Welcome to the fourth installment of the Bloodstock Open Air festival. The 2008 edition boasted a terrific main stage line-up across 3 days, with two further stages packed with young unsigned bands (including the delights of NECROSADISTIC GOAT TORTURE…?!?!) looking to win over the metal faithful. As the festival looks to follow in the footsteps of Germany’s legendary Wacken festival, the crowd at Bloodstock has gradually got bigger each year, but this time, the difference was more significant and noticeable. This larger crowd meant that there was a new expanded festival layout, with many more stalls, and even a few fairground rides to ensure the metal fans in attendance were always occupied. The only thing the festival really got wrong this year was the drinks prices, which at £3.60 (including, would you believe it, 10p for a paper cup) were just simply too much and every time I looked over at the bar, most of the large amount of staff behind it were twiddling their thumbs.

Friday 15th August 2008

Getting straight into the action, one of the opening acts on Friday were British retro thrashers EVILE (4.2/5.0), whose 30 minute set showed off the youngsters playing ability, and re-inforced their deservedness of some very positive reviews in their short career to date. NWOBHM also rans PRAYING MANTIS (2.1/5.0) were next up, playing a lukewarm set to a crowd half the size of EVILE‘s – unfortunately, many of these NWOBHM bands haven’t got better with age, that’s for sure.

TYR (2.8/5.0) followed up their UK appearance on the Paganfest tour with another solid performance, but not one good enough to stand them out from the pack of other similar pagan/folk metal (or whatever you want to call it!) bands. Still, there ain’t too many bands I can think of who’ve come out of the Faroe Islands! AKERCOCKE (2.5/5.0) were also nothing much more than run-of-the-mill, but if death metal is your thing then you’d have enjoyed them more than most – but they simply weren’t good enough to win over some of the less extreme metal fans.

German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION (4.9/5.0) were the first band of the day to take things up to the next level in terms of metal standards. The threesome’s 40 minute set was a master class of thrash metal, even if the sound wasn’t up to much early on (which culminated in frontman Schmier having a minor altercation with one of the stage techs after he spotted that the mic on one of the amps had fallen to the ground). The crowd gave DESTRUCTION a very positive response and the likes of ‘Nailed To The Cross’ and ‘Mad Butcher’ kicked off some serious mid-afternoon moshing in the sunshine.

Staying with the German theme, power metallers and Bloodstock regulars PRIMAL FEAR (4.6/5.0) were next on stage, and followed in DESTRUCTION’s footsteps with a technically brilliant display. Rumour has it that powerhouse frontman Ralph Scheepers (ex GAMMA RAY) was only 1 behind Ripper Owens in the chase for Rob Halford’s JUDAS PRIEST job back in the 1990′s and it’s easy to see why. His voice is piercing and hardly a note was missed. The setlist was a good mix of old and new with ‘Fighting the Darkness’ and ‘Final Embrace’ both sounding particularly good.

After doing the rounds this summer with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, Max Cavalera is now back on the day job, and doing a few select shows with SOULFLY (4.4/5.0) to support the release of new album ‘Conquer’. Dressed in the same DEATH t-shirt he wore on stage at Donington this year, Cavalera was enjoying himself as much as ever as he growled his way through a best-of SOULFLY set. There was the odd SEPULTURA classic in there, but after playing so many Sep songs with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY earlier in the year, it was good that the SOULFLY stuff was the main focus, making for a different experience – and an enjoyable one at that.

Despite having only two original members, HELLOWEEN (4.5/5.0) still retain a lot of respect in metal circles. This is not a band who have gone away and come back with a so-called reunion – they have kept going through some tough years, losing the odd band member along the way. Still the line-up these days is a strong one, with their excellent vocalist of 15 years, Andi Deris, alongside original members Michael Weikath (guitar) and Markus Grosskopf (bass) – adding to that the (relatively) new boys Sasha Gerstner (in the band since 2002) and Dani Löble (in the band since 2005).

13 minute epic ‘Halloween’ was a bizarre choice for set opener, and was one of many older songs played in the set. ‘Eagle Fly Free’, ‘Future World’, ‘Dr.Stein’ and the all time classic ‘I Want Out’ were also present – as were many of the best songs from the Andi Deris era, with ‘If I Could Fly’ proving ever popular. The performance was very tight, and tonight, HELLOWEEN proved why they are still such a massive crowd puller on the European, South American and Japanese live scene.

Night one headliners were a real band of the moment, Swedish superstars OPETH (3.0/5.0). This is a band who really are riding the crest of a wave of popularity at the moment. Reviews of their recent material have been fantastic, with new album ‘Watershed’ again attracting a massively positive reaction. However, I find the sombre mood of OPETH’s music a major put off, and have always struggled to enjoy their live shows. For me, tonight was no exception, and although I cannot fault their material in terms of technical brilliance and thoughtfulness, I think you really have to be in the right mood to listen to it – and it’s pretty unlikely that you’re going to be in such a mood when you’re on a high at a metal festival. Sorry, I just don’t think OPETH are a good festival band, and certainly not a suitable headliner. Each to their own hey?…

Saturday 16th August 2008

The first band I caught on Saturday were Swiss Celtic folk death metal band ELUVEITIE (3.2/5.0), whose performance impressed me more than that of the similarly influenced TYR who played the previous day. Less impressive were SWALLOW THE SUN (2.4/5.0) whose growling doom metal seemed to do nothing for the Bloodstock crowd.

Although introduced as Danish, the Norwegian band COMMUNIC (4.0/5.0) were next on stage, and their brand of NEVERMORE style progressive metal sounded full of quality technical passages – if a little difficult to digest on first listen. This is certainly a lesser known band who are worthy of further exploration after this impressive showing.

MOONSORROW (3.2/5.0) were next up, continuing where ELUVEITIE left off, with more of that folky/pagan metal stuff. I was quite impressed with MOONSORROW and it does seem that the Fin’s do pagan best, even if you can’t pronounce any of the song titles.

What can I say about NAPALM DEATH (4.4/5.0) that hasn’t been said before? Well when it comes to a live show, you certainly know what to expect with them. This is many people’s definition of a musical racket, and the band know it, after all, they did call an album ‘Noise for musics sake’. Although it’s hardly the type of music that’s ever going to win a grammy, there are some great riffs in there, and it’s great fun watching screaming frontman Barney Greenway dancing round the stage like he’s had a few too many blue smarties. After hearing various lengthy OPETH songs the night before, it was quite refreshing to be treated to the 2 second blast of ‘You Suffer’ – blink, and you’d miss it! All in all, NAPALM DEATH don’t take themselves too seriously and ultimately, I’d describe their set as 40 minutes of bloody good fun.

For most of their career SOILWORK (3.9/5.0) have been in the shadow of fellow Swedes IN FLAMES – but there’s no doubt that the former has now built up their own sizeable following to be more than proud of. Unfortunately, heavy rain during their set meant that it was going to be difficult to win over many new fans, but the quality of the SOILWORK performance will have undoubtedly kept their own fans happy, even if they had to get wet to see it. Technically, the songs are very good and with seven studio albums of strong material under their belt, this set didn’t have a weak moment.

Next to grace the Bloodstock stage, making their UK festival debut were American metal legends ICED EARTH (4.8/5.0). In fact, this was only the second time that ICED EARTH had performed in the UK with Matt Barlow on vocals and the fact that they only received a 60 minute set was very disappointing. Judging by the t-shirts in the crowd, and the reaction the band got, ICED EARTH should have been the Saturday headliner. Still, ignoring the forthcoming album ‘The Crucible of Man’, the band decided to use the 60 minutes to unleash a best of set, full of some of the best classic metal songs ever written.

As good as Ripper Owens is, it’s great to have Matt Barlow back in ICED EARTH - he really is the voice of the band, and tonight he showed all of those vocal qualities that made ‘Alive in Athens’ the best metal live album of recent years. This was a magnificent set, just a major shame it was too short for a band of such metal magnitude elsewhere in Europe – oh and where the hell was ‘Watching Over Me’ – possibly the most emotional metal song of the 1990′s?

Given the tough job of following ICED EARTH were Norwegian black metal band DIMMU BORGIR (3.8/5.0). I have to give credit where it’s due, Dimmu put on a great headline show, and even if the music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, visually, their show was nothing short of awesome. Sporting the legendary black metal spikes and face paint, the band certainly look the part, and some impressive pyro also added to the show.

With a set spanning the majority of their albums, it was great to see them vary the set from their recent tour of the UK last winter. Highlights of the set included one of the best tracks from latest album ‘In Sorte Diaboli’, ‘The Sinister Awakening’, and a nice addition to the set was the awesome ‘The Maelstrom Mephisto’. Also in the set were regulars like ‘The Insight and The Catharsis’ as well as one for the ladies (as introduced by frontman Shagrath), ‘A Succubus In Rapture’.

CRADLE OF FILTH may reign supreme in the UK when it comes to this sort of music, but where their fan base of teenage girls seems to be dwindling by the hour, the likes of DIMMU BORGIR are attracting much more attention and respect from the true metal fans. With the fantastic melodies of their music, and such explosive live displays, it might not be long before DIMMU BORGIR will be the biggest black metal crowd puller in this country.

Sunday 17th August 2008

After resisting temptation to go to church in the morning to confess my sins for spending the previous evening with DIMMU BORGIR, I was back at Catton Hall in time to see Sunday’s festivities kicked into gear by ALESTORM (4.1/5.0) – the Scottish pirate metal band whose popularity surprised me with a huge crowd turning up for their 1pm stage time. I was a little disappointed with the bands appearance, with more effort definitely required in the pirate department – half the crowd looked more like pirates than the band members did. Still their music was really enjoyable and performed well, with the likes of ‘Huntmaster’ and ‘Wenches and Mead’ causing a real stir. This band is only going to get bigger – expect major things in 2009.

The old school Swedish metal of GRAND MAGUS (3.0/5.0) was a bit of a come down after the excitement caused by ALESTORM, and despite having much better material in their locker, power metallers MOB RULES (3.6/5.0) also struggled to get the crowd back to their lunchtime high. However, next up was a real lesson in death metal.

Canadian brutes KATAKLYSM (4.8/5.0) put on an absolutely storming display – and with the biggest mosh pit of the weekend, there’s no doubt that the crowd were on their side. ‘Crippled and Broken’ was quite an apt song, as that’s probably how many of the fans felt after getting caught up in the pit. This was one of many highlights of a blisteringly heavy set that epitomised all that is good about death metal.

The only band on the main stage billing that could fall into the much maligned metalcore genre were AS I LAY DYING (3.6/5.0) - and fresh from UK support slots with the likes of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, it’s easy to see why they have fallen under that umbrella. However, they are heavier than most metalcore outfits, and although there’s definite hints of the genre, songs like ‘Nothing Left’ are metal enough for anyone, and the excellent ‘Forever’ is one of the best melodic death metal songs you’ll hear. Although they were far from the most popular band on the Bloodstock bill, AS I LAY DYING were pretty damn good and put on a decent showing.

It was now time for some more of the good old school thrash and who better to provide it fresh from the gutters of New Jersey than OVERKILL (4.4/5.0). Ripping through an hour of thrash anthems ranging from pummelling opener ‘Necroshine’ to classic set closer ‘Fuck You’ - OVERKILL really enjoyed playing to such a healthy sized crowd on UK soil. Frontman Bobby ‘Blitz’ Elsworth is starting to show his age a little, but considering a few years ago he collapsed on stage, he is performing remarkably well!

Right under the headline slot on the final night were AT THE GATES (4.7/5.0), playing what they said would be their final ever UK show – and what a damn good show it was. The classic 1995 album ‘Slaughter of the Soul’ remains possibly the greatest melodic death metal album of all time, and it was great to hear so many of the songs from that album performed live tonight. The band are coming towards the end of this one-off reunion tour, and you could tell because the performance was as tight as tight gets.

Frontman Tomas Lindberg has one of the most haunting voices you’ll ever hear, and he doesn’t half pull it off live. The thundering drums of Adrian Erlandsson provide the band’s backbone, while the dual guitar mastery of Anders Björler and Martin Larsson provide the melodic magic. AT THE GATES are a legendary band, and if you weren’t lucky enough to see them the first time round, this is certainly one band that you have to tick off your ‘seen’ list in 2008 – and you better get your ass in gear, as after Bloodstock, there’s only 7 shows left!

Given the honour of closing the festival were Finish metal heroes NIGHTWISH (4.5/5.0) – still relatively fresh from their headline UK tour in March – their first shows on these shores since the arrival of new vocalist Anette Olzon. It’s fair to say that NIGHTWISH just aren’t the same without the operatic vocals of Tarja Turunen, but on their own merit, the current incarnation of NIGHTWISH is still a bloody good band, and they don’t half put on a good live show.

As heavy rain fell on the final night, many of the crowd drifted away to beat the traffic – with me amongst them. However, what I saw of the NIGHTWISH show was a performance up to their usual top class standards. It may take a while to get used to hearing those Tarja classics sung by Olzon, but you can’t deny that she gives them a really good go. The excellent set opener ‘Bye Bye Beautiful’ was one of many songs played from the ‘Dark Passion Play’ album, with all sounding good on the night. For me, NIGHTWISH were the most bona fide headliner of the festival, and their show lived up to their reputation.

So as I travelled back home with rain crashing into the windscreen, I reflected on what was easily the best Bloodstock festival yet. Despite all the bands you get at Download, it was nice to enjoy a festival without having to run from stage to stage to see 25 minute sets, crawling over endless amounts of teenage emo kids. Bloodstock is a much more laid back affair where you can wander up close to the main stage and get an ear full of whichever band you choose. Just about every band performed spot on their schedule time, and although some bands were better than others, nobody was guilty of letting their fans down. Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend of heavy metal – and lets face it, given the British summer we’ve had, the weather could have been much, much worse. All in all, it’s a massive thumbs up, (or should I say horns up?!) to Bloodstock 2008!

Festival Rating: 4.9/5.0

Best Bands: DESTRUCTION, ICED EARTH, KATAKLYSM, AT THE GATES

Review by James Allman

Photography by Alexander Shaw

Friday 15th August 2008

DESTRUCTION:

PRIMAL FEAR:

SOULFLY:

HELLOWEEN:

OPETH:

Saturday 16th August 2008

COMMUNIC:

KELTIC JIHAD:

MOONSORROW:

NAPALM DEATH:

SOILWORK:

ICED EARTH:

DIMMU BORGIR:

Sunday 17th August 2008

ALESTORM:

RAVENAGE:

GRAND MAGUS:

CELTIC LEGACY:

NECROSADISTIC GOAT TORTURE:

KATAKLYSM:

AS I LAY DYING:

OVERKILL:

AT THE GATES:

NIGHTWISH: