The first half (possibly longer) of the show is a bit of a blur, any pretence of being sensible, making notes, or recording opinions or other such bullshit quickly going out of the window amidst a flurry of flailing limbs and snapping necks. . .

Perhaps even worse for the elitists, is that this if this is a passing fad, it’s one that’s showing no signs of letting up anytime soon – in fact, if the massive queue that greets me before doors is anything to go by, it’s still very much on the rise.

There will always be days where this will too much of a slow burner – to borrow film terminology, it’s much more arthouse than blockbuster – but give it your time, and this album will reward you greatly.

As much as Pain of Salvation’s recorded output has placed them firmly in the upper echelons of progressive metal, it’s live that they’re really in their perfect element; and for that the whole band and crew deserve credit. . .

Even without Protest The Hero topping it, Sunday was still a stupidly impressive lineup, and after the quality sets on show on Saturday, the festival looked set to end on a massive high. . .

Saturday was all set to bring some well-hyped rising stars, returning favourites, a stacked after-party, and a left-field headliner for the Waghorn Guitars Stage. . .

It’s that time of year again, when the lovers of technical guitars and poly-rhythms descend on a cowshed in Newark for a weekend of musical virtuosity and wizardry. And nobody’s more excited than the weather, with literal tornadoes storming the campsite on the Thursday. . .

Released in October 2017, ‘Nothing Will Grow From The Rotten Ground’ was a nasty slab of hardcore, and Leeched were quick to record a follow up; ‘You Took The Sun When You Left’ drops on August 24th via Prosthetic Records. With a couple of UK tours coming up, Chris Sharp sat down to chat to bassist/vocalist Laurie after their performance at Tech Fest.

Music-wise, it covers so much ground, and in a much more cohesive way than most rock or metal festivals manage, that any prog and/or extreme music fans should consider this festival a priority; it has a line-up that ranges from dreamy post rock to brutal death metal (and that’s just between 7pm and 9pm on Saturday), and that puts on workshops with some of the endless virtuosos that play the festival.

Uneven Structure’s latest album La Partition is a monumental slab of post-metal, channelled through Meshuggah-tinted goggles. Chris Sharp managed to grab a quick chat with guitarist Igor Omodei at Tech Fest.

As The Algorithm, Remi Gallego has consistently pushed the definition of what can be considered metal, producing a maelstrom of brutality, glitch, synthwave, and bizarre Frenchness. Chris Sharp sat down with Remi to chat at Tech Fest.

I think everyone knows what they’re going to get from an Alestorm show by now; they’re the music equivalent of a B-movie that everyone loves. . .

I tend to have two attitudes towards gigs: either over-hyping massively . . . or being disinterested in a gig . . . and it turning out to be one of the absolute best gigs of the year. Sólstafir . . . at Heaven falls very much into the latter category.

I don’t think it’s possible for Textures to play a bad show, seemingly existing on a scale from great to absolutely incredible.

Simply put, Igorrr is one of the most unique acts in metal (and about 87 other different genres) today, and a live experience that, while bruising and slightly mind-melting, I can’t recommend highly enough.

From The Amity Affliction’s opening scream of “I bring the weather with me,” the tone is set for the rest of the show – I’m not sure if there was a chorus that didn’t get screamed back at them, often louder than they could manage.

As close to a perfect night of live progressive music as you’ll probably find. . .

Weeping Wastelands’ is a blackened masterpiece that demonstrates the sheer ferocity of Sean Harmanis’ vocals. . . this is a stunning band, very much in top form. . .

Vulture Industries are a fucking incredible live band, and seeing them live without any expectations is an experience in of itself… Even with this, my third time seeing them live, it’s no less surreal.

It’s instantly apparent that Voivod have the crowd in the palm of their hand – any well-deserved break taken between songs descends into a packed crowd chanting their name. . .

Uneven Structure have taken their time, honed their already impressive sound, and seem to get better as they go. Basically everything about this performance was done right, and it was a joy to see.