As Saturday dawned, I made my way to Catton Hall in time to catch a nice early slice of caustic Black Metal by way of the impressive Deitus. From the moment they unleashed their brand of raw and uncompromising Black Metal to the moment they signed off they were unrelenting, aggressive and vehement. The vocals from A.G were spat out with corrosive aggression, each word delivered with intense and fervent blasphemy, while the guitars and drums blended together to generate a soundtrack on which any underworld diplomat would be proud to sign their name to. The set was over in an all too short forty minutes but with highlights such as ‘Light Bearer’ and ‘A Scar For Serenity’ we were well and truly left aurally battered and bruised and needing to find some shade in order to process the battering we had just been a part of, and gain ourselves just a little bit of respite.
Sticking with the Main Stage and next up were Ignea, a Ukrainian tour de force of Metal with a heavy Prog influence which was tinged with Symphonic Death and Thrash undertones. The vocals from Bogdanova were guttural while melodic, emotive while raw, her range was mesmerising switching between roars and grunts to harmonious and effortless at a flick of a switch. The single Ukrainian flag stood statuesque in the middle of the stage acting as a constant stark reminder of the atrocities happening elsewhere in the world while for the short time Ignea had to entertain us they did it with passion, pride and an overarching dose of technicality and brutality. Ignea may be a new find to a lot of the Bloodstock today, me included, but I’m sure it certainly won’t be the last time our paths cross, fingers crossed anyway.
Enemies Everywhere descended upon the Sophie Stage and ignited it with energy, dynamism and their ruthless hard-hitting Deathcore. The vocals were brutal and enchanting while the strings were intricate and melodic, the drums beat out a backbone which was robust enough to be able to support any structure should it ever find itself in a full-blown tornado. The tent was packed again for these Finns and rightly so, they put in a performance which could have easily found itself third or fourth on the main stage or even subbing the headliners on the Sophie Stage. On the back of that performance I’m sure that we will see these Core stalwarts on the Bloodstock soil again very very soon and it may well be out in the daylight next time.
More Brazilian Death Metal on the Main Stage, this time courtesy of the brutal and crushing Crypta. From the moment they strode into sight they delivered a lesson in fierce and ferocious Death Metal. The vocals from Lira were haunting and corrosive, the lyrics spat out with cruel and malevolent intent, while Bergamaschi and Falchi managed the wings with obvious ease, manipulating and operating their fretboards with demonic beauty and venomous intricacy. The set was out and out punishing, ‘Poisonous Apathy’ and ‘The Outsider’ were absolute gems in the Crypta arsenal and tore a hole right through the Bloodstock crowd, a truly impressive and unadulterated violent set from these South American Death Metallers.
Time for something a little different on the Sophie Stage, the enigma that is Ben V and Ludovico Technique. From the moment we were opened up to the loud Industrial Goth Metal we were spellbound, the shrouded and cloaked figures that took up residence on the guitars and drums floated around under an obvious cloud of mystery while Ben V was animated and energetic beyond belief. The vocals that he expelled were muscular and flamboyant while the energy with which he built his stage presence on was extrovert and vibrant. The whole set from start to finish was mesmerising, the musical spine was punchy and catchy while the vocals were brawny and powerful, all of which combined to create an audible feast on which your senses could do nothing more than latch onto and be catapulted into the ride that we were taken on. This was one of my finds for the weekend and one that I am undoubtedly going to hunt down the next set of live dates for and grab myself a ticket so that I can be front row and ride this crazy train again.
Out and out Thrash Metal, a genre which was sadly under represented on the Main Stage this year, sure there were cross overs but when I’m talking about full on Bay Area Thrash Metal it was definitely lacking so thank god Forbidden were in town to give the Thrashers the fix they have been longing for in the Derbyshire field. With Chris Kontos of former Machine Head fame firmly sat at the kit the Thrash legends pummelled us from the opening chords to the final riffs. Skinner executed his vocal duties with power and precision, delivering each word with belief and meaning, interacting with the Bloodstock crowd on one hand as if they were a bunch of old friends and they were here to hang out with a beer and on the other hand here to punish each and every individual with a PHD lesson in how to Thrash, be thrashed and bang that head like never before. It was obvious to see that the band had undoubtedly had the time of their lives on the Ronnie James Dio Stage this Saturday afternoon and many denim clad souls were leaving the battleground sporting a grin which resembled the expanse of the Atlantic which had been navigated by the band not so long ago.
Sticking with the main stage and this time for some Canadian Power Metal, Unleash The Archers had descended upon us and they had brought the party with them. Slayes vocal range and ability was impressive, belting out notes and holding them to within an inch of their lives in order to create soundscapes which were both mesmerising and impressive. ‘Abyss’ was phenomenal and ‘Green And Glass’ was compelling in its magnetic need to absorb it into your very being, Miller created a constant bass line which sat behind all other sections of the band and allowed them to hang off its very being in order to create the Power journey on which we were all taken on. The set was delivered in the upmost of professional carnivals and the fun which was obviously being generated on the stage was overflowing onto the ground in front of it and then lapped up by the crowd below. A success of a set and one which will have bookmarked and stamped Unleash The Archers into many a Bloodstockers diary for future reference.
No nonsense, unadulterated and uncompromising brutal Death Metal, I am of course referring to the legends, the Floridian Death stalwarts Deicide. Pummelling, beating, battering, mauling and hammering old school Death Metal was brought to Bloodstock by Glen Benton et al and they didn’t relent one bit. It was classic and it was bruising, ‘Once Upon The Cross’ was absolute perfection, the vocals from Benton were masterful and the kit work from Asheim was astonishing. ‘In Hell I Burn’ and ‘Scars Of The Crucifix’ were absolute classics reimagined for the modern-day stage and they were dispatched with utter violence and an endearing malice. That is exactly how you put on an uncompromising flawless exhibition of Death Metal in the mid-afternoon sun.
The first of a triple Core header on the Main Stage next, Whitechapel stormed the stage and delivered their usual high octane and energetic display of Deathcore. Bozeman made good use of his spacious surroundings, darting from side to side unleashing his lyrics with controlled aggression and a maturity which embedded itself in the powerful and robust vocal ranges he expelled. The majority of the set was made up of selections from ‘The Valley’ and ‘Our Endless War’ while it was also peppered with my personal highlights of the set ‘A Blood-Soaked Symphony’ and ‘This Is Exile’. If this was just the precursor to the Main Stage Special Guest and Headliner then damn we were in for a treat, Whitechapel are a true force to be reckoned with and they may well see themselves sitting in a slot higher up next time they grace the Catton Hall grounds with their presence.
More Industrial Metal on the Sophie Stage, this time it was the powerhouse that is Combichrist. The tent was packed out again for these Industrial giants and it went absolutely crazy when the chords of ‘Planet Doom’ were struck. The vocals from LePlegua were absolutely bone rattling in their intensity that they struck you with and the aura and presence he exhibited was foreboding and sinister in its portrayal. ‘Children Of Violence’ allowed Eric13 and Cronander to express themselves with hyper working of the fretboards and six strings while ‘Heads Off’ saw White become one with his kit in an exhilarating and mesmeric display of all four limbs spanning all of the skins and B20 Bronze with elegant ease. A fascinating set which was brutal and luxurious in a carnage inducing affair and one which has left me gutted that I had missed the other dates that surrounded the Bloodstock weekend. Next time I will be there, next time.
Sheffield has a long standing love affair with producing massive bands from its streets and suburbs and the pedigree to date is impressive to say the least, Def Leppard, Bring me the Horizon, Bal-Sagoth, While she sleeps, even Pulp (I know, I know …………) but now you can add to that a band that’s risen through the Bloodstock ranks to land the illustrious spot of Main Stage Headliners, none other than the massive Malevolence. From the moment the Malevolence moniker was brought into sight at the back of the stage the crowd were vocal beyond belief and from the moment the Yorkshire troop hit the stage they made sure they made the most of every moment on the Main Stage today, even declaring at one point that they had made a 3000 mile trip back to the UK just to take this opportunity as it was one not to be missed, they were then to fly straight back to the States to retake their position on the Lamb Of God/Mastodon and Kerry King tour (Wow !!!!). Taylor was like a man possessed for the entirety of the set, stalking and prowling, unleashing guttural roars and piercing screams, vindicating every lyric with the passion and sheer brutality it deserved. ‘Still Waters Run Deep’ and ‘Self Supremacy’ were absolute giants, the crowd surfers turned up the intensity and the amount of bodies flying over the top was impressive to say the least. As the set died off it was clear to see that the band were humbled by their set and the reaction they had got tonight, but it was also obvious that both the crowd and band alike had loved their time together and it had left both camps as high as high can be. A triumphant set which will undoubtedly be remembered for a long time to come.
Back over on the Sophie Stage for my last attendance today, this time it was for Sylosis and judging by the spilling out of bodies outside of the tent I wasn’t the only one wanting to catch some UK Metalcore. The set started off strong with ‘Poison For The Lost’ but it soon became apparent that all wasn’t well in the Sylosis technical camp and it wasn’t long before Middleton declared that he had no sound from his guitar. Twenty or so minutes then passed while the band and crew attempted to get the six strings back in business before defeat was declared and they continued the set with Middleton handling just the vocal duties which meant that they were down a guitar for the remainder of the set. I’m not sure if the difficulties lit some kind of spark in the Sylosis boiler room but the set continued with aggression, power and conviction, the vocals were deployed with a savagery and the drums and remaining string duties were executed with a hostility and anger which was antagonistic and offensive throughout. Bravo to the band for continuing through the technical adversity and bravo for delivering a set of real professionalism.
So over to the Main Stage and over to the main event, Architects. The stage was adorned with huge video screens spanning its breadth and saw the drum kit positioned neatly atop of it. The lights then dimmed, the screens were ignited and Carter led the musical cavalry out into the war zone with which they launched into ‘Seeing Red’ and we were promptly treated to a shower of red confetti from the canons positioned in front of the stage. As the set progressed the band seemed to grow in confidence, pyros were detonated and burnt at strategic points in the set and the vocals from Carter become a little more buoyant, assured and definite with each track that passed. Ex Architects and current Sylosis soldier Middleton even joined the fray mid set which was greeted by a rapturous response from the crowd below, the band and guest alike even seemed to feed off each other as they all turned it up a notch from what it had been leading up to the new addition. The set closed out with the colossal and gargantuan ‘Animals’ which had the Main Stage faithful singing loud into the night sky, almost drowning out the speaker stacks at times, this had well and truly been a set which a few doubters had voiced reservations about leading up to the event itself, but after that performance I can safely say that all the doubters had unreservedly been proven well and truly wrong.
So that was day three, done and dusted for me. Time to get some much-needed rest and then wait for dawn to break so that I can do it all again tomorrow.
No Comment