The first day of one of the rising UK festivals is up and running with some of the world's finest death and grind bands playing on the bill, Kin Hell Fest has risen out of its much smaller venue and gone more upscale to prepare for the sheer brutality of the bands to play for the next 3 days. With bands playing such as NAPALM DEATH, ANAAL NATHRAKH, ONSLAUGHT and so many more throughout the weekend it's no doubt it's sold incredibly well, Kin Hell Fest is for anyone who loves great Metal in an even better environment.
 

Describing themselves as ''A musical abortion'' on their Facebook page, DEATH TRIPPER are first on stage for the day filled of Metal, starting off with a small crowd which gradually got pretty big nearing the end of their set. The band hailing from Nottingham combine classic Grindcore blast beats and guitars with growling vocals, vocalist Phil Illsley is a man packed full of energy and is pouncing all around the floor into the crowd whilst managing to pull out vocals that some of the biggest bands could envy. DEATH TRIPPER are certainly a band to be watching out for in the near future and certainly have so much going for them within the extreme metal scene if they keep going the way they are.
 

EPHERMERAL FOETUS are a band which are extremely hard to describe but yet a band you must see live a numerous amount of times, even if you aren't a fan of the genre. All members of the band have very obvious influences in the way they play combining various styles of crust punk and d-beat, vocalist Dave Evans is certainly a performer, by rolling all over the floor whilst screaming lyrics into the microphone. The band are full of pure rage and energy which can't be compared to another band in the same genre.
 

Next up is PIST who grace The Vox's stage with constantly great riffs and heavy rock vocals, the Manchester band are the English equivalent of DOWN but so much better in various ways. Guitarist John Nicholson is a guitarist you better be watching out for in years to come, pulling out memorable and catchy riffs which automatically make you want to start head banging which is made better by their vocalist's energy on stage. PIST certainly got attention from the crowd and are a band that can please a crowd so easily.
 

NECRO DEATHMORT are a band you either love or hate, but they certainly got a crowd at 'Kin Hell Fest. The necrotronic twosome AJ Cookson and Matthew Roziek combine old school black metal with electronic style beats which somehow sounds pretty good even with added some crude sounding screams from Matthew Roziek which gave it it's dark vibe.
 

The next band certainly got the crowd's windmilling for 30 minutes straight, Scottish death metallers INIQUITOUS SAVAGERY take over the stage with their sheer brutality and stage presence, they are certainly one of the heaviest bands of the day. Vocalist Josh Roberts has enticingly low growls which goes great with the fast paced blast beats and old school style Technical Death Metal guitars which are catchy and easy to mosh too with any track played by the band. INIQUITOUS SAVAGERY are certainly loved by the Kin Hell Fest crowd as they gain rounds of applauds by the growing crowd.
 

The trend of the event is that it switches from the heaviest Death to Doom or Black Metal very quickly, the same applies for the next band playing which is HAAR who manage to get the crowd excited with their fog machines and modernised old school Black Metal sound. Blast beats certainly can't get any faster than this which only enhanced the growling vocals which follow the dark melodies of the guitar work. HAAR are a band to watch out for within the Scottish metal scene and will be making their way to the highest peaks of black metal very soon.
 

EVISORAX have the stage energy that you could only see at a DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN show but only more brutal riffs with a big dollop of Grindcore mixed with Death Metal. Their guitarist Dan is the most energetic of the group as he jumps all over the stage whilst screaming at the audience with much aggression but vocalist Simon switches fast but perfectly between his screeching highs and growling lows when the beats switch in the tracks. The UK Grindcore trio are filled with pure aggression and power for their music, if you love NAPALM DEATH and BRUTAL TRUTH then this is a band to get angry to.
 

Fronted by two women with a passion for Doom Metal means it's time for UNDERSMILE who run the stage with much needed doom & gloom. When you hear the eerie vibe you can't help but be addicted to their sound, it's catchy in a very dark way and will have you tapping your feet slowly to their gothic beat, Hel Sterne and Taz Corona-Brown are the most metal women at the festival with their super haunting vocals which sometimes are inaudible but are made up for with low bass notes and slow drumming by Olly Corona-Brown and Tom McKibbin which receives your undivided attention.
 

All was running well with the stage times until INGESTED appear late but certainly make up for it with the brutal sounds which get the crowd excited all over again, INGESTED is the start of the festival playing a few of the bigger bands of the day and it shows when the fans of the band start moshing away. Vocalist Jay Evans has some of the most unique vocals you can hear in the newest breed of Metal when he shows off his brutal lows when combined with Sam Yates and Sean Hynes it's a perfect slam mix. INGESTED is exactly what the start of the heavier side of the night needed to kick off!
 

There was no doubt that PENTAGRAM would pull of a truly explosive performance playing new and old hits which are impossible to hate. Leaded by Anton Reisenegger ferocious vocal talent only made better by Juan Pablo Uribe and Juan Pablo Donoso who produce a mix of Thrash and Death which makes all the audience go wild, but the night gets better when the legendary Tomas Lindberg joins the trio onstage much to the excitement of the already rowdy audience. It would be very hard to be able to top PENTAGRAM on a performance like this but they came close with the headline band about to enter the stage.
 

A lot was expected of the next group to appear on stage, being one of the pioneers of the early Grindcore scene and having a live reputation to live up to which only means it was time for the legendary NAPALM DEATH to start up one of the mentalist shows of their career. From the first blast beat the show was already as heavy as it could get with crowd surfers and mosh pits starting from the word go, the setlist was full of fan favourites such as ''When All Is Said And Done'', ''The Wolf I Feed'' and the super short hit ''You Suffer'' which made everyone smile. Their vocalist Mark ''Barney'' Greenway is still as active on stage as he was over 10 years ago and shows no signs of wear and tear within his Grindcore life, Barney provides the low growls whilst guitarist Mitch Harris provides the highs needed for the superb grind sound. NAPALM DEATH provide the chaos that the night needed.
 

The venue calms down for 20 minutes so everyone gets a tiny rest before the night carries on with grind duo FAMINE who gets the audience back moshing fast within their tiny set. Drummer and guitarist Alan Rice and George Wright pack The Vox's stage with a rush of energy and an old school grind sound.
 

Kin Hell Fest provides you with an extra treat in the form of Death / Grind super group LOCK UP with members of AT THE GATES, NAPALM DEATH, CRADLE OF FILTH and PENTAGRAM which only means it's such an awesome treat for dedicated fans of each band featured. Tomas Lindberg's vocals as always are on true top form, shouting with passion with a presence you could see on a much bigger stage, Anton Reisenegger thrashes out on the guitar as he takes a more aggressive approach to his side project. Members of LOCK UP have played throughout the day but it certainly hasn't worn them out, they still have the energy to get the crowd going wild.
 

Last minute festival announcement A STORM OF LIGHT end Friday nights shenanigans, though the crowd was tired after seeing so many bands in one day the show went on to be a blast. All members of the band had something special to give to the last performance of the night and their individuality shone through creating a perfect mix of various Metal genres.

Overall the first night was chaotic but extremely memorable with bands pulling out all the stops for their fans old and new. All bands featured on the line up all worked hard to be there and showing off their metal talents.