After six weeks of battling it out, with a grand total of fourteen bands competing and many drinks consumed, the final is upon us. This is the last chance for these bands to compete to win a spot at Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2023 – but who will win?
Starting off the show was the jaw-dropping By Virtue Fall, a band I am honestly so happy to have had the opportunity to see live. With energy that I only wish I could have, they set such high expectations for the remainder of the bands, getting a mosh pit started from the get go. I could tell they were extremely passionate about their performance and they really gave it their all, showing the sold out venue exactly who By Virtue Fall are. This is a band I will continue to follow, not just because of their amazing musical presence but also their charisma and friendliness; they truly are a band not to be missed.
Next up we had CTOAN and I have to give a massive shoutout to guitarist Olly for using me as a footrest for a little while during their set. CTOAN really are a lovely group of lads and this translates on stage; their style of metal is more the style I can see myself listening to, with their song “Mercy” already in my playlist and listened to on numerous occasions. They continued to get the moshpits forming, with Olly hopping into the crowd to get a wall of death going, keeping the energy levels up and interacting with the crowd. I can’t wait to see how CTOAN continue to grow and what new music they will release!
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After another short break, Thy Flesh Consumed hit the stage and my lord did they put on a show. With filthy vocals paired with riffs powerful enough to turn a room upside down, they blasted onto the stage with their beats, creating this aggressive yet community atmosphere that is very on brand for Thy Flesh Consumed. I find their music is the perfect style to have on when you’re on a mission to do something, and that attitude and pure chaos encapsulated the stage at The Brickmakers and really gave the audience a taste of metal. Thy Flesh Consumed are going to continue to dominate the metal scene and I cannot wait to it.
Up next was Bind and I must say from their first heat performance until the final, they have really grown into their own and created a unique take on performance as a whole. They have this old school style about them that I find really intriguing, and a very different take on modern metal which works so well in their favour. I could tell quite a lot of the crowd were really enjoying Bind, with the pits continuing to grow and go even crazier, despite being the fourth band on. Bind have such a unique style that works well and I cannot wait to see them at other gigs and get to know them a lot better.
Last and certainly not least we had Uridium and my God, did they put on a finale performance! Right from the get-go they showed that they wanted to win this, getting the crowd riled at every song on their setlist, each with a different story to the lyrics and sound. I even had Paul (guitar) and Slug (bass) pose for me, which is something they have done throughout all of their performances. From the first time I saw Uridium play I loved their sound and this carried onto the final, and I will continue to follow them in their performances.
I want to say a massive thank you to Dan and Chris for having me throughout this competition, a thank you to Rory from GraphicsFix for getting me the photographer slot on the posters and to Claire at The Brickmakers for continuing to keep the metal scene alive in this venue. The winners of M2TM East Anglia are none other than Uridium and it was for sure a well-deserved win. A massive congratulations to them and to all the other bands for keeping the night alive and continuing to dominate the metal scene, and I cannot wait to see your other ventures.
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Photos by Chloe Sibley
