Bloodstock 2021 Countdown - 30 Bands Not To Miss : 20. Black Spiders

Black Spiders were giving blues driven heavy rock a modern twist long long, before any of current flare wearing reprobates decided that there was a bandwagon to jump on. They were well ahead of current classic rock zeitgeist and called it a day in 2016, just as the brand of energetic heavy rock that they had tirelessly flogged suddenly became the flavour of the month. Five years later, rejuvenated and reenergised they are back to claim their crown as the best darn modern rock act out there. Playing just before Judas Priest take the stage (and literally straight after Saxon) is a formidable and daunting task but it is one that Black Spiders will that take on with relish. So please do give up your coveted slot in-front of the main as soon as the last notes of Denim and Leather fade out and race over to the Sophie Stage as the Black Spiders’ first Bloodstock show in eleven years will be a beautiful thing. Heavy, raucous, emotional and just so so so much fun. Miss it at your peril…

Bloodstock 2021Author : Stewart Lucas22 July 2021Black Spiders, Bloodstock 2021 Countdown, 2021Comment

Bloodstock 2021 Countdown - 30 Bands Not To Miss : 22. Party Cannon

Now it may surprise you but there is a genre more corrosive and carnal than Death Metal and that is its socially inept little cousin Slam Metal. Now Death Metal may purport to be rough and ready but really, it’s a bit of pussy cat and you could quite happily send it off to your grandparents for supper without worrying about its table manners. Slam Metal however would think nothing of defecating in the fishbowl and sidling up to your nan and enquiring whether she fancied a quicky. Party Cannon are the kings of slam. They are a band more famous for their logo than they are for their musical output, but they are the go-to if you fancy puerile, coarse self-deprecating Metal. There is no subtlety here, just beautiful guttural infantile noise. Turn off your brain, jump in the pit and slam for your life.

Bloodstock 2021Author : Stewart Lucas20 July 2021Party Cannon, Bloodstock 2021 Countdown, 2021, FestivalComment

Bloodstock 2021 Countdown - 30 Bands Not To Miss : 24. Kreator

Plaudits were plaudits are due, Bloodstock played an absolute blinder when they swapped in the teutonic titans for Merciful Fate (themselves replacing Behemoth). The keyboard warriors who had been sharpen their bile and venom expecting the additional of an unworthy act such as Architects or Bullet, were immediately silenced. There is nobody who doesn't love Kreator. They have paid their dues and they have kept the flame alive. They are also an utterly phenomenal live act and come Saturday 14th we will get a headline show that will blow everyone out of the water. They may be subbing a sub but Kreator are going to own the place.

Bloodstock 2021Author : Stewart Lucas18 July 2021Kreator, Bloodstock 2021 Countdown, Bloodstock, 2021, FestivalComment

Bloodstock 2021 Countdown - 30 Bands Not To Miss : 25. Urne

Once in a while a record comes along that makes me exclaim "What the fuck was that?". “Serpent and Spirit” is such a counter intuitive take on Metal that your sole instinct at the end of the record is to put it on again just to reaffirm you heard what you heard. It’s chock-a-block with creativity and flare, managing to be simultaneously melodic and corrosive, sometimes within the first track. Urne have decided to go freeform and see where their mix of prog-metal, grunge and blackened doom takes them. I will certainly be there on Thursday afternoon to see how it all works out in a live setting. Join me, please do.

Bloodstock 2021Author : Stewart Lucas18 July 2021Urne, Bloodstock 2021 Countdown, Festival, 2021, BloodstockComment

Bloodstock 2021 Countdown - 30 Bands Not To Miss : 26. Saxon

The wonderful thing about Saxon is that they have never changed (well apart from the rather dodgy “Destiny” album where they went all American rock, but we don’t really talk about that). Trends have come and trends have gone, and Saxon have continued on being Saxon. Their perseverance and resilience has meant that they have never wavered. They are Heavy Metal incarnate, and they have never claimed to be anything. 44 years on they are in the strongest position that they have ever found themselves. They haven’t done anything different or compromised an iota, tastes have changed, and the world has re-found its love of good old-fashioned no-frills rock. Saxon will be one of those communal sets where the Bloodstock choir is in full force. They have got the songs; they have got the swagger and they have got the prestige. It will be a joyous hour of anthems and affirmation, and after the last year and a half, god we need that.

Bloodstock 2021Author : Stewart Lucas18 July 2021Saxon, Bloodstock 2021 Countdown, 2021, FestivalComment

Bloodstock 2021 Countdown - 30 Bands Not To Miss : 27. Loathe

Well if you ever needed prof that there are silver-linings then this is it. You see! We, here at ROCKFLESH towers were devasted about the fact that Dark Tranquillity had to drop out. It is not everyday you get to see a living breathing member of the Gothenburg three, the trio of bands that changed Metal forever back in the mid-nineties. UK shows are such an infrequent happening, so the Bloodstock appearance felt like it was something very special indeed. And then they cancelled. Instead of going for an identikit melo-deth offering, Bloodstock have decided to get creative on our arses and give the high profile fourth from top berth to one of the most interesting young bands that this country has recently spat out. Loathe are a firm favourite of us all at ROCKFLESH tower and it has been our privilege to see them develop and evolve through support slots to their own high-octane headline bashes. Loathe are doing something distinctly different with metal, they are contorting our expectations and turning conventions on their head. There is the requisite heaviness and coarseness, but it interspersed with an avant-garde experimental flare. Loathe feel like a band determined to look forward rather than backwards, and as a genre that seems intent on continually recycling itself this is hugely important. Loathe on Friday at Bloodstock will feel like both a disruption and a breath of fresh air. Put your presumptions to one side and enjoy the future.

Bloodstock 2021Johann Wierzbicki15 July 2021Dark Tranquility, Loathe, Bloodstock 2021 Countdown, 2021, BloodstockComment