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 : 23. Pist

Six years is a long time in Metal. When Pist last played Bloodstock back in 2015 they were four mates having a laugh playing sludgy doom Metal. They were a fun distraction but it was obvious that they weren’t taking this being in a band lark particularly seriously. Something obviously clicked during lockdown or they entered some form of cocoon as the Pist I saw last month was an entirely different beast. The Pist that will enchant Bloodstock 2021 will be the five headed slick professional monster that blew my mind at Manchester Academy in June. The goofy stage antics are all gone and instead they have evolved into an utterly compelling riff machine. I may sound like some telly evangelist, but Pist on Sunday will be nothing short of revelatory. They now have the songs and the attitude to make a push toward the big league, lunchtime Sunday 15th may well be their moment.

Bloodstock 2021Author : Stewart Lucas19 July 2021Pist, Bloodstock 2021 Countdown, 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