FESTIVAL REVIEW: HRH Metal 2018
Hard Rock Hell has certainly grown into a beast on the UK festival circuit. Expanding with a plethora of different festivals catering for a wide range of genres and styles of heavy music scattered throughout the year, it gives fans a chance to whet their appetites before the summer festivals come thick and fast. Of these varying Hard Rock Hell events comes HRH Metal. Doing exactly what it says on the tin, the festival based in Birmingham boasts a lineup jam-packed full of bands with contrasting styles but all fall under the giant metal umbrella. We ventured to this year’s event to get our first taste of festivals in 2018.
Saturday
BALLSDEEP – Main Arena
Filling out the early afternoon with utter aggression, BALLSDEEP brought with them hard hitting and bone-shaking drums, pounding their way through the setlist like a freight train. Vocalist Rich Beresford delivers intense and powerful vocals throughout the entirety of the show, never faltering. His style is reminiscent of the beginnings of the genre, such as PANTERA and DOWN, but with a slightly fresher take. Featuring and extended setlist, a whopping 11 songs, they cemented themselves with their sound and stage presence, the aggression was tenable throughout, and it only got better as the crowd warmed up. Handbrake, and Spit were some of the highlights of the set, rhythmic, powerful, and heavy, just the way it should be to wake up a crowd, and then rounding off with The Last Drop, featuring some cracking guitar and core-wobbling basslines. Overall BALLSDEEP really brought their best to the stage, but unfortunately wasn’t to everyone’s taste, so the crowd wasn’t very interactive. Nevertheless, a great performance from the band.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Christopher Harding
MONUMENT – Main Arena
Next up on the main stage is MONUMENT, a British heavy metal band, taking a lot of influence from IRON MAIDEN it seems, both in their sound and some of the topics. This is not a bad thing, as MONUMENT have proven time again with their fantastically written songs. Starting of the set with A Bridge Too Far was a strong choice, easing the crowd in with what can be thought of as a nod to Aces High. Progressing through the set with dual guitar harmonies and solid drum beats, MONUMENT capture the essence of the NWOBHM, while bringing something new and refreshing, erupting with rapturous falsetto and rhythms throughout. Classics such as Fatal Attack and Crusaders feature in the gig, before rounding off into a fan favourite, Lionheart. Lionheart really got the crowd into a fervour, with a transition from melodic and relaxing guitar and basslines, into a thunderous and heavy riff segment that enveloped your surroundings. They have been a fantastic band to see, with incredible audio quality and crisp guitar solos wrapped up in a, pardon the pun, monumental stage presence.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Christopher Harding
HAERKEN – Main Arena
If the medieval era was bequeathed with the glory of death metal, HAERKEN would be the lords and kings of the land. The Birmingham based quartet brought tales and songs of yore with them to HRH Metal, encompassed with meaty riffs and earth-shattering drums. With Laird Logan of Clan Gunn’s vocals ripping through the air, guttural growls and harmonising highs beefed up the sound and atmosphere through the roof. Rhythmic beating and basslines added extra depth to the performance. With cracking songs including One To Defend, One To Defeat, the crowd rousing Drink With Me Tonight, and a fantastic and heavy rendition of Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, HAERKEN dominated the stage and the arena, drawing a hefty audience from the get go. To round off, they were one of the more solid performances of the weekend at HRH Metal, despite being a lesser known act.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Christopher Harding
THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD – Main Arena
Having featured as a support act for ALESTORM on their Piratefest 2018 tour, it was no surprise to see THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD feature at HRH Metal. The sound is completely different to any other band that had performed previously, with the acoustics being a key feature, but that didn’t attract from the entertainment value. The floor filled quickly and many of the crowd stayed to check out the Californian outfit, and there was plenty of crowd interaction. While many didn’t know what the songs were, the band managed to get a circle pit started to an accordion which is something nobody has ever said before. A fun and jovial band, THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD looked to enjoy themselves as much as the audience, and certainly got you in the mood for headliners ALESTORM.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Alan Faulkner
EVIL SCARECROW – Main Arena
As the penultimate band on the Saturday night for this year’s HRH Metal, EVIL SCARECROW had a lot to live up to, and they certainly did. Starting off with Rise, and playing all their classics, from Robototron to End Level Boss, featuring the well renowned Crabulon to wind down the show. Their sound throughout the set was phenomenal, as close to on record as you can get in such a packed venue. The drums thundering with blast beats and rhythmic pummelling of guitar riffs, the floor was full to bursting, with barely about space to move, a minor inconvenience considering the theme of the band. Most of their songs had “dances” so to speak, but nevertheless, you could see faces light up repeatedly as fan favourites were played one after the other. Crowd interaction was some of the best we’ve seen at the festival, with essentially all the fans joining in for a good laugh, and some cheeky banter between the band members here and there. EVIL SCARECROW truly was a force to be reckoned with, and a perfect energiser to the Saturday headliner, ALESTORM.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Christopher Harding
ALESTORM – Main Arena
The biggest crowd of the entire weekend all came out for Saturday’s headliners, with the vast majority of the audience packed on the floor like sardines. ALESTORM know how to play to a crowd and get everyone moving, and what better way to do that than kick off with arguably their biggest hit Keelhauled. Coinciding HRH Metal with their Piratefest Tour, there was plenty of material from their new record No Grave But The Sea being performed live for the first time, and for longer term fans they even threw in classic hits that rarely make the setlist such as That Famous Ol’ Spiced. There were plenty of laughs and jokes between songs, but the show had a real flow to it and ALESTORM really felt like they belonged to the main stage headline slot.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Alan Faulkner
Sunday
FIRE RED EMPRESS – Main Arena
Kicking off the second day of HRH Metal were FIRE RED EMPRESS, bringing their stoner rock riffs to the main stage. Having already done a UK tour to collaborate their debut record, performing at HRH Metal was certainly a huge boost for the band. Considering it was the first band of the day, there was a very good turnout and more of the audience joined as the set progressed. Vocalist Jennifer Diehl’s energy was clear to see throughout the set, delivering the powerful lyrics exceptionally well, and the overall sound was solid. It’s never easy being the first band to play any gig, let alone the first at a festival, but FIRE RED EMPRESS really impressed and left you wanting more.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Alan Faulkner
KAINE – Main Arena
If there was one band that really fit the bill of HRH Metal, step forward KAINE. The East Anglian quartet graced the main stage with their classic heavy metal sound, continuing that NWOBHM that has been around for many years. Again, a band that relatively few people knew too much about, but that didn’t stop the crowd from giving them a warm reception and interacting with them. It was refreshing to hear some old school heavy metal, and the way KAINE performed on stage it could have easily been IRON MAIDEN on stage. Vocalist Rage Sadler admitted to the audience that he’s not used to playing to such a big crowd, but he and the rest of the band handled themselves well and provided a solid hour of classic metal.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Alan Faulkner
POWER QUEST – Main Arena
Power metal titans POWER QUEST took to the main stage on Sunday, poised to deliver an exquisite show, and that they did. Introducing themselves with Lords Of Tomorrow, keyboard virtuoso Steve Williams brings orchestral symphonies and harmonious notes, filling out and embellishing on their already impressive sound. The entire setup of the audio and the mixing was excellent for a live performance, the odd dip here and there, but overall a solid sound, and that’s before the technically brilliant, face melting solos presented by Glyn Williams. Progressing through the set list, they performed Face The Raven, Cemetery Gates (not a PANTERA cover), before finishing off with the anthemic Far Away. Once again POWER QUEST has proven that they are one of the top power metal bands, releasing masterful album after masterful album, growing their popularity with each fantastic live performance, such as at HRH Metal. A great band, a wonderful performance and crisp audio, what more could you ask for?
Rating: 9/10
Words: Christopher Harding
MEMORIAM – Main Arena
The penultimate band of the weekend, death metallers MEMORIAM kicked off their 2018 touring schedule in front of a home crowd. One of the most highly anticipated acts of the festival, they did not disappoint, and featured a lot of new tracks from their upcoming album The Silent Vigil for the first time. Some of their bigger hits also made the setlist, with War Rages On, Drone Strike and Flatline really getting the crowd going. Frontman Karl Willetts looked to enjoy himself throughout the performance, and in between songs interacted well with the audience. The sound from start to finish was faultless, really capturing the essence of old school death metal, and MEMORIAM were the perfect band to deputise for GRAVE DIGGER as they continued the heavy metal that featured prominently on the Sunday.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Alan Faulkner
FOOTPRINTS IN THE CUSTARD – Room 2
Playing as headline act on Sunday in Room 2 at this year’s HRH Metal, FOOTPRINTS IN THE CUSTARD performed as you would expect, high quality sound and all the fan favourites. However, they didn’t fill the room to brimming like their main stage counterparts, somewhat understandable as their musical stylings are a bit off the cuff and not to everyone’s taste. Leading with Wankclaw really got the audience in the mood, with heaviness and entertainment dripping from the seams. What FOOTPRINTS IN THE CUSTARD lack in modesty, they more than make up for with unique songs and lyrics, with plenty of banter and audience participation to boot. Another classic, Party Metal came rip-roaring out of nowhere, mosh pits erupting during the chorus, before changing the theme and playing Willies Are For Weeing. This lead into one of their new songs, Gail Platter (Ready, Steady, Fuck), a cheery little number about taking home Gail Porter, and cooking and cannibalising her with Ainsley Harriott. To conclude, FOOTPRINTS IN THE CUSTARD had a cracking performance and an extremely fun stage presence and rapport, but was upstaged by the main headliners of Sunday, GRAVE DIGGER.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Christopher Harding
GRAVE DIGGER – Main Arena
If there’s one way to end a metal festival, you need a band like GRAVE DIGGER to bring down the curtain. The second headline act at HRH Metal kicked off with material from their latest record, but the whole setlist contained some of their biggest hits across their long career. While there were not as many people watching compared to Saturday’s headliners ALESTORM, it was a strong turnout for the final act of the night. Vocalist Chris Boltendahl delivered a powerful performance, the riffs from Alex Ritt were exquisite and the whole package sounded phenomenal. There’s no doubt the Sunday focused much more on heavy metal overall with the bands that featured on the bill for the main stage, and GRAVE DIGGER brought the festival to an end in fine fashion, getting the crowd jumping and singing one last time, and everyone left on a high.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Alan Faulkner