All images supplied by EAST SEA METAL FESTIVAL
Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)

EAST SEA METAL FESTIVAL- DAY TWO
Longyou County, China
October 20th 2024

Waking up on day two of the East Sea Metal Festival, my first instinct was to check my weather app and look out my hotel window. There was no more rain forecasted, other than a light drizzle but I did not trust the sky. Poncho in tow and taking my shoes on one final outing (they had not quite recovered from the day before’s venture)- I headed back over to the festival sight.

The once green field had now become a mud pit, sparking a little caution in the way the audience decided to throw down. At the start, people were trying to remain as clean as possible but after a realisation that there was no escape, many just fully embraced their muddy doom.

First cab off the rank for our coverage was the dapper gentlemen in Order To Kill. I will be honest and say I had no knowledge of this band beyond their artist photo and the sound that came out absolutely threw me. Hitting the stage with a mix of mafiaesque dapperness and bosuzko gangster swag, my jaw hit the floor once they ripped into their set. The crowd? RABID. People going nuts. It was a feast of the senses for deathcore lovers everywhere. Nasty breakdowns, pig squeals galore and a pit synchronicity that felt both choreographed and a naturally occurring phenomenon. It won’t be a set that I will be forgetting anytime soon.  

While preparing to attend this festival, I found myself coming back to Cancer Game. So, I was very keen to check out their set and hot off the toes of Order To Kill’s set, I was even more astounded by the level of talent this country has to offer. Playing the big stage, they had the pit somewhat divided because nobody was game enough yet to throw themselves back into the mud pit that yesterday’s activities had caused. Instead, both sides of the stage had separate pits to two-step and spin kick, then coming together for the circle pits in the middle. That wasn’t enough for the Guangzhou Hardcore Crew as they made their way up on the stage- getting around the very high barrier that sometimes can kill the vibe of a hardcore/metalcore show. Forty straight minutes of tight, heavy as hell metalcore- this is a band that NEEDS to tour internationally.

After recovering from the insanity of Order To Kill and Cancer Game, it was time to take NOISE ‘N’ VISUALS back to its roots- starting off with Chinese metalcore influenced visual kei band Scarlet Vision. Microphone issues caused some problems at the start, which lead to an impromptu rhythm section jam session and banter from the bass player but once it was sorted it was go, go, go. With some influences from the Gazette and Dexcore, they really embraced the pit side of their metalcore influences. Two-stepping, wall of death and an overall mosh. It was intriguing to see the bangya and the hardcore kids unite together to go damn hard.

Keeping with the theme of visual metal, one of the bands at the forefront of this fusion of scenes is Japan’s Deviloof. The Osaka Vkei deathcore act came out ready to absolutely rip. Even during their soundcheck, you could hear drummer Kanta going nuts. It was a sonic representation of a volcanic eruption. So much so, guitarist Ray even toppled over, but recovered. As the chaos ensured, bass player Daiki doubled as a stage manager, keeping the show on the road. One thing that cannot be ignored is just how incredible frontman Keisuke’s vocal ability is nuts. It was one of those sets where the ferocious energy seemed to overtake the crowd, sending everybody FERAL. Gnarly, brutal and just wild as hell. I may have pulled a muscle headbanging to them.

With a small bit of set-up time to allow us to recover a little, it then came to for Deviloof’s fellow countrymen and good friends, Dexcore. Backing up these two bands makes sense, but holy hell, was it rough on the body. They did not come to play. Everything they do is just heavy and aggressive. Frontman Kagami has the most incredible vocal range and that is fully evident live. Their support drummer certainly earnt his pay cheque because you felt everything. Stage presence unmatched as their guitarist Yumeto & bass player TO-RU were flying across the stage, spin kicking and going hard. Yumeto absolutely shredding. The breakdowns were thundering. Just when you thought they couldn’t go heavier, they got lower, slower and harder. Their energy was unrelenting and obviously the crowd felt it because there were demands for an encore. Unfortunately, though, their wishes were not granted as they were not the headliners, and they had a schedule to keep.

I am always guilty of bragging and saying that Australia has the world’s best metalcore and I would like a video of the festival’s day two headliners set to use as evidence. There is a reason that Make Them Suffer are becoming one of the most talked about bands in the genre and out of all the festivals I’ve been to in my 20 years of gig attendance, this would be up there as one of the best sets I’ve ever witnessed. Coming out with ‘Epitaph’ made their entrance even more epic and as an Aussie, I have to admit: I got so emotional. Their guitarist Nick McLernon shirtless and more shredded, than his playing. This combined with Alex Reade playing and looking like an absolute goddess, their bass player Jaya Jeffery’s chill vibe, the lethal combo of groove and heaviness from drummer Jordan Mather and frontman Sean Hermanis’s undeniable charisma- they were all just so fucking cool. If my neck had not been destroyed by the previous two sets, it was annihilated with this one. Making their debut in a country by headlining a festival is a big feat, but they nailed it. They were every bit anthemic as they were gritty and raw. Heaven and hell delivered in one set. The wall of deaths went hard. The circle pit went crazy. Mud was EVERYWHERE. The barricade almost came down, not because of the crush but because people were holding on and headbanging so hard. It felt like I had been dropped into a movie scene it was so epic. Hitting us with glimpses of their new album and already loved songs like ‘Contraband’- it just felt like the perfect set.
Unfortunately due to probably a curfew, the band was not able to play an encore despite the crowd once again begging but, the impression they made on their first time hitting Chinese shores will be felt for a long time. Delivering performances like this, combined with their new album (stay tuned for our review), the hype around Make Them Suffer is not only warranted- if anything, understated.

After two days of absolute metal mastery, a battering from the elements and a vibe that was unmatched- East Sea Metal Festival was like a movie. If they continue on this trajectory, it could be one of the biggest festivals in Asia.

I will be planning to attend next year.

This is day one of two of the East Sea Metal Festival live report. We would like to thank the East Metal Festival organisers for allowing us to attend as a guest.