Want some irresistibly amazing free music? Here's the best news you'll hear in a while. Our favourite UK label Basick Records has been named “label of the month” by no less than Amazon.co.uk. That means for the entire month of November, you can get a ton of Basick releases at a specially discounted price - just £4.49 for albums and £1.99 for EPs.
But the best is yet to come (or this shouldn't be under Free Music Monday). The label is giving a 12 track sampler absolutely free! That includes Misery Signals, Circles, Skyharbor, No Consequence, Glass Cloud, Bear, The Algorithm, Uneven Structure, Aliases, Damned Spring Fragrantia, Dissipate and Chimp Spanner! That's a shit load of amazing free music! You still there? Click on that link!
Video and additional reports coming soon! Read up on Report 1 HERE.
Friday July 12th, 2013
The real UK Tech-Metal Fest is just getting started. The sky is grey over our heads but it seems like there will be no rain for the whole weekend, which is a remarkable sign of good luck for the fest considering we're in the UK.
During the early afternoon the performance that surprised us the most was delivered by The Colour Line, one of the first bands to take the main stage today. Everyone who saw the set can confirm that this band definitely wins the award for the most frightening and insane live performance of the fest. A perfect example of what a chaotic mathcore band should do live (we got it on tape, you will see it very soon). You need to check out this band if you're a fan of The Dillinger Escape Plan's recent stuff and live attitude, or if you like some good mathcore in general.
Later on we received sad news that Destiny Potato had to cancel their show. But we were informed that it had only been delayed to the following day due to some trouble with their gear on the plane. Exist Immortal's performance received good feedback from the audience during the first afternoon. Other bands proceeded to play main stage, including the heavy live show from Cold Night For Alligators, supported by a good and enthusiastic audience as well.
After lunch, around 3:30 PM, our friends Damned Spring Fragrantia got on stage despite the long series of troubles with the UK plugs (they're completely different from all the other European plugs. And believe me, this gave a lot of problems to a lot of European musicians). Their set was powerful and enjoyed by a considerable audience. It was amazing for these guys to travel more than 2000 miles for their first show out of Italy and find several people already wearing their t-shirts. We filmed part of their set too, which featured a good portion of their latest album “Divergences” including the song “Heritage” that they weren't able to perform during their recent release party. I've already described more than once the power and the intensity of their live shows, so I won't reiterate. But it was a great show, trust me.
After that, UK local heroes Meta-Stasis played their ruthless show headlining the second stage. I had seen these guys walking around the camping grounds and the stages, doing their best to try to give away their CDs and spread their music, putting all their heart into it. You should check em out.
Destiny Potato's spot on the main stage was taken by the Israeli band Linked. Fronted by two vocalists, capable to bring dynamic singing, both clean and screaming, this band had a sort of Fellsilent and early Monuments flavour, reminding this band during the “We Are The Foundation EP” period. I've met them many times during the weekend. They were a bunch of really friendly guys (they also saved Damned Spring Fragrantia's ass one minute before their set, finding them an adapter for the UK plugs, of which I spoke before). I really hope to meet them again. This was the last show of their UK tour with Invocation and No Consequence, who played shortly after. The UK-based band signed by Basick records has been growing so much since last year. With the release of their album “IO”, they've been showing more than serious potential. They played the most renowned tracks, like the single “Coerce:Conform” and “Unify”, but also amazing tracks like “Enemy Of Logic” and “Bury The Debt”. It was a memorable and high quality performance from a band that has by now conquered their spot in the UK and international tech-metal scene as one of the most interesting and promising acts. Me and my mate also met their vocalist around the venue many times for some very drunk Italian lessons with him - one of the funniest moments of the weekend.
Unfortunately I was busy trying to solve problems with my computer and camera so I wasn't able to attend Cilice's performance and part of Scar Symmetry's set. Anyways, I was told that Scar Symmetry's set was damn intense and attended by the largest audience so far. They performed songs like “Morphogenesis”, “The Anomaly”, “The Iconoclast”, and “The Illusionist”.
After a short break we were ready for the first after-party! After midnight it was officially my birthday as well! Celebrating it here at UKTMF was one of the best experiences of my life. As I was walking towards the stage I met two really funny English guys that insisted that I had a real English birthday, so every time they found me without a drink in my hand they bought me one. Alcoholic nights apart, I met them in the following days and had great times with them. Unfortunately, I cannot remember their names (met so many people!) and I hope this post will help me find them.
I was really curious to see the UK-based metal & drum n' bass band Collisions. Luckily, I was sober enough to enjoy them and The Algorithm as well in a worthwhile way. There was a good number of people to watch them even though most of them didn't know the band. I must say that I was really surprised and liked their performance more than their studio stuff, which I actually already loved. They played their singles “Believe In This”, “Push” and the the Bjork cover “Army Of Me”, also bringing us some new amazing material. I'm definitely looking forward to this band's new album, coming very soon. You all should check em out too if you already haven't. After Collisions, it was the time for The Algorithm's live set. I already told you about The Algorithm's live show with Mike Malyan, and how intense and incredible they are. This time was possibly even better than the last time: Remi and Mike were also supported by an amazing guitarist adding thickness and epicness to the sound. The show was also more continuous, almost without interruption between the songs, making it more similar to a live DJ set.
First official day has been a fucking blast! Tomorrow will be probably be even better considering it's my birthday but also one of the busiest days. You'll see...
Italian tech-heads Damned Spring Fragrantia released their debut album “Divergences” through Basick Records on June 24th (and you can read our review HERE). That same night they were supposed to play a show in Milan supporting Thy Art Is Murder, but the show was canceled because of an injury sustained by TAIM's drummer. Fortunately they brought together another amazing show in a few days. And that show was their official release party. It took place on Saturday June 29th in Vicenza, north-east of Italy, with the support of two of the most interesting bands of our local scene: Despite Exile and Lies Of Nazca. After a long and adventurous travel by train I managed to get to the venue just in time to meet some friends and see the beginning of the show.
Lies Of Nazca took the stage about ten minutes after my arrival and I'm glad I made it to see their live debut. For those of you that don't know these guys, they're a new progressive deathcore band which debuted a few months ago releasing their first song and videoclip “Cosmogonal Grounds” and you can read their story HERE. They premiered a few new songs tonight which will be featured on their debut album, which we'll have some updates for soon. After a first shy and frigid moment the crowd began to move when they played their already known single. From that moment onwards the show was really fun and there was a really good response from the audience that was already there (which was already a good number). They played a total of six songs and I'd like to focus your attention especially on the forth one called “We. Unrelenting Mechanism” which sounded insane. Keep an eye on these guys because they've got something sick coming for you in the near future.
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Setlist
Periapsis: Condemnation
Periapsis: New Form
Cosmogonal Grounds
We. Unrelenting Mechanism
I. Sideral Messiah
Cardinality Of Perfection
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After a short break, Despite Exile got on stage. A larger number of people arrived at the venue before and during their performance. I already had the chance to see these guys perform live, supporting The Algorithm, and I'm glad to claim that the quality of their live performance even improved. They brought an intense and energetic live show which started mosh pits and heavy headbanging in the first lines - especially during the second half of their set. A fast, groovy and heavy exhibition by a band that's now capable of perfectly owning the stage and delivering an almost flawless performance. They opened their set with the song “Oscillate” and then performed some of their most known tracks like “Perfection Naturalized” and even a new song called “Immanence” that sounded pretty sick! Their last song was the single “Mecahnical” in which the band gave its real best. They're working on some new material right now and they hope to release it in the beginning of 2014. Expect big things and more heavy gigs!
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Setlist
Oscillate
Pure Crimson
Perfection Neutralized
Immanence (New song)
Kawabonga
Scarlet Reverie
Mechanical
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And now it's time for the main event, the band we're all here to celebrate. Damned Spring Fragrantia has brought our scene to be recognized by the prestigious label Basick Records. We're proud of the results these guys achieved. So much that many of us decided to travel and get here to support them and have fun together. This was actually one of the funniest shows I've ever been to, a truly amazing party and an unforgettable night. The band immediately started off its set with the opening track of their album “Still Alive”, followed by “A Common Tragedy” and one of the most appreciated songs off their album “The Obsidian Fate”. Two of my favourite songs followed: “Drowned In Cyan” and the title track “Divergences”. The performance was solid and heavy, while the sound was clean and huge. The audience responded with crazy and weird moshing. We had human-bananas and inflatable crocodiles in the mosh pit, a giant bottle of beer crowdsurfing, and many people stage diving on the same bass drop of “DMZ”. The show was really funny and insane for the entire audience. Fruit madness aside, the band also performed “The Refusal Effect” and the single “Lost Shores” which ended their set. They didn't have the time to perform the last song “Heritage” which should have ended their show, but the venue had trouble with the timing.
Regardless, it was amazing to meet a lot of good people and friends. We had fun all together on such an unforgettable night. We will meet Damned Spring Fragrantia again at Uk Tech-Metal Fest in a couple of weeks and I strongly recommend you all to come there and check 'em out!
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Setlist
Still Alive
A Common Tragedy
The Obsidian Fate
Drowned In Cyan
Divergences
D.M.Z.
The Refusal Effect
Lost Shores
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Damned Spring Fragrantia have finally unleashed their wild creature “Divergences”. Released on June 24th through the UK-based label Basick Records, this is a ferociously heavy venture worth your attention.
The enormous sound of this hungry monster's steps resound loudly as it hunts down its prey. Fast and agile, yet massive and destructive, it fiercely devours those who cannot escape its fury and ruthlessly treads on those who try to resist. This is an explosive mix of djent, math, progressive and hardcore elements melted with originality and perfect balance.
You can clearly hear it form this beast's awakening and very first roar on the opening track, resulting in a furious and lethal sonic storm. More virulent songs will follow. The new songs often look to be more linear than the previous singles “DMZ” and “Lost Shores” with no lack of complexity and creativity though. A couple of them will show hints of melody, like “Drowned in Cyan” or “Pariah” (featuring guest vocals of Charlie Holmes from Heart In Hand) but always packed in a brutal and sick musical ambush.
There are a series of corrosive and lacerating songs built on a solid and unpredictable riffage, supported by some unstoppable breakdowns. This is especially true in huge tracks like “The Obsidian Fate” or the three final songs, in which hides the best this album has to offer: the title track “Divergences” (probably the best overall song on the album), “The Refusal Effect” and the final song “Heritage”.
This album is savage. Overwhelming and uncontrollable, "Divergences" is a shattering declaration packed in one of the best debut albums of the year. This is definitely one of the most excessive records of 2013, only weakened by its redundancy and the cloudy effect caused by the harassment on such a huge and heavy sound, making it really hard to give each song its own hook. But they kinda managed to not make it annoying or repetitive. The chain has been broken and this beast has now shown itself in its whole mighty presence. It looks like it will not be caged again.
Damned Spring Fragrantia are about to release their debut album “Divergences” on June 24th via Basick Records. If you just can't wait to give it a listen, here are some snippetts! 30 second previews for every track can be heard at iTunes and Amazon.
These guys promise to bring down some heavy and destructive tunes. Most of the tracks are looking truly sick. As we wait for this massive beast to be unleashed, keep in mind that this band will be performing at this Summer's UK Tech-Fest in Peterborough. They'll also be playing a special release show in Italy on June 29th after their show supporting Thy Art Is Murder in Milan! Check out the previews below as well as two new playthrough videos and the lyric video for their song “DMZ”. Get stoked!
UK Tech-Metal Fest announced 11 new bands to perform at this Summer's edition of the festival. It will pack all kinds of extreme talent into Peterborough, UK from the 11th until the 15th of July! Check the full flyer down below.
The new additions are Exivious, No Consequence, Red Seas Fire, Visions, Damned Spring Fragrantia, Exist Immortal, Beyond The Dust, Shattered Skies, Foreboding Ether, Invocation, and Linked! All these new bands will now be featured alongside the 24 acts already announced, including Scar Symmetry, Tesseract, Veil Of Maya, Skyharbor, Monuments, Chimp Spanner, Sybreed and many more. This brings the count to 35 bands! And there are still more artists to be announced!
The festival has also announced the acts for the after-parties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This will feature a DJ set from The Algorithm, a live performance from the UK-based drum n bass-metal band Collisions, Aleksandra Djelmash, Aleksandra Radosavljevic; ESO, Drewsif Stalin, and the Bilo Super Jam, featuring David Maxim Micic, Bojan Kvocka, Milan Jejina Yeqy (Destiny Potato) Jakub Zytecki (Disperse), Tymon Kruidenier (Exivious), Sam Bell (Mask Of Judas), Uri Dijk (Textures), and Adam Swan and Mike Malyan (Monuments). If you live around Europe, you better not miss this festival. It's gonna be huge!
This is one of those things that makes you think there's still some kind of hope for your country's cultural future. A FREE SHOW was held at La Tenda in Modena, the north end of Italy, with The Algorithm (featuring Mike Malyan on drums!) and 3 Italian bands. It was a very underground show in a really cool venue. And even though this is not a big city, an outstanding number of people came to enjoy this amazing night.
The show started off around 9 pm with the performance of Psychostasy, a local Death Metal band which played a really fun set in front of a good number of people. Some friends came down to see them but a lot more people could enjoy their showmanship as they waited for the headliners. They have a demo out now wich is available for free download here if you want to give it a listen. You can also check an impressive drum cam video from the night of the show down below.
After their performance, the stage was taken by one of the most interesting bands in the Italian underground metal scene, Despite Exile. Hailing from Udine (wich is pretty far away from Modena), they came down here and melted our faces with a really intense show. I was especially surprised by the skills and the strong live presence of their singer, Jacopo, but the whole band put on an amazing set which was much appreciated by the audience. They played all their best songs, including the track for their new video "Oscillate", which is strongly recommended just like most of their tracks. Check out "Perfection Neutralized" and "Mechanical" on YouTube for example!
And now it's time for Damned Spring Fragrantia, the most promising, forthcoming, underground Italian band. Recently signed by the UK-based label Basick Records, they are going to release their debut album "Divergences" in 2013. Their performance was extremely powerful and explosive. These guys really owned the stage, and you can see they really have what it takes to attain international exposure. They played their single "DMZ", and even some new tunes from their forthcoming album "Divergences" which are sounded really huge. Definitely keep an eye on these guys.
A quick stage change and The Algorithm immediately started his show. Since the venue had some problems with timing, the set lasted about 40 minutes, or a bit less, but it was still enough time to be completely blown away. Rémi played the first song on his own and then he was joined by Mike Malyan (the drummer of Monuments) which really brought the show to a whole other level. Especially "Access Granted", which had the surrounding audicence respond with a slew of moshing and dancing from the very first lines. The whole crowd had a good time and enjoyed the show, even those who just came to give it a simple listen without knowing the artist, since the show was free-entry.
This is definitely a night I will never forget. I had the chance to talk with Mike and Rémi in the afternoon and we will be posting the interview we did very soon on this website. I had a lot of fun and met a lot of amazing people who were very kind and helped me even in some difficult situations. The Algorithm shows are something you need to see to believe. You better not miss it if Rémi and Mike come near you! - MATTIA
Let's have a Basick Records day. Why the hell not? With 2 huge recent signings bolstering their international roster, they deserve the spotlight. Italian tech-core heavyweights Damned Spring Fragrantia have officially signed with the label and make a great fit bringing parallels to other awesome groups such as Dissipate. They fuse tech-metal and hardcore in a big way, crushing the listener with a ton of massive, relentless groove.
The band just dropped a new single along with the news, "D.M.Z.". It's starts out with North Korean propaganda only to smash your eardrums with some straight metal seconds later. Definitely a solid track.
"D.M.Z." is the first single off Damned Spring Fragrantia's upcoming full-length record "Divergences". The debut album will pack 10 tracks of chaotic ruthlessness. There will also be a tasteful cameo from Heart In Hand's vocalist Charlie Holmes. All in all, it should be an awesome listening experience. "Divergences" is slated to be dropped on the world sometime early next year. While you're waiting for the release, check out "D.M.Z." and the official artwork for "Divergences" below. If you enjoy what you're hearing, go show the band some love and stay tuned for more news!
Want some irresistibly amazing free music? Here's the best news you'll hear in a while. Our favourite UK label Basick Records has been named “label of the month” by no less than Amazon.co.uk. That means for the entire month of November, you can get a ton of Basick releases at a specially discounted price - just £4.49 for albums and £1.99 for EPs.
