Live Review : RADAR on July 29th 2023

We all went hard on the Friday, but that doesn’t stop us getting to the venue nice and early to make arrangements for access and interviews on the Saturday morning. Modern Error are led by the Pinchin twins on vocals and guitar, and are an early treat. They take all the songwriting pop sensibilities of Thirty Seconds to Mars, and meld that with the hardcore elements of Seeyouspacecowboy. Decked out in all black outfits, they swing and sway at their mic stands, delivering a passionate and intensely emotional performance. They quickly shift into NIN territory and have the same dramatic, enthralling stage presence as any top bill act.

Harbinger are ROCKFLESH favourites (Tech-Fest video interview here), and once again deliver a killer set. They’re heavy, fast, and technical metal in the vein of Fit For An Autopsy and Decapitated, but offering their own unique sound. On guitar they have the technically superb Ben Sutherland and Charlie Griffiths, and in Dilan Alves they have both a fantastic vocalist and frontman.

Tiberius are more fun than any band should be. And thank goodness they are! We manage to have possibly the funniest interview with them later in the day (see the video interview here), but first they put on a typically crazy and awesome show. The guys from Edinburgh deliver their melodic quirky proggy tech-metal with gusto. Intricate, catchy guitar work, grand high soaring vocals, and delicious rhythms. Fans of Protest the Hero will find plenty to enjoy with them, and you might even describe them as a prog-metal Iron Maiden. Vocalist Grant Barclay is charismatic in his performance, and his voice is clear and vibrant. As always he and guitarist Chris Foster spare no time before jumping into the crowd. They pop up here and there, singing and playing guitar, sprinkling fun as they go, and even performing from the middle of a circle pit. A great band that deserves your time for sure.

Unfortunately, Allt start with a technical problem, and so have to skip two songs. The Swedish band soon get into their groove and take their set by the scruff of the neck. They blend technical heaviness with anthemic yet gritty choruses. Think Betraying the Martyrs and Bleed From Within with a smattering of Vexed thrown in.

Profiler on the other hand serve up a delicious mix of grunge, nu-metal and tech-metal. They could even be described as a techy style Higher Power. Is Nu-grunge-nu-metal-nu-tech-metal a thing? I think Profiler might be it, if so.

Pupil Slicer continue to offer up their take on deathgrind, powerviolence and mathcore. A barrage of musical brilliance that challenges is also satisfying when it hits. It’s avant-garde hardcore math-grind-punk and is presented alongside a superbly unhinged and primal performance.

WHEEL spend some time chatting to us earlier in the day, and it’s one of the most honest and insightful interviews ROCKFLESH has experienced (see the video interview here). The band’s set later in the day is equally as raw and superb. The Finnish-based prog metal outfit are undoubtedly perfect for fans of Karnivool and The Ocean, but they bring their own unique take. There are distinct influences of grunge and post-rock alongside the jagged riffs and expansive Gojira-esque segments as well. Minimalist verses with rumbling yet intricate bass, sweeping clean vocals and syncopated drums, in time build through interweaving guitars, before finally erupting into choruses filled with rasping yet soaring vocals and angular guitars. Uncluttered crescendos are even more starkly juxtaposed with triumphantly heavy choruses. Tonight is an emotional farewell to bassist Avi Virta, but we know the future of WHEEL is a bright one.

I’ve been waiting a very long time to see Thornhill live, and I’m not disappointed. Think a tech-metal Muse, in every possible good way. If Northlane are the futuristic proposition then Thornhill are the dark detective noire sibling. They are the same mix visually as they are musically with blend of darkly moody and dynamically forceful from the start. Everything is measured and stunningly professional. It’s also a brilliant balance of contradicting elements - a 1920’s feel with a futuristic look, lighting and vibe. As of their last album they now have a unique and distinct sound, especially within the prog tech-metal scene, with a dynamic mix of reserved, atmospheric segments juxtaposed with churning, soaring melodic segments. Stunning, and hopefully ready to break into the big time.

Perturbator is actually a Parisian called James Kent. Fundamentally, he’s a synthwave artist and the link to a prog tech-metal festival is the crowd. The same crowd that love the thrumming bass, intricate counter-melodies, staccato drums and soaring vocals of metal, find the same elements in Kent’s darkly feverish electronic offering. One of the main sponsors of this festival is a gaming product marketer, and it’s not lost on me that a lot of Perturbator’s tracks sound like game soundtracks. But it’s the creation of atmosphere that I can see as common ground between prog and this form of dark synthwave.

Heart of a Coward frontman Kaan has been dashing around the festival site all day, compering the masterclasses, but it’s now that he puts on a masterclass of his own. He leads the band into action at the front of the stage urging the crowd into a frenzy as they hit hard and early. Musically and physically, they unleash their energy across the stage. Distinctive high-gain, low-pitch, growling guitars and rasping, visceral screams are intermingled with honest and raw melodic vocals. The clean soaring vocals are on-point tonight as he sings every word with fury, and the performance of ‘Deadweight’ is a highlight of the festival.

Headliner Igorrr is another French musician, and certainly is a unique act. Mixing as many genres as possible, he unleashes black metal, electronica, baroque, breakcore and straight up metal concoction that is as interesting as it is puzzling. It’s a bit like Rammstein with added melodrama, and lashings of classic symphonic metal, but no flames. There’s also something of the Hans Zimmer about it all, and even Killing Joke aspects come to mind. But the vocals and extreme blast beat segments aren’t as coherent as you feel they should be, and I’m left wondering if this is really just a unique take on symphonic metal. But there’s no doubting that by taking a mixture of breakbeats, metal riffs, various tempo changes, harsh vocal shredding and a massive portion of operatic singing, Gautier Serre is arguably a genius.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Igorrr, Heart Of A Coward, Thornhill, WHEEL, Profiler, ALLT, Tiberius, Harbinger, Modern Error