My Saturday got off to a battering start with the absolutely brutal Cage Fight and from the off they absolutely crushed everyone in the field around them. From the moment they unleashed ‘Oxygen’ it was obvious that this quartet had evolved since their last time on the Sophie Stage back in 2022. Monteith managed his flank with obvious pride while the vocals from Aspe were toxic and raw yet maintained a luxurious smoothness about them which made them enthralling and addictive to the ears. Aspe stalked the stage with a refreshing appetite and hunger for the late morning slot while Chain tamed and manipulated his thicker strings with dedication and a thirst for pulverising us courtesy of the heavy and muscular bass lines. Latest single ‘I Hate Your Guts’ was absolutely venomous while ‘Eating Me Alive’ was aggressive and technically flawless, blending their savage hardcore and thrash seamlessly to bring a healthy dose of extreme aural delights to the healthy contingency gathered for this opening slot.
I darted over to the Sophie Stage next for a slab of atmospheric Sludge infused Post Metal by way of the British Vnder A Crvmbling Moon and boy did they hit hard. Upon entering the tent it was like hitting a brick wall at 100mph, the vocals were colossal and deep with the strings adding the intricate delicacy to the set. As the set progressed the band seemed to grow into their surroundings, becoming more and more comfortable and thus adding more and more flare to the visuals and flamboyancy to the audible wares. This set had had been reminiscent of a rampaging bull, controlled and measured brutality, guttural vocals and a battering drum shift which all forged to create a set of might and force which was addictive from the off.
Back over on the Main Stage and this time for some Germanic Death-tinged Black Metal from the awesome The Spirit and the crowd was genuinely impressive for this midday slot. With the stage stripped back to just a simple backdrop the band let their art inject all of the spectacle into the set. The vocals from MT were powerful and influential, tying in with the instrumental soul of the machine in perfect harmony. The drums were mechanical and hypnotic and provided the spine on which all the other elements hug off gloriously.
My first trip to the New Blood Stage today and this time for some uncompromising Thrash from Exorcism. My brief encounter with the Thrashers saw a performance which was competent beyond their years, it was technical, rapid and venomous, all displayed with a fundamental helping of passion and pride. This is a band to keep an eye on and be aware of because they are going to rise up through the ranks without a shadow of a doubt.
Next over on the Sophie Stage and this time for some more heavy pounding as Ba’al took to the stage. They illuminated the stage with their presence and they released a beating of mauling guitar riffs and detonating bass and drum works which all gelled around the vocals to create a military grade onslaught of fierce and caustic blackened Sludge infused Post Metal. The whole set saw a tsunami of heavy and crushing waves erupt from the stage and crash down on the gathered ensemble before them with might and a pummelling assault on the senses which all infused to generate a damaging and maiming set of hammering proportions.
So, more Thrash was the order of the day on the Main Stage and this time the freshness was courtesy of the immense Warbringer who brought their transatlantic brand with copious amounts of energy and good old fashioned friendly violence. Kevill was maniacal in the way he stalked and strode around the stage, making every inch of the Bloodstock Stage his own, even including the speaker stacks at the very front of the structure. ‘Crushed Beneath The Tracks’ was colossal and ‘Living In A Whirlwind’ was frenetic, subliminally encouraging the masses to surf over the top and down into no mans land which they duly obliged with in their droves. ‘Remain Violent’ was, and for me always will be, the unwritten Warbringer anthem and it is a true masterpiece which was shot high into the Derbyshire air with overflowing energy and passion. As the set drew to a close it was visible that there were many a battered and bruised body leaving the pit and into the surrounding areas but If you were to ask each and every one of those weary bodies if it was worth it I’m sure you will have got the same resounding answer from all of them, and that would have quite simply been an enthusiastic “Hell Yeah”
Sticking with the Main Stage and for a band who have risen through the Bloodstock ranks and graced the 3 biggest stages, from playing the New Blood Stage, then the Sophie Stage and now onto the Main Stage it was time for the Sludge tinged Hardcore of Heriot. From the moment Gough unleashed her vocal assault it was clear that they were here to destroy and destroy they certainly did. The twin vocals of Packer and Gough worked perfectly, as per usual, and the string work from each facet of the British camp was on point. Gage was possessed sat behind his kit, belting out his duties with an antagonistic charm, each track that passed just simply steamrolled all that was in its path, ‘Enter The Flesh’ was absolutely barbaric while ‘Solvent Gaze’ was decadently hostile and lovingly abrasive.
Over to the Sophie Stage next and some belligerent and destructive Hardcore, Waterlines were in the house and they weren’t taking any prisoners. Mars was hostile and dominant, spitting out his vocal duties with pinpoint accuracy and venomous violence, the skins and fretboards that backed him up were barbarous and energetic. I was gutted that I had to pull myself away from the tent after 15 minutes, I had a date with the EMP Stage, but I am most definitely marking Waterlines on my radar and I will be sure to catch them when they are within touching distance of my home town on their next cycle of touring duties.
So over on the EMP Stage and it was time for some rampant Thrash, Thrashist Regime were occupying the intimate surroundings and they simply tore it a new one. The vocals were raw and monsoon esque, the tracks were launched with a supersonic like drive and the kit work was sublime, dynamic and overflowing with vitality. This was undoubtedly a lesson in how to deliver Thrash and Thrash of the highest order.
As if it wasn’t warm enough, over on the Main Stage saw Creeper bringing the flames and fire for their Rock driven mid afternoon set. The set was top heavy and pretty much all focused on the latest offering ‘Sanguivore’, the band carved us open initially with the live debut of ‘Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual)’ and they then dived headfirst into the album tracks. ‘Lovers Led Astray’ and ‘Teenage Sacrifice’ were absolutely on point, constructed with pinpoint accuracy and delivered with verve and momentum, the vocals were haunting and chilling while maintaining a dignity and Rock royalty factor about them. The fire was aplenty and this only forged a greater spectacle to accompany the sing along inducing Rock, all encapsulated in a feelgood session for the Main Stage and one which will have left many with a loss of their voices for many a day to come.
More fire was over on the Sophie Stage and this time for Phoenix Lake who had seen a shift in the timetable from the last time they played the Sophie Stage and the tent was suitably busy for these Melodic Metal advocates. Phillis’s vocals were beautiful, velvety and luxurious with a raw jagged edge to them while the dual attack of axes courtesy of Wilson and Smith injected pace and intricacy to the proceedings which all moulded and blended to create sumptuous harmonies and catchy riffs which all overflowed and subliminally planted themselves well within your soul.
Metalcore giants Kublai Khan TX were next to hit the Main Stage and they generated movement beyond movement from the pit beneath them. Honeycutt was a man possessed, measuring his movements and stalking the stage with calculated and stately motions. Honeycutt dispatched his vocals with menace and powerful enjoyment while Ashley tamed his fretboard and six strings with a flamboyancy and meticulous dynamism which was backed up with the muscle and brawn of English who manipulated his thicker strings with ease and lamb who absolutely put a faultless shift in behind the kit. Each track that was dispensed was beefy and burly, landed with determined accuracy and desire. ‘Darwinism’ was hungry and ‘Cannibal’ was obsessed’, both in a hunt for perfection but a target which they both ably accomplished and devoured. The set signed off with an absolutely bruising crescendo and with that they pretty much rubber stamped their place in Bloodstock history as one of the bands who came, conquered and then turned it up to an 11 before they left the building.
Time for ‘Demanufacture’ in full, time for Fear Factory and Dino et al absolutely ripped us apart from the opening chords of the massive title track to the closing bars of ‘Linchpin’, that was something special. Dino looked happy as anything and Milo belted out his vocal duties with excitement and enthusiasm. ‘Self-Bias Resistor’ was phenomenal and ‘Replica’ was just another level, absolutely scorching from start to finish and the track which detonated the crowd and turned pretty much the whole floor in front of the stage into a huge mosh pit. ‘Zero Signal’ was completely pulverising and ‘Linchpin’ was the perfect signature at the bottom of the setlist. Absolutely classic, and without doubt it doesn’t get much better than that.
Another hop over to the Sophie Stage, and my last for the day, and it was time to grab us a slice of bruising, all out, backs to the wall Death Metal all the way from New York by way of Undeath. This was a set of uncompromising Death the way that Death should be built, served up and absorbed. Wall was an absolute beast on his bass while the vocals from Sason were absolutely maniacal, each word spat out with vicious intent and malevolent spite. The ground literally shook underneath us as they served us track after track, ‘Necrobionics’ was beefy, ‘Enter Patient’ was crushing and ‘Brandish The Blade’ was simply heavy, uncompromisingly heavy. If you already have Undeath on your radar then you need to feel privileged, if you haven’t then you need to change that as of yesterday.
Special gust time on the Main Stage and legends do not get any bigger than Mr Al Jourgensen and the industrial overlords of Ministry. ‘Thieves’ carved us open and from that moment on we knew we were in the presence of something special. The vocals from Jourgensen were calculated mayhem, pitch perfect and absolutely chaotic in the best possible way. Jourgensen constantly strode around the stage with purpose and delight, conducting his army to create and serve intimidating and addictive track after hypnotic and endearing track. ‘Jesus Built My Hot Rod’ was legendary and ‘Goddamn White Trash’ was absolutely compelling. Fantastic beyond belief.
So, as the sun was setting over the glorious Catton Hall it was time for us all to get a lesson in how to deliver a headliner set, the formidable Machine Head hit the stage and they did not relent one iota. From the opening ‘Imperium’ all hell broke loose, fireworks, fire and full-on blazes joined the band on stage for an aural and visual assault on your senses. ‘Ten-Ton Hammer’ was absolutely colossal, ‘Is There Anybody Out There’ was haunting and chilling and ‘Bonescraper’ was gargantuan. A beautiful dedication to the amazing Michelle Kerr in the form of ‘Darkness Within’ left many of us with a lump in the throat and a tear in the eye, a beautiful moment for many a soul stood in the field on this Saturday evening. ‘Davidian’ was absolutely crushing and will have left many walking away from the set with an impromptu burst of tinnitus while the set closer ‘Halo’ was absolutely titanium in each of its aspects. Robb was the ever-perfect frontman and the whole set was so tightly knit and perfect it was pretty much awe inspiring, entrancing and spellbinding.
So, as I made my way out of the site I couldn’t help but reflect on the day and come to the conclusion that it had pretty much been perfection personified, a quintessential example of a how to deliver a metal festival.
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