"With swords and blood drenched skulls in air, hailed by a crowd of baying warriors, it's official; metal has arrived in Hull!"

Set in the Piper Club, Hull - more infamous for its successful Indie nights and sports bar persona (which was evident when people started to arrive for the afternoon football game) than its Metal festivals! The 400 capacity venue was well suited to the enthusiastic metal crowd and its intimate setup made for a thrashing night of brutality and mayhem.
The festival was not a sell out but the fans that did make the trek for 12hrs of bone crunching riffs and throaty guttural vocals more than made up for it with brutal chaos.

To think they said they had just eaten fish and chips and were full and could not play… who are they kidding! Italian Metal giants Deliverance stormed through their furious thrash metal set complete with power metal lead guitar and a real powerhouse rhythm section Deliverance have been together since ‘92 and were heavily influenced by Metallica, Megadeth and Testament they have gone on to create their own classic thrash style but never losing its roots. This set was classic thrash at its best, close your eyes and you would be taking a trip back too the golden era of metal with a nostalgic visual of patches and torn demin sleeves. Superb set.

Super-charged Warchild set the power metal pace with a pounding rhythm section and slicing hooks that’ll make you wonder just where in the world these small modest monsters hail…. Italy? Really? Warchild have been experiencing an amazing reaction from UK and European fans of this demure 5 piece, recently playing to 800 at the Bloodstock indoor metal festival and receiving rave reviews from the industry, this is one of the last appearances for the band while they complete their new album, hopefully due December 05. They have been likened to 80’s metal, but with modern day originality, they are a much-needed breath of fresh air in a power metal arena where you have to find your place and stake your claim. Front man Francesco, sporting a Ruskin Arms t-shirt (The famous pub that Iron Maiden played back in 1979) grins out at the crowd ‘ The next song is a kind of present for everyone here’ as they rip into Iron Maidens ‘The Evil that men do’ the horns are raised and the crowd love it. Warchild have a lot of passion for what they do and it shows in their set and delivery. You guys blew me away.

By the time Conquest of steel took to the stage the metal fans were amped up and ready to headbang – the front barrier was lined with male and female warriors. Conquest of Steel delivered an uncompromising assault of British heavy metal with bludgeoning power chords, unyielding drumming and heavy bass lines. Conquest have already started to make a name for themselves for their signature stage presence – ‘We are more metal than metal – Only the devil can stop us now’ screams their front man to his awaiting legions of warriors, a war cry that was received with swords and skulls aloft and the crowd going ballistic. Conquest know their audience well and whip them up into a frenzy while running his tongue down a broad sword tasting the victory of death and battle and skull vessels of blood being drank and sprayed out into the awaiting warriors. They have not only adhered to the male testosterone fuelled fans either ‘Witches can be warriors too’ smirks their front man through a blood stained face. At the end of this power packed set you were left standing there blood-splattered, battered and begging for mercy. An absolute genius set.

Conquest of Steel is not an easy band to follow on stage. Humanity fitted the bill well and brought the music back from the battlefields to the haunting aftermath. This young Cambridge six piece are sitting on the right side of a genre that is about to explode, an intense progmetal band that have all the makings of a successful career. Deeply moving range of vocals and an enigma stage presence for front man Simon Shedwell sat well with the prog fans at the festival. There was no unleashing of mayhem but deep guitar riffs and melodic vocals that made for a perfectly balanced and controlled set with the keyboards adding an extra level and just superbly executed. For fans of prog metal I encourage you to check out Humanity.

Just when you think it could get not get any better the hometown boys Infobia enter the stage and don’t the crowd know it! They maybe known as the dinosaurs in Hull but they show exactly what that means with a professional and well polished set laden with heavy groovy riffs and an explosion of raw power and metal, enough to put smiles on the fans of classic British metal, and there are plenty of them here today. Derk is an amazing front man who never fails to please and entertain with his Opera trained voice and vocal range that would stop any metal front man in his tracks, the set is littered with humorous one liners and plenty of grins especially with the inclusion of dalek impersonations!! Infobia work and know their crowd well which includes ‘Evil Knievel’ Al jumping into the pit to get messy with his fans while still playing. This style of metal may not be for everyone but for those of us that have found Infobia we know it’s refreshing and downright dirty. This band should be huge…Is anyone listening?? Excellent set.

This inaugural festival was executed and received well, as with the ever-growing crop of independent festivals, this was arranged, financed and organised by fans for fans. There was great attention to detail with merchandise stands, a disabled section, plenty of basic food at the bar to keep people happy all day long and plenty of free parking along the main road outside. The running times were approximately an hour late due to an early sound desk outage but it did not stop the healthy crowd waiting for the metal disorder getting into the mood – the bar was strewn with fans and bands alike mixing and mingling, the atmosphere was electric in anticipation. This was an excellent festival and we are looking forward to Dominion 2. Well done lads and lasses you did yourselves proud.

Full line up:
Skyclad
Human Fortress
Intense
Infobia
Humanity
Conquest of Steel
Warchild
Deliverance
Headless Cross
Evile
Pitiful Reign