Live Review : Tech-Fest on July 2nd 2023
It’s the final morning of the festival but we’re still ready for even more tech-metal. We’ve plenty of press logistics to work through this morning, but we make sure we don’t miss one of the bands we’ve been most eagerly awaiting, Karmanjakah. Having chatted and watched this young Swedish band at Sweden Rock (here) earlier this year, we knew what a special and perfect-for-Tech-Fest set they would produce. They don’t disappoint and deliver a mesmerising set of atmospheric, beautiful music. Delicious syncopated rhythms provide the backdrop to intricate guitar and bass, with soaring clean vocals rising high over the top. Fans of Tesseract and Artificial Language, but also those of bands like Turnstile, will delight in the interweaving post-hardcore and technical, progressive rock-metal.
Graphic Nature always provide a full throttle and menacingly intense modern metal show. I honestly believe these guys have got the star-factor needed to make it big, and whether it’s their visual aesthetic or crushingly brutal yet catchy music they are always on it. Fans of Alpha Wolf, ten56. and Emmure simply have to check out this band from Kent. As always, all four instrumentalist band members are decked out in windbreakers, complete with hoods up, before frontman Harvey Freeman storms onto the stage with his hair hang down across his face. The guitars have a similar style and tone to Emmure and Vexed, and the bass and drumming is fast and ferocious. Freeman’s vocals add a focal point to the songs, and add to the raw, aggressive energy of the show. The band is all about raising mental health awareness, especially among men, which is a vital subject, and put together with their sound, style (both musically and visually) and this message, then you have the complete package to take the metal world by storm.
Of Virtue are a name that has rocketed in buzz in recent times, and they already carrying weight within the genre, and mix powerfully robust heaviness with glistening melodic metalcore. The band spare some time to grab an interview with us after their set, but first we get to see them perform. They execute everything with perfection, and their performance is impeccable, professional and so slick you can’t help but enjoy it. While She Sleeps and The Amity Affliction fans should find plenty to enjoy here. There’s technical guitar riffing, furious harsh vocals, soulful clean vocals and driving percussion. There’s a great accessibility and groove to their music, and I can see them being more and more successful.
Where Oceans Burn are favourites of ours at ROCKFLESH Towers, being a band from the North West, pushing the genre and doing it their way. The band is well balanced, and whilst you can’t put your finger on their influences, there are definitely elements of extreme metal, grunge, hardcore, tech-metal, groove metal…the list goes on. I still get Northlane vibes from them, especially the guitars, but I now also have that feel that they genuinely have a uniqueness that means when I hear them, I immediately know it’s them. As always, the harsh vocals from Alex Wilkinson are superb, electronics /guitarist Ben Charleston ducks and weaves, the backing clean vocals from Ross Coey are spot on and Calum Osbaldiston lays a dynamic drumming base. Hopefully it’s time for them to make it to the next level.
InVisions come to Tech Fest with some notable festival and support slots under their belt, including with Spiritbox. It shows how accessible their brutal metalcore has become, but that’s not to say they’ve turned the volume or heaviness down. In fact, tonight they’re the heaviest and most intense I think I’ve ever seen them…and it’s awesome. They manage to take the best elements of earlier metalcore acts with a modern approach, probably best likened to Bury Tomorrow’s style. The vocals from Ben Ville show impressive variety, with deathcore growling and shredding, almost spoken rap, hardcore to metalcore cleans. Every song is grand and bombastic with jaggedly violent guitars, crunchingly catchy riffs, and engaging vocals, and the crowd love it.
Birmingham’s Oceans Ate Alaska put on an equally impressive and intense metalcore show. It’s a stage-bounding, dynamic and adrenaline-filled performance that will captivates the crowd. They manage to mix in elements of prog and post-hardcore, but in a manner that integrates rather than is simply bolted-on. It’s the combination of raw energy and technical proficiency that draws you in and keeps you interested. The instrumental musicianship, delivering complex and intricate work with precision of the guitars noodling through intricate riffs, alongside a solid and powerful rhythm section, driving the songs forward with relentless intensity. Singer, James Harrison, shows of his versatility, effortlessly transitioning between aggressive screams, guttural growls, and melodic clean vocals. And he prowls the stage enthusiastically, engaging with the crowd throughout. A perfect band for Tech Fest, and sure to continue their success.
We manage to grab an interview with Kyle Lamb and Valis Volkova from She Must Burn before their Second Stage headline set. They’re both great fun to chat with, and it makes seeing them take to the stage later in their stage personas that much more exciting. They really do ramp up the performance values with captivating outfits and a powerful stage presence. In fact, the whole band exude the same vibe in a cohesive manner. It creates a dark and immersive atmosphere during their shows. The stage setup would often include elaborate lighting, smoke effects, and backdrop visuals that complemented the band's intense and gothic aesthetic. The members themselves would engage with the audience, exuding passion and intensity as they delivered their music. Their music blends elements of symphonic metal, deathcore and black metal, and it creates a unique and interesting sound. There’s plenty of intense guitar riffs, pounding drums, keyboard symphonic arrangements, vicious guttural vocals from Kyle Lamb as well as melodic cleans from Valis Volkova. They really do cover all bases, and there’s something for everyone - the aggressive and melodic sections intertwine, intense breakdowns hit hard and atmospheric interludes sweep in when needed. It’s a great set and performance, and the crowd’s reaction to Kyle’s front barrier antics shows just how well they’ve been received.
The concluding headliners of Tech Fest 2023, and for the foreseeable, are Born of Osiris. But before they start we have a speech from Tech Fest mastermind Simon Garrod, and a series of thank you presentations. It’s an emotional sequence of moments, culminating in a massive group hug in the crowd. As we’ve said before…this is more than a festival, it’s a community.
Back to the headliners, and there’s no doubting that they are one of the most influential and dynamic technical deathcore/metalcore bands for over a decade. Moreover, they never fail to put on an electrifying live show. Tonight is no different, and they use their technical prowess and unrelenting energy to full potential to captivate the festival’s crowd. Lee McKinney's intricate guitar work intertwines with Joe Buras' captivating keyboard melodies, creating a harmonious blend of aggression and melody. Cameron Losch's thunderous drumming and of course Ronnie Canizaro’s gritty screams only serve to seal the deal. They seamlessly transition between bone-crushing breakdowns, blistering guitar segments, and atmospheric interludes. Their seamless execution and electrifying stage presence means the band create an unforgettable experience from the main stages of Tech Fest for one last time.
The after party tonight is crazy with techeoke, The Djentlemen (Anima Tempo playing a set of mixed covers) and the ever playful Seething Akira. It’s a wonderfully mad way to finish the festival, and you can see the mixed emotions from everyone on which is a sad moment celebrated in a joyous way. If this is indeed the end of UK Tech Fest in this format, then what a way to finish…but we know the community and UK Tech Fam will live on!
Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Born Of Osiris, She Must Burn, Oceans Ate Alaska, InVisions, Where oceans Burn, Of Virtue, Graphic Nature, Karmanjakah