Having had our bones rattled after the performance of Heart Of A Coward, we then slunk off to the after party. Amid the beers we caught a performance once again from Sithu Aye along with a little help from Plini. Performing material from the split EP the two had worked it was undoubtedly one of the best jams I have heard in a long while. Complete with scetions of classic AC/DC as well! Not to mention the acoustic wizard that was Sean De Burca performing some incredibly dexterous acoustic material before the Plini / Sithu Aye jam bonanza.

[date]12th July 2015[/date]
[venue]UK Tech-Fest[/venue]
[city]Newark Showground[/city]
[support_bands]Akarusa Yami, Hieroglyph, Bad Sign,The Dali Thundering Concept,Agent Fresco, F.O.E.S, Press To Meco, No Consequence, Haken, Monuments, Decapitated[/support_bands]

Nevertheless this is now Day Three at the festival. After a quick shower we were resolute that this is unfortunately the end of Tech Fest for another year, but before we say our goodbye’s and farewell we’ve got the small matter of the entire day of bands to get through!

Kicking the day off with the unpronouncable Akarusa Yami on the second stage the band warmed up a large number of the hungover elite’s vocal chords for the day ahead. Flitting to main stage for the first performance of the day we saw Hieroglyph attract a fantastic crowd, especially for an opening slot on a Sunday! If you did miss the band then you sorely missed out. Bad Sign erupted to perform their brand of metal on the Hands On Printing stage, followed by a performance of The Dali Thundering Concept, joined by vocalist extraordinaire Ashe O’ Hara on stage to make a particularly memorable set for the progressive metallers a worthy end to their stint before Tech Fest.

Though it would seem that one of the biggest highlights of the day would go, once again to Agent Fresco. After the phenomenal performance that the band delivered the night previous, many congratulations were said and judging by the sheer volume of the crowd at 14:30pm on a Sunday the main stage was absolutely packed. Arriving on stage slightly later than planned, which would have repercussions throughout the day, the band delivered their signature blend of emotionally charge music which hit home even harder than before. The sheer stripped back raw approach the band adopt tugged at every single persons heart strings. Causing some even to weep, such was the performance delivered. Recycling much of the set from the night previous there was something truly moving about the portrayal Agent Fresco use. Making this one of the most emotionally charged set’s in my personal history. A true feat, given the fact most don’t even turn up for an acoustic set! After an emotional goodbye, it was all of Tech Fest that were sad to see Fresco and its Agent’s leave the grounds. A flawless band that are on the way to incredible things.

F.O.E.S. or Fall Of Every Sparrow ensured that the sense of Melancholy was short lived with their arrival of music, with a slightly different delivery not before we were once again moved into the main stage for a performance by Press To Meco. A slight wild card in my opinion for the festival delivering a set of almost Pop Punk stylings, one the one hand it worked but then on the other the band stood out like a sore thumb. With vocal harmonies reminiscent of that of Blink 182 great Mark and Tom, the band must be onto a winner. Check them out at their next appearance at Hevy Fest.

No Consequence :

Recently we were able to catch No Consequence‘s brand of metal with their performance at London’s The Borderline with Monuments. Though unfortunately the band are a man down at Tech Fest due to a collision that has rendered guitarist, unable to play guitar for the band. Nothing that would cause concern more of a hinderance. Nevertheless the band perform with incredible enthusiasm. Having been attending the festival since its inception, the boys know their audience. Performing material predominantly off brand new album Vimana the band begin with uproarious opener “Speechless” showing that their new material is just as devastating as the likes of IO the set is very much made up of material from the two albums.

A finale of “Our Time Has Come” ends with many of the heads at Tech Fest being banged. Though perhaps it might be the large stage, the sense of energy seems to slightly lost mid way, no fault of the band themselves more of a statement to the difference of close knit club shows. However vocalist Kaan Tasan’s  pipes are on form today as the sign belts out the larger than life choruses, along with guitarists and drummer in complete syncopation. A fitting beginning to the final bout of Tech Fest.

Haken :

Yet the band are no match for Progressive Metal masters Haken. Taking the stage we see our instrumentalists come together for a rendition of Visions number “Premonition” after the instrumental flurry we’re joined by vocalist Ross Jennings. A testament to the front man’s charisma the crowd are immediately in the palm of the singers hand, as the fluttering piano beckons we’re moved into The Mountain number “In Memoriam” where we can see the band flex their muscles for the first time. Being from the more tweed kind of back drop of Prog it’s excellent to see that some of the younger fans are just as into tracks like “Insomnia” than would be at a Periphery show.

Undeniably the most technically proficient band of the festival, what is truly mesmerising about Haken‘s performance is the bands understanding of each other. Of the utmost importance, particularly in genres such as Prog is the connection that a band must share in order to deliver a tight, calculated set. Not to mention the air tight interplay between both Charlie Griffiths and Richard Henshall is that of the greats. Witnessing the bands performance tonight takes the listener on a musical journey. After a brilliantly whimsical “Cockroach King“, a grinning Jennings states that he reckons the band have got time to squeeze one more song in…

For those who don’t know “Crystallised” is the bands final track from new EP Restoration and at just shy of twenty minutes it’s truly a feast for the ears. The cinematic opening set the scene for one of my personal favourite musical moments ever. With the crowd smiling from ear to ear the band began the musical assault course. Running the gauntlet for every member Jennings‘ vocal delivery reminiscent of Yes classics, Genesis style solo’s that wouldn’t go amiss on Selling England By The Pound but it’s the truly triumphant grand finale revelation chorus that the band have emerged victorious. With a performance like tonight along with material like both Restoration, The Mountain and (hopefully) in the not too distant future Haken 4. The band are destined to become legendary. Truly jaw dropping stuff.

Monuments :

After that truly spellbinding performance the follow up would have to be something else, good thing we had Monuments to rely on. Having previously exapied that the band are deciding to take some time off due to the fact Chris Baretto unfortunately has vocal nodes the matter becomes all the more apparent when the singer announces that he has had an operation this week and has been told by the surgeon he is not to sing whatsoever. Disaster surely? Not necessarily, deciding to instead go it alone the band perform an instrumental set.

Both Monuments and Tech Fest go hand in hand, with many of today’s crowd sporting Monuments attire it would seem that the punters simply understand. In order for the fantastic band to continue there has to be sacrifices. And whilst the singer might not be making use of his vocals, it’s merely a testament to the man’s likeability! Oozing cool the singer dances around, just chilling whilst the band go through their set featuring cuts like “Quazimodo” the devastating “I, The Destroyer” where the singer joins the band for a fantastic saxophone solo.

Once again a testament to the festival and its nature. As opposed to the Download’s and Sonishpere’s of the world Tech Fest focuses its sole intentions on interactions with both bands and fans alike. Tonight there is a true understanding that the band are wounded. Not out for the count but need to take some breather time and rest. It also makes you understand just how difficult the material is that the band have put together incredibly technically demanding yet the entire band and crowd are the happiest we could see them. Monuments, we here at The Metalist love you. Get some TLC and you bet we will be seeing more of you. Given the situation the band performed brilliantly.

Now before we head over to Decapitated there was the small manner of the traditional Tech Fest raffle! Featuring a man dress in a tiger suit, Chris Baretto was asked to announce winners ranging from Xilla cabs to a Strandberg guitar. And of course an incredibly curteous thank you from Simon the festival’s organiser. Making Tech Fest truly feel like one big family. Onto Decapitated…

Decapitated : 

The slight dissonance of the unnerving Intro of “Exiled In Flesh” kicks in and from here on in the assault begins. Not letting up for a second the band remorselessly leave everyone in the dust. With a frantic light show that would induce fits to even the most seasoned of gig goer the band quite literally tear the festival apart. An unstable corrosive mix of guitars and Rasta’s scathing vocals make for cuts like the furious “Blasphemous Psalm To athe Dummy God Creation” one of the most frenetic moments in Death Metal. Known for their sheer power Decapitated don’t do compromises, with Vogg’s biting leads cutting through when needed for that dystopian harmony the band are positively on fire tonight.

Though much of the bands set list revolves around the new album Blood Mantra a crushing rendition of “Instinct” included, when the arrival of “Post Organic” reared its disillusioned head the crowd essentially began its tranformation from head bangers to all out war fare. Regardless of the pit the entire main stage became as one, with the normally fairly strict lines becoming blurred such was the vicious delivery. Coupled with the devastating “Day 69” receiving screams of approval. It shows just how important Organic Hallucinosis is, was and always will be to the Death Metal art. Decapitated’s secret weapon it would seem would be trepidation. The sense of impending arrival that the morose chords of “Carnival Is Forever” could be dispelled in an instant making for that all together incredibly foreboding feeling.

Arriving to the end of the bands blistering set, we return to material from last years opus the pneumatic pump of “Nest” ensures that Decapitated thrive on rhythmic delivery. Though melody might be sparse when it does appear the band utilise it to fantastic advantage crafting enveloping lines that snake their way, from hypnotising ambient sections until their fruition. Nevertheless it’s the announcment of “Spheres Of Madness” that sends the unstable maelstrom into hydrophobic mode. Proving that once the dust settles Decapitated are still the reigning kings of Extreme Metal. Quite to describe the band performance is a difficult task to undertake in itself, such is the frenecity of the delivery the entire absorption of the senses makes it to be really quite overwhelming. Regardless of who might have been in the band and when, it’s undeniable that this form of Decapitated is fully fledged and just as sonically vicious as the name might suggest.

Well that’s it from us for another year. I would just like to thank everyone personally on my behalf, anyone that we might have met, interviewed, helped us out and just been a cool person. Thank you for making this festival experience one of the best so far! Keep your eyes peeled for interviews with Agent Fresco, Leprous, Heart Of A Coward, Slice the Cake and many more coming soon.

See you next year Tech Fest.