Thank You’s
Before I get into the meat of the review, I have a few thank yous to give out. First I would like to thank the Power Metal Quest Fest crew, in particular Amie, who put most of the work into making Power Metal Quest Fest become a reality, was kind enough to give Ostara Metal press access to the festival, and for giving me an option of somewhere quiet to go if I felt a little overwhelmed.
A thank you also goes out to all the bands who put on amazing performances throughout the day, and to those who put up with my boyfriend pestering them with my business cards!
And finally, a big thank you to Jamie who was my designated photographer and PR guy. He managed to get better photos of the bands than I ever could, and also did the leg work for promoting my website by plying everyone with business cards. All photos except for those from Patch Amnesty and Forlorn Hope are by Jamie Watkins.
Patch Amnesty
I’d heard a little about Patch Amnesty over Facebook, but Power Metal Quest Fest was the first time I had really found out what Patch Amnesty was all about.
Patch Amnesty rely on donations of patches from others, and the patches are then sold on for a £3 minimum donation for normal sized patches and a £5 minimum donation for back patches. All proceeds go to Mind, except for the sales of the Patch Amnesty branded patches, where £3 goes to Mind, and £2 goes to the running of Patch Amnesty.
Check out their Facebook page here, and their eBay store here.
The Asylum
The Asylum is the third venue for Power Metal Quest Fest, and The Asylum gives much more room for the festival to grow. The large main room has much more space to increase capacity, and the smaller upstairs space leaves room for a second stage in future years. The rehearsal rooms attached to the venue gave plenty of space for bands, crew, and press to practice, store stuff, and have some chill time before and/or after performances.
The Event
Forlorn Hope
Opening the day were historic power metallers, Forlorn Hope (Facebook, Spotify, merch). They were definitely one of the top bands of the day for me. There was such enthusiasm on stage, a great interaction with the crowd, and some absolutely fantastic power metal. I would compare them to Sellsword, but that would be an easy way out. They have their own battle style of power metal, and focus on a lot more on more modern battle. If you’re a Sharpe fan, you’ll enjoy a good bit of Forlorn Hope. Their next live performance is on 18th October at The Fenton, Leeds. Get your tickets here.
Primitai
Primitai (Facebook, Spotify, merch) were next on stage. Honestly, they’re not exactly my type of metal that I would normally listen to, however they had a great set. Full of the old school heavy metal, with a bit of groove and some powerful vocals.
Control the Storm
Control the Storm (Facebook, Spotify, merch) were next up, fresh from a Bloodstock Festival appearance which I sadly missed. Again, there was a great energy, and a lot more symphonic elements than the previous two bands, expanding the range of the power metal on the stage.
Luke Appleton
Something a little different this time, Luke Appleton (Facebook, Spotify, merch) brought his acoustic act to the stage. With Becky Baldwin (Facebook, merch) joining him on stage, there was a mix of original material and covers.
RuinThrone
I always be as honest as I can in these reviews, and for me, I missed most of RuinThrone (Facebook, Spotify, merch) because I wasn’t feeling well after not eating for a few hours. I did get the heavy and symphonic vibe however, and there was again a great energy on stage.
Memories of Old
Next up was my favourite band of the evening, and a band who I had been REALLY looking forward to seeing after hearing their two Spotify tracks. Memories of Old (Facebook, Spotify, merch) were absolutely incredible, with such power, enthusiasm, and energy. They are exactly my kind of power metal. With Craig’s (Midnight Prophecy) vocals, the power was strong! I’m definitely looking forward to a full album release from these guys in the future!
Dakesis
As if organising and running a festival wasn’t tough enough, Dakesis (Facebook, Spotify, merch) also has their own sub-headliner slot to play! This was honestly one of the best sets I’d seen from Dakesis over the many times I had seen them, and it was great to hear some new material from album number three too!
Ancient Bards
Finally, it was time for the headliners Ancient Bards (Facebook, Spotify, merch). Personally for me it took a little while to get into the set, but I did start getting into the set after two or three songs and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The crowd were loving the set, and the instrumentals and vocals sounded exactly like they do on recordings. As an added bonus, some of the band members were lovely enough to come down and chat to the fans.
Overall Verdict
Every year, Power Metal Quest Fest gets even bigger and better, and this year was definitely not a disappointment! The venue was nicely packed out for the size of the venue, and the quality of the bands had once again gone up. The organisation is exceptional for a festival of that size, and one that is solely independent and funded by Amie of Dakesis as CapsaArx Studios. I will definitely be attending next year, and encouraging others to do the same!
2020 Announcement!
During Dakesis’ set, we got an exclusive announcement of THREE bands for next year’s festival, also taking place at The Asylum on 26th September 2020 (ticket link below).
Opening the festival will be Stormrider (Facebook), Swedish power metal band Veonity (Facebook) will be making an appearance; and, after overwhelming demand, the mighty Power Quest (Facebook) will be headlining!
Power Metal Quest Fest tickets and merch: https://powermetalquestfest.com/tickets/
Power Metal Quest Fest 2019 playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1tGhCozJf01hc0R3Csfv9n
Power Metal Quest Fest 2020 playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/45EGgizqWoFT4CKyaSNImv
Power Metal Quest Fest on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powermetalquestfest/
CapsaArx Studios: https://capsaarx.com/
Ostara Metal 
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