By Jase Walker
I am very much feeling the after effects of a heavy weekend but no way am I tapping out from this, I’ve got another ten hours of music to go!
After a quick breakfast and some coffee, I’m at least semi put back together so I’m here for doors and ready for Gaia! And with them opening up with an absolutely filthy riff, it’s definitely kicking off! Some real solid Djent-y goodness here with a singer that jumps back and forth between gutturals and highs that just keep going up in pitch. They may play themselves down as just a warm-up act but they’re already on fire so early in the day. Their singer spares no effort getting off the stage to mess with the crowd, getting them to dance with him or just climbing up things while screaming. Top marks for these, what a cracking opener!
I’m catching a bit of CaveKiller next, who’ve got a completely different vibe to Gaia earlier. For these guys it’s all about going at 110% with brutally heavy riffs and constant gutturals and uncleans. Admittedly I’m not connecting with it much but that’s not to say they aren’t putting on a solid show, just this style doesn’t really appeal to me. These know what they’re good at, obscene levels of heaviness and disregard for any lighter elements. Gotta give their singer credit though, mans got some serious pipes and endurance, those gutturals really are something else! All part of the variety of a Tech-Fest show though, CaveKiller are definitely geared towards the part that adores going as hard as humanly possible.
After a bit of a break, I’m back in the main room for Only The Righteous. Their singer reminds me a lot of Sam Carter of Architects with his shrill, raspy vocals, the music behind them is most definitely not similar to Architects though. Much thicker, more hardcore oriented riffs and far lower tuned, rhythmic and groovy. The guys are putting on a pretty solid show but definitely seem agitated by the lack of movement from the crowd which is a bit of a shame. Their singer jumps around on the stage, standing up on the monitors to lean into the crowd a bit, setting himself up as the focal point for the show. Admittedly the start of the set I wasn’t super keen on but some of the latter songs lean closer to metalcore with more of a mix between cleans and uncleans with melodies I’m much more into. A solid mix of material that’s got a bit of something across a spectrum of -core style metal, overall I enjoyed them!
Next up is tech death outfit From Eden To Exile and this is very very much my cuppa right here. Extremely busy guitar playing that manages to keep chugs going while fitting in quick fret runs and hammer-ons in-between, lovely stuff! Their singer looks ready to jump off stage and deck someone, he’s got a real mean look on his face while he growls into his mic. The crowd is still frustratingly a bit lukewarm in response, people probably either hungover or just not quite the right level of buzzed yet at half four on a Sunday afternoon. It doesn’t seem to deter the band from knocking it out as hard as they possibly can, both guitarists belting out enormous riffs while their singer maintains constant eye contact with the audience. The guitar work on display in this show is bloody great, some segments just fully leaning into tapping and shredding with intensity. Some of the latter of the set reminds me quite strongly of After The Burial with their use of string bending and bouncy rhythms before switching gears into face melting riffs, great stuff!
Next for me today is PULSE, definitely one of the less melodic acts that I like, it’s just full-on growling guitars, screams and grinding bass! The low end on these guys’ live shows is massive, not only do you have a super low tuned bass but both guitarists are sporting baritone guitars that sound furious. These guys have definitely managed to get the crowd more engaged to throw down at the front, especially with their frontman Tom directing them. It’s not all grim screaming and filthy chugs though, there’s some genuinely euphoric and uplifting choruses in there as well.
Aggression is definitely PULSE’s bread and butter though, if they’re not provoking people into smacking into each other then they’re doing it wrong. PULSE has clearly struck a chord with people and looks to have been the band that’s gotten the crowd to respond and start getting a bit more wild, there’s much more activity down the front now and I’m having to keep my wits about me a bit. These discordant, noisy, aggressive guys have set the tone for the rest of the day, it’s only going to get more intense from here out!
Next up today is another one of the Leeds-based parts of Tech-Fest, Pravitas. This Tech Death outfit already have their steadfast fans right at the front of the stage banging their heads away while Pravitas hammer out crazy busy riffs that jump between palm muted chugs, shredding and intense melodies. Their vocalist has a real knack for doing incredibly low gutturals, what a monster, this is against a background of ever changing rhythms, extremely tight playing and a drummer that rarely leaves any part of his kit unplayed for a matter of seconds.
The rhythmic phrasing that keeps happening throughout each song is damn impressive, sometimes this is even switching every few seconds and how they can keep track of playing like this is a mystery! The intensity of their guitar playing with how rapid fire some of the chugs are is relentless, it’s an unbelievable display of speed and accuracy, it’d be enough to make the guitarists in Gojira jealous. Pravitas, along with their new singer, have absolutely smashed it out the park with this performance. Incredibly tight, the skill each member has is apparent with every song they’ve played tonight and they’re definitely a benchmark others should look to for what a tech death band can be.
Finally to finish the weekend off, Seething Akira. Considering everyone’s a bit knackered by this, myself included, this sort of high-octane dancey metal is going to well and truly finish everyone off! Not content to let people in the pit have all the fun, their singers are jumping in with them to throw down while singing at the same time. There’s so many random bits in each song as well, nevermind the upbeat riffing and bouncy rhythms, bits of Chiptune and DnB pop up as well! Seething Akira seemingly has one goal in mind above all else, writing massive riffs to bring the party. No time for virtuoso playing, rarely the need for ambience, Seething Akira are just here to get in your face and make you dance, it legitimately reminds me of Andrew WK!
The vocal dynamics often work like the Beastie Boys with both vocalists bouncing off each other, or even other members of the band. It’s properly heavy stuff too, is this what you would call party djent? I don’t know but it’s bloody fun to watch and listen to! Seething Akira deserves real praise for being able to squeeze out the very last drops of everyone’s second wind with a show that’s as high energy as this. Seething Akira’s closing set has been a fantastic way to end this weekend and I know anyone working tomorrow, myself included, will be feeling this in their bones for a couple of days at least!
Absolutely immense weekend from the Tech-Fest crew, every band I’ve seen this weekend has brought it and smashed it without question. It was fantastic seeing so many friends as well and despite making the stupid decision to get way too leathered on the day before it started, I’ve had a bloody fantastic weekend – can’t wait for Tech-Fest 2023!