“They’re an excellent gateway band into experimental rock as well as a fantastic band in their own right, and they’ve only been going three years,” by Rob Batchelor

If you like your harsh, forest-cry vocals but crave pounding riffs rather than the buzzy biscuit tin amplifier set-up of much black metal, you could do much worse than VVOVNDS. Intense and terrifying. I fucking loved it. – By Rob Batchelor

Nobody else is making mechanical doom, nobody else would. We need Author & Punisher, and doom would be less interesting without him in it. – By Rob Batchelor

‘Militant’, Turbocharged’s latest release, is much the same as their other albums, with little to no progression between releases. It is a solid album, nothing more and nothing less. – By Rob Batchelor

“They’ve just got bigger, better, and heavier, which really came across live and “Foundations” sounded truly epic, shaking the pavement for confused smokers upstairs,” by Rob Batchelor.

Baltimore-based bards of bollock-shrivelling doom Foehammer’s self-titled EP is an absolute blinder – it’s a bloody sweet cake of an album, like a giant pudding of sound, which you really look forward to tucking into with a big spoon on a quiet afternoon. – By Rob Batchelor

“I’d never quite grasped how theatrical the band were from listening to their records, but seeing them live gives them that new dimension,” by Rob Batchelor.

Halsbug are brilliant. They place themselves squarely at the catchier, punkier end of what is usually a messier, more violent sound. – By Rob Batchelor

The sheer intensity that six men can create, when powered by an audience that wants to tear at each other, which in turn feeds that audience further, becomes some unholy perpetual motion machine. by Rob Batchelor

The Satanic Verses proves that Abazagorath have got everything you need to make great modern black metal – an ear for a great song combined with a hatred of religion and society in general. – By Rob Batchelor

“At the very worst, you’ll come away with a handful of names you will look up on Bandcamp or Bandsintown; at best you’ll leave with a deep sorrow in your heart, and pine while sitting on the bus to work…” – Rob Batchelor

“It is nearly sold out so if you fancy going, you’d better get yourself a ticket. I’ve already got mine so, if nothing else, you’ll can take comfort in the fact that I’ll be there.” by Rob Batchelor

There’s only 400 tickets available for the two day event, taking place at the Custard Factory in Birmingham, so consider yourself already perilously close to not getting a ticket. Best just close this page and book one, or two, or more, then come back and read this next bit in which I talk about the line-up. by Rob Batchelor.

Suffice to say, Conan sound incredible. Can you worship tone? The mammoth sound that Jon Davis creates from six strings, a T-shaped headstock and a wealth of chrome is simply out of this world. They’re so loud, so powerful, the music is so simple but devastatingly effective. By Rob Batchelor.