It was about time that we made it to Bloodstock. There's always been some apprehension about it. How would we get there? Was it worth it? How would it compare to Download, a festival that we've frequented every year for a long time? Could Bloodstock really live up to the hype that had been heaped upon it by the friends we knew that had been? There was only one way to find out: we'd have to see for ourselves.
It probably helped that this year's lineup was an absolute belter, with arguably three of the best headliners in modern metal across the weekend: Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira. It definitely helped that it included a few of our favourite bands, two of whom would be playing on the same day. With the offer of a lift from friends of ours who were also attending, we resolved to go for a day. Short of camping, or driving ourselves every day, it was the easiest option, particularly given that, unlike Download, Bloodstock is not located on a site that's blessed with much by way of public transport links. So it was, on a warm and dry Friday in August, that we descended onto the soil of Catton Hall, just outside Burton-on-Trent, to finally see what all the fuss was about.
It would be hard not to compare things with Download, such is our familiarity with the much larger Donington-based festival, but Bloodstock's independence certainly puts a fresher spin on things. The beer choice is much wider, the queues are generally much shorter, and the ease with which we were able to enter the site and acquire our wristbands was not to be sniffed at. The site is also considerably smaller, making it much easier to find your way around and also to locate people. Our first impressions were certainly favourable. There's nothing quite like a music festival. It's a chance to enjoy music in a group setting, with friends and strangers, and also to cut yourself off from the troubles and strife of the outside world. Music is a tool. Not just for entertainment but to allow people to feel something that moves them. Every band that we would witness on the day would be testament to that. And a testament to the importance of music. It doesn't just stir emotions, it drives them. And no genre has the propensity for driving emotion, in all its forms, than heavy metal. More than that, and arguably more than any other genre, metal has a fanbase that strives on togetherness, support and looking after your fellow humans. Everyone is welcome. Gatekeepers and other unsavoury types need not apply. Metal is inclusive, non-judgemental and open to everyone, regardless of race, gender, orientation, colour or creed. It's one big family and so it shall remain. With that out in the open, let's get to the music shall we?
Opening up the Ronnie James Dio stage, thrash-adjacent Norwich metallers SHRAPNEL come firing out of the blocks, with scything riffs and blustering percussion, blowing away the cobwebs from anyone who is still a bit hazy after the previous night's exertions. Whilst it's nothing overly different or spectacular, their blend of metalcore, with added thrash stylings, is executed with suitable aplomb. Inevitably, given the death of Ozzy Osbourne a couple of weeks earlier, the shadow of the Prince of Darkness looms large over proceedings. A 17m long tribute wall has been erected at one side of the arena for the faithful to pay tribute. Hundreds had already done so, even early on the first full day and we wasted no time in adding our names to the throng. It's a point of fact, alluded to on more than one occasion by various bands and attendees, that without Ozzy and Black Sabbath, not one band on the bill over the weekend would exist and neither would festivals like Bloodstock. The musical landscape would look irrevocably different. Thank goodness then, that things panned out the way that they did. The Sabbath worship is on display early. Canterbury doom-mongers FAMYNE, bring their own brand of downtuned dread, complete with menacing tones and mournful vocal wails. They've even brought their own gong and they're named after an Opeth song, in case you were in any doubt as to where their influences lie.
The darker vibes continue with KONVENT, who serve up an ice cold slice of Scandinavian death/doom under the blazing Midlands sun. The all-female Copenhagen quartet sound positively evil. Vocalist Rikke Emilie List switches between ferocious growls and unearthly screams whilst guitarist Sara Helena Norregaard unleashes blackened funereal riffs. It's the aural equivalent of a nuclear winter and earns much appreciation from the crowd. One of Bloodstock's strengths seems to be in knowing how to schedule bands so that things don't become too overwhelming. Evidence to this is Konvent being immediately followed by FLOTSAM & JETSAM. Coming straight out of the second wave of thrash in the 80s, the Phoenix, Arizona band combine all of the best bits of the east and west coast movements but with a proggier, more technical edge. They can also boast former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted amongst their previous members. Founding vocalist, and sole original member, Eric 'A.K.' Knutson certainly shows no signs of fatigue as they smash through a series of older tracks alongside material from their most recent (15th) release I Am the Weapon.
Zurich's PALEFACE SWISS attract a sizeable crowd for their own take on punishing deathcore. Circle pits are aplenty and frontman Marc 'Zelli' Zellweger prowls the stage like a caged animal, inciting further carnage as he goes. Based on the reaction he and his band incite, the future of European deathcore looks to be in very safe hands indeed. Stoner metal legends ORANGE GOBLIN are on their final lap, having announced that they're calling it a day at the end of this year after three decades of Sabbath indebted space rock. Despite their impending retirement, they clearly have no intention of phoning in their performances. Man-mountain frontman Ben Ward, now shorn of his previous luscious locks, looks positively beaming to be a part of proceedings and seems genuinely humbled and overwhelmed at the size of the reception the band receive. They're not here to stand on pleasantries though. What follows is a tour through their sizable back catalogue, opening with Solarisphere from 1998's Time Travelling Blues. One of the biggest cheers goes up when the massive riff to Saruman's Wish kicks in and from there it's banger after banger. Given the strength and depth of their output, it's almost a travesty that they weren't much much bigger. Still, a world without Orange Goblin will seem a darker place, as if things aren't dark enough already.
It's fair to say that LACUNA COIL have earned their stripes. 31 years since their formation, the Italian goth-metal trailblazers have continued to up their game, as last year's excellent Sleepless Empire album proved. More than that, they've refined themselves into one hell of a live band, focused around Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro's dual vocals. They were one of the bands on the lineup that persuaded us to give the festival a go and to see them, deservedly, so high up the bill only fed the anticipation of what was to come. There is an air of impatience from the watching crowd as an unspecified delay means that the band arrive on stage 15 minutes later than scheduled. However, they more than make up for it with an absolute whopper of a set. Barring some brief early sound issues, opener Layers of Time sounds majestic. Hosting the Shadow, from Sleepless Empire, sounds absolutely massive with Andrea more than filling the space left by Randy Blythe, who guested on the album version. Despite the initial delay, there's an urgency and a determination amongst the band as they make up for lost time. There are moments of fun as well. Streamers explode in the colours of the Italian flag. Andrea runs around the stage during his quieter moments, firing T shirts into the crowd. The strength of Lacuna Coil as a live force has always been in the interplay between Cristina's soaring, operatic cleans and Andrea's gruff, feral growls. The latter comes into force on the reworked version of Heaven's a Lie, taken from the superbly reimagined 20th anniversary edition of Comalies. That's not to say the rest of the band don't pay their dues. Musically, they're perfectly locked in, with not a note out of place, all the more remarkable when you think that they've recently had to adjust to losing guitarist Diego Cavalotti. Even though their set is truncated, it's a triumph throughout. Our Truth is magnificent as is their, by now familiar but still superb, cover of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence, which triggers a massive singalong. A truly ferocious I Wish You Were Dead, during which Cristina throws a middle finger to all of her haters sends the crowd into raptures (as if she'd even have any). By the time the band close out with a huge version of Never Dawn, it's very much mission accomplished. Lacuna Coil have commanded much smaller stages than this but, regardless, the end result is the same. It's 45 minutes of symphonic, goth metal brilliance.
Lacuna Coil Setlist
Layers of Time
Reckless
Hosting the Shadow
Kill the Light
Blood, Tears, Dust
Gravity
Heaven's a Lie XX
I Wish You Were Dead
Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode cover)
Our Truth
Oxygen
Never Dawn
Sandwiched in between Lacuna Coil and tonight's headliners, EMPEROR are a different prospect altogether. Frontman Ihsahn looks for all the world like he's just come from a business meeting, and he seems absolutely furious about it, as he conducts the band through a set of some of the deepest, darkest black metal known to humanity. It's loud, furious and apocalyptic, but not without its softer moments despite, more often than not, sounding like a staircase falling down a staircase. Iconic albums In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk make up the bulk of the setlist but, rest assured, Emperor continue to be a defining black metal force throughout their catalogue. This is the sound of Hell collapsing in on itself.
And now, the main event.
Some things in this modern world make no sense. Donald Trump is President (again). Katy Perry is dating Justin Trudeau. This is only TRIVIUM's second UK festival headline show. Their first was on this very ground, ten years ago, in 2015. Now, 20 years on from their legendary performance at Download in 2005, are they about to eclipse that iconic moment and deliver a set that will be talked about all weekend and potentially go down in history as one of the best ever? Not half. By this stage of their career, Orlando's finest are well and truly on the top of their game. Recent albums have confirmed that this more than just a purple patch. Trivium are downright unstoppable these days and much of that acclaim comes from their reputation as an explosive live act. Fresh off of their shortened, through no fault of their own, co-headlining Poisoned Ascendancy Tour, Matt Heafy and the boys are back on UK soil and what follows will be nothing sort of incredible. A curtain drapes the stage as the The End of Everything, the instrumental opening track from the career-launching Ascendancy album, plays out. Then, everything erupts. The curtain falls and the battering ram riff of Rain kicks off proceedings proper, as jets of flame blast skywards. The opening salvo comes at breakneck speed as an early appearance of Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr follows into Like Light to the Flies, with the raucous crowd going hell for leather at Matt's insistence to sing. For a moment, you wonder whether Trivium will rattle through Ascendancy in full, as on their recent tour, but they're too savvy for that. They're not too savvy to shake up the formula though, even in the setlist. As well as Pull Harder..... being dropped early in the set, In Waves, a set closer for a while, gets played way before the end. Such is the heft of Trivium's back catalogue, they can arguably do what they want. They proceed to do just that. It's a testament to their confidence that they pack some surprises along the way. Alongside the heavy metal headliner cliches of pyro and inflatable mascots, they've got some tricks up their sleeve. Josh from Malevolence joins them onstage as an extra guitarist for a blistering The Deceived. Ihsahn returns to the stage to add guest vocals on In Waves but then proceeds to come in too early, eliciting a laugh from Matt. The biggest surprises come elsewhere. Sleep Token bass player III appears, in civvies and rune covered balaclava no less, to assist on Throes of Perdition. His appearance comes after Matt's message to the naysayers confirming that Sleep Token are indeed metal. Whatever he says goes. At this point, Matt could tell people the sky was red and 20,000 people would scream and throw their horns up in agreement. From nowhere, Matt pulls out Robb Flynn for a thunderous run-through of Symptom of the Universe, dedicated not just to Ozzy, but to many other fallen metal heroes (Lemmy, Dio, Dimebag) from years gone by.
'You never know what Trivium are going to do next', Matt intones. What they do next is blast through their cover of Master of Puppets, the first time it's been played live since 2008. To say the field goes bananas doesn't cover the scale of the response or the mass singalong that accompanies it. The fact that, in a setlist packed with bangers, Trivium resort to their own version of one of the biggest metal anthems of all time says a lot about how they've gotten to this point. Trivium have only ever done things their own way. They haven't proven their worth by sticking to the script. The setlist is absolutely full of choicest cuts. It's not all about looking back at their prior output though. There's a glimpse of the future here too. New single, Bury Me With My Screams, only dropped 48 hours before the show but that hasn't stopped a large proportion of the crowd singing along to every word. Heavily Ascendancy-coded, it even boasts a Gunshot style slam breakdown at the end. As with everything Trivium do tonight, it's executed so well that most of the crowd don't even notice that Matt's guitar stops working before the song is over. It's not just the setlist that's on form. The band are phenomenal. Matt is the epitome of the modern metal frontman, equal parts hyping the crowd up and encouraging them to look after each other. He even makes a joke or two, firstly about not being able to jump up and down due to a knee injury and secondly, a not-so-thinly veiled jab at Bullet for My Valentine for their recent tour withdrawal. The rest of the band are masters of their craft. Corey's guttural vocals sound punishing whilst his cleans perfectly complement Matt's, whilst his guitar work is razor sharp. Paolo and Alex make the work of a rhythm section look effortless and it may well be worth checking the latter for extra limbs. He's an absolute monster and covers every inch of his kit. Trivium deserve this. This slot is made for them. As things come to a close with a knockout one-two of Down From the Sky and The Sin and the Sentence, streamers explode from the stage. A full moon is high in the sky and 90 minutes has felt like 10. It's hard to put into words the elation that seeps from the bodies of everyone who's witnessed this monumental spectacle. Make no mistake, Trivium have laid a marker for every band that follows. As the stage goes dark and people file back to tents, cars, or to watch Kataklysm on the Sophie stage, you can't help but think that the next time they headline a UK festival, they won't have to wait 8 years.
Trivium Setlist
Rain
Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr
Like Light to the Flies
Catastrophist
Until the World Goes Cold
Symptom of the Universe (Black Sabbath cover) (with Robb Flynn)
Throes of Perdition (with III)
Master of Puppets (Metallica cover)
Drum Solo
A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
Strife
Bury Me With My Screams
In Waves (with Ihsahn)
The Deceived (with Josh Baines)
The Heart From Your Hate
Down From the Sky
The Sin and the Sentence
Our first ever experience at Bloodstock had completely surpassed expectations. One day alone had been fantastic and it's safe to say that we may have been bitten by the bug. If nothing else, we were absolutely gutted that we weren't there the following day for Machine Head's Saturday night headline slot and the same for Gojira, who were closing the whole affair on Sunday.
Next year's Bloodstock takes place from 6th-9th August with the headliners already confirmed, as is Bloodstock tradition. 2026 will be Bloodstock's 25th anniversary and, to celebrate, they've roped in groove metal titans Lamb of God, Russian-American deathcore rising stars Slaughter to Prevail, and heavy metal royalty Judas Priest. Add Sepultura and Bleed from Within, amongst many others, to the list and the stage is certainly set for another excellent weekend in 12 months time.
