FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bloodstock Festival 2024

Year after year, Bloodstock, the Mecca of metal in the UK, delivers four days of metal. Covering every facet of our wonderful world, if heavy music is your bag, then there is something for you at Bloodstock. Boasting a staggering lineup for 2024, we were on the ground for this year’s festival. Here’s what went down.

Thursday – August 8th

TAILGUNNER – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Trad metal revivalists TAILGUNNER have been flying the flag for traditional heavy metal since their inception in 2018, and despite just having one full-length to their name in last year’s Guns For Hire, their booking on Bloodstock‘s Thursday lineup reflects the faith the band will continue to ascend in the years to come. What we get at Bloodstock is a no-nonsense atypical heavy metal affair with throwback riffage to metal’s heyday in the 1980s, wailing guitar solos (if a little unnecessary to drop a ‘guitar battle’ as opposed to another song from their debut) and plenty of covers getting the TAILGUNNER treatment. It’s a good and tight performance albeit nothing too exceptional, but for the hundreds in the crowd getting into the party, they don’t care in the slightest.

Rating: 7/10

HELLRIPPER – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Scotland’s firebrand black thrashers HELLRIPPER are one of the hottest bands in the UK’s extreme music scene. With a notorious and devilish live experience, seeing the band grace a much bigger stage like The Sophie Lancaster Stage at Bloodstock as opposed to the dive bars we’re accustomed to not only shows just how popular the band are becoming in the scene, but there is a question mark as to whether the band can replicate their intense live experience on a bigger stage. And boy do they prove any doubters wrong. Kickstarting the Thursday night party with the utmost fury, HELLRIPPER pull no punches and deliver a set that is utterly exhilarating. The likes of Goat Vomit Nightmare and The Nuckelavee (both taken from the band’s wicked latest album Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags) are dispatched with white hot intensity, whilst Spectres Of The Blood Moon Sabbath and The Affair Of The Poisons ignite utter bedlam in the pit. It’s over in a blink of the eye, but god damn, it was fun.

Rating: 9/10

EVERGREY – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

As it turns out, EVERGREY‘s headlining set on Thursday night at Bloodstock came dangerously close to not occurring. But with the band boasting numerous appearances at the festival, with the first pre-dating the ‘open air’ status we enjoy today. As such, the band are treated like returning heroes as they take to the stage, and although their craft is more brooding and emotive than the chaos of HELLRIPPER, the band deliver a strong set to close the party with a bang. The likes of Call Out The Dark and Say are booming metal anthems that sees fist raised and heads banging, whilst material from this year’s Theories Of Emptiness sound magnificent in the festival environment. At the heart of their excellence, frontman Tom S. Englund‘s astonishing vocals keep the audience belting along to every word and the techy aspects of the riffmanship from Englund and Henrik Danhage are equally impressive. They’ve performed at Bloodstock numerous times over the years, and judging from 2024’s outing, we’re certain this will not be the last.

Rating: 9/10

Friday – August 9th 

DESERT STROM – Ronnie James Dio Stage

The band tasked to open proceedings on the Bloodstock main stage is always a prestigious affair, and for 2024, the task falls to Oxford’s sludge-tinged riff merchants DESERT STORM and the band more than do enough to kick off the day’s action with a bang. Thick and groove-laden riffage keeps the crowd bobbing their heads along whilst Matt Ryan gives an impassioned performance leading the line with animated stage presence and impressive vocals to boot. They breeze through their 30 minute slot confidence and upon their conclusion, it’s a job well done. A fine start to the day’s action indeed.

Rating: 8/10

BURNER – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

BURNER are loud and pissed off; the perfect antidote for those looking to blow the cobwebs off from the night before. Sure, the London-based band’s amalgamation of death metal and hardcore is nothing revolutionary, but live, boy is a treat. Hench riffing slams with the force of a wrecking ball to encourage bodies to collide in the pit and animated frontman Harry Nott prowls the stage and dispatches his frenzied vocals with aplomb. Material from last year’s debut, It All Returns To Nothing, sounds absolutely crushing in the live environment, with the likes of Pillar Of Shame and Hurt Locker being explosive highlights, and with Nott‘s directing his venom to the bigots and racists (“Fuck the far right! Fuck xenophobia! This is a song about tornados killing racists!”) that initiated widespread disorder in the build-up to Bloodstock, you can’t help but feel empowered to stand up and shout for what’s morally right.

Rating: 8/10

NERVOSA – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Next up, Brazilian thrashers NERVOSA absolutely nail their early afternoon slot. The four-piece have been something of a lightning rod for controversy over the years and it’s easy to feel cynical given how many line-up changes they’ve had, but all those doubts vanish as Seed Of Death starts blasting out. Band leader Prika Amaral has grown into a commanding focal point and the energetic thrashing is a perfect adrenaline shot to see us all through lunch time.

It’s also refreshing to see that despite this essentially being the third incarnation of the band, NERVOSA aren’t ignoring their earlier material. There’s at least one track from each album and songs like Masked Betrayer sit comfortably alongside newbies from last year’s Jailbreak. Their forty-minute set flashes by in a heartbeat and the closing Endless Ambition is an early highlight for the day. They don’t steal the show, but they do make a convincing statement that regardless of what goes on behind the scenes, you can’t overlook NERVOSA. The beast is at its most dangerous when you think it’s dead.

Rating: 8/10

GREEN LUNG – Ronnie James Dio Stage

It might be lunchtime, but it is simply astonishing to see such a huge volume of people congregated at the Ronnie James Dio Stage awaiting occult rockers GREEN LUNG. With a crowd size that could easily hold its own against stage headliners, the popularity surrounding the band has skyrocketed since they first announced at this spot in 2023, all fuelling anticipation for something special. And special is the only way to describe GREEN LUNG, who dispatch they psych-laden occult rock with such ease and professionalism, if you close your eyes you can feel yourself being whisked off to the forests of Albion. Maxine (Witch Queen) and Let The Devil In invoke huge sing-alongs from the swelling crowd whilst Tom Templar‘s demand for the festival’s “slowest circle pit” to crushing rendition of One For Sorrow is utterly brilliant. With thousands upon thousands of horns raised, Bloodstock let the devil in and it was fucking brilliant.

Rating: 9/10

EXIST IMMORTAL – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Across the arena at The Sophie Lancaster Stage, it’s time for EXIST IMMORTAL. The band are veterans of the UK underground but this is their first Bloodstock appearance and unfortunately, it never quite kicks off. Their self-titled fourth album was one of 2022’s quiet triumphs, but their melodic and multi-layered tech-metal isn’t what the audience needs at this time of day. Its poignant, catchy and beautifully played, but it might have worked better if they’d been on later in the afternoon.

The likes of Signal Fire and the excellent Emerge are undeniably great songs, but they’re not consistently heavy enough to grab the crowd by the throat. Some folks love them but there’s also a lot of people idly drinking cider and offering polite applause. EXIST IMMORTAL are built for sending onlookers into a trance during late night performances, not playing at one in the afternoon. A good effort, but this lacked the atmosphere to really hit home. Do check out their self-titled though, it’s a cracker.

Rating: 6/10

GRAND MAGUS – Ronnie James Dio Stage

GRAND MAGUS are like a fine wine, they just get better and better with age. The Swedes approach to metal is grounded in the worship of booming riffs, shredding solos and fist raising anthemic choruses. And with no tricks or curveballs, GRAND MAGUS deliver a romping heavy metal worship during their time on Bloodstock‘s Ronnie James Dio Main Stage. The likes of Iron Will and Hammer Of The North are pure heavy metal romps and their thumping riffs keep the crowd engaged whilst Skybound, taken from the band’s upcoming new album Sunraven, demonstrates that the band still have what it takes to compete in the immediate future. Bloodstock has transcended its OG metal roots and today boasts an eclectic lineup across the metal spectrum, but with a band like GRAND MAGUS, good old heavy metal fun is still a damn good time.

Rating: 8/10

ROTTING CHRIST – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Black metal bookings on the Bloodstock main stage, especially with the sun beaming, feels contrary to the genre’s more frostbitten tendencies but with Greek black metal legends ROTTING CHRIST, they invoke a sense of warmth with their craft and they not only successfully deliver a masterclass in musical excellence, but they set a benchmark as one of the best sets of the entire festival. Despite their vast discography the set is heavily geared towards newer material with the oldest song coming from 2010’s Aealo, the pleasing Demonon Vrosis which keeps the crowd bouncing and heads banging to the pleasing dual riff assault. Elsewhere, the majority of the set is geared towards newest album, Pro Xristou, and the more accessible leaning displayed here helps ROTTING CHRIST earn heaps of new fans to their cause, and a chilling rendition of the ritualistic Apage Satana is one of the highlights in a performance that never falters.

Rating: 10/10

ENSLAVED – Ronnie James Dio Stage

ENSLAVED take over the main stage at the worst possible time. It’s mid-afternoon and the day is glorious, but it’s an unusual feeling to find yourself eating a cornetto while listening to progressive Scandinavian Viking metal. While the atmosphere is completely inappropriate though, it’s still a banging set. The Norwegians have a long and well-regarded back catalogue, but a significant chunk of the show is devoted to last year’s excellent Heimdal album. The opening Kingdom is a dense and otherworldly piece of mind-bending, while Forest Dweller is an expansive six minutes of black prog. The climactic Havenless is chilly enough that it wouldn’t be surprising to see frost forming on the amps and they get a rapturous response from the black metal faithful. It’s not the best setting to witness ENSLAVED, but they just about manage to pull it off.

Rating: 7/10

HATEBREED – Ronnie James Dio Stage

There are no such problems for HATEBREED whose late afternoon slot is a riotous sixty minutes of optimistic, meat-headed machismo. An introductory video package with an array of famous faces has everyone grinning, before Catton Hall is engulfed in carnage with To The Threshold. The Connecticut bruisers are here to celebrate thirty years as a band and while they might not have changed much over that time, they have got very good at writing punchy, meat and potatoes metalcore with a positive message.

Led by the ever-likable Jamie Jasta, they might have lost some of the antagonism of their youth but frankly, that’s for the better. The likes of A Call For Blood, This Is Now, and Destroy Everything would trigger fights in any other setting, but while the pit is undeniably chaotic, the atmosphere remains light. There’s a welcome appearance of their Ghosts Of War cover, a big inflatable “ball of death”, plus a surprisingly large amount of material from the Perseverance album. They’re an institution now but HATEBREED show no sign of slowing down, Jasta promising to celebrate their fortieth anniversary here in 2034, before bringing the house down with the climactic I Will Be Heard.

Rating: 9/10

ETERNAL CHAMPION – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

ETERNAL CHAMPION live and breathe heavy metal. The second the powering figure of Jason Tarpey – who earns his keep as a blacksmith – takes to the stage wearing a chainmail executioner’s hood, you just know you’re in for a damn good time. And boy do they deliver. The likes of I Am The Hammer, Ravening Iron and The Armor Of Ire all sound absolutely enormous with headbanging riffs dispatched aplomb and Tarpey commands the crowd with the utmost ease. The likelihood of MANOWAR performing at Bloodstock is next to nothing, and MANILLA ROAD being no more, ETERNAL CHAMPION are more than worthy candidates of picking up the hammer and striking the killing blow. Thumping riffs, chest pumping heavy fucking metal has never sounded this good.

Rating: 10/10

CLUTCH – Ronnie James Dio Stage

After such a raucous display of rabble rousing, CLUTCH are the very picture of wealth and good taste. Neil Fallon and his fine southern gentlemen are long overdue for an appearance at Bloodstock and they do not disappoint. X-Ray Visions and Firebirds are a rump-shaking, whiskey-drenched way to kick off, before Slaughter Beach leads the increasingly drunk, sunburnt crowd into fits of groovy delight.

The entire first half of the set is dominated by favourites with the big singalongs of Profits Of Doom and The Mob Goes Wild setting an especially high bar. They take a leftfield turn in the second half and start reaching for deeper cuts like A Shogun Named Marcus and Spacegrass, but things escalate with a fiery rendition of A Quick Death In Texas. On the downside, the focus on lesser-known material means there’s no room for The Regulator (which would have been killer on a scorching day like this), but otherwise this was an excellent first appearance from these suited and booted men. It’s the metal equivalent of having to jump off a Mississippi riverboat after a guy named ‘Doc’ pulls a Deringer on you and it’s fantastic.

Rating: 9/10

THE VINTAGE CARAVAN – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Eighteen years after exploding onto the scene, Icelandic retro rockers THE VINTAGE CARAVAN have grown to become a powerhouse name in the world of rock, and tasked with a primetime slot on The Sophie Lancaster Stage, the band deliver a masterclass of rock ‘n’ roll. Midnight Meditation‘s fabulous mid tempo romp has the crowd swaying, Cocaine Sally sees the band strut their stuff, and a belting rendition of the brooding and immersive On The Run sends shivers down the spine. Their music may be a wonderful retro throwback, but with explosive energy, it will be exciting to see where their journey takes them.

Rating: 9/10

OPETH – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Tonight’s headliners OPETH then set an entirely different mood. This is their third time topping the bill here and they’ve brought a specially curated setlist of fan-picked songs. And if you’ve even remotely followed their career of late, it won’t be surprising to know that it’s all older songs. You know that “do the roar” meme from Shrek? Tonight, OPETH do the roar. With the exception of the title track to 2016’s Sorceress, there’s nothing from the last decade. “We haven’t done anything decent in 15 years?’ Message received,” deadpans Mikael Åkerfeldt to a chorus of cheers.

Consequently, the show feels like a freshly unearthed time capsule. There are far more deep growls and heavier riffs than OPETH have showcased in recent years, but the elaborate musicianship and expansive melodies are still just as enthralling. Hearing The Drapery Falls in all its complex glory as a spectacular light show plays out is simply magnificent and for the first time in ages, OPETH are heavy again.

They’re also funny. Åkerfeldt’s dry wit is always welcome but he’s on particularly self-deprecating form tonight. It’s a pleasant contrast to the intense fragility of In My Time Of Need or the multi-dimensional prog-death of Ghost Of Perdition and gives them a certain accessibility. They might create some of the most mind-expanding metal in all of Europe, but OPETH get more laughs in an hour than Rob Schneider has managed in his entire career. It’s enough to stave off the exhaustion inherent in spending ten straight hours at a metal festival and by the time they finish on a textbook rendition of Deliverance, OPETH feel like they’re on another level. Excellent stuff, arguably the best headline set of the weekend.

Rating: 10/10

Saturday – August 11th 

CAULDRON – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

It’s half 10 in the morning, and Birmingham hardcore mob CAULDRON command those congregated to “ruin someone’s fucking day – everyone’s a target!” is a bold ask but the crowd are more than willing to engage this early. Thumping riffs, breakdowns aplenty that encourage chaos, and enough energy to rival a power plant, the band go for broke and make a lasting impression. Material from Suicide In The City sounds even more ferocious in the live arena, and despite a tech delay threatening to ruin the fun, CAULDRON came and conquered.

Rating: 8/10

BIOMECHANIMAL – New Blood Stage

There’s been some word-of-mouth hype about BIOMECHANIMAL floating about the campsites this year and the New Blood Stage is heaving when they walk out. It’s only just past eleven in the morning but the London-based industrial metallers justify the excitement with a barnstorming half hour set.

It’s a bruising, adrenaline-fuelled rush of heavy riffs, pounding electronica and tortured vocals and frankly, it’s bloody great. BIOMECHANIMAL set a high bar for the rest of the New Blood roster to follow, and the sight of an inflatable coffin being thrown into the throng while singer Matthew Simpson makes a noise like a sentient angle-grinder swearing to destroy humanity is an especially memorable one. When we arrived at Bloodstock, we hadn’t even heard of BIOMECHANIMAL but they certainly left an impression today.

Rating: 9/10

UNPEOPLE – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

If you cast your eyes across the various festival lineups this summer, you’ll notice a correlation: UNPEOPLE. Formed from the ashes of PRESS TO MECO, UNPEOPLE have barely stopped this summer, having already appeared at Radar Festival and 2000trees and are poised for appearances at ArcTanGent and Burn It Down, the band are refusing to take their foot off the gas. Although the band are certainly on the lighter end of the heavy music spectrum by Bloodstock‘s standards, that doesn’t stop the band from bringing their catchy alt rock to The Sophie Lancaster Stage for a nice early afternoon pickup. The likes of Going Numb and Overthinking are lovely little earworms and a neat cover of NIRVANA‘s Territorial Pissings is dispatched with enough snot and grungy angst to make even the sternest rocker smile at what they are experiencing. UNPEOPLE are going places, watch this space.

Rating: 8/10

IGNEA – Ronnie James Dio Stage

There’s a world of expectation resting on the shoulders of IGNEA as the second full day at Bloodstock rolls on. It’s not even noon and an impressively large crowd gathers to see them, Ukrainian flags waving in a show of solidarity. The band seem genuinely touched by the turnout and their folk-tinged groove metal soon whips away the hangovers. They only get a brief set time but IGNEA more than justify the hype. Singer Helle Bogdanova has a formidable voice and the closing Leviathan aptly demonstrates why they blew FEAR FACTORY offstage on their last UK tour. They’ll be higher up the bill next time.

Rating: 8/10

CRYPTA – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Whilst their former bandmates in NERVOSA sit more towards the thrashier side of the metal spectrum, Brazilians CRYPTA are strictly a no-nonsense death metal affair and they proceed to bulldoze Bloodstock into oblivion. The likes of Lift The Blindfold and The Outsider (both taken from last year’s Shades Of Sorrow) are performed with seething venom and the band’s relentless tenacity for pulverising death metal riffs is as admirable as it explosive. Largely, this is down to the energetic Fernanda Lira, who commands the crowd and dispatches her snarling vocals with the utmost ease. Sheer aural power.

Rating: 8/10

UNLEASH THE ARCHERS – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Canadian power metallers UNLEASH THE ARCHERS may have faced backlash in the debate on artificial intelligence’s use in music, but live in the flesh, they are the real deal. Led by the charismatic and instantly likeable Brittney Slayes, the band power through their time on the Bloodstock main stage with thumping power metal riffage and enough choruses to raise an army. Green & Glass‘ music video might have been torn apart in the AI debate, but live it is an utter thrill to hear, whereas The Matriarch proves to be one of the most anthemic moments of the entire festival.

Rating: 8/10

RED RUM – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

They built themselves a pirate ship. A pirate ship? A PIRATE SHIP! The Sophie Lancaster Stage is packed to the rafters for sea-going rapscallions RED RUM and they deliver one of the sweatiest sets of the afternoon. There’s a conga to Fifty Gallons Of Ale, there’s manly jigging and crowd surfing aplenty, not to mention grown men in frilly shirts being very, very silly. RED RUM are not a complicated band, but you could listen to them bone sober and still feel drunk and the set is one big party.

However, we can’t ignore the obvious fact that RED RUM are uncannily similar to a certain Scottish pirate metal band. Their songs are sea shanties mixed with heavy metal, there are outlandish costumes and inflatable parrots, not to mention the same unhealthy fixation on rum. RED RUM are barrels of fun and their cover of They’re Taking The Hobbits To Isengard is ludicrously entertaining, but once the adrenaline wears off its hard to shake the feeling you’ve just seen an Asylum Studios mockbuster rather than the real thing. But on the other hand, the songs are still good and they’ve not had to make any public apologies after their private chat logs got leaked online, so there’s always that.

Rating: 7/10

DEICIDE – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Don’t rub your eyes, DEICIDE are at Bloodstock. Flash back 12 years and the American death metal legends withdrew from Bloodstock 2012, but now, the band cast menacing evil over Catton Hall with their devilish death metal. Technically, the band are gracing the stage in support of this year’s Banished By Sin, but DEICIDE reward the crowd with a strictly old school driven set. The likes of Once Upon The Cross, Sacrificial Suicide, and Scars Of The Crucifix are dispatched with the utmost brutality, with the iconic Glen Benton dispatching his trademark growls to the glee of the crowd. It took years of eager anticipation, but DEICIDE at Bloodstock was more than worth the wait.

Rating: 9/10

WHITECHAPEL – Ronnie James Dio Stage

The first time WHITECHAPEL played Bloodstock back in 2013, they were initially booed by the very pro-thrash audience who were there for ANTHRAX and SLAYER. Today though, there’s not a trace of negativity as they tread the boards again. True, there are a lot more hardcore bands this year, but WHITECHAPEL have established their credentials and they’re greeted like returning heroes.

Surprisingly handsome frontman Phil Bozeman is on fine form as he growls through the opening Let Me Burn and an incendiary Forgiveness Is A Weakness. Tattooed limbs flail as the pit opens and thuggish guitar riffs pound all resistance to dust. Watching WHITECHAPEL live is a bit like being beaten up by gang of dock workers to music and the ensuing hour is so violent, we had to check our teeth weren’t cracked after. Nothing off of Mark Of The Blade though, what gives?

Rating: 8/10

COMBICHRIST – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Today’s penultimate Sophie Lancaster Stage band are COMBICHRIST, one of the more divisive acts on the bill. Having started life as a more electronically oriented project, they’ve gradually morphed into a more metallic act over the years, even if they haven’t fully embraced it. Their set is a pounding aural assault with dark industrial beats and frontman Andy LaPlegua screaming like a cyborg with serious emotional problems. It’s like being buffeted by a wall of sound and the pit becomes a dangerous place to be, even if a few confused looking punters decide to head off for the more straightforward sounds of MALEVOLENCE on the main stage.

For everyone that sticks around, it’s akin to the last twenty minutes of The Terminator. It’s dark, heavy and uncompromising, and a stark reminder that hell has probably mechanised by now. COMBICHRIST bridge the gap between metal and techno and while it’s not for everyone, this was one of the most intensely brutal sets of the weekend.

Rating: 8/10

MALEVOLENCE – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Recent years have seen Sheffield bruisers MALEVOLENCE grow to become a juggernaut in British heavy music. Largely, this rise can be attributed to Bloodstock with back to back performances at 2021 and 2022‘s festival being genuinely jaw-dropping moments in Bloodstock history. Two years from their bulldozing headlining set on The Sophie Lancaster Stage, 2024 sees MALEVOLENCE take to the stage in arguably their biggest show to date; sub-headlining the Ronnie James Dio Main Stage. And its utter bedlam. The likes of Life Sentence, the crushing Serpent’s Chokehold or the pulverising power of Self Supremacy, MALEVOLENCE incite sheer fucking bedlam with the pit swelling and body after body cascading over the barrier (the band would break the record with a highly impressive count of 901). For those that have witnessed MALEVOLENCE before, it’s business as usual, but it’s an amazing adrenaline rush. We won’t ever tire of seeing this band live in action.

Rating: 9/10

SYLOSIS – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

After making a splash at the scorching heatwave edition of Bloodstock in 2022, UK rifflords SYLOSIS return to Bloodstock with sub-headlining slot on The Sophie Lancaster Stage, but unfortunately, the odds are not in the band’s favour. Initially, the band make an immediate impression with a thumping opening in Poison For The Lost, but then, disaster strikes. Major technical issues completely derail the band’s early momentum and after what feels an age, the band return with frontman Josh Middleton‘s guitar rendered out of action. The likes of I Sever and A Sign Of Things To Come still sound solid and meaty, despite the glaring omission of the technical lead guitar, but ultimately, for reasons understandably out of their control, its a bad day at the office.

Rating: 5/10

ARCHITECTS – Ronnie James Dio Stage

As Bloodstock continues to grow and accommodate a wider range of bands across the heavy music world, headliners often are the topic of frenzied debate. Since ARCHITECTS were revealed as main stage headliners at last year’s festival, many (particularly the more traditional Bloodstock clientele) questioned whether the Brighton metalcore band had enough weight to justify their slot. A quick one two of Seeing Red and Giving Blood, backed with confetti cannons and pyro, quickly sets the tone as the band erupt with confidence.

There’s a swagger from frontman Sam Carter that demonstrates his ease at commanding a crowd of this ilk and when the band deliver booming renditions of Impermanence, Gravedigger and Doomsday, it’s hard to be blown away. Their stage show is mightily impressive, making use of the space to fill the stage with impressive lighting and pyro aplenty, and with an utterly triumphant closer in Animals (a song that is destined to take ARCHITECTS to bigger pastures), ARCHITECTS delivered, not just in justifying their place at Bloodstock, but opening the door for others to follow in their footsteps.

Rating: 8/10

KORPIKLAANI – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Finnish rabble KORPIKLAANI are stupid silly fun. And after a day jam-packed of stern-faced metal, the band are positioned perfectly to get the Bloodstock crowd dancing the night away. Whether it’s the frenetically paced Happy Little Boozer that sees frontman Jonne Järvelä rapidly dispatch his vocals in pace with his bandmates’ high-tempo romp, or cuts from this year’s Rankarumpu (Oraakkelit, Kotomaa, Aita, Kalmisto) that keep the crowd dancing, raising their drinks and simply enjoying the stupidity of it all. Although there is a repetitive nature in KORPIKLAANI‘s silly folk metal affair, and their impact lessens as the set rolls on, it’s a sure-fire way to keep the party going into the early hours. A job well done.

Rating: 7/10

Sunday – August 12th

RAISED BY OWLS – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Paul from Grantham’s least favourite band set a festival record as the Sunday opens. RAISED BY OWLS draw the largest audience for any band to play this slot, months of social media marketing playing off for the likeable lads. Their online presence has become so popular that some folks still seem to think of them as a sketch comedy group rather than an actual band, but band they are.

A remarkably heavy one too. RAISED BY OWLS tell a lot of jokes, make funny videos about metal culture and have a song called I’m Sorry I Wore A Dying Fetus T-Shirt To Your Baby’s Gender Reveal Party, but they’re also gnarly as hell. If it weren’t for the fact there’s a crowd surfing Mr Blobby waving inflatable penises in the air, this would be some of the nastiest grindcore this side of NASUM. We don’t know if this is going to increase their streaming numbers much, but in the live setting, RAISED BY OWLS are unmissable. Pretty certain that wasn’t the real DANZIG though.

Rating: 9/10

AWAKE BY DESIGN – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Birmingham metallers AWAKE BY DESIGN have more in common with the likes of KAMELOT than their metalcore-sounding name suggests and for many, it’s a pleasant palette cleanser as their epic proggy power metal makes for an enjoyable watch on The Sophie Lancaster Stage. They make good use of their 30 minute slot with the likes of Nothing Hurts and Devoid Of Illusion sounding particularly impressive. Curate a lineup of KAMELOT, EVERGREY and AWAKE BY DESIGN and you are guaranteed one truly epic time.

Rating: 8/10

MOON REAPER – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Bristol’s MOON REAPER are a curious bunch. Their soundscape covers everything from black metal to doom, with flashes of beatdown thrown in for good measure. On paper, this should not work, but on The Sophie Lancaster Stage, the band are not just aurally fierce, they are incredibly memorable. Their soundscape naturally evolves and mutates organically, with frontwoman Şirin Ann Bozkurt‘s growls keeping the band’s power at a high. Having previously graduated from the New Blood Stage a year prior, MOON REAPER at Bloodstock 2024 is living proof of the festival’s importance to promoting top quality underground metal.

Rating: 8/10

OSIAH – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Moments into OSIAH‘s set and it’s absolutely clear that Sunderland-based deathcore band are taking no prisoners. The bowl-churning tones of their crushing riffs and copious breakdowns sees heads bang, plenty don their best stank faces, and bodies slam in the pit. And in vocalist, Ricky Lee Roper, the band possess an absolute powerhouse of a frontman whose growls strike fear into your heart. They keep the momentum surging, refusing to take their foot off the gas, and material from last year’s Kairos and 2021’s Loss sound colossally heavy. It’s obtusely heavy, if slightly one dimensional, but solid outing nonetheless.

Rating: 7/10

BEAST IN BLACK – Ronnie James Dio Stage

It’s a credit to Yannis Papadopoulos that even when struggling to perform at his best, he’s still one of the best singers of the day. The hyperactive BEAST IN BLACK frontman is a natural showman and its hard not to grin like an idiot as he leads us through the next forty-five minutes. The Finns take us into a world where power metal reaches its over-the-top apex and crosses into Europop, and it’s terrific.

Sadly, there’s not enough time for much off 2019’s excellent From Hell With Love, but what we do get is a fist-pumping, high octane sugar-rush. Blade Runner is the soundtrack to an eighties anime turned up to eleventy-stupid, Blind And Frozen is utterly preposterous and Sweet True Lies is so cheesy there’s a line of Swiss people waiting to dip bread in it. Sometimes you just want to stand in a field and bellow a chorus with thousands of people and BEAST IN BLACK fit the bill nicely.

Rating: 8/10

GROVE STREET – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

The current crop of killer UK hardcore bands hitting their stride is wonderful to see and following in the footsteps of countrymen GUILT TRIP at 2022’s festival, Southampton’s GROVE STREET bring the wild party to Bloodstock. The band have been active for a long time, 12 years to be exact, but momentum is on their side with last year’s full-length debut, The Path To Righteousness, and they more than successfully channel this momentum into their live presence. Riffs collide and slam, the bounce is utterly infectious and seas of bodies – some surfing rubber dinghies and body boards – crash over the barrier. Sure, it would have been sick to see the band channel their Grand Theft Auto adoration through early material from The LS and The SF EPs, but we’re nitpicking here. It’s pure ferocious fun, injecting a welcomed dose of adrenaline to see us through the festival’s last day.

Rating: 7/10

SEPTICFLESH – Ronnie James Dio Stage

Just like their fellow countrymen in ROTTING CHRIST on Friday, Greek symphonic death metallers SEPTICFLESH have a prime afternoon slot and their enormous soundscapes sounds perfect in the scorching sunshine. Portrait Of A Headless Man is the perfect set opener, setting the tone in thundering fashion as arguably the heaviest riffage of the weekend batters the crowd and Spiros Antoniou‘s monstrous vocals cut through the noise with the utmost fury. A Desert Throne breathes enough in the live arena to allow the swirling orchestral backing track to soar, The Vampire From Nazareth is executed brilliantly, and Anubis is nothing short of a extreme metal anthem. Scorching!

Rating: 9/10

KENSEI – New Blood Stage

Black Country Metal 2 The Masses winners KENSEI take the New Blood Stage to a crowd that seem more interested in getting some shade than watching a band, but soon win a lot of new friends with their chunky riffs and catchy melodies. Their brand of death metal owes a debt to 2000s metalcore and they grow in confidence as the cheers get louder. They’re a little rough around the edges, but they’ve got some impressive songs in their repertoire and get a mighty fine looking circle pit going by the end. It’s hot, sweaty and intimate, and even if they’re not the finished article, we’ll be keeping a keen eye on these lads.

Rating: 6/10

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA – Ronnie James Dio Stage 

Considering they’re following the brutal SEPTICFLESH, Swedish AOR outfit THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA are a complete 180 in tone and vibe, but they are so much fun. Led by the charismatic Björn Strid, donned in a snazzy cape, and flanked by his air hostess dressed backing singers, Strid commands everyone at Bloodstock to dance like their lives depend on it, and what follows is one of the most joyous experiences of the entire festival. With songs like Satellite, Divinyls and Burn For Me in their arsenal, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA keep the hits rolling and when band pull flight crew wearing attendees on stage to encourage the biggest conga line that Bloodstock has ever witnessed during West Ruth Ave, it’s blissful silly fun, leaving all of us on the best of highs.

Rating: 10/10

FLOGGING MOLLY – Ronnie James Dio Stage

FLOGGING MOLLY are easily the least metal band to play the festival’s main stage this year. The Celtic folk-punkers are probably the first group to bring a tin whistle on all weekend, but they’re a welcome break from blast beats and death growls. The sun is out, the crowd is vast, and given that CARCASS are on next, it’s nice to get an hour of choruses before darkness descends.

And we get choruses aplenty as they barrel through the likes of Swagger, A Song Of Liberty, and Tobacco Island. The ever popular What’s Left Of The Flag is as poignant as it is life affirming, and the closing Seven Deadly Sins is a riot. For the most part, it’s a raucous, light-hearted party, however once you notice that Dave King has a habit of adding an extra syllable to the last word of each line, you can’t un-notice it. “No don’t sink the boat-ah, that you built, you built to keep afloat-ah.”

Rating: 7/10

CARCASS – Ronnie James Dio Stage

As one of the most influential bands within extreme metal, CARCASS are living legends and the huge crowd the band pull for their sub-headlining set is reflective of just how respected they are in our world. Utilising the screen behind them to display stomach churning gory imagery with childish glee, the band’s music is reflective of their gore-soaked imagery; violent and rotten. Jeff Walker sneers and roars through visceral outings of Genital Grinder, Pyosisified (Rotten To The Gore) and Incarnated Solvent Abuse, whilst the likes of Corporal Jigsore Quandary and Buried Dreams hit as hard as they did when they first assaulted eardrums in the 1990s. Bloody disgusting!

Rating: 8/10

AMON AMARTH – Ronnie James Dio Stage

It’s hard to imagine a time where Swedish Viking horde AMON AMARTH were not bonafide metal superstars, as we’ve become accustomed to their elaborate production that elevates their live experience to the halls of Asgard. Bloodstock has played its part in cementing this familiarity with the band headlining the same stage back in 2017. Seven years on from that headlining show and the production has become unimaginably bigger, with enough bells and whistles to rival IRON MAIDEN.

Pyro erupts relentlessly, Vikings re-enactors clash and duel on stage as the band bring the Viking invasion to Bloodstock but what clever stage show tricks aside, the band have a mighty arsenal of tunes to keep the crowd primed for battle. The likes of As Loke Falls, Deceiver Of The Gods, and The Pursuit Of Vikings are all dispatched with the utmost conviction, Put Your Back Into The Oar sees Bloodstock willingly accept Johan Hegg‘s calls for the rowing pit, and Raise Your Horns is one the best metal anthems of the 21^st Century. Aurally and visually, AMON AMARTH epitomise metal on the biggest stages, and it’s a triumph yet again.

Rating: 8/10

SATYRICON – The Sophie Lancaster Stage

Norwegian black metal royalty SATYRICON are lauded with the task of not just closing the Sophie Lancaster Stage, but closing Bloodstock 2024 with the last performance of the festival. A prestigious slot, and despite the exhaustion of four days of metal, a willing crowd give it their all one last time as the band soar with their blackened hymns. Now, Diabolical is belted back to the band with the utmost volume as Satyr growls the first-pumping chorus, whilst Black Crow On A Tombstone and Depp Calleth Upon Deep sneer with devilish intent. A thumping one-two punch in set closers Mother North and K.I.N.G sends the Bloodstock crowd into the night as the festival draws to a magnificent close. A fine finale indeed.

Rating: 8/10

And that’s a wrap on our coverage of Bloodstock Festival 2024! Year after year, we have an absolute blast covering the UK’s biggest metal festival! And with a stacked first announcement for 2025, we’re already counting down the days! See you in the pit.

Words: James Weaver, Tim Bolitho-Jones

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