A second festival in as many weeks (I was at Bloodstock the previous weekend) has been unheard of in the last 18 months giving me call to venture to the Lake District for a truly unique occasion set within the secluded confines of the beautiful Fell Foot Wood, not too far from Ulverston, where I stayed for the weekend. Fell Foot has held a few other festivals in recent years namely the Blackwood Gatherings in the Autumn, so having this summer festival was really welcomed. The expected 2 hour drive turned into over four due to numerous accidents, and involved detours through ridiculously narrow roads dealing with numpty 4×4 drivers who just couldn’t drive, with one that looked like Woody Allen to me, but eventually I arrived in Ulverston, ready to pack my bag and head off to the fest to catch the first act of the day.
Thankfully you’re able to take your alcoholic refreshment on to the site or buy their ales, which included the pleasantly named Gnat’s Piss on offer. I set up camp towards the back of the site, that looks like a grassy amphitheatre but without rows of seats, just the odd bench here and there, producing brilliant views of the stage at all times. And here is where I stayed for the fest even when it was battering down with rain as there’s nothing better than preparation for a UK outdoor metal festival.
Barry, the guy who runs the site, announced that people were invited to a baptism at the Moon Pond later in the evening which I have no clue as to what was involved, and declined to put my name down for it, though I’m sure some probably did. By the time I had set up my camp of bag, brolly and beer, Black Pyre were already in the last throes of sound checking, so timing was perfect. With ominous weather forecast, very dark clouds looming over the hills of the Lake District I appreciated the dryness, as it didn’t last very long. Standing away from the stage at any festival always results in loss of clarity on the sound but here there wasn’t much difference between standing where I was or in front under the awning, it was just far louder, so horns and hails to the excellent sound guy and the job he did through the two days.
There was something primal about Cardiff act Black Pyre, setting the scene for the sonic devastation to come from the subsequent nine bands to follow them. Opening with ‘Aeon’ the band set about tearing strips from the smaller than expected gathering of black metal warriors and put it down to people being held up in the traffic. Corpse painted and looking every part they ripped into the audience with savage riffing backed by thundering bass even though I was slightly elevated above the stage relatively speaking. ‘Marbas’ followed from the bands 2019 EP unleashing unholy barbaric riffing coupled to the diabolical vocal style that really increased the acerbity of the band.
With no holding back the band unveiled some opaque blackened doom on ‘Warriors Of Despair’, well it sounded like blackened doom to me, as the song signalled the rain to start and if there was ever nature timing itself with a band then this song was it. Playing songs from 2020’s ‘Winter Solstice’ the title track continued their blend of speed infused black metal and slower elements with exceptional results as I noticed bassist, Kjøttflate the Mighty Ravendork, was playing his bass in a slightly unorthodox style for black metal, practically slapping the strings than traditional plucking but no less intense or technical. ‘Black Magic Heresy’ and ‘Hellfire’ concluded their excellent set, with the latter being epic, expansive and completely immersive capturing the unique atmosphere of Fell Foot superbly.
If Black Pyre offered the primeval darkness that got the festival underway Wolfbastard were the grotesque malfeasance to follow. Hailing from Manchester this band was one of the most brutal and incendiary of the weekend, smashing the increasing numbers of people with their crust infused blackened ferocity that kicked off with ‘Lupine Blasphemies’. Their set was nothing short of Armageddon at times, their crust filled riffing spreading like a plague through the site with unmitigated power all backed up by the onstage joviality and one liners aimed squarely at the crowd members.
‘Death Filth Disease’ was equally brutal as their onslaught had no quiet moments, no time to breathe, every song obliterating destruction typified by songs like ‘Raped By Satan’ or ‘Sick In The Bath’. Vocalist Dez (Derek Carley) who also resides in Foetal Juice and Buried, was on fire, aiming jibes at the crowd calling someone a sexy Goth and adding no wonder there’s no pandas in China they’re all here, to much laughter. Short, explosive and never lacking in power their set was over all too quickly with ‘Graveyard Sessions’, with its cracking riff and insane speed they left their audience absolutely battered to a pulp.
I was looking forward to Reading’s Aklash after having given them a brief listen prior to coming to the festival but unfortunately, they failed to click with me but they certainly did with the audience, offering a more progressive almost avant-garde slant to the proceedings. With a violin being added to their sound by Nicholas Millar they certainly injected an air of theatre but at times it felt messy, lacking cohesion and I got the impression that the band thought they were a lot better than they actually are.
However, my opinion only counts as one as plenty saw them differently blending their blackened holocaust with plenty of sonic curiosity that you either liked or detested as I sat down to absorb some more alcohol and numb their set from my mind, despite them being received rapturously. I did however like the song ‘Lord Of Dominion’ probably because it had less extraneous stuff but the use of clean vocals just didn’t work for me as they had a guest from Nefarious Dusk joining them for the song which gave me the opportunity to browse the merch and hand over a quantity of money.
Black metal isn’t always about bone brittling nihilism indeed it is often packed with atmosphere both musically and visually and Cumbrian black metal specialists Nefarious Dusk set their stage up with various candles to which some bright spark shouted “who’s birthday is it”. Whilst setting the scene visually worked to increase the atmosphere the veritable battery that ensued probably blew all those lit candles out, without anyone singing happy birthday. From the off they were relentless as ‘Cold Shadows Over Transylvania Pt III’ tore strips from the crowd with maniacal glee.
I would have preferred a second guitarist to add to their inexorable scathing assault but there’s no denying that songs like follower ‘Cold Shadows Over Transylvania Pt II’ and the utterly hostile ‘Twisted Thorns’ were unparalleled slabs of savagery. Added to that the filling in drummer only learnt the songs two days ago which is admirable indeed as they closed their set with their namesake tune ‘Nefarious Dusk’. With old school black metal filling the air and the temperature dipping nature once again added its own effects to Nefarious Dusk’s wrathful set.
I’ve had seen headliners Heathen Deity previously and was suitably impressed with their black metal rage as they grasped the audience in their claws and never let go for the duration of their set. Using the intro track, ‘The Gateway Opens’, from their recent new album ‘True English Black Metal’ their battle plan was set as they opened with ‘The Flames Of The Gathering Darkness’ utilising the eerie isolated guitar opening to great effect, building up the track superbly ready for the expected detonation which arrives with consummate vehemence. As the skies drained their contents onto festival it only added to the atmosphere again, watching the band through the haze and mist it created as ‘The Lord Of The Knell’ followed, after a brief chat they were from Cumbria and being reborn in 2016 on this stage back then, a reference to them being on hiatus from some 12 years after they released the ‘Gut The Church Promo 2004’ and then dissolving I presume.
‘The Black Goat Infernal’ quickly followed offering intense mellifluous melancholy alongside their unerring hatred. At one point I believe they had Paul Gibson, who organised this whole event, on stage for ‘For The Glory Of Satan’ though it may have been ‘Condemned To Conception’ as I lost track enjoying their set so much. Whichever song, it was unrelenting, their ability to conjure such venomous spite was palpable as their aired a cover of Mayhem’s ‘Deathcrush’ which everyone in the crowd knew giving them a reason to increase their energy down the front. Sitting in the lashing rain my shooter had only these words for not putting on his jacket over his t-shirt “my skin is waterproof” and continued to absorb the empowering title track of their album ‘True English Black Metal’ that led into an old song ‘Gut The Church’. This doublet typified Heathen Deity’s inhuman desolate contempt as each song cut through the rain slicing into you with riffing shards bordering on chaos but pristinely controlled.
Five bands, each as different as the next with the common factor of being drenched in obsidian fury from start to finish ensured the first day was an unequivocal success for both the organisers and fans alike.
Review: Martin Harris
Photos: Andy Pountney
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