FESTIVAL REVIEW: Download Festival 2018 – Sunday
With the Friday and Saturday of this year’s Download Festival delivering the goods, the pressure was on for the last full day of music from this year’s festival to not only meet, but exceed the weighty expectations set by the previous days. And with glorious sunshine soaking the hallowed grounds of Donington, Download Festival closed with an absolute bang. So, let our coverage of the last day of Download Festival 2018 begin…
DREAM STATE – The Avalanche Stage
Being billed at 11am to kick off the day’s action is always a tough challenge for any band and rising South Welsh crew DREAM STATE had the audacious task of opening proceedings on The Avalanche Stage for the final day of Download Festival. And boy did they knock it out of the park. Packing a super-tight sound, the band shrugged off any lingering hangovers from the swelling crowd and gave a performance that was full of energy and bounce. Neat riffs had heads bobbing aplenty and CJ absolutely excelled in her vocal deliveries and crowd interaction. From the delicate guitar melodies on Solace intertwining brilliantly with her soaring vocals to the anthemic nature of White Lies that had the tent bouncing, DREAM STATE gave a performance that certainly warrants your attention. A band to keep an eye on for sure.
Rating: 8/10
Words: James Weaver
GRETA VAN FLEET – Zippo Encore Stage
For 25 glorious minutes on Sunday morning, the Zippo Encore stage is no longer Download Festival 2018 but Woodstock 1969. There must have been some sort of voodoo going on down in Frenkenmuth, Michigan during the late 90’s because GRETA VAN FLEET have a combined age of 82 and have absolutely no right to be as brilliant as they are given their youth. But brilliant sums them up best; their heavy blues rock has seen them gain plaudits on a global scale and they will continue to get bigger as time goes on. Today they’re on blistering form, with a rabid audience giving everything they’ve got and starting the last full day of Download Festival perfectly. Highway Tune is naturally massive, but Black Smoke Rising and closer Safari Song are huge as well. This is a band who are going to explode in the next five years, easily.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Elliot Leaver
CRADLE OF FILTH – Main Stage
One thing’s for sure – everyone stood watching CRADLE OF FILTH on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Donington will have a strong opinion on what they’re seeing. Love them or hate them, Dani Filth and co are nothing if not entertaining, bringing a sense of pantomime evil that is brimming with evocative instrumental passages and the hellish, piercing vocals for which they’re perhaps most well-known. The set itself is incredibly impressive, with very few of the intricacies getting lost and almost all of the more grandiose elements coming off perfectly. An outdoor setting isn’t necessarily the best way to see such a dark, brooding band, but nevertheless this ends up being a very solid showing and an excellent advert for extreme metal.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Shaun Brown
PUPPY – The Avalanche Stage
PUPPY have proven themselves to be one of the most consistent live bands in the UK over recent years, and on the evidence of today’s early performance, they’re just getting better and better. Whether the three piece are blasting out a new track (Demons) or an old fan favourite (The Great Beyond), they manage to make one hell of a racket while always maintaining the alt-rock elements that have always made them such an interesting proposition. It is a bit of a shame that they’re relegated to a tent this weekend, as their brand of bulldozer riffing certainly wouldn’t seem out of place on a bigger stage. If PUPPY do get their change to impress from a bigger platform, it would take a very brave man indeed to bet against them doing anything other than completely smashing it.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Shaun Brown
HATEBREED – Main Stage
You know those bands who always set a festival alight with a massive party? HATEBREED are firmly in that category. It doesn’t matter how long they are given, they’ll pack their set with as many riffs, breakdowns and moshpits as possible to ensure everyone leaves with smiles. Today, there’s a bumper fourteen songs in the space of 45 minutes and it’s absolutely killer, from the destruction of Looking Down the Barrel of Today to the might of deeper cuts like Last Breath and the utter brilliance of Destroy Everything. To boot, Jamey Jasta is one of the world’s best frontmen right now; smiling and buoyant, he comes across as everyone’s favourite uncle, keeping the peace but ensuring a barrel of fun. Give them a stage to headline, already.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Elliot Leaver
DEAD CROSS – Zippo Encore Stage
With a crowd most likely full of onlookers wanting to see how Mike Patton gets on outside of FAITH NO MORE, the area around the Zippo Encore Stage is bustling as DEAD CROSS take to the stage. Musically there’s a lot less going on than in some of Patton’s previous projects, but as you’d expect the quality is still of an incredibly high standard; the vocals packing one hell of a punch and the band firing on all cylinders for the majority of the set. Whether or not the slightly and surprisingly one dimensional set leaves enough of a lasting impact will remain to be seen, but for an afternoon at least DEAD CROSS have given a pretty decent account of themselves.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Shaun Brown
KREATOR – Zippo Encore Stage
It’s bewildering that this is the first time that German thrash legends KREATOR have graced Download Festival but as soon as the chaotic riffage of Phantom Antichrist begins to ring out across the Zippo Encore Stage they feel right at home. Millie Petrozza’s savage yells sound as powerful as ever and the riffs he and Sami Yli-Sirniö let loose are pitch perfect to that on record. This isn’t surprising given the form KREATOR have been on with the last five albums with songs like Hordes Of Chaos, Enemy Of God and the aforementioned Phantom Antichrist becoming setlist essentials. Newer songs are the ones which do best though, with Satan Is Real and Hail To The Hordes creating some of the biggest pits and sing-a-longs of the day. Throw in some pyro amongst these bangers for good measure and it’s a thrash metal spectacle. It’s obscene for a band that’s been going 32 years to be this good still, but KREATOR has aged as finely as wine. This may be their first time at Download, but we pray to Satan it isn’t their last.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Jack King
MILK TEETH – The Avalanche Stage
Quite possibly the best band at Download Festival when they last played back in 2016, MILK TEETH make a welcome return this year armed with more songs, more finesse and even more choruses than they had on their last visit. Starting with a rollicking rendition of summery earworm Nearby Catfight, it’s immediately clear that this anthemic quartet mean business, a fact that’s further highlighted a few songs later with a glorious slab of grunge in the form of fan favourite Brain Food. MILK TEETH have been riding the crest of a wave for a couple of years now, slowly but surely developing their sound to incorporate more pop hooks and a great deal of extra melody, and it’s in a live environment where these tweaks truly come into their own. Ending with a stadium-worthy Owning Your Okayness, this band are showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Shaun Brown
BODY COUNT – Zippo Encore Stage
It says a lot about their legacy that, even though they’re following thrash legends KREATOR, the crowd for BODY COUNT barely changes with a number of punters staying for the Californian rap-metallers. Ice T might now be 60 years old but one, he’s a funny bastard, openly talking about black people at rock festivals and the customs staff at the airport and two, he still controls his audience with consummate ease. Kicking off with their cover of Raining Blood/Postmortem isn’t a bad move either, especially as it, er, slays. They’re not going to steal the festival but GOD they’re fun, with Jamey Jasta from HATEBREED joining for Cop Killer and Ice’s two year old daughter joining onstage in easily the festival’s most adorable moment prior to a raucous Talk Shit, Get Shot. N’awww.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Elliot Leaver
BLACK VEIL BRIDES – Main Stage
Regardless of whether you knew their stage time or not, there’s no doubt when BLACK VEIL BRIDES start their set because the screams coming from the Main Stage are biblical. For a number of years the Californians were touted as the next big thing in rock music and they continue to play with their usual amount of pomp and swagger. What’s lacking is their tunes – latest album Vale was not brilliant and even though they finish strongly with the triumvirate of Knives and Pens, Fallen Angels and In The End, the rest of the set is largely forgettable; Black Veil Bridesmaids seems a more appropriate name now.
Rating: 5/10
Words: Elliot Leaver
JAMIE LENMAN – The Avalanche Stage
With a set leaning heavily on his more raucous material, the national treasure that is JAMIE LENMAN arrives at Download Festival to a hero’s welcome. The tracks from lauded recent record Devolver go down brilliantly, from the storming Waterloo Teeth to the playful exuberance of Hell in a Fast Car, but it’s brand new single Long Gone that elicits the most riotous reaction; its hellacious intensity threatening to destroy the hearing of those in the front row. With the vast array of rising stars in the UK scene right now, Lenman has had to work tirelessly to ensure his relevancy, but with performances like this and last year’s Lenmania triumph, there’s no chance of anyone ever taking him for granted again.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Shaun Brown
SHINEDOWN – Main Stage
Climbing the ranks for a few years now is SHINEDOWN. Off the back of their support run with IRON MAIDEN they have now been placed on the main stage at this year’s Download Festival. Their performance which was energetic and charismatic proved to the crowd why they deserved this position on the bill. Sound of Madness opened the set and raised the bar high for what was to come of the band. Their newer songs from ATTENTION ATTENTION went down a treat, despite only being released a month prior most of the crowd knew them by heart. With moving messages about loving one another, the meaning of music to us and being okay in dark times, SHINEDOWN can capture your heart. This showed when they played Unity and Second Chance, looking around they had all eyes on them and all voices belting out the words with them. For a moment in time, SHINEDOWN united many people who were strangers. They delivered an outstanding performance, musically on point and poignant. They are contenders to keep climbing the ladder.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Jessica Howkins
MESHUGGAH – Zippo Encore Stage
Swedish metal titans MESHUGGAH cross so many genres that it can be hard to explain them to those who do not know the band. Entering the fray mid-evening of the final day, the quintet had a lot to live up to. After a solid minute of smoke and the sound of a dissonant siren, the group calmly walked on stage and exploded into a gut-wrenching thud of thick, dirty riffs courtesy of Born in Dissonance. The entire set was an overwhelming mix of technical progeny and crisp, mathematically perfected timing that amalgamated into an experience that left audience members feeling like they had witnessed something truly cosmic. Closing their short performance with Demiurge, MESHUGGAH solidified their live presence as one that is just as flawless and perfected as on their albums. They are a band to keep an enthusiastic eye on, and if their recent achievements are anything to go by, will be creating perfectly calculated progressive masterpieces for years to come.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Chloe Leonard
MYRKUR – The Dogtooth Stage
MYRKUR‘s unconventional approach to black metal has been turning heads for some time now and with the winds very much in their sales following the release of last year’s stellar Mareridt, Amalie Bruun and her cohorts crafted an ethereal atmosphere throughout their set on The Dogtooth Stage. Bruun‘s haunting cleans captivated the crowd, with the harrowing ghostly cleans on closer Måneblôt being a particular highlight, whilst her bandmates operated well to create an immersive and gripping experience. What was particularly eyebrow raising however, was the complete absence of Bruun‘s shrieking vocals, rather solely focusing on her melodic side of her vocal palette. Whether this was a deliberate ploy to appeal to a larger crowd or that Bruun is opting to experiment with a new live approach remains to seen, but, despite a lacking of bite and menace, MYRKUR successfully gripped the crowd and delivered a set of musical beauty.
Rating: 8/10
Words: James Weaver
ALEXISONFIRE – Zippo Encore Stage
There may have been no new music since their return, but that hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm of ALEXISONFIRE’s fans to greet them with open arms whenever they head across to our shores. Opening with the phenomenal Young Cardinals, ALEXISONFIRE spend the next 40 odd minutes reminding everyone of why they’ve always been one of the best and most respected live bands around, blitzing through a note perfect Boiled Frogs and sending the crowd into raptures with a stirring This Could Be Anywhere In the World. You’d have to think that for their reunion to work long term there’ll have to be new music at some point, but for now at least the demand is still well and truly there.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Shaun Brown
MARILYN MANSON – Main Stage
It was one of the biggest questions in the run up to Download Festival was which MARILYN MANSON would turn up? A fairly decent UK run recently gave hope that the God of Fuck would pull it off this time and, mercifully, the slurring, bloated mess that has been known to appear does not. However, there’s no sight of the manic and chaotic individual either; the MANSON that shows up is chilled and laid back, coherent and giving more than just the bare minimum without ever going too deep. Each song still has bite and snarl, from This Is the New Shit and his covers of Sweet Dreams to The Beautiful People and a surprise encore of Cry Little Sister, but not much more, as if he’s too scared to blow a gasket halfway through a scream. It’s all rather bizarre, but solid enough.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Elliot Leaver
ZEAL & ARDOR – The Dogtooth Stage
The brainchild of Manuel Gagneux, ZEAL & ARDOR have been soaring in popularity since 2016’s scrapped the rulebook of what you can do with heavy music. Blending slave music, gospel and black metal shouldn’t work on paper but the project have proved it can be possible, and live, it’s even more striking as their performance on The Dogtooth Stage was a thing of wonder. Delicate passages where Ganeux‘s lead vocals combined wonderfully with backing vocalists Denix Wagner and Marc Obrist created an immersive atmosphere that held your attention before subsiding into movements of sheer visceral menace as the riffs upped the ante and Gagneux‘s shrieks were laced with sinister bite. Material from his latest opus, Stranger Fruit, sounded even better in the live environment and the gloriously moving conclusion to Devil Is Fine hammered home that ZEAL & ARDOR are one of the most intriguingly brilliant bands in our world right now. Their performance at Download Festival will only add fuel to the fire.
Rating: 9/10
Words: James Weaver
LESSTHANJAKE – The Avalanche Stage
Toilet paper guns, dancing and beers in the sunshine can only mean one thing, LESS THAN JAKE. So, they might have been playing in a tent, but the sun was shining over Download Festival and it just created that perfect mood for the ska band. Playing some of their best hits such as The Ghost of You and Me, Overrated (Everything Is) and All My Best Friends Are Metalheads, the energy that come from them could have taken the roof off. LESS THAN JAKE gave big doses of exactly what everyone needed, some brilliant music and a whole lotta fun.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Jessica Howkins
RISE AGAINST – Zippo Encore Stage
RISE AGAINST have been calling for a revolution for nearly twenty years now and as the quartet close the Zippo Encore Stage at this year’s Download Festival, the band deliver a performance that was as uplifting as it was musically proficient. Tim Mcllrath‘s rallying calls of positivity and hope captivated the crowd and his impressive vocal melodies held their own, adding a punchy delivering to their sharp and impressive riffing. Musically tight, the band operated as a machine and kept the tempo high as they ploughed their way through a lengthy headlining set and whilst material from their more recent records were passable on their own merit, where RISE AGAINST truly struck a chord was the delivery of their most beloved material. Saviour incited mass sing-a-longs, Re-Education (Through Labour) had the crowd bouncing and finale Prayer To The Refugee proved to be a masterstroke as RISE AGAINST ended their performance and closed the Zippo Encore Stage with a flourish.
Rating: 8/10
Words: James Weaver
BARONESS – The Dogtooth Stage
There are few performances like this one at festivals anymore. People may look down upon the idea of headlining the fourth stage and think it’s not worth a band’s time, but when it becomes an intimate experience like this one it’s almost beyond words. BARONESS open with the anthemic Take My Bones Away and the entire tent erupts into chorus, singer and guitarist John Dyer Baizley begins to beam as he realises this is a special crowd. The energy the whole band gives off is ecstatic, guitarist Gina Gleason looks to be in states of pure ecstasy as she constantly thumps out relentless riffs. Baizley, on the other hand, is a blur of thrashing and headbanging, only to be interrupted when he lets loose his mountain levelling vocals. Whilst the huge heavy tunes like Isak and The Sweetest Curse that get people moving, it’s the slower more emotional tracks that feel truly special, having a whole tent belt out tracks like Chlorine & Wine and If I Had To Wake Up (Would You Stop The Rain) are close to religious experiences, by the end BARONESS can’t help but gaze upon this huge reception with smiles that will have to be surgically removed
Rating: 9/10
Words: Jack King
THE HIVES – The Avalanche Stage
A contender for the most fun band of the weekend, Swedish party starters THE HIVES may only arrive to a rapturous reception from around half of the tent of The Avalanche Stage, but they end up leaving to applause from absolutely everyone in attendance. Frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist is every ounce the showman, leading festivities like a deranged ringmaster whose sole responsibility is to make sure that his audience have smiles permanently etched across their faces. The fact that THE HIVES have made a career out of creating infectious rock n’ roll hits certainly helps that cause, with the likes of Walk Idiot Walk and Hate To Say I Told You So receiving the mass singalongs that they rightly deserve. It’s not until Tick, Tick Boom kicks in however that it all comes together to form a marvellous crescendo; Pelle as funny as ever introducing the rest of the band before a scintillating final chorus that closes The Avalanche Stage on an enormous high.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Shaun Brown
OZZY OSBOURNE – Main Stage
OZZY OSBOURNE, the man who gave us the best rock and metal in our lives. After the few years of BLACK SABBATH reuniting for one last time, OZZY is now in a place ready to do the same and do one final world tour. The iconic frontman bought that tour to Download Festival this year, and what an honour it was. For some it wasn’t the first time they had seen him, for most it was, and how it left them begging for more. Mr Crowley, Crazy Train, Shot in the Dark, Bark at the Moon, the list of hits played continues, and not even one disappointed. From start to finish the energy of the crowd was at an ultimate high, although at some points the expected lengthy solos from legendary guitarist Zakk Wylde seemed to take a little away from the performance.
As said, it is expected from Zakk Wylde but at points it did feel a little too lengthy, maybe a much-needed breather for OZZY OSBOURNE however. This did not sour the performance much though, it was fun and exciting. The heavy metal legend left the crowd feeling nostalgic with some of BLACK SABBATH’s greatest hits, such as Paranoid, War Pigs and Fairies Wear Boots. The most memorable part of the night came from Mama, I’m Coming Home, from front to back in the crowd there was arms linked together, tears from people who have a personal connection with the song, and the over-powering singing of every person. This was a special moment to have shared, and all thanks to OZZY OSBOURNE. Not many 69-year olds can do what OZZY did on Sunday night, he gave it his all and left everyone leaving the festival on the highest note.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Jessica Howkins
And so we have it, Download Festival is done for another year. Delivering on all fronts, this year’s festival was a spectacle and we’re already counting down the days until next year’s pilgrimage. Until another year Donington!
