Words by Liam Knowles [LK] & Ellie Odurny [EO]. Photos by Paul Lyme.

Respire

Self-styled “post-everything collective” Respire have travelled all the way from Canada to play ArcTanGent, so it’s excellent to see a healthy crowd for them despite an early billing. The band are usually at least seven or eight members deep on stage, with violins and brass instruments making up several layers of their multi-faceted sound, but for this particular jaunt they’re down to a core five made up of just guitars, bass, drums and vocals. Thankfully this doesn’t dull their impact, as their white-hot brand of blackened screamo mixed with a smattering of post-rock is still beautifully harrowing without the extra instrumentalists. It’s fantastic to finally hear songs from 2020’s stellar album ‘Black Line’, particularly the blistering set opener ‘Tempest’ and chaotic anthem ‘To Our Dead Friends’. If Respire can hit this hard when it’s barely lunchtime and they’re missing half their lineup, lord only knows how powerful their performance must be when they’re firing on all cylinders. [LK]

Ithaca

Only a couple of weeks before this ATG performance, UK metalcore darlings Ithaca released ‘They Fear Us’, and the buzz around that album has made this set one of the most anticipated of the entire weekend. Unsurprisingly, Ithaca absolutely live up to the hype. Captivating vocalist Djamila Boden Azzouz takes to the stage in a striking orange dress accessorised with Shibari ropes, her band behind her clad in white, stirring themselves up before launching their assault. They launch straight into ‘In The Way’ and don’t let up for a full half hour. The new songs sound massive; the frenzied panic chords and savage breakdowns we’ve come to know and love from Ithaca are all present in ‘Camera Eats First’ and the positively wild ‘Cremation Party’, but what really stands out is how far Djamila has come as a performer since the band’s last ATG performance. Her clean vocals are incredible when taking on the big choruses in ‘The Future Says Thank You’ and the new album’s title track, and she is unwaveringly confident and genuinely intimidating throughout the set. Their fanbase has also clearly increased in both size and fervour, as the pits throughout the set are absolutely mental, particularly during the aforementioned ‘They Fear Us’ and older number ‘Impulse Crush’. Ithaca are a band with seemingly limitless potential, and carry with them an authentic and important message of inclusivity and healing. It’s truly exciting to consider where they could go next with this much talent, creativity and passion. [LK]

Heriot

Speaking of hype, another hotly tipped band right now is Heriot, who pack out the PX3 stage with plenty of time before their set actually starts. Their sound is somewhere between that of Nails and early Code Orange, after they dropped the Kids from their names but before they started to sound like Spineshank and dress like Orgy. The twin vocal assault of bassist Jake Packer’s deep roar and guitarist Debbie Gough’s unholy shriek makes for an overwhelming experience as the band tears through bludgeoning tracks like ‘Enter The Flesh’ and ‘Cleansed Existence’. Considering the fact that this incarnation of Heriot only released their debut single in 2020, they already feel like a fully formed unit that can easily hold their own against similar bands that have been around much longer. At this rate Heriot could be one of the biggest names in the UK metal underground within a year or two – watch this space. [LK]

Conjurer

The anticipation for Conjurer grows steadily for the ten minutes preceding their Saturday afternoon set, with the Arc tent filling to near capacity before the first crushing metal chords are unleashed. The whole set is  a whirlwind of cleverly balanced heaviness and exquisitely timed breakdowns, with mesmerising slower sections erupting into frantic blasts and guttural growls. The pit is total carnage, and for those of us slightly further back, at points all that can be seen through the throng of thrashing heads is a glimpse of bassist Connor Marshall’s windmilling hair, spinning at close-to-breakneck speed as he churns out doom-laden rhythms. The band transition seamlessly between small moments of refined clarity and brutal, screaming noise, with every tight stop and acceleration into another onslaught of double-timed ferocity delivered with precision and passion. [EO]

Frontierer

You’ll struggle to find a more viscerally bonkers band at ATG than math-metal lunatics Frontierer. From the second they screech into set opener ‘Corrosive Wash’, the packed-out Yokhai tent is subjected to an onslaught of flailing limbs, flying band members, dial up internet sounds and riffs that sound like a printer trying to kill you. Towering vocalist Chad Kapper holds a monolithic presence on stage while various other band members climb the rigging and hurl themselves around with no regard for their own safety. The set itself is pretty much a 50/50 mix of material from 2021’s ‘Oxidized’ and 2016’s ‘Orange Mathematics’ – for some reason their 2018 album ‘Unloved’ barely gets a look in with only ‘The Molten Larva’ making an appearance. Honestly though, who is keeping track of what song is being played when you’re too busy dodging guitarists and trying to keep your head above water in a sea of wild mosh gremlins, all desperately searching for a time signature that stays still long enough for them to headbang to. If you like your music to sound like a futuristic panic attack, you need this band in your life. [LK]

Devil Sold His Soul

Devil Sold His Soul have been around since 2004, but the intensity of their ambient, cinematic post-hardcore hasn’t wained in that time, nor has the energy they play it with. Today’s main stage set is entirely made up of material from 2021’s excellent ‘Loss’, which was the first of their recordings to feature both original vocalist Ed Gibbs and his replacement (and now co-vocalist) Paul Green. The two frontment hurl themselves around the stage while expertly trading vocal lines on emotional tracks such as ‘Witness Marks’ and ‘Beyond Reach’. The band’s sound is as enormous as always, and having two vocalists has made them even more powerful than previous iterations, so you can only imagine the jaws on the floor when Ithaca’s Djamila Boden Azzouz and Frontierer’s Chad Kapper join the band on stage to help them deliver a four-pronged vocal assault on ‘The Narcissist’. As the band and their guests all scream the final lyric “only time will tell” in unison, it’s clear to everyone present that they’ve just witnessed one of the coolest moments of the entire weekend. [LK]

The Armed

Not since the heady days of The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Chariot has there been a live band as unpredictable as The Armed. On their 2019 UK tour they sent a person in a gilly suit into the crowd to rile up the already excitable crowds. At 2000 Trees later that year they set up a table and chairs in the middle of the pit, and used it as a platform to pass out water, beer and pastries to the crowd, before abruptly launching into their chaotic set from their seats. You’d think, given that they’re on the largest stage at ATG, that they’d have to tone down the shenanigans a bit, but you’d be wrong. Two of their many manly muscular vocalists (what are their names? No-one really seems to know) seem to spend more time in / on top of the crowd than they do on stage, while Cara Drolshagen remains on stage in what appears to be a Harley Quinn outfit combined with a studded gimp mask, and adds a higher pitched vocal to the already absurdly unhinged sound. It’s tough to describe The Armed musically, especially the material from ‘Ultrapop’ which makes up the bulk of the set – at times they’re as wild and technical as the aforementioned Dillinger Escape Plan, but they also carry the sass and flair of The Blood Brothers, the rock’n’roll party vibe of The Bronx, and the progressive sensibilities of latter-day Fucked Up. Regardless of influences, all of it is delivered with equal parts rabid venom and light-hearted fun, somehow both at once; even when a guitar is launched recklessly into the crowd from the stage it’s laughed off by those in its path, passing it back to the stage before immediately starting the next circle pit. The Armed are as punk as it’s possible to be in 2022: diverse, unpredictable and 100% marching to the beat of their own drum – this could well be the best set of the festival. It’ll certainly be the most memorable. [LK]

This Will Destroy You

As mellow beginnings go, ambient Texan instrumentalists This Will Destroy You (TWDY) open with the some of the gentlest sounds of the weekend. As with many of their more melodic counterparts, the band use delicately layered guitars, keys and effects to build each track into a swelling, emotionally charged atmospheric experience. With TWDY, the rising levels of sound rarely seem to peak with enormous intensity, however there is a magic in the subtlety of each track. The elements of synth over the lower bass notes add depth to the set, with the stage lighting once again adding to the ambience in the tent. It’s an hour of beautifully constructed and sensitively performed calm amidst a sea of heavy angst. [EO]

Leprous

Unlike most bands, Leprous didn’t let a little thing like a global pandemic stop them from playing live, broadcasting a number of live shows from their hometown of Notodden and also from Sentralen studios in Oslo throughout 2020 and 2021. Combined with a relentless touring schedule prior to their appearance at ArcTanGent, the band have a developed a dynamic on stage that is one of togetherness and self-assurance, without ever tipping over to arrogance. Vocalist Einar Solberg’s phenomenal voice is complemented by guitars and a rhythm section that is as tight as it is impassioned. Every chord seems to be packed full of feeling at the same time as being technically on-point. Solberg’s range is exceptional, switching seamlessly from booming deep notes to powerful falsetto. From the haunting melancholy of ‘Below’ to the epic closer ‘The Sky Is Red’, by way of the jerky, perfectly timed prog rhythms of ‘The Price’ and the amusingly introduced fan-collaboration ‘Nighttime Disguise’, the set to close the Yokhai stage for the weekend is a shining example of the band’s extensive writing and performing talent. [EO]

Opeth

Swedish prog metallers Opeth are no strangers to the UK, and with their extensive back-catalogue, slick production and confident stage presence, it’s not hard to see why their appeal has lasted for their thirty-plus year career. With tracks spanning nine of their thirteen albums, there is something for everyone on tonight’s setlist, with the older, death metal numbers sitting comfortably alongside the proggier sounds of more recent releases. Vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt chats to the audience between songs, his light-hearted humour going down well with the crowd, at one point stating simply “We saw a pig today. It had humongous balls.” Farm life aside, Åkerfeldt also describes how Opeth differ from some more energetic bands, telling everyone “We’re not like David Lee Roth. We don’t do split jumps, we entertain in our own boring way. We entertain by playing our songs”. It’s unlikely that anyone here tonight would describe Opeth’s performance as “boring”, with husky growls leading into dulcet harmonies on ‘Ghost of Perdition’, macabre screams on ‘Demon of the Fall’ and syncopated beats, complex guitar trills and pounding bass popping up throughout the evening. That being said, Opeth finished their set with ‘Deliverance’ a full half hour before their scheduled finish time. With no further explanation, they left the stage leaving a hungry crowd a little baffled at the headline act closing the festival so early. Chatter suggested that they played their touring setlist, which only happens to be 90 minutes long, but it still feels like a slight anti-climax after what was a thoroughly enjoyable presentation of their work. [EO]

Her Name is Calla

For some, Opeth’s early finish is a blessing in disguise, as it allows those who chose not to wait around watching the crew load out to catch the last half hour of the one-time-only reformation of English post-rock outfit Her Name Is Calla. It’s a stark contrast from the glossy bravado of Opeth to the raw emotional style of Her Name Is Calla, and it’s a wonderful display of the variety of musical brilliance that’s been on display for the whole festival. There’s a real vulnerability to the stripped-back songs, with strings and soft harmonies adding to the poignancy of the moment. As their set draws to a close, the energy in the PX3 tent takes on a kind of enchanting tranquillity, a sombre but heartfelt goodbye to a rollercoaster of a weekend. [EO]

Hull-based newcomers Newmeds may have been billed for one of the earliest slots of the day, but that doesn’t stop them from pummelling the crowd with their eclectic brand of rock’n’roll-infused hardcore. Imagine a blend of Every Time I Die, Queens of the Stone Age and Daughters and you’ll be somewhere close to imagining what the early punters experienced as their intimidating vocalist clambered over their heads for 30 minutes, backed by swaggering riffs and effortless groove. ‘Nothing Is Heavier Than The Mind’ is the highlight of the set, so if you fancy checking this band out you should start there.

Next up it’s melodic hardcore veterans Demoraliser, one of the many bands to come out of mosh retirement just for today. Demoraliser, or “Demozza” to the initiated, were a huge part of the UKHC scene in the early 2010s, but disbanded in 2015 and haven’t been seen since, until today. Judging by the crowd reaction, they’ve been very much missed. From the second the lights go down, before the opening swell of ‘Pretender’ has really even started, The Leadmill is a flurry of arms, legs and inflatables. What follows is 30 minutes of pure chaos. At one point a man crowd-surfs on a blow-up unicorn. There’s a cheeky Terror cover. Everyone is having the absolute best time. Are Demoraliser the most original, interesting band on the lineup? No, not by some stretch. However, are they the most fun? Very possibly.

With the bar set extremely high after the above acts, can Feed The Rhino make their set count? Of course they fucking can. They may not have been absent for as long as Demoraliser, but their return has a lot of people extremely excited, none more so than vocalist Lee Tobin who spends the whole set with the biggest grin on his face, eyes wide and wild, clearly thrilled to be back doing what he loves. Raucous, groove-laden tracks like ‘Featherweight’ and ‘The Burning Sons’ sound absolutely huge, and the band play with a vibrancy that bands half their age would struggle to muster. Their set is so perfectly executed, so full of life and energy, that it seems like a crime for this to be a one-off. There’s been precisely zero talk of the band doing anything else after this show, but maybe if we all wish for it hard enough, something will happen.

Expansive post-hardcore heroes Palm Reader are next to take the stage. Last year Palm Reader released the incredible ‘Sleepless’, and the people at this event are lucky enough to be among the first people to hear stunning tracks like ‘Hold/Release’, ‘Willow’ and ‘A Bird and its Feathers’ in a live environment. As always, the band play to perfection, their sound a perfect mix of shimmering beauty and emotional devastation. Josh McKeown is a mesmerising frontman, one of the UK’s best in fact. Every movement he and his bandmates make feel so organic; there’s never any sense of choreography when watching Palm Reader, and yet they’re always impossibly tight and this set is no exception. Older tracks like the chaotic ‘Swarm’ and the relentless ‘Internal Winter’ also help solidify why Palm Reader are one of the best, if not the best band in the UK underground. Their set felt disappointingly short, but it was still an absolute pleasure to behold.

There’s a palpable tension in the air before Dead Harts begin their performance, with good reason given the circumstances, but whatever emotions people were feeling before it started, Dead Harts changed those feelings into joy. Their set is absolutely wild, every beer-soaked riff punctuated by crowd-surfers and mic grabbers, not to mention some very ill-advised circle pits on what had become The World’s Slippiest Floor™ over the course of the day. This may be the first Dead Harts show since 2016, but tonight it feels like they never really left, and they can walk off the stage safe in the knowledge that they more than did Ant proud.

After an emotional set from Dead Harts, the event doubles down on the sadness with an incredible set from Landscapes, another band to come out of retirement for one last bittersweet show. Landscapes just sort of disappeared without any formal breakup announcement in 2017, so it feels right for them to get a proper farewell show whilst also being able to pay tribute to a departed friend. With their sound sitting in the Modern Life Is War / Defeater realm of emotional melodic hardcore, they’re easily the most raw sounding band on the lineup, but that doesn’t stop them from giving a high-energy performance that has the crowd absolutely enraptured.

There couldn’t have been a better headliner for this event than the reinvigorated, dual-mouthed, post-metal behemoth that is Devil Sold His Soul. Whilst Landscapes’ music is emotionally heavy, it’s coated in a bleak sense of despair that wouldn’t have been the right endnote to this celebration. Devil Sold His Soul are emotionally heavy, but their sound is one of hope and triumph. Awash in blue light, the band fill the room with feedback before devastating the sold-out crowd with ‘The Narcissist’ from their stellar new album ‘Loss’. Duelling vocalists Ed Gibbs and Paul Green are a force of nature, tearing up the stage whilst the impossibly tight band plays behind them. Alongside a couple more new songs, we’re treated to a handful of tracks from across the band’s discography. ‘An Ocean of Lights’ from 2010’s ‘Blessed & Cursed’ feels particularly cathartic, but it’s set closer ‘Hope’ that truly provides the perfect message to end the day. As the closing line of “I know that we’ll be just fine” rings out, it’s clear to everyone in the room that Ant Allen has had the send-off he deserved, and that music can bring people together better than anything else in the world.

If you missed the show but want to contribute to Ant’s incredible legacy, please make a donation to Music Minds Matter and / or Project 6 Sheffield.

LONG LIVE ANT ALLEN

LIAM KNOWLES

For the fans that want the familiar taste of huge walls of guitars and venomous vocals interwoven with moments of pure bliss and tranquility, you won’t be disappointed. Album opener ‘Ardour’ proves that they’re picking up exactly where they left off, toying with textures and tones to create an impact that’s both hard-hitting and velvety on contact. ‘Acrimony’ expands on those textures, wielding a lingering darkness that contrasts the elegant and captivating melodies with electrifying results.

There are songs here that really sweep you off your feet, whisking you away to somewhere serene and beautiful where you can float in the calm waters they’ve created. ‘Witness Marks’ is a prime example of this, flowing in and out of ambience like the tide as the dual vocal performance of Ed Gibbs and Paul Green glides over you. The undeniable epic surges within ‘But Not Forgotten’ create a similar effect too, the dynamics changing gear in all the right places to create intense spine-tingling shivers.

This kind of ambient-metalcore weight is exactly what you’d expect from the band and this record certainly delivers it, but there are so many intricacies in the details of this record that make it so much more than their first record back after a long break. This is the beginning of their evolution into something even greater.

A couple of welcome surprises are on show here too, showing that they’re still evolving and exploring new avenues within their world. ‘The Narcissist’ is one of their heaviest songs to date, boasting an endearing yet unsettling dissonance that sits beneath the bellowing guitar work of Jonny Renshaw and Rick Chapple. ‘Burdened’ and ‘Tateishi’ both turn up the tempo dial to speeds that they haven’t really touched before, embracing a dose of frenzied energy into their often reposeful formula.

The album closer and title track is the real star of the show here though, rounding things out in the most stunning and soul-stirring way. Imbued with an abundance of emotion, the power of which is heightened by the delicate pianos and strings, it slowly gains momentum before throttling towards a colossal crescendo that rockets everything skyward, providing an astonishing view of everything that they’ve built throughout their career. They are masters of their craft and this record shows that with indisputable ease. This isn’t just a return to form – this is a reclaiming of their place at the top of the pile, and they’re seemingly only just getting started.

Their time away has been frustratingly long but it was clearly well spent, as this record shows them on top form. There’s tonnes of characteristics that you’d expect from a Devil Sold His Soul album carefully dotted with plenty of moments that you wouldn’t, creating a sound that satisfies your nostalgia whilst stirring an excitement in their continued development. ‘Loss’ is a perfect blend of their classic, well-established sound, spliced with modern twists that places them back to the top of the deck with ease. Here’s to hoping that we won’t be left in waiting so long for the next album.

DAVE STEWART

‘Beneath, To The Earth’ wastes no time kicking things into gear, immediately bursting in with gigantic guitars and thundering drums without any warning or build-up whatsoever. It then swells and grows into a mesmerising blend of textures, overlapping the distortion with luscious reverberated tones, distant echoes, and pained wails that chill you right down to the bone. The dynamics within the music takes many different turns, sometimes unexpectedly, twisting and convulsing one moment and softly singing you a lullaby the next.

The opening serenity of ‘My Own Worth’ provides a few moments of calm and reflection, channelling a touch of The Elijah as they sew countless delicate melodies together and juxtapose them with vicious, venomous vocals. It doesn’t stay relaxed for long though, the volatile blackened side of their sound launching into action to give you goosebumps and chills all at once.

Closer ‘My Blindness, Your Burden’ is the glistening gem in their collection, perfectly balancing the light and dark elements of their sound together to make something truly spine-tingling. None of the chord changes go where you expect them to, time signature changes take you by surprise, and the layers seemingly never stop building. Just as you think it’s building towards a shimmering climax, the track takes yet another unexpected turn, thrusting you straight into a void full of thick, slow, and menacing Deftones-esque guitars that hang over you like a poltergeist. These are three very different tracks, each showcasing a band with heaps of potential.

This EP is a big taste of what Hidden Mothers are capable of, showing numerous different sides to their writing style within just three songs. Try to picture what it might sound like if Devil Sold His Soul and Møl came together to make music – the sound you’d get would be a little something like this. Beautiful and expansive sonic landscapes are decorated with elegantly scattered strokes of blackened gloom, creating a vivid picture of a scene that’s both stunning and haunting. The raw production makes the emotive weight resonate through the songs too, making this a record that you not only enjoy, but you really feel too. For a debut EP, this is impressive.

Hidden Mothers are a band you’re going to want to really keep your eyes on. They might be a well kept secret right now, but they’re unlikely to be hidden for much longer.

DAVE STEWART

On this occasion that band was Employed To Serve, and they showed London exactly why this was an occasion worth acknowledging. Ambient metal legends Devil Sold His Soul and Liverpool bruisers Loathe were also brought along for the ride, and Employed To Serve used the evening to make something abundantly clear – the release of their new album ‘Eternal Forward Motion’ marks the beginning of their ascension. Their destination? The big leagues.

Loathe kicked off proceedings with the unbridled power they’ve become known for, taking the gaze of every set of eyes in the room and holding onto it tightly. From the pounding verses of ‘It’s Yours’ to THAT riff in ‘Servant and Master’, they had complete command over everyone in earshot. Every single song was met with appreciative head banging and the odd bit of mosh action, with every request for movement from front man Kadeem France being honoured by the pit. They treated the crowd to a brand new song too, and its heaviness can’t accurately be described with words. The opening notes shook ribcages throughout the venue, leaving attendees blankly staring at the stage in complete awe of the disgusting noises coming from it. If you aren’t already on the Loathe hype train, it’s about time you got yourself a ticket.

Next up was Devil Sold His Soul, who failed to vault over the high bar that Loathe set before them. The band played a solid set that would’ve made any fan of the band happy, performing tracks that spanned their entire career, but the line up of the evening didn’t work in their favour. Sandwiched between two bands renowned for their electric live performances, Devil Sold His Soul’s brand of ambient and spacey metal fell flat in a room full of pit-hungry metalheads. A solid and well performed set, but it lacked the fire of the two bands performing either side of them.

This show was always going to belong to Employed To Serve, and as soon as they crept onto the stage it was even more evident. The room erupted with cheer and applause, and the band all looked out with both excitement and pride. The smile on front woman Justine Jones’ face quickly turned into a poisonous grin as the opening chords of ‘Eternal Forward Motion’ kicked in, and the venue immediately became a war zone. It had begun.

The band had their crosshairs aimed firmly at the pit, firing banger after banger at them to whip them into a frenzy of flailing bodies. New songs like ‘Owed Zero’ and ‘Harsh Truth’ highlighted the sheer power that their new material is wielding, with older songs like ‘Good For Nothing’ and ‘Void Ambition’ just adding to the weight of the sonic punishment. One of the highlights of the set was ‘Force Fed’ inciting the loudest chants of the evening, proving itself to be one of the more anthemic tracks from the record. Another was their encore ‘Never Falls Far’ which provided a chaotic, sweaty, and satisfying end to a momentous evening in their career.

If there was anything to be taken away from this evening, it’s this – Employed To Serve are, without a doubt, one of the most exciting bands in the scene right now. They’ve been grafting hard and creating aural carnage that, when paired with energy levels like the ones they exerted tonight, creates an irresistibly powerful punch. They deserve everything that’s coming their way, and with an album like ‘Eternal Forward Motion’, its arrival is imminent. A top quality evening from some of the UK’s finest bands.

DAVE STEWART

InMe, Sonic Boom Six, Devil Sold His Soul, MC Lars, Tragedy (A Metal Bee Gees Tribute Band!), Wallflower, The Bad Flowers, Nervus, Shields, Koo Koo Kanga Roo, The Hyena Kill, As Flames Rise, DD Allen and Home Wrecked will join headliners Feeder and Ash, with more bands to be announced soon!

Day, weekend and camping tickets are available now from https://teddyrocks.co.uk/tickets/

For more details check out:

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/TeddyRocksFestival

Twitter: TeddyRocksFest

Instagram: teddrocksfest