Candlefest_Since the first Candlefest I never really assumed it was going to be a yearly event but it seems to be very much a part of the calendar now with this showcase of bands on the Candlelight roster stepping up to a three day event over the bank holiday. The first outing is an evening show featuring bands from the new to the much more established hard hitting headliners who always bring in a crowd and have them leaving with everything from mild concussion to broken limbs!

First up are new signees Hybris a band put together from well-established London acts such as Centurions Ghost, Abgott and Stuka Squadron. With debut album ‘Heavy Machinery’ still to drop many of the early birds no doubt were completely new to their brand of technical thrashing metal but numbers like ‘Hypertube’ proved to be an infectious end of week wake up call to summon in the Bank Holiday weekend. No strangers to the stage the band utilised it well with singer James commanding and posing with the players with his clean vocals powerfully emoting around the shredding instrumental prowess. Firing out some flailing solos and with a strong technical edge to things songs like ‘Insidious’ were difficult to pigeonhole melding styles together veering from Teutonic thrash ala Kreator, through to a sprinkle of Nocturnus and Cynic, a splash of Voivod and a dash of Coroner to finish it off. Last song ‘Shadowplay’ proved a memorable fast neck-cracker of a number and by the time it finished the band had plenty of new friends giving them a round of applause.

Forget gigs and even rituals, Voices do exhibitions and why not as long as they don’t make one of themselves. No fear of that and it has to be said their album ‘From The Human Forest Create A Fugue Of Imaginary Rain’ despite wordy title is definitely up there with my favourites of the year. Not that the set-list matched up with many songs from this which left me slightly confused and disorientated but along with the blast heavy sonic sound delivery of the band bewildered is probably the best state to be in to witness such audial destruction. David Gray’s drumming was as ever phenomenal even though he was hidden away from sight. The poise and precision of the extremity here was enough to take your breath away and mixed with some almost gothic crystalline guitar parts and patches of clean harmonic vocals from Peter Benjamin this really had the power to floor you. Indeed the crowd seemed rooted to the spot, not even daring to attempt to pit to this but clinging on like whelks to a patch of rock and protecting their position for grim life. With jagged guitars surging and hellacious vocals bellowing mixed with an occult dark atmosphere this was black and bleak and utterly mesmerising. Although the band had impressed on seeing them at The Unicorn it was obvious that they have transcended that show and got even tighter now. I am assuming ‘House Of Black Lights’ was a new song unveiled and it was akin to being attacked by everything a malevolent haunted house could chuck at you as it dragged you kicking and screaming through a portal to hell. With ‘Fragmented Illustrations Of Anger’ ringing in my ears fresh air and gathering of thoughts were necessary. These musical pictures at the exhibition left a lasting memory!

I am pretty sure that I caught Palehorse around back in the day, possibly with the likes of Charger, Iron Monkey and Medulla Nocte. They exist in that sludge and hateful core bracket even if they are somewhat difficult to describe. Since 2001 they have been through various line-up changes but have recently delivered new noise shitting album ‘Harm Starts Here’ which went down very nicely on these very pages. First thing that has to be said was they were loud, very loud.  The drummer was all about heavy hitting even if it was not fast it was designed to beat you down into musical submission. It was the sound of a pitbull grabbing you by the throat and shaking you round like a rag doll, there was no escaping it from anywhere within the venue. Everything on the stage was pushed forward including the drum kit, the band obviously liked to get up close and personal proved by the fact that vocalist Nikolai spends a fair bit of time in the midst of the crowd barking into unsuspecting audience members faces. Some heavy fuzz trembled out the speakers, the earthquake of sound deafening mixed up with thuggish hardcore grooves and some Fugazi etched guitar licks. Throwing out some white sequenced noise via the key board set up which looked like something futuristic, the drummer then picked up a tribal rhythm setting things up for an explosion which finally came with a wallop. There was a nihilistic end of world bleakness but the vibe changed to happy as Nikolai seemed to spot someone in the crowd (assuming an ex-lead singer) giving him the microphone to nail the song before the band left us feeling like we had been dragged through a hedge backwards, just in time for the main band to drag us back through it the other way

Yes Anaal Nathrakh shows are not for the weak and it is a case of only the strongest survive down the front. Welcomed like heroes the crowd were baying from the off and Dave Hunt needed little encouragement to feed off it and throwing us into the melee and made sure the carnage was kept at boiling point throughout. It was mere seconds before the first hardy diver decided the stage was their right and threw themselves off and that was all the excuse those still young and at relative low injury point for such things needed to join in. It was a case of grind obliteration which even had ironic hipster types with flesh tunnels, neck tattoos and flat caps joining in. ‘Between Shit And Piss We Are Born’ simply upped the fury and any attempts taking photos near the front were given up on as I limped off to the side of the stage hoping not to get flattened on the way.

To say it was hot and clammy in here would be an understatement but the front man obviously wanted to make it hotter stating how great it would be if the whole place burned down with everyone in it! Charming but luckily it was just really a linking build to ‘Of Fire And Fucking Pigs and More Of Fire And Blood. It is often a case that one forgets the musicians in the band due to the overwhelming presence of the vocalist but they should be acknowledged as the band are by now a well-oiled and tight machine, Mick Kenney and James Walford firing out guitar bombs. There were little in the way of surprises but nobody needed any, Nathrakh are one of the most extreme bands on the planet and that is what people come to see them for, ultimate destruction in every sense. Firmly putting the boot in the face and finishing everyone still standing off with ‘Do Not Speak’ it was job done… well for now, round 2 tomorrow.

Review and photos © Pete Woods