14. Decapitated – Ronnie James Dio stage - Sunday, August 13th – afternoon.

Decapitated are essentially Bloodstock’s house band. Omnipresent (I gave up trying to count how many times they have appeared) they are the last word in muscular, well-oiled death metal. Polished but still blisteringly brutal, over twenty years they have transformed from plucky upstarts to un-assailable scene leaders.

This is Death Metal with the emphasis on big and bold riffs. Ruthlessly intense but melodic enough to be undeniably accessible. Yes, they probably get their post delivered to Catton Hall, but when they are this good, who cares!