Live Review: Kill-Town Death Fest – Thursday
4th September 2025
Words: Sam Jones
Finding the venue was easy, its adjacent to a cinema painted in pink and blue so seeking the place where black will be the dominant colour was rather amusing I found. Once there the place is a on a slight slope where benches and shade lie either side, and a bar and food stall can be found towards the front of the place. We queued up for our wristbands, finding conversation with others already there. I picked up my merch add-on package, my press pass, then just like that we were set for Kill-Town Death Fest.
Vacuous are the very first band of the weekend and as a UK band it was great seeing my own country represented first upon this lineup. It might only be six in the evening but the main stage is already packed as hues of red are thrown onto the crowds eager for their first tastes of death metal. Blast beats and growling vocals and these vast slabs of riff bear down on us at once as Vacuous showcase how happy they are to be here. Coming hot off the heels of their second album Vacuous’ rapport has been growing steadily and seeing them open the main stage of Kill-Town is another Great Leap Forward for them.
With a substantial gap to drink and relax between Vacuous and the rest of the night, my friends and I took our pints to wait before the main stage for Corpus Offal. Playing their first European show since their formation, half of Corpus Offal’s lineup is comprised of ex-Cerebral Rot members, so longtime fans of the latter can go into Corpus Offal confident of the band’s calibre. With a slew of lights baring down on us, the band hurl us into blast beats, wailing licks and the kind of riff that peel fingernails back. The vocals could be higher in the mix but they make up for it with their instrumentation and the energy they brought to the stage.
Left Cross immediately follow on from Corpus Offal even as people are spewing from the upstairs main stage. The primary band upon the black stage I wanted to see on Thursday, Left Cross make up for having to pull out of the London edition that occurred late last year with a searing performance that sees the crowd swell in size. Upon this stage there are no fancy lights or effects to boot, just sheer carnage as Left Cross employ their signature razor-blades death metal attack that garnered their first studio album such piercing character.
We would have seen Portal but honestly, we were exhausted after a long day and wanted to get some rest in given how long each day of Kill-Town will turn out being. I particularly had wanted to see Portal but there are times where you just have to call it a night. That was one of them. I am thankful to hear Portal put on a fantastic show though.
