Live Review : Bloodstock Festival on August 11th 2023

And before we know it, we are straight into the first full day of festivities. The sun is up and blazing away though the plentiful cloud cover, this means it never becomes as inhospitable as last year. Bloodstock has always been about early starts and Lancastrian death metallers’ Bloodyard have pulled the short straw and are first out of the traps at the ungodly hour of 10:30 am. Alumni of Metal to the Masses, there is something highly gratifying about the way the festival is committed to bringing back previous participants in elevated slots. Bloodyard are unrefined Death Metal, full of vim, vigour, and pendulous heaviness. Their pride in their new material is evident and it’s all akin to watching four new fathers show off their dysfunctional offspring.

 Over on the main stage, Witchsorrow are bringing the route 101 doom. Whilst a tad soporific for this time of the morning, they pull a healthy crowd and soon have our collective fillings rattling. There is something bewitchingly primal about well-honed doom. Slow, methodical and monolithically dense, it's the sound of tectonic plates crashing together and they soon have 5,000 curious souls banging their heads in unison.

Crust punk revivalists Wolfbastard take a different approach to warming up their audience. This is in-your-face aggressive energy, unapologetically un-housetrained and gloriously repugnant. They are splendidly entertaining in an antisocial and irreverent sort of way. They playfully goad the audience in thick Oldham accents and jibe that ‘Graveyard Slag’ is about your gran. A pertinent reminder that our music is at its best when it is rough around the edges and playfully belligerent.

Wytch Hazel look and sound like they have stepped out of a vintage episode of Old Grey Whistle test. Hailing from Lancashire, they are a retrotastic remix of your grandad's old Jethro Tull albums. Peppered with soaring melodies and singalong choruses a-plenty, they manage to avoid any accusations of being twee by actually being bloody good at what they do.

I am a Nu-metal denier, and I don't dance (unless there's an awful lot of beer involved), but I find that my hips gyrating spontaneously to the groove-some tones of Black Coast. Their sound is full of sumptuous breakdowns that titillate the tastebuds. To be honest I'm not sure what genre they are playing, in but what I do know is that they are deliciously moreish and they dart around the stage like a hip-hop crew on acid. Frolicking fun that gets those thigh muscles going.

Hate are simply extraordinary. The Behemoth comparisons are inevitable, but they manage to eclipse the brilliance of their Polish compatriots. There is a mature complexity to their variant of black metal that is absent in so many other examples of the genre. It is Adam Buszko (ATF Sinner to his Gran) who leads the band, but it is Dominik Prykiel distinctive guitar sound that really gives them their shape. He dispenses with the simplicity of identikit black metal and instead creates an intersecting web of intricate time signatures. Mature and self-aware, this is Black Metal unafraid to revel in its own intelligence.

Over again in Sophie, we are firmly in prog territory, the 80s division.The Enigma Division hail from Ireland. If Dream Theater had recorded the soundtrack to the Terminator it would have sounded like this. Big sweeping soundscapes that bring to mind dystopian skylines and artificial intelligence’s gone rogue. Their appearance today seems orchestrated purely to prove that everybody's tastes are catered for somewhere at Bloodstock. They are hardly going to turn the head of the hardened death metal fan off to see Gatecreeper, but the audience they do draw nod along in appreciation. 

Talking of Gatecreeper there has been a little bit of rearranging on main stage and they appear in the slot that was meant to be Sacred Reich. Nobody is particularly aggrieved though, because if you had tuned in for a chunk of vintage 80s thrash you are not going to turn your nose up at being served some old-skool Death Metal in its place. Gatecreeper do what they do exceptionally well. The riffs are simplistic but driving and each song surges forward with malevolent intent.

Chase Mason is a particularly insular frontman (video interview HERE) preferring to let the music do the talking as opposed to living out any egotistical dream. Because he doesn't have an imposing form you notice the other members much more and the band feels like a collective as opposed to an autocracy. The new album is in the can, and we get an early preview of it in the shape of ‘Caught in the Threads’. From the conversation that we had with them earlier in the day (video interview can be found here), you can tell that the band are particularly chuffed with their new creation (going as far as to describe it as their “Heartwork”) and there is a grinding intensity to the track that bodes well. 

There is a definite buzz about Zetra, sadly that buzz doesn’t seem to have permanated into the circles that Bloodstock attendees move in, as the turnout is low to middling at best. Which is a great shame as Zetra are one of the most oddly brilliant bands on the bill. Odd because they look nothing like they sound and sound nothing like they look. Visually they have a Whitby goth chique with more chains than the S&M night down the old Dog & Dog. However, they sound positively angelic, shoegaze with added celestials. There is heaviness but it is right right on the edge of hearing, like they are trying to attract Labradors with a penchant for doom. They are also stunningly good, refreshingly inventive and probably at the wrong festival. 

The most pleasurable aspect of watching Sacred Reich’s set is observing the utter joy on Phil Rind’s face. This is a man who has been through the wringer and come out the other side and is just revelling in the fact that thirty-eight years after Wiley Arnott and himself started doing, this nearly twenty thousand people still want to stand and sing along to their songs. There are some acts this weekend that seem to take it all for granted, but Phil seems positively moved and emotionally triggered by every single positive vibe thrown at him.  

The waves of love are completely deserved as Sacred Reich are fantastic. The set concentrates probably too much on their latest album than is strictly necessary but all that is forgiven as they crank out ‘American Way’, ‘Death Squad’ and ‘Surf Nicaragua’. The latter is pure nostalgic wonderfulness and from the look of the crowd, I am not the only fifty plus year old shedding a tear or two.

Bringing us straight back to the modern age are Pest Control, an online collective brought to life. Formed during lockdown they were a musical outlet for a number of frustrated Leeds musicians desperate to do something when they weren’t watching Netflix or home-schooling the kids. Galvanised by a shared love of crossover thrash, this DIY project has evolved into an unashamedly enticing live proposition. Blisteringly self-aware, they make authentic crossover thrash that retains both the fun and the fiercely political motivation. Not bad for something that was created to merely wile away the time.

Almost inexplicably Fit for Autopsy are now a big thing. It isn’t as if they have shifted from their particularly hostile brand of Deathcore, it seems that it is the taste of the public that has evolved, shoving them into the limelight without compromising any of their blistering intensity. This afternoon they are on fine form and the astonishingly appreciative crowd proves that Deathcore has gone through a remarkable cultural renaissance. Joe Badolato’s vocals are exquisite. Bloodcurdling screeches that entwines with the gnarly riffs to create a turbulent upswell of surging noise. This is the moment that Bloodstock embraces Deathcore and a Lorna Shore headline slot can’t be too far away….

Ok, this is not the late lamented Fury UK even though Luke Appleton of that Fury (and Iced Earth, when John Schaffer is not taking part in insurrections) is the life partner of Becky Baldwin of this Fury (keep up I will be asking questions later). This Fury is a fast-accelerating heavy rock contingent that seem to be lapping many of their comrades on the buoyant British scene. They have discovered that having a discernible sense of fun doesn’t mean that they have to take their musicianship any less seriously. They may well have been subbed in at short notice but there is a lotta lotta love for them in the tent and you get a distinct impression that nothing can stop their ascension.

On the continent, Heaven Shall Burn are a headlining proposition and to be honest their strobe-heavy set up probably works better in the enveloping darkness of the Slovenian night than it does on a sunny afternoon in the East Midlands. This is their debut UK festival appearance which makes sense when you realise that prior to their Trivium support slot earlier in the year, their last visit was in 2014 and they haven’t headlined in this country for eleven years. The set is significantly different to the one they played with Trivium and we get more of an emphasis on older material from “Veto” and “Antigone”. The biggest take away is what a dominating frontman Marcus Bischoff is. He stands, resplendent in his trademark red shirt, centre stage and you can fell the energy pulsate out from him. If England is a secondary market for them, then it doesn’t show as they work the crowd hard and at the end of their hour it is obvious that they have won a lot of friends indeed.

Gaerea are special (video interview HERE). As much a life concept as a band, they are taking transcendental euphoric Black Metal to a whole other level. The staging is sparse. There are no amps to be seen and few lights. Everything is about the five hooded figures on stage in various states of cavortion. They are utterly astonishing and wave after wave of undulating power sweeps off the stage. This is Black Metal but shrouded in life-affirming positivity. There is no downtuning in sight and everything feels buoyant and uplifting. They have replaced despondency with hope and assertion.  A soul-enriching experience enriched with optimism and affirmation.

You cant talk about In Flames extraordinary set without mentioning Bugle guy. If you google the phrase “Living your best life” you will find this guy, skipping across the stage, in his cloak and Tricorne hat, Bugle aloft and face beaming with utter pleasure. The invitation by Anders for him to join them on stage not only made the set but put to bed all those falsely held opinions that In Flames can be a bit poe-faced and up themselves. 

This evening Andres is the consummate entertainer, refreshingly self-deprecating but also bristling with energy and enthusiasm. For an hour and a quarter, it is obvious that there is nowhere else in the world that he would rather be. The set is a comprehensive journey through modern In Flames. There is nothing pre-“Clayman” but all bases visited in the last twenty-three years are covered (bizarrely excluding the rather splendid “Battles”). The constant evolution of the In Flames sound is evident as they skip around the eras, as is the consistency of the quality. They have played with more genres than I have had hot dinners but in each one, they have written cracking songs.

The adoration of the crowd is also edifying. I have always felt that In Flames don’t get the plaudits in this country that they deserve but they pull not only the biggest crowd of the day so far, but one that listens and reacts. In Flames are one of the most important and influential metal bands of the last thirty years and it truly felt with this powerhouse of a performance they finally get the recognition they deserve.

Bossk are dark, dystopian and the perfect soundtrack for the fuck up that this country has become. This is despondent post-metal. The usual joy is removed and replaced by narcissistic self-loathing. They weave tapestries of osculating power that wraps the Sophie tent in wave after wave of sonic distortion. Delicate but simultaneous dense, this is metal reimagined as hymns for the lost, displaced and dejected.

If any band have earnt this shot at headline status then its Killswitch Engage (video interview HERE). They have graduated from plucky upstarts to elder statesmen with very few growing pains. More importantly from the moment that ‘My Curse’ crashes in they utterly own this moment. In my time at Bloodstock I have never seen so many voices raised up in simultaneous song. This is Killswitch’s audience and they both know and cherish that. What is extraordinary is that they never loose the momentum of that opening salvo. The set is immaculately curated to be banger after banger, with no perceivable weak moments. Every song is greeted like an absolute favourite. 

The staging is also brazen and confident. They have obviously hijacked a Rammstein production truck as the pyros come thick, fast and fiery. It is highly impressive (and warm) to watch but no matter the velocity of the pillars of flame, their consistent presence never over-shadows the songs. It is also clear that the band are having an absolute ball. This is not another tick on the tour itinerary, this is special and Jesse’s constant proclamations prove that. The juxtaposition between his disarming honesty and Adams Frat boy profanity is perfect and manages to prevent it all from becoming mawkish. It showcases the positive creative tension that makes Killswitch Engage so special, and the combination of emotive intelligence and playful stupidity drives everything forward.

Any fears that we were going to get a truncated set are soon placidicated as they hurtle towards the ninety-minute mark with no sign of slowing. They dispense 21 tracks from all over their impressive back catalogue (only the self-titled debut is left alone) and by the time the power duo of ‘The End of Heartache’ and ‘My Last Serenade’ booms out there is no one on site that would argue that Killswitch Engage aren’t a bonafide headliner. But there is more and closing cover ‘Holy Diver’ is a masterclass in audience participation and involvement. An exemplary example of arena sized metal, Killswitch Engage came, saw and conquered.

But we have one further band and Jesus is it a doozer. Candlemass appearances in this country are a rare occurrence. They last played Bloodstock in 2009 and since then they have made two further solitary excursions to the Birthplace of Heavy Metal. As you would expect there is a level of expectation and excitement buzzing around the Sophie Stage, fuelled in part by the rarity of their appearance but also by the fact this is the first time we get to see EVER Johan Längqvist on vocals (fact fans when they recorded their phenomenal “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” (before last Years’s “Sweet Evil Sun” Längqvist’s only record with the band) they were a studio only project).

 As ‘Marche Funebre’ booms out the reaction is astonishing. Whilst Black Sabbath might have birthed doom, Candlemass are the quintessential Doom Metal Band and the reverence can be felt across the tent. ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and ‘Bewitched’ are outstanding but as they slide into ‘Under the Oak’ the reaction is incredible. For the most of us this is the first time ever we have heard material from “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” rendered by the voice that originally recorded them. The emotion bubbles up as grown men weep and a packed tent sings in unison.

Candlemass could have been terrible, and I would have still been a quivering emotional wreck. But they are not. They are outstanding, a doom juggernaut dispensing heavy metal as it should be made. They wear there elder statesmen attire well and utterly own the space. An incredible performance by an incredible band. Just don’t leave it that long next time ,please!!!

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Ryan : Candlemass, Killswitch Engage, Bossk, In Flames, Gaerea, To Obey A Tyrant, Heaven Shall Burn, Square Wild, Fit For An Autopsy, Pest Control, Sacred Reich, Zetra, Hate, Black Coast, Wytch Hazel, Witchsorrow, Bloodyard

Johann : Killswitch Engage, Bossk, In Flames, Gaerea, Heaven Shall Burn, Gatecreeper, The Enigma Division, Hate, Wolfbastard