Ghostfest hits their tenth anniversary this weekend and after so many years of giving us the very best in Hardcore and Metalcore, they’re showing absolutely no signs of slowing down with this year’s line up looking particularly heavy and menacing. Once again smashing both Bristol and Leeds to pieces, leading the pack this year we’ve got one of THE legends in the scene sitting amongst a host of new and up and coming talent. The line up at Ghostfest is broken down across three stages so we’ve chosen the top three bands gracing each one. Get ready for the RIFFS.
Motion (Bristol), Stylus (Leeds)
Hatebreed
If you were to go around to every band on the line up this year and ask them to cite their main influences, at least 95% of them will have Hatebreed right up there amongst the top of their lists. It comes as absolutely no surprise then that Jamey Jasta and co. are topping the bill this year. Since day one their live shows have always been delivered with the same level of venom and if their gig at The Underworld not too long ago is anything to go by you can expect absolute bedlam across the floor once they hit the stage. It has been a few years now since the brilliant The Divinity Of Purpose was released so hopefully the band will be using this festival to showcase some new tunes. Even if they don’t with a back catalogue like theirs, this is set to be one of the best shows in the history of this festival.
Set Time: 21:45 - 23:00
Heart Of A Coward
Heart Of A Coward have become one of the most exciting bands in the Hardcore scene in recent years, mainly helped by the absolutely superb 2013 release Severance. Riding on this huge wave of momentum the band are now heading towards the release of Deliverance and with the size of the reaction already attributed to the release of a few tracks from it, Heart Of A Coward will almost certainly draw one of the biggest crowd of the weekend. Whether you look back to his days in Sylosis or now, Jamie Graham is one of the best frontmen in Hardcore at the moment and is consistently absolutely relentless live. This is a big show for them.
Set Time: 17:30 - 18:15
Malevolence
Not to be confused with the Portuguese Death Metal band, hailing from Sheffield this five piece are making all the right noises in the scene at the moment, slowly working their way through and beginning to build a seriously big following. They’re on very early in the day, but don’t be surprised to see the place absolutely packed out with people clamouring to see a band who will genuinely shred through some of the heaviest riffs you’ll hear all day.
Set Time: 13:15-13:45
Marble (Bristol), Mine (Leeds)
Stray From The Path
Topping the line up on this stage this year, American Hardcore Punk unit Stray From The Path are again another band on this line up who bring with them a huge cult following. The band have built quite an extensive back catalogue since 2001, but whilst they’re good on record it is on the live stage where they really bring the chaos. If you’re going to be checking these guys out, don’t expect to be able to hold on to your drink or stand still for any more than five seconds, they know how to create pure bedlam.
Set Time: 21:30 - 22:30
Desolated
Hailing from Southampton, it is difficult to call this band ‘up and coming’ due to the amount of material they’ve released but it really does feel like they’re beginning to kick on and find their stride. The band have been busy working away on new material so there is no doubt we’ll be treated to some of that during their performance. This is a big show for Desolated, one that could propel them in to higher slots on similar bills in the future.
Set Time: 16:45 - 17:15
Oathbreaker
When you’ve got backing from the likes of Max Cavalera, you know you’re doing something right. Oathbreaker are a band who seem to be permanently functioning under the radar, but with the kind of quality shown on Eros|Anteros this is unlikely to go on for much longer. This Belgian unit blend their vast talent together into music which genuinely sounds interesting and inventive. They’re all set to deliver one of the sets of the festival.
Set Time: 14:45 - 15:15
Warehouse (Bristol), Pulse (Leeds)
Martyr Defiled
We caught Martyr Defiled earlier this year at Camden Rocks Festival in a mid afternoon slot and it was absolute pandemonium. This weekend we’re going to be checking out Martyr Defiled again in a mid afternoon slot, you can see where this is going. The widely critically acclaimed No Hope No Morality released last year was one of the best Hardcore/Metalcore records in recent memory. Tracks like Demons In The Mist and No Hope amazingly sound even more relentless live so expect something special from this set.
Set Time: 18:15 - 18:45
Slaughter To Prevail
Immediately preceding Martyr Defiled on this stage are some crazy Russians. Slaughter To Prevail actually garnered one of the stronger reactions when we posted about their addition to the line up this year which instantly highlights the kind of impact they’re likely to slam down this weekend. Debut EP Chapters Of Misery confirms this to be a band to watch over the next few years.
Set Time: 17:15 - 17:45
Continents
No strangers to this event, Continents delivered an absolutely punishing performance at Ghostfest a few years ago and it is quite easy to predict that they’re going to do exactly the same this year. It’s been a few years now since this Welsh five piece released any material, but like a good few of the bands on the line up this year, they’ve been busy working away on new record, this one titled Reprisal, so expect them to be looking to impress with some new tracks.
Set Time: 16:15 - 16:45
So there you have it, those are our top picks from Ghostfest this year. Beyond these the line up is absolutely stacked this year including the likes of Emmure, Born Of Osiris and Xibalba to name a few. Tickets are still on sale so get yourself down to either Bristol or Leeds this weekend and lose yourself in the RIFF!