This is a loose collection on my thoughts regarding Transcending Obscurity Fest, which happened on 05. and 06. of May 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic and how the fest connects to recent developments in festival and label culture.
Festivals centered around bands from only one specific label are rare. While some festivals reserve specific stages for a label showcase here and there – a frequent occurrence at Roadburn, for example – the dedicated festival is harder to pull off. It comes with a few different challenges in particular. Many labels are heavily focused on a specific style, for one. While I could potentially listen to Slam for 8 hours, I would not have the same resilience if I had to go to a two-day War Metal fest – Nuclear War Now Fest would be a pass for me and narrowing a festival down to a very specific style will deter many potential festivalgoers. The casual festival tourist will likely avoid any festival like that by default, but it also plays into the second issue: Festivals heavily move tickets with big, generically likeable acts. A festival like the Wacken Open Air can easily stuff a stage with the most pop-oriented of bands from Nuclear Blast's roster and the festival would likely barely change. Any smaller label that has a more distinct identity cannot afford this. With those smaller, often purely online oriented labels there is an additional challenge that they are often immensely international but feature artists who cannot tour extensively and might not even exist as a full band.
Taking all of this into account, it can seem like a miracle that a fest like Transcending Obscurity Fest can even happen. Kunal Choksi, the label's owner, has always been committed to metal as a whole and his bands in particular. Talking to Kunal, it is evident that the label consists of handpicked acts whose music he is passionate about. After two major economic crises, festivals get harder and harder to establish and the bands repaying his commitment is a major factor, making often exceptionally long drives (and possibly flights, in some cases) to play at the festival. Through the help of Jiřà Krš, vocalist of Cuttered Flesh, knowledge could be pooled and connections used, which likely is the reason the festival happened in Prague in the first place. The Music Bar Futurum is a great venue, localised very close to the city center and easily accessible with the tram. In my opinion, the urban nature of the festival is an asset, particularly because it ended up being Prague. My partner and I made a point to combine the festival with cultural sightseeing, as she has never visited most European cities as an American expat. As most avid festivalgoers will tell you, the campground of a festival is an asset in itself. TO Fest's "campground" was the city of Prague, likely the most beautiful European capital with architecture that feels both timeless and ancient and filled with points of interest and tourist traps that can be enjoyed ironically. The turning Kafka Head is as worth seeing as the Castle or the Absintherie, and all of it is close enough to the venue that the two can be easily combined.
While some might disagree, I would still argue that the meat on the bone of a festival is the bands, however. Transcending Obscurity's roster is strong enough to fill two days with ease and while we didn't stay for every band – I wouldn't at any festival – I can safely say that I got more than my money's worth. Despite the attendance being somewhat slimmer than an event like this deserves (a sadly all too common occurrence at post-covid European concerts), the bands put on fantastic shows throughout the board. Again, returning the commitment of the label's head. Highlights of the first day included Dysgnostic, who surprised me after I was a little tepid on their debut album and put on a fantastic show and Devenial Verdict, whose unusually atmospheric and strangely emotional take on Death Metal transported wonderfully to the stage. The second day was stacked with great acts: Lithuanian Death Metal band Crypts of Despair were even heavier live than on record, while Norwegian Avant-garde DM Band Diskord was even weirder – even though I could sadly hear the cowbell less than I would have hoped. De Profundis performed a similarly tight show. Monument of Misanthropy was the ideal closer, injecting just enough atmosphere into the mix with spoken word interludes to make the shredding hit just a little harder. Musicians from De Profundis seemed to fill out the lineup, again highlighting how hard everyone worked to make the festival work.
All in all, I would not hesitate to visit Transcending Obscurity Fest again. Murmurs can be heard that the next installment might be in London, which might complicate a visit for my partner and I but we would try our best nonetheless. I think it is important that the labels who actually are invested in the scene and have a positive effect on it get support from the metal scene as a whole. With how affordable TO Fest was, nobody has to give up anything else to do it.