LIVE: Damnation Festival by Oli Gonzalez
Damnation (Damnation Weekend Part Two)
Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester
01/11/2024
Live Review by Oli Gonzalez
Round two. I think my body and soul is recovered from A Night Of Salvation after wanting to stay completely horizontal for as long as possible this morning. I head to the venue via the tram which is suitably packed with like-minded moshers and battlejacket warriors. Even the tram driver notices and mentions it on the speakers. Among the conversations, you can hear:
“Who are you looking forward to this weekend?”
“Cult Of Fire were awesome!”
“Them two pinters are deadly!”
After the short walk to the arena and once we’re through the barriers, the buzz here is palpable! The queue to Dragged Into Sunlight’s merch stand is already insanely long while Nails have also pulled a huge crowd to theirs too. Some are fresh as a daisy, some are feeling the effects of last night. Both Pijn and Enforced have packed out their respective stages. This is refreshing and something you don’t see at many other festivals, where bands will play to just as big a crowd at the start or finish of the day. This is a warning though; if there’s a band you’re desperate to see, there’s a material risk of missing that band if you’re not at that stage in time.
It felt like déjà vu as this time last year I was at the front waiting for Nordic Giants to open the main stage with a bit of Post-Rock magic. Now I’m here again as A.A. Williams is about to open things…
A.A. Williams
Some people are just born to do what they do. Whether it’s being a teacher, a footballer, a drummer. A.A.Williams WAS BORN to be on that stage! Despite appearing to be reserved and softly spoken, she is a relentless force up there! A force that can and will drag you in multiple emotional directions. From lip quivering sentimental to straight up full force intensity, she has it all. When she sings, you stop everything and become fully absorbed – after you’ve picked your jaw off the floor. She mentions how we’re either “lucky or unlucky” to be the first UK audience to see one of her tracks live. We’re absolutely privileged to see such a performance here in the flesh!
https://www.facebook.com/aawilliamsmusic
Celeste
My first unmissable of the day, French Blackened Post-Metal act took to the stage. Donning trademark red LED headlights, the quartet burned through a set that engulfed the audience with their trademark crushing atmospheric sound. The light show was simple yet brutally effective, with the strobes adding to that aforementioned atmospheric quality. I thought to myself “when will I see Celeste again?” towards the end of their set, summing up a yearning and longing for the band that hadn’t quite been quenched in a 40 minute set that felt too short.
https://www.facebook.com/celesteband
REZN
“Their riffs are absolute dirt,” was a comment I read online about the North American quartet. Is there a better endorsement for a band? Maybe, maybe not. Here’s a better one though; REZN were absolute quality on that third stage. A clinic in Experimental Rock, with crushing distorted riffs alongside scorching psychedelic synths. They could have just programmed their saxophone player but that’s the easy way out. Seeing that live in the flesh is so authentic and just awesome. Maybe a little too bass heavy at times, though this adds to that heart thumping rumble that made REZN such an experience.
https://www.facebook.com/reznband
Black Tusk
While 200 Stab Wounds are tearing up the second stage with one of the biggest crowds of the weekend, I’m still at the third stage. The surprise package of the day for me, Black Tusk. To be truthful, I didn’t rate them when listening to their record. However, I should know by now that bands are often MUCH better live. Just like Black Tusk are here. How to describe their style? Hardcore Punk infused with Speed and Thrash Metal? In either case, it’s packed full of primitive rage and chunky riffs being played at breakneck speed. Riffs that see the pits open and bodies lifted over the barrier. Again, a surprise package but a pleasant one at that.
https://www.facebook.com/BlackTusk
Hangman’s Chair
There’s something incredible in the water in France, with the country churning out quality Post-Rock / Metal bands time after time. A statement I’ve uttered multiple times, but is only reinforced by the performance of Hangman’s Chair. Gloomy, melancholic, yet still melodic and somehow uplifting. An atmospheric delight for the senses amplified by some smartly employed silhouette lighting. Vocalist Cedric has a unique voice dripping with raw emotion and feeling, and echoes majestically, filling the entire stage. So far, my favourite band of the day.
https://www.facebook.com/hangmanschair
While Nails are levelling the main stage and have pulled one of the largest crowds of the weekend, it’s time for us to take a break and some much needed R and R. While the seating is much less than last year, you won’t have any issues finding a food vendor to suit almost any dietary need! After a feed and drink, back to the third stage for Dool…
Dool
Damnation forum favourite Dool caused a stir this year for all the right reasons with a blistering new album “The Shape Of Fluidity”. I wasn’t sold on it at the time, but after seeing them in the flesh on this day I was proven wrong (and not for the first time). They offer a wonderfully layered and textured sound while vocalist Raven demonstrates boundless energy and passion! This was another surprise package and a delight to watch. My friends in attendance later commented on how this was their favourite set of the weekend. Need I say more?
https://www.facebook.com/allthosewhowanderaredool
Bleeding Through
Over to the main stage and for another of the most hotly anticipated sets of the weekend. It’s time to turn back the clock to 2003 and the early Metalcore movement with the USA’s Bleeding Through. A European exclusive appearance and playthrough of “This Is Love, This Is Murderous”. Maybe the expectations had been set too high, maybe the band were jet lagged and tired from having only played on a cruise in The Caribbean a few days previously. Something just doesn’t click here, and the sound quality didn’t seem to do any favours for them. Though that’s only my perception. As expected we see crowd surfers, circle pits, and mic grabs as the crowd laps this up, reliving their teenage and earlier years in a major nostalgia trip.
https://www.facebook.com/BleedingThrough
The Ruins Of Beverast
It’s getting later now. We’re into the final furlong and home stretch now. Bodies are aching, heads are pounding, and ears are ringing. So of course, that means it is time for the perfect antidote with the merciless assault of this German Blackened Doom act! Whereas other bands today had pulverised their audiences with sheer relentless speed and aggression, The Ruins Of Beverast were like a maelstrom. Washing over you like a blackened wave that engulfs you painfully slowly. You can’t escape from this and resistance is futile. A performance drenched in darkened suffocating atmosphere that fully justifies their high billing position.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050277618207
Dragged Into Sunlight
The most painful clash of the weekend sees me having to abandon Ahab to catch Dragged Into Sunlight’s set. Scarcity has value though and considering how infrequently the British extreme metallers play, this made the choice for me. This was quite possibly the most anticipated set in Damnation history, as that stage is suitably packed! How to adequately describe what we had witnessed? Imagine the emotionally charged energy of Amenra, the speed and relentless ferocity of Suffocation, combined with… no, describing the sheer visual and aural carnage of Dragged Into Sunglight’s live performance is impossible. This exclusive playthrough of “Hatred For Mankind” will surely go down as a “I was there moment” and one of the most fondly remembered among the Damnation faithful.
https://www.facebook.com/draggedintosunlight
Cradle Of Filth
The finale. The close to the weekend. The survivors from Ahab or Dragged Into Sunlight assembled in their thousands for the British Extreme Metallers Old School Ritual headline set. A set shrouded in mystery as to which hits would be unleashed. For me personally, I’m extremely happy to be singing along to ‘Scorched Earth Erotica’, ‘Born In A Burial Gown’, and arguably their magnus opus ‘Her Ghost In The Fog’. As were several thousand others.
Story time; I can remember first watching the video to ‘Born In A Burial Gown’ as a 10 year old and genuinely having nightmares due to the graphic content of said video! To then see this over 20 years later live and in the flesh is a remarkable moment. The band have been going for over 30 years now, and the way Dani still manages to blast out that trademark high pitched shriek is something that should be studied! A word class artist.
There are some tired bodies out there, the crowd was thinning inevitably, yet this still didn’t retract from what was a wonderful ending down memory lane to round off a memorable weekend.
https://www.facebook.com/cradleoffilth
Final Thoughts
Gavin McInally. Thank you. Thank you to and your team for curating this glorious weekend. Thank you for all the personal risks and sacrifices you undergo to pull this off. You have earned the trust of me and hundreds of others now. Trust that will be converted into the purchase of a ‘blind bird’ ticket as soon as they go on sale!
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
