FESTIVAL REVIEW: UK Tech-Fest 2018 – Saturday
Now onto the third day, UK Tech-Fest continued to pull out all the stops to ensure that the festivities continued as strongly as the previous days. With the unrelenting heat continue to push temperatures to sweltering levels, determination and perseverance are key to surviving waves of excellent bands. So, let Distorted Sound‘s coverage of UK Tech-Fest continue with our roundup of the action from the Saturday!
PRAVITAS – Waghorn Guitars Stage
Tech death outfit PRAVITAS took to the stage and within mere moments your eyes were fixated on the insane musicianship displayed by guitarists Joseph Taylor and Richard Barnes, leaving no note unplayed the pair sweeped, tapped and shredded away with what looked like minimal effort as frontman Joshua Barnett darted around the stage like Barney Greenway on a sugar rush. The Leeds troop melted faces and left the crowd in a state of awe with one of the most impressive showcases of instrumentation UK Tech-Fest has witnessed to date.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Dan McHugh
TIBERIUS – Winspear Stage
After recently playing the London side event Techabilitation, TIBERIUS have gathered themselves an impressive following. They have even been labelled the new PROTEST THE HERO by some of the tech faithful. Opening the Winspear stage on the Saturday is no easy feat but the Edinburgh based quintet took this in their stride. Frontman Grant Barclay bounded around the stage in mesmerising fashion whilst the guitar duo of Jahan Tabrizi and Chris Foster displayed some flamboyant techniques reaffirming exactly why they won the prestigious Best Metal act at 2017’s Scottish Music Awards. TIBERIUS may not have a mountain of back catalogue to tap in to but they made every second of their time at UK Tech-Fest and will certainly be one to keep your eye on in the future.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Dan McHugh
VALIS ABLAZE – Winspear Stage
The Bristolian’s have come a long way since their last visit to UK Tech-Fest. Their first full length release Boundless received rave reviews and they were rewarded with a slot on the Winspear stage for their efforts. Sadly UK Tech-Fest icon Drewsif Stalin was not in attendance to contribute his parts on Frequency but to add that little bit of extra flair to their set VALIS ABLAZE acquired the services of White Dove to put her own spin on the track. In conjunction with tracks from their Insularity EP the five piece have a lot of fire power in their arsenal and provided a solid performance showing exactly why they are one of the most dependable bands on the tech circuit.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Dan McHugh
THE FIVE HUNDRED – Waghorn Guitars Stage
Long Branch Records have a stunning array of artists on their roster and one shining example of this is Nottingham‘s THE FIVE HUNDRED. Combining scintillating melodic vocals and searing screams with punchy guitarwork they float between a variety of genres culminating in a very intriguing end product. The quintet looked right at home on the Waghorn Guitars stage slinging riffs in every direction and giving us a preview of what’s to come with some impressive new material from their impending Bleed Red release due later this year.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Dan McHugh
ARCH ECHO – Winspear Stage
Self-confessed nerds and newcomers to the tech scene, ARCH ECHO promptly showed their immense gratitude for even being a part of UK Tech-Fest to begin with. It’s always impressive to hear music that feels like it’s telling a story without the need for any vocal presence and the material ARCH ECHO exhibited was packed full of emotion and positive vibes. Grinning from ear to ear the American five piece showcased an instrumental extravaganza of intricate layers and energetic jazzy licks to give the sun beaten crowd a much needed pick me up.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Dan McHugh
ARCAEON – Waghorn Guitars Stage
As the festival’s third full day rolled around, and with bodies and minds growing wearier by the minute, Reading-based tech-metal outfit ARCAEON marched out onto the second-stage at 3pm to act as the perfect distraction. A thoroughly eclectic amalgam of tech, prog, and various metal and death influences, ARCAEON’s material is nothing short of a wild ride, and in many ways this was impressively translated to a live setting. Expertly synchronised and technically astute, (though at times let down by a muddy live mix) the quintet powered through their set whilst barely batting an eyelid, the guitar mastery of Sam Machin and Rhys Thomas proving to be an outstanding feature. Frontman Stuart Sarre also did more than enough to earn himself an honourable mention, his array of screams, growls, and remarkable clean singing range at times proving to be truly mesmerising; though it must be said that some of the higher notes perhaps challenged his ability slightly too much, coming across as forced and strained. In a nutshell, a very reasonable performance from another promising, home-grown up-and-comer.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Sam Alberti
DVSR – Winspear Stage
Combining devastating djent and grime elements DVSR had the crowd of the Winspear Stage jumping along to their infectious grooves. Despite intermittent guitar problems and UK Tech-Fest staple Stuart Hunter coming to the rescue when bassist Julian Ellul‘s strap decided to become a nuisance (if in doubt…gaffa tape) they maintained high levels of energy and powered through tracks such as crowd favourite Slave To The Beat to punishing effect.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Dan McHugh
THE VOYNICH CODE – Waghorn Guitars Stage
With two well-respected, full-length records in their arsenal, THE VOYNICH CODE are already a relatively reputable band amongst the European tech scene. However, this year’s UK Tech-Fest marked their first ever venture onto British shores, and what a venture it proved to be. Despite having to hit the stage during one of the earlier, less-desirable, second-stage slots, the quartet wasted no time in launching into their set with confidence and style, expertly delivering their eclectic brand of progressive deathcore. Staged before an awestruck gaggle of spectators, THE VOYNICH CODE proceeded to rattle through a torrent of fast-paced breakdowns, techy riffs, and face-melting solos, whilst their signature eastern-infused synths poured from the PA, delicately flavouring the final product. With this myriad of organised chaos taking place behind him, frontman Nelson Rebelo sprinkled the final touches to the equation, astutely delivering an impressive range of deathcore-inspired vocals, each and every inflection adding a new dynamic of brutality and beauty. All-in-all, this was a performance virtually without fault, and one might hazard a guess that we’ll be seeing much more of these guys in the UK very soon.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Sam Alberti
NEXILVA – Winspear Stage
An act once nurtured and adored by the UK Tech-Fest community, NEXILVA are a band that have become somewhat of an enigma over the past few years. A bona fide masterpiece, fans of their debut album Eschatologies have been left eagerly frustrated over the past few years, though it would seem that this particular epoch has finally reached its conclusion. The Geordie sextet are back with a bang, and didn’t hesitate to make this known through their crushing main-stage performance on Saturday. Freshly equipped with new frontman Dilan Alves and a cacophony of fresh sounds from their forthcoming EP Aseity I, NEXILVA made their return to UK Tech-Fest as though they had never left. On the whole, musicianship and aptitude oozed from this band as they sprung about the stage, guitarist Conor Jobes mesmerising the crowd through his flawless guitar work and backing vocals, whilst new recruit Alves dominated the stage with a stunning range of high screams and low gutturals. This was a near-perfect performance let down only by the abundance of new material, leaving something still to be desired as the old-school followers were left still yearning for the sweet sounds of 2014’s Eschatologies.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Sam Alberti
MARTYR DEFILED – Winspear Stage
Spawning from humble beginnings in Lincolnshire, MARTYR DEFILED burst onto the deathcore scene over a decade ago, and have since established themselves as a nigh-on legendary outfit within the UK community. But, all good things must come to an end, and this act are no exception; following 2017’s unveiling of full-length attempt Young Gods, the quintet announced that they’d be embarking on their final run of dates as a band, including a final UK Tech-Fest appearance. Fulfilling a respectable 6pm main-stage slot, MARTYR DEFILED burst onto the stage and immediately adopted the guise of an outfit at their absolute peak, showing not an iota of fatigue, and storming through their set with uncanny precision and energy. Showcasing around forty minutes of material (a welcome balance of new and old), each member consistently owned the stage as if it were the end of their final tour rather than the beginning, with vocalist Matt Jones sounding better than ever, his night-and-day combinations of highs and lows translating in utterly merciless fashion. In a nutshell, this was a hallmark performance from a band that once dominated the scene, and were ready to go out with a bang.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Sam Alberti
INGESTED – Winspear Stage
The world of metal seems to have garnered somewhat of a love-hate relationship with slam. However, like or loathe, it’s difficult to refute that INGESTED have made waves since their debut nine years ago, and in addition have gradually seeped into the tech community in the process. Harbouring a number of technical and death metal-inspired elements, UK Tech-Fest certainly seems to be a reasonable place for this act to practise their craft, and at 8pm on the Saturday, the mancunian quintet set about doing just that. Gathering a respectable crowd in the Winspear Stage, INGESTED immediately contrived to do what they do best: laying waste to the immediate vicinity. The brutality was palpable, the overall performance was reasonably tight (particular credit to the drumming wizardry of Lyn Jeffs), and the atmosphere was explosive. Armed with an assortment of old fan-favourites and brand new devices from the incredible The Level Above Human, the set felt well-balanced and ultimately accomplished. This being said it must be noted that, on the whole, this particular brand of death metal often struggles to translate entirely accurately to a live setting; whether it was this root cause, or simply sound-related issues that brought this about, it certainly proved to be a prevailing factor that rendered the performance slightly less than remarkable.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Sam Alberti
THE ACACIA STRAIN – Waghorn Guitars Stage
Perhaps UK Tech-Fest‘s most prestigious booking to-date, notorious deathcore act THE ACACIA STRAIN arrived at Newark Showground on the Saturday, and provided the UK with the privilege of witnessing them crush the evening’s main-stage headliner slot. An European exclusive appearance, the quintet arrived equipped with a sixteen-year back-catalogue of material, and wasted no time in launching into an extensive selection from their archives, no-doubt serving to please fans of any era in doing so. As is to be expected, the band’s exertions were generously laden with energy, enthusiasm, professionalism and clinicality; frontman Vincent Bennett tirelessly strutting his stuff in typical fashion, relentlessly bounding about the stage in addition to delivering a gut-wrenchingly brutal vocal performance. In terms of the setlist, it seems as though every box was checked; the familiar chimes of Human Disaster echoed across the festival site as an intro, whilst various selections from Wormwood, Continent, and 2017’s Gravebloom were all featured, not least the utterly merciless Carbomb, an eighty-second breakdown, played as an encore as the band finally departed from the stage and bid the UK Tech-Fest faithful a final farewell. One expects such legendary acts as THE ACACIA STRAIN to deliver a certain standard of performance at any given opportunity, but it’s fair to suggest that UK Tech-Fest‘s expectations were truly blown out of the water on this occasion.
Rating: 10/10
Words: Sam Alberti
And that rounds up our coverage of the Saturday of this year’s UK Tech-Fest! Check out our coverage from the Thursday and Friday and keep posted to Distorted Sound as we bring you our review of the Sunday very soon!