a fitting swansong in a year that has reaped so many rewards.

Rating: 9/10

ITHACA – A Night Of Salvation

Just like PUPIL SLICER who proceeded them, ITHACA have been having a rather splendid 2022. Sophomore record They Fear Us was met with critical acclaim from fans and critics alike and their appearance at this year’s ArcTanGent was nothing short of jaw-dropping. At Damnation, they pick up right where they left off at ArcTanGent and stun the crowd through a brilliant execution of their craft. Vocalist Djamila Azzouz further cements herself as one of the best vocalists in modern metal as she effortlessly switches from her powerful screams to angelic cleans with the utmost ease, whilst her bandmates provide ample amounts of power as the riffs and breakdowns never cease to hit the mark. With ample cuts lifted from the aforementioned They Fear Us reinforcing that the record is one of the year’s strongest, with the title track’s “Bow before your blood!” moshcall resembling the same destructive force as a neutron bomb, and Impulse Crush caps off another magnificent outing for one of UK metal’s brightest new stars.

Rating: 9/10

WE LOST THE SEA – A Night Of Salvation

While it may be primarily an extreme metal festival, Damnation Festival has a longstanding association to post-rock, with previous sets by the likes of MONO and NORDIC GIANTS providing an option to cleanse the palate from the buffet of grindcore and death metal. Australia’s WE LOST THE SEA are the chef’s special this year, offering a different set on both days. For A Night Of Salvation, the sextet treated us to a full playthrough of Departure Songs – their first foray into instrumental post-rock, forcibly brought about by the untimely passing of their vocalist Christ Thorpe, and a tribute to his memory. The grandiose opener A Gallant Gentleman sets the stage for what will define their performance – multi-layered compositions that expertly transition between a wide palette of moods and dynamics, set against a stunning visual backdrop. Albeit wordless, the poetry of the songs visibly flows through the band members’ bodies. Not only does this bring to life the album’s stories of remarkable achievements in the face of tragedy, but it also avoids the visual boredom that some instrumental bands can suffer from. Whilst they undoubtedly impress, there is a small sense that a festival set is doing them a disservice, and a night dedicated to the band would elevate them even further. The Australians shine bright regardless, and the two parts of Challenger recounting the infamous space shuttle disaster over more than half an hour of music close a beautiful, emotionally affecting set by WE LOST THE SEA. 

Rating: 8/10

CELESTE – A Night Of Salvation

Our French neighbours have been enjoying a sustained streak of fresh and exciting metal bands over more than a decade. One of the more intriguing names to come are CELESTE who are set to close A Night of Salvation with a full performance of their excellent 2022 record Assassine(s). The quartet’s ferocious combination of black metal, post-hardcore and sludge combines for an extremely powerful sound – both in a musical and emotional sense. Tremolo guitars with unstoppable drive interchange with forceful droning chords and dissonant breakdowns, such as in the brilliant De tes yeux bleus perlés. Tightly controlling this relentless onslaught is drummer Antoine Royer whose parts people the songs forward with their musicality and surgical precision. The result is a stirring combination of rage, euphoria and melancholy. In addition to the music, CELESTE’s stage show is also visually arresting. Barely illuminated by backlight, the four wear headlamps which emit a bright red light, making them look like miners working at the depths of the earth’s core. After the release of album closer Le cœur noir charbon, the Frenchmen extend their set with three cuts of their prior full-length Infidèle(s). CELESTE’s breathless performance is moving enough to provide release and comfort for those in need with salvation – aptly rounding off the fantastic A Night Of Salvation pre-show.

Rating: 9/10

Damnation Festival

FRAYLE – Eyesore Merch Stage

Whilst last year’s festival featured a predominately British lineup due to ongoing travel issues as a fallout from the pandemic, Damnation 2022 welcomes back a lineup of a multitude of nationalities. Ohio’s FRAYLE open Damnation‘s smallest stage with an alluring display of majestic doom. Hauntingly beautiful yet aurally hench, the band captivate those present. Largely, this is down to Gwyn Strang who enchants with her angelic vocal deliveries and whimsical stage presence, whilst her bandmates unleash a cacophony of doom-drenched riffage. It might be early in the day, and for those present at last night’s A Night Of Salvation, they might be nursing heavy heads, but FRAYLE kick off Damnation Festival in the best possible way.

Rating: 8/10

IRIST – Pins & Knuckles Stage

The arrival of IRIST on European soil has been a long-time coming and after many pandemic-enforced delays, the South American by the way of Atlanta, Georgia metallers arrive to the main stage of Damnation Festival to a sea of anticipated faces. And they deliver on years of waiting by providing a set of stellar quality. Their amalgamation of death metal, prog, post-metal and sludge is a treat upon the ears as the band barrage their way through a set largely comprised of 2020’s Order Of The Mind. Frontman Rodrigo Carvalho excels with his vocal deliveries and exudes ample enthusiasm as he prowls the stage and when he takes a moment to show his appreciation for those gathered on their debut European run, the love is reciprocated around the room. Metal truly is a global community and IRIST at Damnation Festival are the embodiment of this.

Rating: 8/10

BRUIT ≤ – Eyesore Merch Stage

French post-rock outfit BRUIT ≤ have a chance for redemption at Damnation. At ArcTanGent in August, a myriad of technical issues swallowed the vast majority of the band’s allotted time on stage, leaving those there thoroughly disappointed to experience their cinematic soundscapes. Round two, and the band finally deliver and the experience is, at times, utterly breathtaking. Classical instrumentation intertwines with their more metallic components as the sound builds and builds before exploding into soaring crescendos that reflect with the pulsing strobes ever so well. At its best, it feels like the aural companion to science fiction epics like Interstellar and their uniqueness on a bill chocker with extreme metal presents BRUIT ≤ as one of the standout bands of the day.

Rating: 9/10

BELL WITCH & AERIEL RUIN: STYGIAN BOUGH – Holy Goat Brewing Stage

Just like Roadburn in the Netherlands celebrates and hosts unique collaborations at every yearly iteration, Damnation Festival has taken a leaf out of the Dutch festival’s book in hosting Stygian Bough, the unique collaboration between doom giants BELL WITCH and folk artist AERIAL RUIN. At Damnation, the live outing of the collaborative project is as seismic as it is alluring as The Bastard Wind unfolds and washes over the packed crowd as the project switch from solitary mournful passages to gargantuan movements of doom. The pacing is glacial and those present are transfixed as heads nod slowly to the rhythm. Sandwiched between deathcore brutes OCEANO and death metal veterans INCANTATION, STYGIAN BOUGH proved to be a welcome breather before the carnage resumed once more.

Rating: 7/10

FULL OF HELL – Pins & Knuckles Stage

American deathgrind quartet FULL OF HELL are one of the most innovative names in the scene, known for their uncompromising approach to experimentation with extreme sound, and the 50 seconds of opener Halogen Bulb reassure of the sonic beating that is about to be inflicted from the Damnation Festival main stage. A cocktail of earth-shattering guitars, battering-ram drums and terrorising noise is in the offing. Lead vocalist Dylan Walker is an energetic presence on stage, only occasionally coming to a standstill in order to unleash samples and shrapnels of noise from his electronic setup. He varies an incredible array of vocal styles, from the genre staple pig squeals, to deep guttural growls, with the vocal shifts often separated by no more than a second. The foursome are a well-oiled machine, sounding incredibly tight and creating order from chaos. The short grindcore songs are not the only thing on offer – despite Walker’s joke halfway through the set that they have about 36 songs left. The death metal of Crawling Back To God is positively catchy, while the sludgy breakdown of Bound Sphinx demonstrates their keen sense for a groove. An impactful and crushingly heavy set, FULL OF HELL are not for the weak of stomach, but if you appetite is there, they are a delicious proposition.

Rating: 7/10

INCANTATION – Holy Goat Brewing Stage

Since their formation over 30 years ago, INCANTATION have been a mainstay in the death metal scene. Their no-comprising brand of metal’s most explosive genre is a tried and tested formula and it has resulted in the band commanding respect amongst extreme music fans. INCANTATION gracing UK soil is a rare treat and a dense crowd at Damnation‘s second stage reflects this with the room is packed like sardines and we’re treated to a masterclass of death metal goodness. At Damnation, the band translate their sonic brutality of their studio recordings to the live environment in devilish fashion as a one-two punch of Carrion Prophecy and Propitiation ignites utter bedlam down the front whilst material from their latest record, 2020’s Sect Of Vile Divinities holds their own against their celebrated back catalogue. Pulverising riffs are dispatched by Luke Shively and John McEntee at every opportunity, with the latter’s guttural growls roaring effectively over the carnage. Hopefully it won’t be too long until they grace our shores once more.

Rating: 9/10

PIG DESTROYER – Pins & Knuckles Stage

PIG DESTROYER are one of the most beloved bands in grindcore and 2001’s Prowler In The Yard is a staple of the sub-genre. The chance to hear this classic performed live in its entirety has many a metalhead at Damnation Festival as excited as a kid on Christmas morning and as the skin-crawling macabre spoken-word introduction of Jennifer rumbles through the speakers, the mass crowd gathered hold their collective breath. And just like a bomb igniting, as the grind legends unleash the rapid-fire triple barrage of Cheerleader Corpses, Scatology Homework and Trojan Whore, Damnation Festival resembles a warzone. Bodies swirl in the pit and pile over the barrier as the band keep the momentum surging as they blister their way through the album that made them a household name in grindcore. It’s over in the blink of an eye and feels far too short, such is the nature of grind, but for 36 minutes, we witnessed something truly exhilarating.

Rating: 9/10

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM – Holy Goat Brewing Stage

The Holy Goat Brewing Stage is packed to the rafters in anticipation of the sole representative of black metal on the main bill – American outfit WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM (WITTR). Whilst acclaimed for their atmospheric take on black metal which mixes in influences from traditional folk music and ambient, they are no strangers to the art of the faceripping black metal riff. That is exactly what the start of Mountain Magick delivers, before it introduces their other dimensions such as the beautiful gothic synths in its breakdown. Spirit Of Lightning expertly juxtaposes an imposing one-note drone with alluring layers of guitar melodies on top of them. This combination of the primitive and the intricate is a theme that runs throughout their music and singles WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM out among the rest of the day’s bands. The epic I Will Lay Down My Bones Among The Rocks And Stones is selected to close the set, taking the crowd on a completely immersive journey through dark ambient, tribal drumming, and an iceberg of black metal riffs. Its glorious eighteen minutes close out a fantastic performance from one of the genre’s freshest voices.

Rating: 8/10

GREEN LUNG – Eyesore Merch Stage

Having withdrawn at the eleventh hour at last year’s festival due to COVID complications, GREEN LUNG at Damnation Festival this year feels like a homecoming and as the London-based band take to the Eyesore Merch Stage, the crowd cheers them home like heroes. They might be clashing with black metal alchemists WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, but such is the popularity and admiration towards the band that the room is rammed to the rafters and what follows is arguably one of the standout sets of the day. Led by the charismatic Tom Templar, opener Woodland Rites is delivered with the utmost conviction and sets the bar stratospherically high and the band remain there as they deliver riff after riff and hook after hook. The slick Leaders Of The Blind has the crowd banging their heads aplenty, Reaper’s Scythe showcases the sublime vocal abilities of Templar and finale Let The Devil In ends their time on Damnation‘s stage with the biggest flourish. GREEN LUNG have been riding a wave of momentum in recent times and judging from the beaming faces throughout their set at Damnation Festival, their momentum is showing no signs of slowing down.

Rating: 10/10

MY DYING BRIDE – Pins & Knuckles Stage

Death-doom can trace its origins to a very particular time in the early 90s in Northern England, not too far from the site of Damnation Festival. One of its three main purveyors, MY DYING BRIDE grace the main stage in the early afternoon, and purposeful nostalgia towards this time seems to be the order of the day. One would not have immediately guessed that from the opener To Shiver In Empty Halls off their 2015 full-length, but it makes sense given the old-school feel of that song, showcasing their brand of gothic-laden death-doom in all its glory. The rest of the set is taken exclusively from the 90s, possibly in an effort to emphasise a heavier sound befitting an extreme metal festival – such as She Is The Dark which stands out with its almost blackened-death feel. For some reason the performance falls a bit flat, possibly because of the high-octane nature of the main stage acts up until that moment. It does not help that the sound engineering suffers a rare lapse in quality. Despite this, the Bradford outfit leave everything out on the stage, especially their bandleader Aaron Stainthorpe who visibly lets himself be emotionally engulfed by the music. The 10-minute opus Turn Loose The Swans off their iconic album of the same name rounds things off with the classic sound that made MY DYING BRIDE so influential in the first place.

Rating: 6/10

MISERY INDEX – Holy Goat Brewing Stage

40 WATT SUN might be making tears flow over at the Eyesore Merch Stage but at the Holy Goat Brewing Stage, MISERY INDEX are inciting sheer bedlam through their grinding mix of thrashy death metal. Recent records Complete Control and Rituals Of Power have been well received across the board and brought the band back to the forefront of extreme music and at Damnation, they are a force to be reckoned with. Powerful riffing from guitarists Darrin Morris and Mark Kloeppel keep the pit surging, with the latter delivering his snarling vocals with the utmost conviction, whilst drummer Adam Jarvis beats his kit into submission and never skips a beat – all the more impressive given he had just obliterated the Pins & Knuckles Stage with PIG DESTOYER earlier in the day. Whilst MISERY INDEX might not be the first name to spring to mind when one thinks of extreme music, at Damnation, they put in a solid shift that appeals to the taste buds of many a extreme music fan.

Rating: 8/10

GODFLESH – Pins & Knuckles Stage 

There is a palpable buzz around the main stage in anticipation of another of the four album playthrough sets, as Birmingham pioneers of industrial metal GODFLESH are due to play their seminal album Streetcleaner. With openers Like Rats and Christbait Rising, the duo and their trusty drum machine unleash torturous industrial soundscapes, befitting the surroundings of the BEC Arena. Their expected impact is unfortunately diminished by some issues with the sound (though the occasional spurt of feedback sounds right at home, almost able to pass for intentional). Guitarist Justin Broadrick appears to be creating a mighty cacophony on his guitar, but the murky mix is dominated by the stomping bass and G. C. Green. Cutting through the wall of sound is the unseen third member – their trusty drum machine who quite literally never misses a beat. The programmed drums play a huge part in the sound of Streetcleaner – such as in the droning beat of Pulp which drills itself directly into your head like a round of bullets from a machine gun. The parsimonious lyrics are impactfully delivered in Broadrick’s signature tortured shouts, only to receive a reply at a higher pitch by the screeching of his guitar strings. With an uncompromising set which is unlikely to convert those who are yet to acquire the taste, but pleases the sizeable dedicated following beyond words, there is no denying the single-minded musical vision of GODFLESH and its perfect execution in Streetcleaner – reaffirming it as an ahead-of-its-time, stone-cold classic.

Rating: 7/10

PALLBEARER – Eyesore Merch Stage 

Over the last decade, US quartet PALLBEARER have established themselves as one of, if not the most exciting names in contemporary doom metal. As the gnarly riff of Forgotten Days fills out the packed Eyesore Merch Stage, several thousand bodies begin to sway in unison with their bulldozing rhythms and don’t stop until the last note rings out in glorious feedback. Most of the setlist is dedicated to their most recent album, and hearing those tracks live brings out an extra dimension of spaciousness to them. Among the crushing guitars and heavenly vocals, drummer Mark Lierly is an unsung hero of the quartet: not so much propelling the songs forward, but rather gracefully carrying them along like a – no pun intended – pallbearer during a funeral procession. The twelve-minute mammoth of Silver Wings hypnotises with its extended melodic outro, while the mournful wall of sound of Caledonia feels like a near-religious experience. The glorious Given To The Grave off their debut rounds off a dynamic performance by a stunning band, proving beyond doubt what we have suspected for a while – when it comes to mesmerisingly beautiful doom, PALLBEARER are in a league of their own.

Rating: 10/10

AT THE GATES – Pins & Knuckles Stage

Many bands have special albums that would be worthy of gracing a festival stage for a full playthrough. Few acts, however, could claim a multi genre-defining album, one whose fingerprints can be heard all over the younger bands on the very same bill. These are the thoughts that flow through one’s head as the iconic industrial intro of Blinded By Fear rings out on the main stage, and AT THE GATES erupt into its evergreen main riff. The kings of Swedish melodic death metal are newly reunited with Anders Björler, and the five appear to be having a blast together on stage. Hearing the thousands gathered there explode together into the emblematic “GO!” which kicks off the title track Slaughter Of The Soul raises the hair at the back of one’s neck, as does the proclamation that “Under a serpent sun, we shall all live as one”. Frontman Tomas Lindberg is on good form, tirelessly pacing the stage – admittedly his sharp growl has thinned a little with age and wear, but his charismatic presence is intact. The Gothenburg legends waste little time on words, preferring to carpet bomb the arena with riff after iconic riff – from the groovy World Of Lies to the SLAYER-esque thrashing of Nausea. The raging fire is put out in the atmospheric outro of Flames Of The End, and a finale of Night Eternal from their 2014 reunion album proves that now, as then, AT THE GATES are rightfully held as icons of extreme metal.

Rating: 10/10

ELDER – Eyesore Merch Stage

The honour of closing the excellent Eyesore Merch Stage (and their European tour, along with fellow lineup members IRIST and PALLBEARER) falls to ELDER who kick off with Compendium off their 2015 offering Lore. Clocking in at 10 minutes – and yet somehow the shortest song they play in the entire set –  it contains all the vital ingredients of the Massachusetts quartet: barnstorming riffs, infectious grooves, hypnotic harmonies and prodigious psychedelia. Just the sight of these four men headbanging in unison to their delicious mid-tempo riffs is enough to loosen your tired muscles and make you join them. ELDER are on top form musically – Blind haunts with its ghostly piano verse and delights with its extended solo sections, while the proggy Halcyon as the solitary cut off their excellent latest album Omens is a reminder of how consistently strong their output is. The band have fantastic chemistry onstage, and watching them feels like being allowed into a particularly electric jam session. The beautiful setup of the stage without a barrier helps this immersion, inviting the crowd further inside the psychedelic bath. If any criticism can be raised it is through no fault of the band, but their spaced out psychedelia can feel almost too relaxing towards the end of such a full-on day. Nevertheless, the punters at the back who choose to rest their tired legs by taking to the floor find that ELDER are just as enjoyable – or perhaps more so – if you sit back and let their majestic sonics wash over you.

Rating: 9/10

CONVERGE – Pins & Knuckles Stage

You could argue that all the album playthroughs that were performed on this year’s main stage loom large in the history of entire sub-genres. There are few records for which this rings truer than CONVERGE’s Jane Doe, a work that has left its imprints on arguably every band that mixes metal and hardcore in any capacity. The Massachusetts quartet reserve full performances of it for special occasions, and as you look at the excitement in the crowd building up, you can feel that tonight is going to be just that. The frantic single minute of opener Concubine unleashes a tidal wave of bodies like a levee that has just broken, and Fault And Fracture piles on the devastation. Vocalist Jacob Bannon’s razor-sharp screams erupt from the depths of his lungs, and he is rewarded by a crowd that shouts every word back at him. The band give it everything – the monstrous groove of Hell To Pay sounds like it could bulldoze the entire industrial estate that surrounds the arena, while the punky energy of Homewrecker is potent enough to rebuild it. The undisputed climax comes in the form of self-titled epic Jane Doe – the iconic eleven-minute sludge metal masterpiece which closes the record. Its rapturous conclusion delivers one last hair-raising moment in a day that has been full of them. Three more songs follow as an encore, including a delicious cover of ENTOMBED’s Wolverine Blues, but they feel like an afterthought after the significance of what came before. The verdict is clear – a brilliant set by CONVERGE worthy of closing a similarly brilliant Damnation Festival.

Rating: 10/10

Words: James Weaver, Pavel Kondov

And that rounds off our coverage of this year’s blockbuster Damnation Festival! Moving to Manchester was a gamble but one that reaped all the rewards. We’re already counting down the days until 2023’s festival!

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