With the summer sun high in the sky. The grounds of Catton Hall in Derbyshire are awash with a sea of hastily etected tents and battle jacket sporting revellers that can only signal one thing. Bloodstock, the UK’s premiere festival of extreme music for extreme people, has returned once again!
This years line-up promises something truly special too. Topped by headline performances from Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira. Featuring more UK debuts than we can count. The table is set for a three day long feast of heavy metal fit for a king.
Campsite secured and a flame grilled barbecue pit breakfast consumed. We make our way into the arena nice and early on Friday morning. Christening the day with a beer from Lemmys Bar. Before making our way to the Ronnie James Dio stage for the first act of the weekend.
Canterbury doom metal specialists, Famyne (7) have some hard work ahead of them though. Between their mid-morning slot and the already rising temperature. It’s no easy task igniting a festival crowd at this hour. Vocalist Tom Vane doesn’t let that stop him however. As he leads the band through a sludge laden setlist that while never truly electrifying, serves as a more than suitable appetiser for the day to come. Given the number of people making a beeline for their vinyl on the merch stand afterwards. We’d say they earned a few new followers for their efforts too!
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Konvent (5). The all female four piece from Denmark are renowned for their brutal mix of blackened doom metal. Yet, all of their usual venom seems lost in the mix today. Save for an impressive showing from front woman, Rikke. Who serves up the kind of gutturals that usually come with obligatory corpse paint and would leave most of us nursing a bottle of Calpol for attempting such a feat. There are a few nods of approval here and there. Unfortunately though their set turns out to be more of a damp squib than the explosive affair it could have been.
Thankfully, our next band of the day, Paleface Swiss (9), have no problem picking up the ball and running with it. Flying out of the gate with their opening track of choice, Hatred. With such ferocity it leaves the audience in a momentary daze. Kick drums pound mercilessly, assaulting the senses. Guitarist, Yannick Lehmann is working the tremolo arm of his flying v between breakdowns as though possessed by the spirit of Kerry King himself. Circle pits appear out of nowhere. All while vocalist Marc Zellweger hurls himself around the stage like a fishnet clad crash test dummy, hellbent on self destruction.
It’s a seriously impressive performance for a band making their UK festival debut and by the time viral sensation, The Gallow pops up in their setlist. The same audience that thirty minutes before was content to longue in the sun has worked itself into a borderline frenzy. Splitting on Zellwegers command and eagerly delivering the first wall of death of the weekend. Leaving us in no doubt whatsoever that Paleface Swiss will be back on a UK festival stage before long and deservedly so!
Sticking to our spot at the Ronnie James Dio stage. It’s time for stoner rock stalwarts, Orange Goblin (8) to take the stage and in stark contrast to their predecessors, this will be Goblins last ever UK festival show. They may never have reached the heights of bands like Clutch, who wear the same Sabbath infused DNA on their sleeve. They still know how to deliver the same no frills brand of heavy metal that put them on the map back in 1995 though. Delivering hits like The Filthy & The Few and The Devils Whip with the kind of practiced ease that comes from spending three decades on the road.
As they rock and roll their way through their forty five minute long slot, the whole affair begins to take on a bittersweet poignancy. Because while yes, there was a point where another appearance from Orange Goblin became something of a meme in the Facebook comments section. This will be the last time Ben Wards monolithic growls will echo around Bloodstock. Ending an association that started all the way back in 2001 when the band took pride of place on the festivals inaugural line-up. Making it a subtley historic moment for both Orange Goblin and Bloodstock itself as Red Tide Rising signals the end of their set. As well as the end of a relationship that’s older than many of the attendees who are here to witness it.
One of our hottest tips for Bloodstock this year. Lacuna Coil (7) are running a few minutes late by the time they make it to the stage. Unfortunately, through no fault of their own, they really struggle in the early going too. With the first half of their set plagued by sound issues. Andrea Ferro’s vocals are clipping nearly constantly and Christina Scabbia seems lumbered with a microphone that’s intent to snap, crackle and pop like a bowl of Rice Krispies. Robbing tracks like Layers of Time, Kill The Light and Gravity of their usual impact. Leaving many a whince and grimace on the watching faces around us.
Fortunately, most of the gremlins have departed the sound desk by the time Heavens a Lie rolls around in their set. After such a shaky start though, Lacuna Coil really struggle to regain momentum. Their cover of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence. Which they dedicate to Ozzy Osbourne, is a nice touch. Followed by fan favourite, Our Truth. Yet they never regain enough momentum to make their third outing at Bloodstock as special as it could have been. (7)
Speaking of special though. After a quick trip back to the campsite to the sound of Emperor delivering a suitably ferocious black metal history lesson. It’s time for the days main event, Trivium (10).
Coming in hot off an absolutely stellar run of anniversary shows celebrating the release of their debut album, Ascendancy. We’re expecting the Florida natives to be on top form tonight and they do not disappoint. Sounding absolutely immense as they start things off with a one-two combo of Rain and Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr. They aren’t about to phone in tonight’s show with a recycled setlist though. Little do we know, they’re about to reset the bar completely…
Robb Flynn joining them on stage for a flawlessly executed cover of Black Sabbath’s Symptom of the Universe a couple of songs later would be the icing on the cake for any set, but it’s just the beginning of a cavalcade of guest appearances, deep cuts and ‘oh my god’ moments.
Throes of Perdition featuring III from Sleep Token drops like an anvil thanks to the extra low end. Followed by Trivums first live performance of Master of Puppets in over fifteen years. Heads bang, crowd surfers careen over the barrier and the atmosphere gets more and more electrified as the band plough ever onward. Clearly loving every second of the chaos themselves. Their latest single, Bury Me With My Screams fits in right alongside classics like Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation too. Gaining almost as big a reaction from the capacity crowd, despite only having been released some 48 hours ago.
The guest appearances aren’t over yet either. As Ihsahn from Emperor then enters the chat. Getting In Waves going in the most venomous fashion possible. Followed by Malevolence axeman, Josh Baines. Who adds a gloriously thick extra layer of high gain to The Deceived. Rest assured, if there was a roof to blow off at Bloodstock, it would be long gone by now. A double bill of The Heart From Your Hate and Down From The Sky later and the audience is absolutely breathless as Sin and the Sentence brings what could easily be called a career defining set to a close.
Their explosive UK debut in 2005 made history. Tonight at Bloodstock though, Trivium have gone one step further and cemented their legacy.
