Hierophant Nox | Feature

	Special Feature- Festival Report.
	Hub & Heuy Metalfest VI 13 and 14 March, De Azijnfabriek, Roermond, The Netherlands
	Saturday 14th dawns, and I’d like to say the Hierophant Nox team was up bright and early, maybe going for a little jog and looking at the local wildlife, but in fact we were so devastated from the night before that it was a struggle to emerge from the hotel before noon. Still, with a full twelve hours of festival yet to enjoy, it was time to adopt some steely resolve and get on with the job in hand. The venue was already quite busy by the time we turned up to have a few beers with Context; although there was a long way to go before the end of the night, many people wanted to ensure they saw every band on the bill. And given the early successes, they were right to do so…
	DAY TWO - Part 1 DEFCON ONE: If Murder Manifest’s job was difficult yesterday, Defcon One’s was even harder, as with so much metal lined up the audience wanted to conserve its strength. There was a historical aspect to this act beginning the second day, seeing as they played at the very first Hub and Heuy festival back in 2000. Since then they’ve encountered some changes and even split up, but they’re back with a strong and brutal sound now. If the complexity of their ideas is somewhat lost on the afternoon crowd, Coen’s impassioned, grunting performance still turns heads, and I’m sure many will have checked the band out later on.

	CONTEXT: Another Dutch act, Context are a whole lot more interesting onstage than they might sound on paper, being a mixture of many diverse influences, centring on a shared love of 80s thrash. The audience is treated to a very energetic performance, with some manic dancing from frontman Bram, and a couple of random forays into the audience by guitarist Koen! He tells us later that if the audience don’t bring him the enthusiasm, he feels free to bring it right out to them, and hell, he really does so this afternoon. The band rampage through their album “Human Devolution”, using the title track as a hard-hitting opener, and the room quickly fills. Dancing and drinking find the perfect accompaniment in the infectiously fast-moving thrash, and the band really seem to enjoy themselves.

	THE OATH: Adding further variation to the line-up, The Oath hail from France, and peddle a modern, aggressive brand of black metal, the brutal, stomping rhythms of which owe much to death metal’s relentlessness and blunt edges. Although I’ve listened to this act quite a lot in the past and failed to really get into them, they definitely put on a solid live performance, with a lot of commitment from frontman Destroyer, and they easily convey the impression that each man is giving his all. Although they’re keen to promote their most recent album “4”, there are some tracks from “The End of Times” aired tonight as well, most notably “Amen”, which sounds excellent. When the stomp meets with the melody, The Oath can be really powerful - in the live arena that seems to happen quite often.

	IZEGRIM: Back to the Netherlands for the next act- deathy thrash unit Izegrim. Not to be flippant, but these guys really should be endorsed by Pantene or something- they all have such lovely hair! Strange female observations aside, I will add that Marloes is a captivating frontwoman, calm but powerful, and it’s largely due to the diversity of her voice that Izegrim can make such an impact before an audience. There are lots of people here keen to catch this act, some of whom seem to be regular supporters who have travelled to show support. During an impressive and punchy set, Izegrim make sure the tracks from their new EP, “Point of No Return” all get an airing, so that the warm crowd feel the full force of their latest incarnation and style. They sound particularly tight, and it’s a joy to hear Jeroen and Bart trade confident, agile guitar lines. Some fans will definitely have been won tonight.

	DAY TWO - Part 2