Words: John Layland; Images: Matt Higgs

Diamond Head

With our tents securely packed away and a fresh dose of caffeine on board, Punktastic are ready for our first band of the day – new wave of British heavy metal legends Diamond Head. When Stourbridge’s heavy metal heroes start things off with ‘Bones’, the crowd in front of the Ronnie James Dio stage is still relatively small. As soon as Karl Wilcox drops into the opening drum roll of ‘Helpless’ a few minutes later, though, it’s as though a ripple of recognition makes its way through the entire arena, and just another few short minutes later the audience has more than doubled in size. This leads to quite a touching speech, as shortly afterwards lead vocalist Rasmus Andersen pauses to thank the audience and explain how even five years after joining Diamond Head, he still cannot believe how lucky he is to be playing in one of his favourite bands here at Bloodstock. It’s a genuine heartfelt moment, and very endearing. In fact, the only thing that tops it is the double bill of ‘It’s Electric’ and ‘Am I Evil’, which absolutely tears the house down – particularly Brian Tatler’s iconic intro to the latter, which the crowd sings back to him as he dances up and down the neck of his Flying V in a festival moment Iron Maiden would be proud of.

Bleed From Within

Next up we’re going from the old school to the new, and it’s time for Bleed From Within. The Scottish metalcore quintet are never to be outdone, either, and put in an absolutely stellar performance – especially guitarists Craig Gowans and Steven Jones, whose picking hands seem locked in with military precision as they deliver riff after bludgeoning riff. Today’s setlist seems mostly focused on material from their most recent album ‘Fracture’, which is no bad thing either; the more melodic hooks really work in a live setting and elevate an already incredible show. The audience simply cannot get enough, hurling themselves over the barrier and even parting ways for a brutal wall of death during ‘Fracture’. Another album or two like this could see Bleed From Within joining the likes of Parkway Drive and climbing much higher up the bill.

Orange Goblin

Since playing the first ever Bloodstock back at the turn of the millennium, doom rockers Orange Goblin have become regular visitors here at Catton Hall, with their brand of Sabbath infused stoner rock always finding just the right spot on the bill. They may not be the heaviest or most technical band here today, but what they lack in savagery they more than make up for with pure fun factor, with pint glasses flying and heads banging uncontrollably as new bassist Harry Armstrong swaggers his way through the thunderous groove of opening track ‘Sons of Salem’. The filthy few from London don’t waste any time, packing no less than twelve songs into a set that runs just under an hour and never once loses its momentum; they stomp their way through a back catalogue that spans nearly 25 years, with vocalist Ben Ward’s Lemmy-esque growls rattling the fillings in the front row throughout.

Therapy?

Therapy? draw a short straw in the running order today with their set coinciding with the first dose of rain of the weekend – nobody at the mainstage seems in the slightest bit deterred, though, as they hunker down, dig out their ponchos and wait expectantly for the lads from Northern Ireland to take to the stage. When they finally emerge and launch into ‘Potato Junkie’, everyone springs into life and bellows back the chorus to Andy Cairns. The lockdown-inspired ‘It’s Ok Not to Be Ok’ goes down particularly well with the slightly soggy audience, and it’s nice to see the band address the issues so many people have faced throughout the pandemic.

Saxon

After a brief changeover and a fittingly hilarious introduction from the one and only Brian Blessed himself, denim and leather clad British rock icons Saxon are ready to take the reins on the main stage. Unfortunately the heavens open once again and the crowd’s reaction to ‘Motorcycle Man’ and ‘Battering Ram’ is slightly dampened as a result. ‘Wheels of Steel’ pulls things back a little, but the weather does prove too much for some, who retreat to the shelter of the second and third stages. Undeterred, the band continue on as though nothing’s changed, with Biff Byford remarking that he’s more excited than when he had his first shag in spite of the conditions. Fortunately, the downpour begins to ease somewhat around the mid-point of the set and their audience returns, fresh beers in hand, just in time for ‘Never Surrender’. They may be getting on a bit, but Saxon go on to prove they’ve still got a thing or two to teach the younger artists here this weekend, absolutely demolishing the arena for the remainder of their set. Delivering hit after hit, they eventually run out of time and let the audience choose their final track, ‘Princess of the Night’.

Judas Priest

Celebrating their 50th anniversary this year at Bloodstock, it’s obvious that heavy metal royalty Judas Priest have got a treat in store for the 20,000+ in attendance, as a massive illuminated Priest logo descends from the roof of the main stage to signal the start of their show.

Rob Halford and co. have a few surprises up their studded sleeves for us here tonight, too. Not content to bang out a few classics and call it a day, Priest use their extended two hour set to deliver some real gems for their hardcore fans; ‘Rocka Rolla’ for the first time since 1976, the first ever live performances of ‘Invader’ and ‘One Shot at Glory’… The deep cuts come thick and fast, and they sound fantastic – opening track ‘One Shot at Glory’ in particular seems like it should have been a staple for years, judging by the reaction it gets.

That’s not to say those of us that aren’t heavy metal historians aren’t catered for either. ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’’, ‘Painkiller’ and ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ are all still present, correct, and as heavy as ever, with Halford still hitting every trademark high note.

By the time their three song finale of ‘Metal Gods’, ‘Breaking The Law’ and ‘Living After Midnight’ rolls around it doesn’t feel as though two hours have passed at all. The audience are still chanting for more, and they linger long after ‘We Are The Champions’ by Queen begins to play, signalling the end of what will no doubt be remembered as one of the band’s most legendary performances.

Tonight’s set has been proof, if ever any was needed, that Judas Priest aren’t just part of heavy metal history – they’re still making it. We can’t think of a more perfect way to end what’s been an amazing weekend here at Bloodstock.

Click here to view the full gallery for Bloodstock Day Three

Words: John Layland; Images: Matt Higgs

Conjurer

Spirits are high on Saturday morning at Bloodstock. The weather is gorgeous, the line-up is exceptional, and for those that partied late into the night, the coffee stands are nothing short of life saving. Of course, it always helps when you have a band like Conjurer to help shake away the cobwebs, and the Rugby-based quartet’s unique brand of blackened death metal does just that. With songs that flow effortlessly from Gojira-esque grooves into melodic breaks with just a dash of Blackwater Park in the mix, Conjurer are a treat, cutting through the night befores hangover like a knife. The band seem to be having an amazing time too as bassist Andy Price dives into the crowd, bass still in hand, to share a moment with the audience before they depart the main stage.

Wargasm

Next up on today’s bill, Wargasm are a total change of pace. Their raw and energetic brand of nu-metal, with a little punk rock attitude, is initially met with some skepticism from the Bloodstock crowd; despite this being only their second UK festival performance, Milkie Way and Sam Matlock have a chemistry on stage that’s undeniable and, slowly but surely, you can see more and more people warming to the unlikely duo. Seemingly sensing victory in the air, the pair launch into a raucous cover of NERD’s ‘Lapdance’, a track that suits their duelling vocal style absolutely perfectly and has everybody in front of the main stage singing and dancing along. Inexperienced they may be, but Wargasm definitely won a major victory and gained some new fans here today to boot.

Malevolence

Sheffield-based beatdown kings Malevolence are up next, bringing the first circle pits of the day with them. Lead vocalist Alex Taylor doesn’t even have to ask for a pit to open up – the audience just seem to know what’s expected of them, and the whirlpool of leather and spikes reaches full terminal velocity during ‘Keep Your Distance’. What follows can only be described as a savage lesson in filthy breakdowns and doom laden single note riffs from guitarists Josh Baines and Konan Hall, who play off each other beautifully. When the dust finally settles and you can see the sunburned and bruised bodies left in their wake, it’s difficult to believe this is Malevolence’s first outing here at Bloodstock. We expect to see them much higher up the bill after today’s performance.

While She Sleeps

Speaking of bands we expect to see higher up the bill next time… Looking around the arena today you can tell that the Sleeps Society are here in full force to back up their boys, While She Sleeps. T-shirts and back patches featuring the band’s logo are absolutely everywhere, and as their intro kicks in, the roar that erupts from the main stage can be heard across the entire festival site. Despite their time off the road, While She Sleeps’ set is one of the tightest and best produced of the weekend, weaving old favourites like ‘Four Walls’ and newer material from their last two albums into a setlist that never loses momentum. Crowd surfers are pouring over the barrier, there are mosh pits forming everywhere, and Lawrence Taylor can’t resist the urge to get involved as their set reaches its climax. Taylor leaps from the stage during ‘Systematic’ and makes his way out to the sound desk, before crowd surfing his way back in one of the most triumphant moments of the weekend so far. Truthfully, if it wasn’t still daylight, you’d be forgiven for thinking WSS were headlining here today, and if they keep up this level of performance we don’t think it will be too long before we see them closing festivals.

Paradise Lost

Goth rockers Paradise Lost have a slightly difficult start to their set, with seemingly nothing but bass guitar coming from the front of house speakers for the first few bars of opening track ‘Enchantment’. Someone behind the desk thankfully realises this and lunges for the volume faders before it’s too late, but it takes another song or two for the mix to finally level out. Thankfully, the band more than make up for these difficulties with a full play through of 1995’s ‘Draconian Times’, a real treat for hardcore fans – especially as songs like ‘Elusive Cure’ and ‘Shades of God’ haven’t been played live for the better part of a decade. Despite being a less accessible setlist, everyone in the crowd seems to be having a fantastic time too, much to the delight of Nick Holmes, who takes every opportunity between his duties on the mic to joke around and amp them up even more. Eventually it’s time to bring things to close with ‘Say Just Words’, which has everyone singing at the top of their lungs and the band grinning from ear to ear. As with many artists we’ve seen so far this weekend, Paradise Lost are clearly enjoying every minute just as much as the audience are, and it’s a shame they can’t stay just a little longer.

Cradle of Filth

Next up on the bill, it’s time for Dimmu Borgir replacements Cradle of Filth. As theatrical as ever and every bit as uncompromising musically, Cradle of Filth are always a welcome addition to any festival line-up and they are on absolutely top form here at Bloodstock today. Dani Filth’s trademark screams seem to have even more power than usual as they soar above the rising cacophony of Richard Shaw and Marek Šmerda’s pummeling riffs. They even slip in a small preview from upcoming album ‘Existence is Futile’ with the live premiere of new song ‘Crawling King Chaos’, which goes down an absolute storm and fits perfectly alongside older material like ‘Her Ghost In The Fog’. There are plenty of crowd pleasers too, like the ever present ‘Nymphetamine’ and ‘From the Cradle to Enslave’. Whether or not you’re a fan of extreme music, it’s hard not to admire the musicianship and sheer stage presence of Cradle of Filth at full chat, and if what we heard from their new album today is anything to go by, we expect them to be laying waste to unsuspecting festival audiences for many more years to come.

Kreator

The end of our second day at Bloodstock is approaching. Darkness has begun to fall upon Catton Hall, with only one band left on Punktastic’s list today – and it’s heavy metal titans Kreator. Filling the shoes of Mercyful Fate as Saturday’s headliner is no easy job, but the German thrashers seem to have come prepared for the task. The stage set-up alone is impressive enough, with telltale pyro units strategically placed everywhere and extra lighting gantries being wheeled this way and that – it’s clear they’ve come to slay here at Bloodstock, and slay they do.

Pillars of flame erupt from the stage again and again as Jürgen “Ventor” Reil’s furious double kick drum attack powers the band through a suitably epic opener in the form of ‘Violent Revolution’. If the pyrotechnics don’t melt your face off, the guitar acrobatics of lead axeman Sami Yli-Sirniö most certainly will as he shreds and sweep picks his way through lick after tasty lick.

With over a dozen studio albums under their belt, Kreator have no shortage of material to pull on, from full blown breakneck headbangers balls like ‘Enemy of God’, to stompers like ‘Hail to the Hordes’, both of which see a sea of horns raised to the sky throughout the arena.

Nearly two hours of thrash metal masterclass pass by in what feels like the blink of an eye and soon vocalist Milland Petrozza is inviting Dani Filth back on stage for a pre-encore rendition of ‘Betrayer’. Kreator leave us a few minutes later accompanied by yet more blasts of flame and a final farewell in the form of ‘Pleasure to Kill’, ending a second amazing day of live music and leaving our ears well and truly ringing.

Click here to view the full gallery for Bloodstock Day Two

Words: John Layland; Images: Matt Higgs

Higher Power

Flow tests completed, wristbands acquired and tents hastily thrown together, Punktastic are off into the arena just as Higher Power take to the main stage. The hardcore punk outfit from Leeds have drawn quite a crowd in the early afternoon sun, too, and lead vocalist Jimmy Wizard has no trouble immediately getting them up on their feet, waving their arms in the air to the beat of of his brother Alex’s kick drum.

Despite being one of the few punk acts on a bill dominated by metal, their sound goes down extremely well with Bloodstock’s audience – no doubt at least partially due to the raw enthusiasm and fusion of styles of guitarists Louis Harper and Max Hardy, who throw out riff after riff, seamlessly fusing hardcore punk with elements of thrash metal and funk. It’s a combination that leaves all of us wanting more, even as their relatively short set draws to a close.

Venom Prison

There’s no time to be disappointed though, as after a short changeover it’s time for Venom Prison, who sound absolutely savage from the second they emerge, accompanied by blasts of flame from the front of the stage. The sheer ferocity of drummer Joe Bills blast beats alone would be enough to leave you reeling, but combined with Larissa Stupars incredible guttural death metal vocals, Venom Prison prove themselves to be more than a force to be reckoned with. It’s no wonder they’re earning a reputation as one of the genre’s hottest UK acts, as their performance here at Bloodstock is nothing short of devastating.

Ginger & The Wildhearts

After taking such a battering to the senses, Ginger & The Wildhearts’ brand of straight up punk rock goes down an absolute treat in the afternoon sun, with feel good hits like ‘I Wanna Go Where The People Go’ and ‘Vanilla Radio’ giving the audience something to sing along to, their fists pumping the air to the beat.

An old hand when it comes to working a festival crowd, Ginger even has the staff in the burger tents in front of the main stage dancing along by the time they’re finishing things off with ‘Love You ’til I Don’t’.

Skindred

A set from Newport destroyers Skindred is always a safe bet for a good time at a festival and that’s never been more true than it is today. From the instant their hip-hop infused Imperial March intro music hits, the groove in the audience starts to build, finally exploding in full force when Benji bursts onto the main stage and Mikey Demus slides his way into the opening riff of ‘Stand For Something’.

On form as always, Skindred deliver hit after hit – from old favourites like ‘Rat Race’ to newer tracks like ‘That’s My Jam’, and never once is the atmosphere anything short of electrifying. Before they’re even halfway through their set, Benji has the crowd well and truly eating out of his hands, and they positively erupt when the band veer away from their own material briefly and pay a fitting tribute to both Joey Jordison and Eddie Van Halen with a dubstep remix of ‘Duality’ and an infectious mash-up of ‘Jump’ and ‘Jump Around’ by House of Pain. A few songs later and it’s unfortunately time to say goodbye, however Skindred have one last memory left to leave us with – because there’s no sight quite like a field full of denim jackets raised to the sky, being spun maniacally in what must rank as one of the heaviest Newport helicopters of all time. It’s a set that leaves smiles on the faces of everyone involved, smiles that last long after they’ve queued at the bar and prepared themselves for tonight’s headliner.

Devin Townsend

Despite having been in quarantine for ten days and only having played one warm up gig with his entirely new, all-British band in preparation for tonight’s performance, progressive metal master (and everyone’s favourite Canadian) Devin Townsend is at his absolute best this evening. After greeting the Bloodstock crowd with his usual endearing and eccentric self deprecating sense of humour, the final set of the day is kicked off in style with a raucous rendition of ‘Aftermath’ by Strapping Young Lad.

Despite their lack of rehearsal time as a band, Stephen Platt, James Leach, and Darby Todd seem to have everything locked in very nicely as the band head into some Devin Townsend Project material with ‘Kingdom’ and ‘By Your Command’. They never falter even once, despite the challenging nature of some of the songs, all of which were chosen by the Bloodstock audience for this ‘By Request’ set.

The sound is easily the best of the day so far too, perfectly showcasing every nuance of each song; from the grinding industrial attack of ‘Love?’ to the ambient wash of tracks like ‘Deadhead’, not a moment is missed. As always with Townsend, no performance is complete without a little comedy either – be it a guitar duel against an intergalactic puppet, a headbanging elephant, or his own refusal to take himself seriously, his unique charm helps make this performance as endearing as it is musically impressive. 

After one final blast from Townsend’s Strapping Young Lad past (complete with aforementioned headbanging elephant), the band bring Bloodstock’s first day of music to a triumphant close with the suitably spooky ‘Vampira’, and in the process set an incredibly high bar for everyone who has to follow. It might be Friday the 13th, but there’s absolutely nothing unlucky about what happened at Bloodstock tonight.

Click here to view the full gallery for Bloodstock Day One