I awoke on the Saturday morning barely able to move my neck, with aching shoulders and a raw throat – so many windmills, so many fist pumps, and so many poorly-executed death growls. After guzzling as much water as possible, grabbing an absolutely delicious, if over-priced, burger, it was time to enjoy the chilled-out atmosphere and the sunshine before the music for the day started. Overall, Saturday was probably the weakest day of the festival for me – with the exception of a few seriously awesome sets, Day Two was a bit of a disappointment following such a strong start.
Opening up the second stage and starting the proceedings for the day were Northerner instrumental prog m
London favourites Harbinger op
Exist Immortal have been on my radar for a few years now, but I’ve never taken the time to listen to them – a fact I regret. Though their techy, Killswitch Engage vibe isn’t my usual jam, I’ve listened to them quite a few times following their set and am always impressed. Their set struck me as a mix of old metalcore (Killswitch, As I Lay Dying, early All That Remains) mixed with a healthy dose of modern prog. This somewhat unique sound made them one of the best bands of the whole weekend. Tech-Fest regulars Th
I’d heard a lot of buzz around Uneven Structure, and was looking forward to checking them out. Perhaps I didn’t do enough research into their sound, perhaps after a day focusing more on the lighter side of tech metal I was craving some blast beats, perhaps I just don’t “get” Uneven Structure – whatever the explanation, I found them utterly underwhelming. There was nothing inherently bad about their set – each member is a strong musician, and the record-to-live transition worked well – but there was nothing overly special about their set either. Second stage headliners, Persephone, however, were incredible. Not a band I was overly familiar with, I found myself captivated by their super-proggy melodeat
Finally, it was time for some pure tech-death. A part of tech-metal largely ignored on Day Two in favour of more atmospheric, lighter bands, German heavy-weights Obscura were to be a welcome sight for many in the crowd – though they did feel a touch out of place in the prog-heavy line-up. I defying anyone to question the musical chops presented by every member of Obscura – not a single missed note, minor slip up or hint of flagging energy could be seen, and devout fans of Obscura would have little to complain about. For those not quite so familiar with their music, however, the stage presence of the band was a tad lacking. I feel a put a bit too much expectation on the genre figureheads to blow every other band out of the water, and my disappointment was more my own design rather than a fault of the band’s. Musically, Obscura delivered excellence – but their stage show left a bit to be desired.
I couldn’t help but feel a heavy weight of regret when Day Two headliners, Textures, began their set. Despite their popularity, they had never been a band I’d seriously dug into, but as they began tearing their way through a set of hard-pitting, heavy prog, I knew that somewhere down the line I messed up big time. Their ability to jump between proggy and blistering heaviness was truly something to behold. Unfortunately, Tech-Fest 2017 was their last ever UK festival show, with the band calling it quits following their farewell tour in November of this year.