Reaper Festival 2023 – Day One: Saturday – Ultha/Darkher/Coscradh/Dawn Ray’d/The Sun’s Journey Through the Night/Ruadh/Calligram/Cairns – Derby The Hairy Dog, 29/07/23 (Live Review)

I’ve never been to The Hairy Dog before, but it’s a great venue with a good vibe and good sound system. I don’t actually think I’ve ever been to Derby before at all, but if anything was going to entice me here, it was this year’s Reaper Festival, brought to us by the wonderful Reaper Agency UK. It was a great day overall, and I’d gladly attend such a well-organised show again. Sadly I could only make day one of the festival, which is a shame, as day two has many great bands too.

Cairns

I don’t know Cairns, but they’re a good start to the day, with a surprisingly decent sound for so early a band. Although some of the more subtle and melodic elements of Cairns’ music are initially lost to the live mix, this is soon resolved and the band show what they’re capable of.

Cairns offer a flowing stream of atmospheric presence and post-blackened intensity. I can tell that the songs are well-crafted, and they make me want to check out the band’s recorded material, (of which they have one EP named Keening). As well as the usual screams you’d expect, their vocalist can really sing too. 

Cairns impressed. I like that a bigger crowd than I was expecting turned out to see them too.

Calligram

I’m genuinely surprised that Calligram are so low down on this bill. Whatever the reason for this, their withering intensity is as welcome as a calming breeze, albeit very, very different in nature.

Calligam’s live set is like a wall of snarling hatred, layered with grim melody and atmospheric breaks that are the calm before the very real storm. Charged with brutal energy and festooned with spikes and claws, the Calligram live experience is a tsunami of blackened distortion and teeth, punctuated with moments of light delicacy.

The band’s singer is just as maniacal and unhinged as I was hoping he’d be, and his serrated, piercing screams are even more potent when you can see that the person making them is a mere human, not some daemonic entity.

A strong set from a great band.

Ruadh

I’m unfamiliar with Ruadh, but I have heard good things about them. It turns out they’re warranted, and the band’s atmospheric black metal is well-formed and satisfying. Apparently they have four albums, none of which I’ve heard, (check them out here), but after this set I definitely want to rectify that.

Ruadh’s folk-influenced songs are engaging and well-performed. With a blunt bark, deep growls, harsh screams, and stirring clean singing, the singer has good presence, (and a very good set of pipes), and steers the music through melodic peaks and lush valleys. He also has abundant charisma, which is always nice to see.

Ruadh get a good response from the crowd, and I enjoyed their set a great deal. Ruadh have delivered the epic goods, and I’d love to see the band again.

The Sun’s Journey Through the Night

I’ve seen a lot of people hyping up The Sun’s Journey Through the Night, so I have been looking forward to seeing them, despite not knowing their music. They seem to have amassed quite a discography quite quickly, including new album Worldless, which was released the day before this show.

The Sun’s Journey Through the Night reveal themselves to be purveyors of sharp modern black metal that cuts deep with raw savagery, while also having an atmospheric ambient side that exudes menacing depth. The masked band are focused and more energetic than I was expecting. The music’s intensity is scathing, and I especially like the singer’s vocal performance and presence.

By the end of their set I very much like what I’ve heard, and The Sun’s Journey Through the Night have gained a new convert. They make a really positive impression, and I can’t wait to dig into their back catalogue at some point.

Dawn Ray’d

I’ve been a fan of Dawn Ray’d for years, so there’s an excitement here that’s tangible on my part. Surprisingly, this seems less reflected in the crowd, which has thinned somewhat since some of the earlier bands, at least at the start of their set.

Their loss, as Dawn Ray’d are just great. The band’s songs are reproduced in the live environment with effortless impassioned skill. This is black metal with hooks and catchiness aplenty, as well as a violin that’s even more absorbing live than it is on record. The band’s stage presence is compelling, and they’re very enjoyable to watch as they tear out song after song of angry black metal. All of the band are clearly into what they’re doing, but I especially love how animated the singer is.

Dawn Ray’d have not disappointed, despite a couple of minor sound issues. After tearing out a storming collection of tracks with vigorous intensity and to an enthusiastic crowd response, they leave the stage triumphant.

Coscradh

Next it’s time for Coscradh’s vicious ugliness. Nahanagan Stadial has drawn me back repeatedly with its furious blackened brutality, and live the band unleash Hell with their savage delivery. The sound may be a tad on the muddy side, but that doesn’t hold them back at all. Coscradh are like a primordial force of nature.

Coscradh’s triple vocal assault is a pleasure to witness, and the band attack their instruments with almost feral abandon. Their music is a near-impenetrable wall of angry distortion live, which works due to its sheer ferocity.

The crowd is still not back up to its previous numbers, but those that are here are obviously liking what Coscradh are selling. Coscradh’s atavistic black/death/war metal goes down well with those assembled.

Darkher

And now for a change of pace. In contrast to the other acts today, Darkher offer a slower and more delicate performance. Darkher’s expressive brand of doom is in stark contrast to the aggressive music we’ve had so far, but it slots in seamlessly to the day’s events. For a time, they draw the biggest crowd of the day too.

Darkher play a set of beautifully melancholic music, one that sees them build mood-focused soundscapes with ease. Bathed in light and dripping with emotive texture, the songs played are hypnotic and enthralling as the band’s understated presence speaks volumes.

Deeply immersive and richly atmospheric, Darkher play a captivating set throughout. From graceful fragility, to soaring resplendence, and colossal doom heaviness, Darkher enrapture all who witness them.

Ultha

And now for the main feast, something which I’ve hugely been anticipating. Treating the audience to a rendition of All That Has Never Been True
in its entirety, Ultha are the proverbial cherry on a very tasty cake.

Opening with an appreciative speech about the promoter supporting underground music, I can’t help but agree with the sentiments expressed. Ultha are one of those bands that I never thought I would get the privilege of seeing live, so this resonates with me.

Dispensing with any form of light show other than a continuous ambient orange glow, Ultha put their hearts into their music, and the crowd lap it up. Unfortunately some of the nuances of Ultha’s recorded work are drowned out tonight by an uneven sound, (some of their immense majesty and atmospheric weight is muddied), but even taking this into account, Ultha are an absolute powerhouse live.

Ultha get the best crowd response of the day, as you would expect for a headliner. During Carrion (To Walk Among the Spiders) the day’s first full-sized mosh pit erupts, which even prompts a comment from the band for everyone to make sure they take care of themselves, before the slinky bass groove of Haloes on Reverse begins. What a song.

After the last track of All That Has Never Been True fades, Ultha and the crowd still have more in them, so the band launch into a final epic length song, (No Fire, Only Smoke, I think?), which closes the evening off marvellously.

Tonight Ultha put on a sterling show that further cements in my mind why they are one of the best black metal bands in the world. I can’t wait to hopefully see them again in the future. If you get a chance to, do not miss it.