First taking place in 2009 Mammothfest has gone from strength to strength over the years, now offering a full three days of metal over two stages to leave your ears well and truly ringing.
Metal fans have been frothing at the mouth all year after being promised a line-up of heavy hitters including Greece’s Rotting Christ, who will be playing tracks from their latest album ‘Rituals’ in a UK exclusive, and Italian symphonic death metallers Fleshgod Apocalypse, another exclusive for the British Isles. Also playing are Ravenshead’s premier thrashers Lawnmower Deth and sharp-suited Satanists with a penchant for all things black and proggy, Akercocke.
It isn’t just about the big guns though and SOURCE can’t wait to see the cavalcade of local, Brighton talent that the festival has to offer. First up are black metallers Vehement, bringing their long and drawn out epics to the main stage. Bleed Again make an appearance combining groove metal anthems with a touch of power vocals, and Hole In The Sky will be playing their blend of thrash riffs and guttural growls. Meanwhile, Guttural Carnage promise to chug out more than a few laughs with song titles like ‘Bernard Matthews Orgy’.
Grave Lines will be bringing some stoner doom to the seafront on the Sunday alongside Kalloused whose doom sludge is awesomely divided into ongoing parts rather than songs (their debut EP features tracks ‘Pt.1’ through ‘Pt.6’). Also from Brighton, Solleme are sure to let the atmosphere of sludge continue and build for a while before unleashing their heavy choruses, while Mutually Assured Destruction promise some proper punky thrash.
If you like your music hard and heavy get down to the new Mammothfest venue of the Arch on the first weekend of October for a weekend of music, beer and fun.
The Arch, Friday 6th – Sunday 8th October 2017
Words by Samuel Smith