On the one hand, I don't really know what I'm doing here today. There are a lot of metalcore and modern metal acts playing today, two styles that I really don't like. On the other hand, there are enough bands which I do like to justify my attendance. Besides, my wife is away for the weekend and I didn't really have anything better to do.
Kyros are a band I quite like on record, playing eighties prog with a modern sheen. They have some impressive musicianship but the choreographed stage moves seem rather gimmicky. The opener 'Esoterica' is musical Marmite with some great driving prog parts mixed with a synthetic production I don't like and an electronic pop chorus which is quite unpalatable. This sums them up as a whole really as the second track 'Rumour' is a bit heavier, but again has jarring pop elements. The more instrumental Haken style prog parts are pretty good. However, frontwoman Shelby Logan Warne has a theatricality that is irritating rather than entertaining and the vocals seem to be an issue throughout. 'Liminal Space', a proggy 80s power ballad, is pretty decent. The turning of the plugging of merch into an advertising jingle is pretty funny too. The latin funk is too much for me though, even if it sounds like Gloria Estefan (and I fucking love Gloria!). Stylistically and musically, this is all over the place. The final track 'Ghost Of You' is more 80s pop reminiscent of Scritti Politti, which again misses the mark. I didn't enjoy this half as much as I expected to. Disappointing.
A tape of middle eastern chanting sets the scene before Ithaca explode onto the stage. They are a heavy mixture of djent, hardcore and modern metal. The singer, Djamila, is the obvious focus as she stalks the crowd from all over the stage. The rest of the band are impressive too, particularly the guitarist Sam, who is pretty intense. A bit of a stop-start beginning due to equipment problems (not sure what the issue was. Mic? Backing track?) means they have to pause and restart a couple of times. At their heaviest, they are reminiscent of Svalbard. They have that atomic bomb bass drop sound that Harms Way have too. They are much heavier than I thought they would be. I can't always hear Djamila's clean vocals but when she opens up, she sounds great. She is quite soulful while her screamed vocals are impressive. The band play with a real energy, and I love how the bassist throw himself and his instrument around. The final track has a number of satisfying riffs which you can really bang your head to. Excellent.
The second stage is much smaller and less accommodating, which means I have a limited view for Hail The Sun. They impress with their art rock which reminds me of a less mathy Fall Of Troy. They still have a good level of technicality and the musicianship is impressive. The singer Donovan Melero has a Cedric Bixler-Zavala edge to his voice which adds a lot of character to the music. At The Drive are probably an influence musically too. It's sounds a little thin at times but this is no fault of the band and it doesn't detract from the enjoyment. 'Tithe's heavy rhythms are really good. A tasty appetiser for The Fall Of Troy main course later on.
Car Bomb are heavy, precise and technical, with a dense sound, clattering drums and skittering rhythms. Meshuggah are the obvious comparison and whilst they often lack that band's intensity, they are still very good. 'The Sentinel' sees the stage bathed in red light and an increase in intensity, further intensifying the Meshuggah comparison. The bass tone is satisfyingly heavy, almost at doom levels of heft. They have brief softer moments which remind me a little of The Deftones, but these help to provide a contrast to the sheer heaviness. This light and shade helps make the weightier moments more impactful. The musicianship is impressive but that is par for the course for this type of music. Very good.
The Fall Of Troy's brand of mathcore is so dynamic, and they are full of energy right from the start. They are a heady combination of stop-start rhythms, blazing guitarwork and clean and screamed vocals. 'I Just Got This Symphony Goin'' is furious and frantic. They tease the intro to 'Raining Blood' before 'Sledgehammer' which is probably one of their heavier songs. We also get a snippet of Limp Bizkit's 'Break Stuff' during it too. Unlike most of the more precise bands on the bill today, there is a large element of chaos in the Fall Of Troy's sound, sometimes too much. Although most of the songs in the set are at least fifteen years old, they still sound wildly original. Donovan from Hail the Sun joins them onstage for an insanely good 'F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X.' which closes the set.
Dirty Loops are a completely different proposition to everything else today. They play funky electronic pop which sounds like when big pop stars such as Bruno Mars or Justin Timberlake play live with a band. The singer has a voice suited to this kind of pop and the harmonies are great. They have some of the best hooks and choruses this side of 'Thriller'. A cover of Justin Bieber's 'Baby' goes down well but feels like a step too far for me. The funky bass sounds too synthetic, and I generally prefer my music more organic than this.
Conjurer's mix of doom, sludge and post-metal is utterly crushing. It is soooo heavy. They are masters of dynamics, constantly mixing tempos and various heavy sonic textures so they never get boring. In fact, it is this which makes them so thrilling live. Epic.
TesseracT are heavy but accessible djent, which is essentially stadium metal these days. They are technically excellent but it's also surprisingly easy to get into. The light show is excellent which helps to make it a real spectacle. 'Acceptance - Concealing Fate, Pt. 1' is fantastic, a real anthem. The addition of the Choir Noir backing singers really elevates some tracks such as 'The Grey'. Daniel Tomkins' voice is superb, hitting high falsetto with ease in his clean singing and being very powerful when screaming. The crowd are very enthusiastic and, to be honest, I didn't realise how popular they are. They far surpassed my expectations.
TesseracT *****
Conjurer *****
Dirty Loops ***
The Fall Of Troy ****
Car Bomb ****
Hail The Sun ****
Ithaca ****
Kyros **
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