Live Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 10th 2024

It's raining. Not much rain, but it's still raining. Cauldron kick things off in the Sophie stage. Those who hope the name conjures up sword and sorcery inspired power metal will be bitterly disappointed. This is classic early-era metal core with an emphasis firmly on the core. Hailing from Birmingham they have gone for the nostalgia vote hard. What they do is really good and well executed, but it does have the same feel of getting those initial Integrity and Earth Crisis albums out of storage. 

On the Ronnie James Dio stage Deitus are writing a love letter to Behemoth. Their blackened metal is emotive and full of intricate sections and reflections, but as soon as A.G. opens his mouth to gruffly wail, the spectre of Polish giants hovers above the them. They certainly have something to offer and let's face it there are much worst bands to aspire to be than Behemoth.

It is always worth remembering that for all the nihilism, Kurt Cobain’s favourite band was Cheap Trick. Unpeople surf this particular eddy by sounding like Nirvana covering Cheap Trick. Or is that Cheap Trick covering Nirvana, as they pull off a remarkably upbeat cover of ‘Territorial Pissing’ mid-way through their set. There is a sense of joy running through their set, which is both infectious and essential. They probably don't even know it but they invoke the spirit of the late lamented Jellyfish and that can only be a good thing.

Back on the other end of site, Ukrainian folk metallers Ignea are doing really interesting things with that particular genre. One of the really distinctive things about them is the way Helle Bohdanova pivots vocally between deep menacing growls and beautifully melodic purrs. That sort of juxtaposition is usually achieved with duelling vocalist but Helle astonishingly constructs it all on her lonesome. There are the expected heartfelt pleas and thanks concerning the war currently plundering their homeland and it would take a hard soul not to be moved by the fact that they are even here in these trying. Musically they sumptuously mix the heaviness with the more harmonious moments. They have a feel of more weight and substance than your usual symphonic metal fayre and the rapturous response they receive signals they have captured a fair few hearts.

Finnish deathcore purveyors Enemies Everywhere are taking Lorna Shore’s approach as a launch pad and just running with it. Their sound is crisp and clear and brimming with malignant energy. They are a magnificently caustic beast throwing out incendiary riff after incendiary riff. It feels epic and audacious but also simultaneous grizzled and violently repugnant. As deathcore evolves they are sure to be at the centre of that particular storm. 

Our second all-female South American crew of the weekend and Crypta dial heavily into their death metal inspirations. They prove to be a really tight outfit, perfectly balancing menace with a good dollop of melody and inspired songwriting. They also dial up the energy, waltzing around the joint in a flurry of leather and snazzy stage moves. Sharp, intensive and remarkably entertaining.

Ludovico Technique are the new kids on the block from New York City (Watch our interview HERE). From Ben V. grey powder covered attire it is obvious that they are goth, however where they do manage to disarm and flummox the listener is in how they entwin the old and new forms of the genre. There are sections where they are deviously old skool, channelling the spirit of David Sylvian and Andrew Eldritch. But then they flip and take the genre in a thoroughly slick and modern direction, full of pop sensibilities and smooth keys. The overarching impression is that it all works and most of this is because of Ben V.’s commanding and charismatic presence.  Very much one to watch.

There is a fair bit of fanboying from those of a certain age as Forbidden take the stage. This is the Bay Area legend's first shows in this country since their unexpected return to the fray last year. In fact, it's their first UK show since they last played Bloodstock 13 years ago. They know what we want and concentrate completely on their two classic albums from the inaugural incarnation. There is something primal and evocatively stirring about first-generation thrash. It has a raw energy and youthful exuberance that seemed to peta out as the genre grew up. The two remaining original members, Craig Locicero and Matt Camacho seem to be having an absolute ball playing the tracks they wrote nearly forty years ago. Neither of them needs to do this (especially Matt who is a successful lawyer) so the show has an air of pure nostalgic celebration as opposed to anything more materialistic. They also seem to be stoked to be joined by Voivod’s Daniel Mongrain and Chris Kontos from the classic incarnation of Machine Head, going as far as to point out that “Burn My Eyes” is thirty years old on this very day. A fantastic display of bombastic splendour that proves that eighties thrash was never just about the big four.

Doom Trap pioneer Mimi Barks uses every second of her opportunity on the Sophie Stage to wow the Bloodstock crowd (Watch our interview HERE). The Berlin raised and now London based Trap-Metal artist is stunningly phenomenal from the first beat dropped. Backed by her DJ and live drummer she storms onto the stage and delivers her angry hate filled rapping and singing to the wild crowd. There's a mesmerizing element to both the music and Mimi as a performer that transcends her work on record. She prowls the stage and demands attention and awe with her confident and ferocious presence. The beats drop, the jagged metal synths rip, the drummer pounds and Mimi snarls and controls the whole scene. She even takes to the drumkit herself at one point to display her superb drumming skills in a DJ and drums segment that has the punters jumping. Mimi Barks, snarls and means business.

Every year there is the habitual complaints that Bloodstock has grown beyond or even betrayed its power metal roots. And then every year they do this, bring us an absolute dozer of a power metal band that proves that Vicki and co still know their Kamelots from their Avantasias. Unleash The Archers do what they do remarkably well. They are not trying to reinvent the genre, they are simply presenting it in all its grandiose finery and lean into all its foibles and inadequacies. As with Ignea, their secret weapon is the earth-shattering abilities of their vocalist. Brittney Slayes is quite simply one of the finest front people treading the boards this weekend. Her range is unparalleled and her hold of the audience is almost messianic. She has that effortless charisma that combines natural presence with assured humility (or in other words being Canadian). Musically they are also terrific. There are enough chest-beating anthems to keep the masses happy, but it is peppered with instrumental excellence and refined temperament. This means it never strays into being overly Chessey fantastical, it just remains a bloody good display of high-octane, hi-energy metal presented in a wonderfully infectious manner.

Still drunk on the bouncy feel-good vibes of Unleash the Archers, the hordes of Bloodstock descend upon the Sophie tent with intent and the thirst for more singalong excitement. Red Rum draw an unprecedented crowd with even the far reaches of the tent becoming filled to the brim. In fact, the pirate hungry masses keep on coming till the crowd spills out way into those completely unnecessary fairground rides. Bizarrely almost as soon as it has reached capacity the tent starts to empty incessantly when the throng realise that Red Rum are no Alestorm. They may share the obsession with sea fairing folks with dubious motives, but what they lack are the songs. They may be entertaining and distracting, but there is not a “fucked with an anchor” or “wenches and mead” to be seen and the multitudes soon drift away disappointed. 

Where they drift to is back to the main stage to find the answer to the crucial question of whether Gelen Benton will actually turn up. Death Metal luminaries Deicide have been booked numerous times before there has been always some reason why they fail to make it to these sacred fields. But there he is, the forefather of everything that is nasty and unholy in heavy metal. Glen and his everchanging crew were courting controversy and upsetting Christians whilst the black metal trailblazers were still scribbling Venom on their pencil cases at high school. 

Modern Death Metal is shaped by his attitudes and his unrelenting hatred of everything. There is something poignant about seeing him operate in the flesh. Yes, his voice doesn’t quite have the dynamics that it once possessed, and his stature has filled out but this is the main that betrothed to metal an attitude of antagonistic rebellion. Glen is clever enough to know that we are here to sample the myth and the putrid history of the band. He wisely ignores their recent albums and instead concentrates almost solely on the initial three album run that made their name and cemented his reputation. This is death metal at its most ugly and unfriendly and it is glorious. It feels bizarre to get misty-eyed and nostalgic about something so repentantly un-user-friendly but this is extreme metal’s origins right here and it is fabulous to witness.

Back over on Sophie Asomvel as doing a bloody good Motorhead impression. They are playing rock n’ roll and it is uncannily close to the way that Mr. Kilmister and co used to do so. None of this is a criticism as there is something minimalistically beautiful about full-throttle unrefined heavy rock. Asomvel bring the fun and frolics in big supply and proceed to give everyone in Sophie a well needed grin. Chaotic pit-forging fun.

Whilst Whitechapel may well have mellowed on record, they are still an untamed incendiary proposition live. They lean into their earlier pure deathcore material and turn down the opportunity to even tease us with a taster of their much-expected new album. We also get one sole visit to “Kin” which had seen them almost permanently turn their back on their caustic tendencies. What we get instead is a fast-moving stroll down their nastier and more potent alleyways. They are resplendent in their jagged corrosive malevolence, and this is the moment where Deathcore showed that it doesn’t need to pacify itself to pull the crowds.

Combichrist are the bastard children of Marilyn Manson and Rammstein. They are industrial pioneers that know how to put together a song or two, even if they do sound suspiciously like those written by other people. They are daft enjoyable fun and they obviously have a loyal fanbase luridly bouncing about upfront. 

Malevolence are on a mission to prove that they are deserving of their elevation to special guest status. Yes, they make some mistakes (sending their circle pit hurtling around the lighting desk into the space occupied by disabled people patiently waiting to get onto the access platform is not a good move) but the general opinion is that they lived up to the expectation and showed their credentials to be the first extreme act to cross over into arenas since Slipknot. The secret is that they have embraced a level of accessibility without once compromising on their attitude or their authenticity. Just as The Streets revolutionised hip hop in the early noughties by rapping about English subjects in a thick Brummie accent, Malevolence have completely anglicised aggressive groove metal. They are not trying to emulate our American cousins, instead they present it in its gritty northern splendour. There is also a lot of hearts being worn on their sleeves. This is not another gig for Alex Taylor, he wants to make it memorable and he wants to leave a great big blot on Bloodstock’s history books. A superb uncompromising performance which proves that you don’t have to sell out to scale the greasy poll.

Over on the Sophie stage, Sylosis have fallen foul of the tech gremlins, which is particularly galling as the Bridesmaid British rockers have pulled an impressive crowd. It is not clear whether this means they have finally got their much-deserved traction or that the bar queues are smaller in Sophie, but there are an awful lot of people waiting for them to get their gear to work probably. After several false starts they splutter into life and they are excellent. Pulsating riffs, grizzled snapped vocals and well-worn self-assurance that only comes from doing this for a really long time. The audience wanders off towards the end, presumably heading off to secure their positions for Architects, but if there is any justice at least some of them will have finally realised the utter brilliance of one of this country's most underrated gems. Watch our interview HERE.

And so to Architects. Possibly Bloodstock's most contentious and controversial choice of headliner since Europe in 2009. The simple fact is that they stole the show by putting on absolute killer performance. The ascending energy and non-stop potent punch showed that they are as “metal” as anyone else that has been placed at the festivals summit. They just accelerate and don't stop. Even if it was obvious that there were vast swaths of the crowd unfamiliar with a fair chunk of their material, they win over the masses by being crushingly clinical in their delivery. Every song feels special, every track is pumped full of the same level of kinetic energy as they would if it was the concluding number. 

After admitting to crippling imposter syndrome at last year's Download, Sam Carter seems much more comfortable this evening. He embraces his inner rock star and careers around the stage with conviction and potentially a newfound dose of confidence. That confidence just grows as the audience reaction crescendos. He gives it his all and is bolstered by the reaction he gets in return. Architects may well have taken the long route up the mountain side but they show that they know many of us have come in midway by only reaching back only as far as 2012’s “Daybreaker”. Even though, you can see the evolution and development of their sound as they cleanly click through the gears.

We get an encore and the dark introspective lyrics of the ‘Nihilist’ are screamed at Sam. It all ends with ‘Animals’, which just builds and builds with its outraged ferocity. It's an audacious and angry track and its feels cathartic in its bloodletting as it is screamed out into the night sky. An astonishing performance and proof that good things do come to those who wait. 

If there are still anybody left on site that believes the Architects shouldn't have headlined then Korpiklaani should provide the perfect antidote. They are the quintessential Bloodstock band. They have all the right ingredients; jaunty tracks, shed loads of audience participation and an almost pathological obsession with alcohol. For an hour and a quarter, they bounce along in a frenetic but ultimately harmless manner. They are what the last band of the evening should always be; irreverent, slightly unhinged and a barrel load of laughs. Fun for all the family or at least those who manage to stay out this late.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Korpiklaani + Architects + Sylosis + Malevolence + Combichrist + Whitechapel + Asomvel + Deicide + Red Rum + Unleash The Archers + Mimi Barks + Forbidden + Ludovico Technique + Crypta + Enemies Everywhere + Ignea + Unpeople + Deitus + Cauldron