Live Review: Rabidfest 2024 Day #1 (Saturday)!

After all the build up including a billboard at Bloodstock Open Air in the summer, this years sixth incarnation of Rabidfest feels like Christmas has come early, which makes The Bullingdon Santa’s grotto. Everything is primed and ready, the banner behind the stage and back line kit ready to go and a stack of merch ready to sell. XXL hoodies have already sold out before the event starts with the pre-order campaign but the line up shirt looks the real deal. Two days of wall to wall riffs, pounding percussion and rumbling bass all served with a side order of your favourite beverage? Yes please!

After the metaphorical red tape is cut and stage manager Greg Brown smashes an invisible champaign bottle on the side of the sixth incarnation of the good ship Rabidfest, things get underway with Rats Eat Rats [7/10]. They’re every inch the kind of band that would have received a lot of coverage in Kerrang Magazine in the 90s, blurring the lines between Hard Rock and Metal with Post Hardcore lead guitars they make for the kind of solid opening band you can hang your hat on. Naturally new EP “For When We All Turn Feral” is on display from which “Dear, Suzi” is a highlight. Oxford Metal 2 The Masses semi finalists Dead Mans Pistol [7/10] are up next and while their name might suggest they’re a Pirate Metal band and they love a bit of rum, they’re a Groove Metal act who look like a Swedish Death Metal band. “Living With The Animals” goes down well with a pint, the only criticism you could have is that some of the songs could be shortened to make them leaner and meaner but otherwise they have it all. On the subject of looks being deceiving 40000 Leagues [8/10] have a vocalist that instantly makes you think of Jake Luhrs from August Burns Red. It’s probably the beard. The band have a fine collection of Metalcore songs in their armoury, making great use of their frontman’s wonderful clean vocals, his harsh ones used sparingly to great effect. A leap over the barrier into the audience to start a Mosh pit mid set is fantastic moment before “Defcon” brings sing-a-long qualities and a classy solo. We’ve waited a long time for the stars to align so we can witness the might of Imperium [10/10] and it was worth every second. A powerhouse live band, they bring more muscle and finesse to the party, carrying with them an air of confidence that shows through in their performance. Renditions of both “Iron Thunder” and “When Kings Meet” are nailed perfectly as the Groove Thrash merchants turn the stage to sawdust.

Parting is such sweet sorrow and this afternoon marks the final show for guitarist Samuel Berriman with Essex Death Metal collective Existentialist [10/10] which is probably why the band are at their ferocious best with a little bit more emotion behind everything. They deliver bone crushing renditions of song after song with vocalist Patryk Kolasa on absolute fire and last years album “The Heretic” forming the backbone of the set. The heaviest band in today’s line up by far, they make the ground shake beneath our feet. We have the pleasure of a long chat with guitarist and Tech-Fest founder Simon Garrod before his band Eschalon [10/10] take to what’s left of the stage and discuss how they’ve put real attention to detail with each single release, treating each song like an EP. That’s worked incredibly well for them, as has putting on a wealth of shows. Unfortunately their drummer is out with a back injury this afternoon, however that doesn’t stop the six piece from performing, filling the stage with dry ice and using a backing track to fill in for him. They’re joined by a number of guests including Benji Mars from Waterlines while Garrod proves you don’t need a seven string to produce crushing DJent fuelled riffs. The band maybe from city rivals Cambridge but tonight feels like they’re welcomed as homecoming heroes as their high energy set goes down a storm with “Helios” and “Shroud” highlights. Looking like Anthrax and sounding like Exodus, its all about the blood, sweat and beers as Damaged Reich [8/10] have nailed that 80s Bay Area Thrash sound to perfection. They even have a flying V to deliver it with as the writers of “Death Becomes Us All” put the world to rights one riff at a time. They’ve got a second album in the works and on this evidence its going to be one for the juke box in a biker bar.

Celebrating a decade since their debut album “The Lightning Dream” Fury [8/10] blast their way through a set of Traditional Metal band with new co-lead vocalist Nyah Ifill dancing throughout. She sounds phenomenal on summer single “Prince Of Darkness” but appears sparingly on the older cuts like “If You Get To Hell First” as vocalist and guitarist Julian Jenkins takes the limelight. A few Thrash riffs are a nice touch and the band are the kind of good time that everyone can enjoy.  Traditional Metal at its finest, Cloven Hoof [9/10] roll back the years with tonight’s performance and the Devolution Magazine sponsored main stage can barely contain the band and you could argue that their current line up is their best. They have album number 10 under their belts in “Heathen Cross” and inject adrenaline into the bands older material with a few Thrash riffs and keyboard parts thrown in for good measure. Bringing the metaphorical curtain down on the first half of Rabidfest with a classy cover of “Creeping Death” by Metallica that has everyone headbanging and singing a long with their fists in the air are tonight’s headliners Evile [10/10]. One of those bands who don’t seem to get the credit they deserve, they’ve been around the World and then some and with Ol Drake front and centre as commander in chief for the past two albums they have a mastermind at work. The backline kit has been switched out for their own and the drums sound huge as the riffs fly in all directions with “The Unknown” a real highlight.