Sludgefest 2010 @ Tap n Tin, Chatham, Kent

Sludgefest

2010

@

Tap 'N' Tin, Chatham

Kent

For the second year running, Sludgefest takes over an intimate venue in Kent for an all ages all dayer, which despite what the title may suggest, isn’t a showcase for sludge bands. Instead, for 10 hours a host of metal, hardcore and deathcore bands from all over England take to the stage, flick their painstakingly styled emo hair cuts and unashamedly plug their myspace pages.

As the very young Our People Verses Yours begin playing their hardcore/screamo set, it is clear they have a very strong vocalist in the form of Joe Miles. His clean emo-esque vocals, interspersed with his vicious screams dominate the band’s performance. They incite some respectable crowd reaction from a band placed so low down the bill.

Fronted by fresh faced pretty boy Jamie Downs, who doesn’t look as if he is capable of such complex key changes as he switches seamlessly from guttural deathcore to high pitched screaming vocals, is Dethrone Exodus. Clearly tender in years but nevertheless tight as musicians, they even dare to cover A Day To Remember, with some impressive results.

Next, Sheffield’s Below The Ocean project their brand of brutal deathcore with some insanely heavy vocals backed up by aggressive, and sometimes sludgy, musicianship. The bassist is particularly strong, with both guitarists riffing over his thundering beats. These boys play a great set, although with deathcore bands saturating the scene at the moment they are going to have to fight hard to stand out. There is a slight lull in the middle of the show where the calibre of bands seems to fall slightly. A bit of clichéd, paint by numbers aggro metalcore from London’s Here Lies Affliction fails to get the crowd excited. Kent’s very own Breaking The Day with their uninspired, pseudo-prog metal, featuring electro effects and spoken word seem to take themselves slightly too seriously. Essex based Tides Of Virtue know how to create some noise and they have some notably intricate and fast paced guitar riffs, but they too fail to make a huge impression today.

As expected, the penultimate band Martyr Defiled explode with aggression and energy, creating a massive, overpowering sound that is punctuated by battering double base pedal action and vocals that are nothing short of demonic. With their new album on the way, Martyr Defiled are definitely a band set for serious success.

For unknown reasons, headliners Betraying The Martyrs pulled out of the line up, despite their name being clearly emblazoned on the many posters which adorn the venue’s graffitied walls. Instead, The Eyes Of A Traitor, signed to the same label as the absent headliners, are drafted in to fill the empty slot. This is a task which is unenviable to even the most accomplished of bands. It could easily be forgiven for a band to seem somewhat humbled knowing they were both a back up choice and not who the crowd were expecting. This could not be said of The Eyes of A Traitor, as the singer Jack Delany steps off the stage, delivering roaring vocals from the midst of the moshpit as the band back him up with generic, Killswitch Engage-ish metalcore.

In between songs he chastises the crowd and throws water. If only they put as much aggression and energy into their sound as the singer does into his attitude problem…Their performance is a massive anti-climax to what has been a great show. With the exception of ranking of the mighty Martyr Defiled, given the talent of the first few bands, today’s line up seems as if it should have been inverted.

Reviewed by Vicky Miller
Photography by Asif Salam

	Click Here to view full picture set in the gallery Sludgefest 2010
	Click Here to view Band Info Below The Ocean Despite My Deepest Fear Dethrone Exodus Here Lies Affliction Martyr Defiled Our People Verses Yours The Eyes Of A Traitor The Patriot Tides of Virtue