Evil Scarecrow, Imperial Vengeance & Def Con One launch the inaugural Beermageddon

Beermageddon is Britain's newest Heavy Metal festival and the 2012 edition was the first.

Located at the Black Horse Inn, a decently sized pub with adjacent camping, in the sleepy town of Somercotes, Derbyshire. The venue and surrounding village have everything you could possibly need either on-site or within a reasonable walking distance.

The idea of an intimate festival featuring some of the countries best up-and-coming bands has an appeal all of its' own. The festival organisers have hand-picked the bands for this years event giving a wide variety of some of the hottest new talent around. The fans have travelled from all corners of the UK (literally) to come and see either something they've seen somewhere else, a friends band, a local band or just something completely new. Either way the atmosphere from the start is both relaxed and excited with the anticipation of what's to come. Greeted by 'Chunk' at the gate we were asked simply "Band or Head-banger?" and pointed to the camp-site. Being a smaller festival, you go with an expectation of minimal facilities.

The organisers did everything they could to provide a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. There were plenty of toilet facilities available in the camp-site and for those who preferred to be indoors, the publicans were kind enough to leave the inside bathrooms open as well. A hot food van was open for Breakfast and stayed open into early hours of the morning serving up bacon rolls to burgers and tea & coffee for those who didn't want to (or couldn't) barbecue or cook their own food – or order from the local kebab shop (which admittedly was amazing). Serving up some of the cheapest and finest local ales as well as all of your local pub staples, the Black Horse was a perfect choice for this weekend.

The Friday was opened up Haerken; blasting their way through tracks about Myths and Legends the trio did what they came to do – start the party and set the pace for the weekend, even if they did cause/suffer from the occasional power-cut; Haerken never let the momentum drop, this is after all a festival with Beer in the title, and these boys got everyone in the spirit. One thing that the festival organisers wanted to achieve was to keep everyone happy – even between bands. 50's-style Burlesque performer Kitty Liquor did exactly that, this girl gave 3 phenomenal performances between bands and the crowd gave her the attention and applause she so rightly deserved.

A Fable for the Curious were up next and as the festival-goers filtered in to the site, the crowd filled the room and the temperature increased. A Fable for the Curious handled their time exceptionally. Blasting out killer riffs, the Tee-side Quartet ripped through a set inspired by 90's metal much to the enjoyment of those already in attendance and those arriving. Welsh Metallers Fell On Black Days were up next and don't be fooled by the name – I saw it and thought Soundgarden? Nope, drawing from Metal-core roots, FOBD didn't just raise the roof, they ripped it off in a manner reminiscent of Parkway Drive's first appearances in the UK. Brutal and Powerful is the best way to describe the Welshmen and Beermageddon was now a living breathing entity – Metal was alive in the heart of England.

Nottinghamshire has given us lots of things over its history; Robin Hood, Su Pollard, Ed Balls and of course Beermageddon's first official headline act Evil Scarecrow. One of the top 'Unsigned' bands in the UK today threw down the gauntlet of a 'Robototron' fancy dress theme- Beermageddon goers responded; and Evil Scarecrow rewarded the well-robotic, hot and music-hungry crowd with their own hard hitting tunes like 'Sixty Six Minutes Past Six”, “Blacken the Everything” as well as covers of some brilliant and inventive tracks, such as the theme from 'Thunder-cats' and Europe's 'The Final Countdown'. These Parody Metallers rightly deserved their slot and their place in Beermageddon history.

One of my favourite parts of Beermageddon was the relaxed atmosphere, it didn't matter who you were here to see, it didn't matter if it rained, it didn't matter if they ran out of your favourite beer, there was always something going on. Magician Will Jones was one of my personal highlights. He wandered the festival site like some kind of mental metal street magician bemusing and bewildering those in attendance with brilliant tricks and entertainment matching some of the best in Europe. There are some baffled people walking around post Beermageddon Britain still trying to figure out just 'How did he do that?'

Diementia launched what can only be summed up as Super Saturday. With influences ranging from Lamb Of God, Pantera, Slayer, and Anthrax to Fear Factory and Evile; Diementia tore through their set and the Glasgow based quartet set the stage for what was to become one of the most brutal days of the weekend. If there were hang-overs from Friday night, Diementia was the perfect cure. Exeter based Sanguine followed and for all intense and purposes seemed to be one of the crowd favourites of the weekend. The female fronted quartet quickly filled the room and the Beermageddon heads were banging. From soft soulful harmonies to pitch-perfect screams lead singer Tarin Kerrey had the crowd in the palm of her hand and the chants of 'more, more, more' made everyone ask – "where can I get more of these guys?" A question which underlines the point of the whole weekend.

Sets from Twilight's Embrace, The Furious Horde, and another crowd favourite - Birmingham thrashers Warlord UK kept the pits going, the heads banging and the music thumping.

Set to round out the evening were Bloodshot Dawn, hailed by Terrorizer Magazine as a band that delivers "blistering live shows" a lot of people had come to see this technically ferocious extreme metal band, and boy did they deliver. It's not hard to see why these guys have caught the attention of fans and the media alike. Fallen Fate big shoes to fill, and did so in the only way they can. Be as hard, fast and brutal as possible. Bringing a blend of Modern-Thrash and American Metal, Fallen Fate are one of the hottest tickets in the UK and are a definite must-see. And so it was down to Imperial Vengeance to round off the night. Did the crowd have the energy left in them to do themselves justice? Would it be possible for Imperial Vengeance to top what had come before them? All of these questions would have to wait while magician Will Jones performed some of the tricks he'd been seen doing around the site as well as some impressive stage shows.

If there was any doubt as to how Imperial Vengeance was going to over shadow anything that had gone before them and justify their place as headliners, the doubts were instantly erased when the Dark Aristocratic Death Metallers took the stage. What is 'Dark Aristocratic Metal'? Well simply it's Absinthe and Cigar-fuelled symphonic brutality at it's finest. C. Edward Alexander's vocals and arrangements blend perfectly with savage riffs and pulsating drums. Imperial Vengeance destroyed everything in their path with a savagery seldom seen in these lands. So much so, that most of the crowd went to bed early; saving the party for the last day.

Wretched Soul expertly kicked off the Sunday and in what seemed to be quick succession were followed by Karhu, Allerjen, the mind blowing pace of Reizenwolf, Seregon, and Illflower setting the stage for another well anticipated band Fury who as all that had gone before them did not disappoint their status and standing in this festival.

Fury brought something back that I hadn't felt in a while. It's hard to put your finger on, but when a band makes you want to run out of the room to tell everyone "you gotta come see this" - they have something special, only there was no-one outside as they were all watching Fury tear-up the stage. Thankfully there was again some respite as Will Jones took to the stage one last time to perform something special he'd been saving all weekend for the crowd, and did not disappoint. I don't know how they do it, but magicians are a pretty sneaky bunch. I've got the self-signed card to prove it.

Def-Con-One were given the duties of wrapping up this years festival and did so in epic style. Bloodstock Festival described these guys as "coming across like a bar fight between Machine Head, Slayer and Pantera" you get the picture of how good these guys really are. With some Social-issue driven lyrics, pulsating drums, power-riffs and the speed to match, it's no wonder Def Con One were given the job. A perfect end to a perfect weekend.

I can't say enough how well this festival was run, placed, timed, organised and enjoyed by everyone. The organisers should take a moment and be proud of what they have accomplished. They have taken the concept of a British Heavy Metal Festival and brought it right back to its roots. Beermageddon will return in 2013, but at a larger venue and if you missed this festival, you missed something special.

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