We had more fun than we probably should have, and even as the days draw closer, we still can't quite wrap our heads around all the treats awaiting us on the first day of Damnation Festival. We promised to return with our picks for day two, along with some more information about the festival's setup. Drawing on last year's experience, we're talking about three indoor stages at Manchester's BEC Arena, operating in an almost alternating fashion: the main stage hosts a single band, followed by one band on each of the two smaller stages playing simultaneously, and then the cycle starts all over again. While this makes for a relatively comfortable schedule, it also forces us into some difficult choices between overlapping sets - choices that, come Sunday, seem almost unbearable.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways to unwind around the venue whenever you manage to find that precious little window of time when nothing happening onstage particularly appeals to your musical tastes. From the enormous merchandise tent, especially considering the festival's size, to the numerous food stalls and pop-up shops selling clothes, vinyl records and jewellery, not to mention the countless beers waiting to be sampled, you're bound to spend your day somewhere enjoying either the music or the company of old and new friends. Thankfully, the weather is hardly a concern at this particular festival, and with fond memories of last year's excellent sound quality, we're setting sail for two days of relaxation… or perhaps not.
Once again, for reasons of space, we'll skip the obvious choices. Wolves in the Throne Room recently surprised us with a new album and an impressive show in Greece, while Slow Crush took us on a journey this year at both Roadburn Festival and our very own local gem, New Long Fest. Groza continue to cement their steady rise through the black metal ranks, a world that Satyricon helped shape and still proudly uphold. The presence of the wonderfully peculiar Weekend Nachos on the lineup comes as something of a surprise, as does the return of metalcore giants Walls of Jericho, who are back with a new album after far too many years - one we'll be diving into very soon. And as you've probably gathered, there's still so much more to explore below. Until we actually get to experience it all, see you on the other side.
Swamp Coffin
We've been saying it since
Arctangent Festival: these relatively new English lads are not messing around. The rising doom/sludge outfit continues to prove its worth both on record and onstage, securing yet another early slot at a festival on home soil. Having set the record for the slowest wall of death in history just a few months ago, chances are that record was only made to be broken. Will we manage to make time move a little slower on Sunday morning? There's only one way to find out. Swamp Coffin will certainly be there to kick off our day with an explosive dose of doom-driven wisdom.
Hippotractor
In an unexpectedly rich and prolific year for post-metal, among the wealth of outstanding releases we've been treated to, we also have "Annihilist", the latest offering from Belgium's Hippotractor. Easily their finest work to date, it makes perfect sense to find them on the bill of a festival that consistently celebrates this particular sound. Will Hippotractor manage to captivate the crowd with their immersive, transportive music so early in the day? Something tells us they won't have much trouble claiming that victory.
Sugar Horse
And this is where things start getting seriously difficult, with the most brutal scheduling clash of the entire festival taking place around midday on Sunday. On one side, we have the impossible-to-even-categorise Sugar Horse, a band that blew us away with "
The Grand Scheme Of Things" and looks set to do so again with this year's "Not A Sound In Heaven". Noise, sonic complexity and a deep respect for musical structure are the hallmarks of Sugar Horse. Through these elements, they've created something truly unique, something that draws you into the filth of their amplifiers and the cunning arrangement of their lyrical themes. Everything points towards some truly memorable moments, and for practical reasons, the scales will probably tip in their favour.
Eyes
On the other side of this great dilemma stands a band so sonically different that the decision becomes even more complicated. Denmark's Eyes play a brand of hardcore that feels primitive in sound yet thoroughly contemporary in its lyrics, recalling the very birth of the genre. If last year's outstanding "
Spinner" wasn't enough to win us over on record, their explosive performance at
Roadburn festival's beloved Hall of Fame made us fall hopelessly in love with them. On the one hand, the fact that we've already seen them live works against them. However, with their vocalist temporarily absent as he prepares to become a father, Selma of Feral Nature and Tower will be stepping in for the festival, promising a performance that's unlikely to be repeated.
Machukha
Speaking of performances that left our jaws on the floor at
Roadburn's Hall of Fame, Machukha have taken their Ukrainian roots and the horrors of war and transformed them into terrifying post-blackgaze, the kind that confronts you head-on with the depths of human despair. Four incredibly talented individuals turn raw emotion and challenging music into weapons of freedom of expression, primarily through the compositions of their latest album, "Mochari". If there's one performance we would insist you absolutely must not miss on Sunday, even if you're only passing through, this is it. We guarantee you'll be every bit as shocked as we were.
Lagrimas
Although some people insist that crust punk has been rather quiet in recent years, there are plenty of bands out there ready to prove them wrong. American outfit Lagrimas draw on the struggles of migration and the determination to exist, crafting emotionally charged, melodic crust punk that has already left its own distinct mark on fans of the genre. Their album "A Life Of Destruction", along with their split EP with Habak - a particular favourite of ours here at Rocking.gr - has firmly established their identity. Habak gave us some precious moments earlier this year. Now it's time for their brothers to do the same.
Triptykon
Words almost feel unnecessary when it comes to Tom G. Warrior and the bands that have meant so much to our metal world. Together with his active outfit Triptykon, he has spent this year touring extensively, honouring both the band's own discography and selected moments from Celtic Frost's legacy, marking the 20th anniversary of "Monotheist". And that's exactly what they promise to deliver at Damnation Festival. In preparation for our long-awaited encounter, a recent visit to the H. R. Giger Museum - dedicated to the artist responsible for so much of their iconic artwork - has only sent our anticipation into the deepest possible abyss.
Black Sheep Wall
Has it really been five years since Black Sheep Wall released an album? Yes, and frankly, it doesn't matter in the slightest. The magnificent "Songs For The Enamel Queen", beautiful both in its packaging and its musical content, has been blasting through our speakers since lockdown and has remained a very frequent visitor ever since. Black Sheep Wall are not a band you're likely to come across very often, whether in Europe, the UK or onstage in general. And just as rare as their live appearances is the inventiveness of their sound, which experiments with doom, sludge, progressive metal and metalcore elements, bringing something remarkably fresh and enjoyable to the table. Having them on the bill is a massive coup for Damnation Festival, and we're expecting nothing short of greatness.
Igorrr
No matter how hard we try, we simply can't get enough of the glorious madness of the French musician and producer pulling the strings behind what has now become the Igorrr collective. Striking the perfect balance between an all-out party and a meticulously crafted performance, their appearance at
Arctangent festival didn't come close to satisfying our appetite. Quite the opposite: it left us desperate for more. And more is exactly what we're after at Damnation Festival. We're also expecting them in Athens in a few months, as part of an exceptional package alongside Fange and Secret Chiefs 3. By now, it's a well-established fact that when electronic music and guitars go hand in hand, the results can only be spectacular. We'll keep following them until we finally say "
Amen".
Shining
In perhaps the festival's ultimate "not what you think" moment, we turn our attention to Norway's Shining - the ones who have absolutely nothing to do with black metal or certain other, rather more unspeakable things. What they do have a very direct connection with, however, is dancing. And combined with whatever Igorrr will have put us through beforehand, they're probably going to be the ones who finish us off completely. The keyboards, the rock 'n' roll attitude and the electronic elements - limited but certainly present - will deliver one final, devastating kick of energy to the overall atmosphere. That is, before the mood shifts back towards atmosphere and journeys into other magical realms, regardless of which of the remaining bands everyone chooses to close out their night with.
