Next month, heavy metal fans will descend on Leeds University for the annual Damnation Festival. Now in its 13th year, the festival is set to once again deliver the best in heavy metal, doom, sludge and more. The 2017 edition sees the festival become more diverse with post-rock, progressive rock, and post-punk.
Joining the likes of Bloodbath, Sodom, Paradise Lost, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Pallbearer, Nails, Nordic Giants, Agent Fresco, and Grave Pleasures on the bill next month are Sweden’s The Great Discord. Fresh off the release of ‘The Rabbit Hole’ earlier this month, it sees the quintet take a theatrical exploration of the idea of “there can be no light without darkness”. As its title suggests, it takes you down a lyrically intriguing rabbit hole. At the forefront of The Great Discord is the impressive vocal talent of Fia Kempe. Revolving around tech/prog metal, her infectious delivery adds grandeur with songs such as ‘Omen’, ‘Noire’ and ‘Gadget’ capturing their blend of pop, metal and prog perfectly. While the haunting ‘Neon Dreaming’ serves as a mesmerizing standout.
As they prepare to make their mark at Damnation Festival, we spoke The Great Discord’s drummer Aksel Holmgren as he recommends five bands to see at the festival.
Bloodbath
Showcasing everything that’s awesome about death metal. This is a show you can’t miss.
Nails
A new-ish acquaintance, HM2 buzzsaw guitars, God City production, sheer aggression, what’s not to like?
Leprous
Norway’s masters of the progressive, always complex and evolving but retaining clear melodies that stick with you.
PG.Lost
Our brothers from Norrköping. Cinematic post-rock at it’s finest. An adventure in sound.
The Great Discord
Theatrical, melodic with a big emphasis on stage presence. Singer Fia Kempe is a force of nature. Be there or be square.
‘The Rabbit Hole’ by The Great Discord is out now on The Sign Records.
The Great Discord links: Facebook
Damnation Festival 2017 takes place at Leeds University on 4th November, 2017.
Damnation Festival 2017 links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|YouTube
The complete line-up for Damnation Festival 2017 is: Bloodbath, Sodom, Paradise Lost, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Warning, Dying Fetus, Nails, Nordic Giants, Dragged Into Sunlight, Myrkur, Pallbearer, Big Business, Vallenfyre, Leprous, Agent Fresco, Grave Pleasures, The Great Discord, Pyschedelic Witchcraft, Pyscroptic, Wiegedood, Beyond Creation, Leng Tche, Mutation, Pg. Lost, Disentomb, Bodyhound and Wren.
