Saturday’s main event kicks off with Pijn, whose darkly atmospheric set is characterised by long cello-endowed instrumental passages that build with a slow burn towards intense climaxes.
A.A. Williams takes to the main stage next. Her soaring, sultry vocal lines are supported by heart-rending and beautifully mournful guitar and piano lines and doom-infused drumming.
High Parasite follow, with a set of gothic doom rock laced with anguished growls from singer Aaron Stainthorpe (also of My Dying Bride). Intense, sullen and often groove-laden, the music is augmented by huge lead guitar melodies as the band move through a set that culminates with “Forever We Burn”.
Next up are Lyon’s Celeste, who take to the stage wearing red head torches. The powerful set is ferocious and fierce, with occasional clean guitar interludes breaking up an otherwise relentless barrage of riffs and growls.
In spite of an overly bass-heavy mix, Chicago’s REZN still manage to come across well. Chugging doom riffs are pumped out with snarled vocals and sometimes saxophone laying out melodies over the top of the torrent of noise.
Gatecreeper, from Phoenix, Arizona are up next, and they really get the crowd moving. Fast, frantic and groovy death metal riffs are augmented by Chase “Hellahammer” Mason’s furious shouts.
Ne Obliviscaris take to the stage next to perform their Citadel album in full to mark its 10th anniversary. Their progressive metal set is characterised by folky violin parts, heavy riffs and textures, blistering guitar solos, and dual vocals (harsh and clean).
Hangman’s Chair are next up. Their mammoth-sized churning and leaden-heavy riffs are a thing to behold. The sound is massive as post-rock textures and melodic vocals combine to devastatingly impactful effect.
Nails dish out their set of post-hardcore replete with chugging slow riffs, techy guitar solos and volcanic blast beats. The huge and relentless set features pyrotechnics that perfectly complement the explosive music.
Next up are DOOL, with Damnation being the last date of an extensive tour. Prog rock meets with post-punk for an ultra-tight set led by singer and guitarist Raven Van Dorst, who is absolutely on fire in their command of the stage. Hypnotic grooves and riffy textures build into explosive and magical climaxes throughout this quasi-spiritual experience.
Bleeding Through (playing This Is Love, This Is Murderous) work the audience into a frenzy of moshing and crowdsurfing as their unstoppably powerful metalcore is thrown forth from the stage. Dizzyingly fast and furious segments trade places with ultra-heavy beatdowns throughout a frantically energetic set.
The Ruins of Beverast are up next. Their set of epic blackened doom metal is characterised by feral vocals, harsh and distorted textures, and atmospheric keyboards.
Next are Russian Circles, whose brand of instrumental syncopated post-metal is intensely potent. Slow burning builds lead into mesmeric riffy textures with creepy lead guitar providing melodic content. Dark, dismal and wonderfully dynamic, the set is as ferocious as it is contemplative.
The audience is utterly packed out for Dragged Into Sunlight’s rendition of their Hatred For Mankind album. Performing amidst a candle-lit altar and deer skulls, the gripping set is full of hellish black metal and inhuman screams. Myriad strobe lights and pyrotechnics augment the onslaught of infernal noise that is punctuated by spoken word sound and video clips.
Finally, Cradle of Filth take to the main stage, which is decked out in schlocky horror style with skeletons and spikes. Dani Filth shrieks over quasi-black metal textures and keyboard atmospherics throughout a theatrical and engaging career-spanning set.
Damnation Festival 2024 has undoubtedly gone down exceptionally well with the audience, and tickets are already selling for next year’s 20th anniversary edition. Many of the black-clad fans who pour out of the venue at the end of the night will no doubt be hoping that the festival continues to go from strength to strength and that it will eventually be able to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Based on the 2024 edition, it’s hard to disagree.
Read part 1 here:
https://ghostcultmag.com/festival-review-damnation-festival-2024-part-1-a-night-of-salvation-2024-live-at-bowlers-exhibition-centre/
WORDS BY DUNCAN EVANS
PHOTOS BY BILL MAWDSLEY