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After being sidetracked by new friends wanting to chat about what we’d just seen, I ventured down to The Dev and caught the last few songs of Nomadic Reign. They have a good range of tempos, but the vocal seemed a bit off at times. There was a slower song near the end which impressed me, even more when the riff kicked in and the final song was also decent, however, the reason for my final trip down to the venue was to check out Tallinn’s Kannabinoid and the trio didn’t let me down.

They are one seriously impressive band to watch, as the bare-chested duo of Taniel Tegelmann and Jerl Norden, really stretch my listening capacity on the third day of the festival. They are loud, and I mean LOUD!!! Starting with “Riitus” and “Oota” they blend slow build ups with moving riffs and deafening screams, to create hefty songs, as they continue with “Vaata” and “Paranoia”.

Heads are banging all over the place, as the rhythms are destructive, the drums are devastating and the moody lighting emphasises their hypnotizing stage presence. They quite simply pulverise your soul with noise, as the riffs come thick and fast with songs called “Ring”, “Looja” and “Mass”. They manage to shift their arrangements and compositions exceptionally well, and it all combines impressively as they end with “Imemees” and receive huge applause from those who survived their aural onslaught.

Before my last walk up to The Roundhouse for the final two bands on my list, I popped into The Underworld to catch a bit of Howling Giant. With aching feet, I sat in a little booth with a cold beer and listened to their heavy psyched out music, and it was exactly what I needed at that time. The music washes over you in waves, and in no time at all, I was tapping my hands along to their majestic rhythms. The Tennessee based rockers offer something unique and sounded so damn good, that I stood up for the final two songs and nodded along appreciatively.

It had been over 16 years since I last saw The Sword, when they opened for Metallica in Birmingham on their Death Magnetic tour. A lot has happened since then, but one thing was clear, the Austin based quartet are a class act and I was excited about seeing them. With the final aching walk to The Roundhouse completed, I settled at the side to watch the quartet as they opened with the excellent “Empty Temples”. Kyle Shutt’s vocals weren’t that clear for the first few songs, but with John D. Cronise front and centre, their mix of bluesy, doom metal is full of groove and quality rhythm, as “Mist of Shadow” proves.

They have a wide selection of songs, full of steady paced melodies combined with heavier elements, as the stunning “Celestial Crown/Barael’s Blade” followed by “Maiden, Mother & Crone” really gets the crowd worked up. Their musicianship has never been questioned and with crowd surfers now emerging, the quartet veer off into a bit of a spacey, proggy build up to “Dying Earth” before ripping through “Tres Brujas”.

Military style drumming from Santiago Vela III kicks off “Lawless Lands” as the crowd engage with a clap along to Bryan Richie’s sublime bass playing skills. They are a sight to behold and when Cronise holds aloft one finger to signal the final song, “Winter’s Wolves” the audience are left watching in awe as the heavy chuggy riffs that leave a lasting impression on all present in the venue.