With their mix of chugging riffs and soaring melodies, Exist Immortal are making their fourth appearance at this year's UK Tech-Fest as headliners of the main stage! We sat down with the London five piece to learn more about their Tech-Fest history and what the future holds.
In the unlikely event that a reader has not heard of you guys, could you please introduce yourself and give us an elevator pitch to EX/IM?
We are Exist Immortal, we play proggy metalcore that strives to uplift the listener with songs about pushing through mental health struggles. Chuggy breakdowns and big emotional choruses are our thing!
After a 3 year hiatus, due to obvious reasons that we will not mention – are you guys stoked that Tech-Fest is back in the flesh after all this time?
Of course! The UK tech metal community has been incredibly supportive to us over the years but its been a long time since we last actually played the festival both due to the obvious reasons and the fact we spent a lot of time prior to that playing outside the UK, so it feels like a homecoming of sorts! We played the Techabilitation show in Derby at the end of last year and that was a fantastic night so we can’t wait to step it up a few notches this time and do something a little bit special.
What are you guys looking forward to most for this year's festival?
Reconnecting with the community, bands and fans alike. Plus of course playing our show. It’s been far too long!
Being no stranger to the UK Tech-Fest stage, dare we call you veterans of this festival; what has been one of your most profound moments at Tech Fest?
Tech-Fest was one of the first shows we played where we truly felt that people gave a shit about our band. Our first ever appearance was with a very different lineup at the original installment of the festival, but it wasn’t until a few years later that it all started to click. Oh, also in 2014 Kurt bust open his hand and bled profusely all over his white guitar, that was pretty metal and memorable.
Is there anything specific that springs to mind that Tech-Fest does different to other festivals?
The community is the strongest by far. The fact that it’s relatively small also means that we are all in close proximity, bands and fans alike, which makes it much easier to connect with new people and make long lasting friendships.
Any specific bands you guys are most excited to see this year?
There’s so many great bands that its hard to name just a few. But our mates in bands like Vexed, Harbinger, Borders, The Five Hundred, Hacktivist and more are all killer and deserve your attention!
What is your top three 'festival survival' tips for first timers heading out to music festivals this year?
Drink lots of water.
Wear more sunscreen than you think you need, and reapply it regularly (Mikey has just returned from Download looking like a boiled ham, don’t be him)
Make sure everything is set up camping wise before you do anything else, before you start partying. Or you’ll end up sleeping on the floor.
Congrats on signing with Seek and Strike and the release of 'Triptych' back in 2021. This release seems to be very well received by your listeners, but the question everyone's asking is when can we expect some new music from you guys? There's been quite a bit of teasing the last couple of weeks, any words around the new music that does not give away too much?
Well, we have basically finished recording our next release, which is in the final stages of mixing and mastering right now. We don’t have any release dates set in stone yet, but there will be new music sooner than you might think.
For readers going to see EX/IM for the first time at this year's Tech Fest, what can they expect from your set?
It will be the longest set we’ve ever played, so it will be a great introduction to our back catalogue for new listeners. Other than that, expect pits, singalongs, strobes and crowdsurfing in no particular order.
Any upcoming releases/shows/tours that you guys would like to plug?
Yes, you can check out all our music on Spotify or your favourite streaming platform, and keep an eye out on our social media for new music dropping very soon. Over the summer we are playing Amplified in London, Celtic Mosh in Merthyr and Hammerdown in Worthing. We will also be announcing autumn tour dates in the coming weeks so we hope to see you there! Website | Spotify | Instagram