LIVE REVIEW: BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL, CATTON PARK UK - 8-11TH AUGUST 2024

 

Photo Credit – Abbi Draper-Scott

Bloodstock festival continues to grow each year, with 2024's event being their biggest yet. This was evident by selling out weekend tickets and Saturday day tickets, a mighty achievement that was well deserved and expected considering the magnitude of the line-up.

Thursday 8th August

Tailgunner - Photo Credit - Abbi Draper-Scott

New traditional metallers Tailgunner only launched in 2022 and released their debut album, 'Guns For Hire,' in July last year. They have already made a name for themselves. I was very impressed with their performance at a rammed-out tent on the Sophie Lancaster stage, which was the first band on the festival's opening day for me, and what a way to kick things off. The crowd and energy were insane, with constant mosh pits and crowd surfers for the entirety of their 40-minute set, showing just how much support the band have and making them an unstoppable force that is only surely going to rise in the ranks. It won't be long before they land higher slots on festival bills! They had a lot of showmanship and an impressive shred off, with the two guitarists seeming beyond their years and were a definite highlight for me.

Hellripper - Photo Credit - Abbi Draper-Scott

One-man speed/black metal act Hellripper, formed by James McBain, delivered a whirlwind of a set blasting his demonic blackened thrash sound to a packed tent, ripping loose with 'All Hail The Goat' and further in, playing the deadly 'From Hell' as well as a couple from their latest critically acclaimed album, 'Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags' such as the popular offerings 'The Nuckelavee' and the lively 'Goat Vomit Nightmare'. Of all the things you would expect to see at a black metal show, a mini Christmas tree with lights on wasn't one, but it made a prominent focus throughout, to the delight of frontman James, who used it as a way to gauge how chaotic the mosh pit was by tracking it. What a brilliant, crushing set! It showed that we can expect more Hellripper rampaging in the metal ranks.

Hellripper - Photo Credit - Abbi Draper-Scott

Friday 9th August

Haxan - Photo Credit - Sophie Jones

Hard rock act Haxan opened on the Friday of the festival and marked the first full day of music. They delivered an engaging, fun set, and considering they played at 10.30 am, they had a pretty full and energetic crowd, with the bassist, Harriet, even joking that everyone should still be in bed. Their groovy hit track, 'Killing Time,' went down particularly well with lots of crowd participation, and you could tell the trio, led by powerhouse vocalist/guitarist Sam, was having a great time. It marked the perfect way to start a Friday morning at a festival with their uplifting rock sound.

Nervosa - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Thrash death metallers Nervosa certainly woke anyone who needed it with their early 11.45 am slot with a thunderous dose of extreme thrash metal delivered in style. The crowd chanted their name, and many mosh pits were featured at the front, showing the band was in top form. Guitarist/vocalist Prika Amaral displayed her brutal might whilst looking delighted to be there, and they played all their top hits you would expect, firing out the likes of 'Death!', 'Perpetual Chaos' along with the title track 'Jailbreak' from their latest 2023 album, ending on the forceful and energetic 'Endless Ambition'.

Rotting Christ - Photo Credit - Sophie Jones

Greek black metal act Rotting Christ, fronted by vocalist Sakis Tolis, got straight to business and played and delivered a soaring set in the blazing heat; fortunately, being from Greece, they seemed to be right at home and played effortlessly. They recently unleashed their fourteenth album 'Pro Xristou' and played 'Like Father, Like Son' taken from that opus, as well as playing a varied set list spanning their long career, such as the very satanic '666' and closing with an old track 'Grandis Spiritus Diavolos'. It was a grand and immense show that was another highlight for me.

Enslaved - Photo Credit - Katja Ogrin

Norwegian extreme progressive metallers Enslaved have an exciting blend of sounds. Still, even though I'm a fan of theirs, for some reason, their set didn't grip me as much as I expected, but that may have been due to the heat taking its toll. However, it still was an enjoyable set, with lead vocalist Grutle Kjellson dedicating their song 'Homebound' to a friend of the band who recently passed away, as well as playing a few from their latest sixteenth album released last year 'Heimdal' such as opening with 'Kingdom' and playing the well-known 'Congelia' and 'Forest Dweller'.

Darkest Era - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Hailing from Northern Ireland, Darkest Era offered something a bit different with their eclectic mix of doom and folk. Their set saw a happy and packed Sophie Lancaster stage, and for those who were just seeking respite from the blazing sun, they would have been pleasantly surprised and indeed gone away a new fan of the band.

Hatebreed - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

American metalcore band Hatebreed is celebrating their thirtieth anniversary as a band, and they showed no signs of slowing down, being at the top of their game with a massive, dedicated and passionate crowd of headbangers and moshers galore, which I witnessed during the second half of their set. They unleashed their 'ball of death' into the crowd, which was quirky, especially as the ball ended up getting lost in the VIP serpent's lair area in the end rather than continuing to circulate the main crowds and provided amusement watching as everyone struggled to get it back over. They played a great cover of Slayer's 'Ghosts Of War' which went down a storm. I caught some of their best tracks, such as 'Looking Down The Barrel Of Today' and the closing 'I Will Be Heard' leaving their mark fully trampled into the Bloodstock attendees, with frontman Jamey Jasta earlier in the set stating they will be back at Bloodstock for their fortieth anniversary and the fans and the festival will undoubtedly hold them to that after their reception.

Lemmy Forever Ceremony with Phil Campbull - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Straight after Hatebreed was the special Lemmy Forever ceremony where some of the festival directors and Motorhead guitarist Phil Campell unveiled and presented the Lemmy Kilmister statue bust of a young Lemmy in his forties where some of his ashes were placed in the back of and sealed, Phil seemed very moved and almost lost for words as he paid tribute to his fallen band member who passed in 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after his cancer diagnosis and legend that is Lemmy who will live on in our hearts and by their music. To make it extra special after the ceremony, the Lemmy bust was placed in the RAM gallery with a section being dedicated to Lemmy and Motorhead and was set up to look like Lemmy's dressing room and featured his personal belongings as part of the display such as his hat, shoes, photographs and his last jar of marmite and milky way bars from the band's final tour in 2015. The bust containing his ashes after the festival will go to a venue called Rock City in Nottingham, which hosted many Motorhead shows over the years, and then will return to Bloodstock each year so festival-goers can view it. As part of the tribute to Lemmy, there was also a replica Lancaster bomber at the festival entrance, which was suspended above the stage during Motörhead's 1979 Bomber tour.

Opeth - Photo Credit - Katja Ogrin

Progressive metal veterans Opeth are no strangers to Bloodstock, and the 2024 edition marks their third time headlining at the festival. They first headlined in 2008 and then again in 2010 when they were added to the bill in the wake of the passing of Ronnie James Dio (whom the festival gets its main stage name from), who was due to headline with his band Heaven & Hell. The fact that they keep getting invited back is evidence of their success and how they have shaped and helped Extreme Metal excel in their career. And to make this third headlining appearance even more special, the set was voted for by the fans as charismatic and witty vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt pointed out, the set featured primarily old songs and joked that the message implied was that they hadn't done anything decent in like fifteen years which got a laugh from the huge adoring crowd which wasn't entirely true as the set did feature the splendid 'Sorceress' from their twelfth album released 2016 under the same name. Akerfeldt and co exuded charm and confidence and made their set look effortless whilst playing out their most loved hits such as 'In My Time Of Need', 'Ghost Of Perdition' and ending on the colossal and turbulent 'Deliverance' delivering a smooth, grand and immersive set. The only thing that could have made it even better would have been if they played 'Blackwater Park', but given how lengthy many of their songs are, they couldn't fit it all!

Opeth - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Saturday 10th August

Deitus - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Black Metal band Deitus from York, UK, opened the main stage on Saturday, and they delivered a compelling and rage-filled set, with the singer ever looking the part, covered in blood to add to the menace of the music and performance. What a brutal kick-off, setting the calibre of heaviness very high.

Ignea - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

The melodic metal band, Ignea from Ukraine, was a delightful surprise to me as I had heard their name but not what they sounded like, so I had no idea what to expect. I'm happy I caught their set, as their sound and performance enthralled me. I'm glad to have discovered a new band and to see their first-ever UK festival set, which, considering how big the crowd was and the Ukraine flags, they have an impressive amount of support and fans already, which will undoubtedly have grown in size following their appearance.

Crypta - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Brazillian death metallers Crypta put on an engaging and intense rapid set, with vocalist/bassist Fernanda Lira appearing to have a blast. Her passionate, captivating and deadly energy helped them soar even more, with particular song highlights such as 'The Outsider' and closing song 'From The Ashes' ending their commanding and conquering set.

Unleash The Archers - Photo Credit - Katja Ogrin

Offering a break from extreme metal, Canadian power metal band Unleash The Archers perfectly injected different and fun energy with their uplifting offerings. They seemed joyful to be in the UK. Their set seemed to fly by as they blasted out their top hits, such as opener 'Abyss', 'Awakening', and 'Ghosts In The Mist'. They were billed as one of the bands to watch, and for good reason, playing an entertaining and unforgettable set.

Deicide - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Florida-based death metal band Deicide played a pummeling set without pause, spewing out their most popular fast bleak tracks that you would expect with the likes of 'When Satan Rules His World', 'Once Upon The Cross' and 'Dead By Dawn'.

Whitechapel - Photo Credit - loveandlightimages/Sophie Jones

American deathcore act Whitechapel have largely remained underrated compared to bands of similar ilk. Still, in recent years, with them steering to a more melodic metal sound with the addition of clean vocals, they are getting more recognition. Their main stage appearance was proof of this as there was a lot of love for the band with hardcore headbanging throughout and plenty of circle pits in their career-spanning set with songs such as 'I, Dementia' from their self-titled album from 2012 to their latest opus 2021's 'Kin' with the mighty high impact track 'A Bloodsoaked Symphony'.

Architects - Photo Credit - Abbi Draper-Scott

Architects from Brighton, UK, have been going for two decades and have risen higher and higher and landed their first UK headlining set, showing how far they have come. For the most part, those like myself were happy to see them headline and feel like worthy but some may not have been convinced but their headline set saw them on top form with a brilliant varied set and impressive stage production from the opener 'Seeing Red' spraying red confetti from the off to the immense 'Impermanence', the huge crowds gathered and sang along when prompted (and not!). There were plenty of circle pits and crowd surfing, showing that they had what it takes to headline with a tight and confident performance, with vocalist Sam Carter recalling how proud and happy he was to see the reaction to them headlining when it was revealed on the main stage screen a year before with their most significant and crushing track 'Animal' playing along with the announcement, so the band decided that was the best and fitting way to end their triumphant headline set which was the perfect heavy note to end on with everyone shouting 'We're just a bunch of fucking animals!" and with more confetti to go out with a bang. Their flawless precision and swagger were undeniable, so those who didn't think they were the band for the headline slot, even if not fans of their sound, would be hard-pressed to diss their set, especially seeing as the Saturday tickets for the festival sold out for the first time.

Architects - Photo Credit - Abbi Draper-Scott

Sunday 11th August

Raised By Owls - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

One of my highlights of the festival was an extreme metal band from the depths of Derbyshire, Raised By Owls, who delivered what has to be the most fun and hilarious set of the weekend, with the crowds lapping up their equal parts extreme metal and comedy show with much laughing to be had by all. Some particular prominent moments included vocalist Sam Strachan bringing out his Mum, who was dressed as a Nun, while the rest of the band was dressed as priests. She was so sweet and funny, mocking the band and being comical while rocking out during one of their songs. Another brilliant moment was when Sam announced another special guest, stating, 'Satan himself…Mr Blobby' and then Mr Blobby came out looking terrifying and got into a little dinghy boat and crowd surfed on it, which was too funny. They also had a song about Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst, which went down well, and they appropriately ended on a cover of 'Break Stuff', which saw everyone kneeling on the ground and jumping up when commanded. It was a fantastic set and turnout for the first main stage band on a Sunday, and it was one that undoubtedly everyone would be talking about after an amusingly brilliant spectacle.

Raised By Owls - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Soen - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

Progressive Swedish band Soen were a must-see for me. Fortunately, they didn't disappoint, delivering a perfect and flawless set significantly aided by vocalist Joel Ekelöf's alluring voice, especially evident on the beautiful and deep 'Lotus', which grips you just as much as the blazing heavier moments such as the powerful closer 'Violence' from their latest album 'Memorial'. They soothed and charmed the crowd with their dynamic yet striking mix, exuding class, precision and style throughout their short but potent set.

Beast In Black - Photo Credit - Steve Dempsey

The larger-than-life Beast In Black injected a party atmosphere with their over-the-top power metal, and the crowd ate it up, dancing and shouting along. And they seemed to be the perfect fit for the scorching sunny weather and treated UK fans to 'Power Of The Beast' for the first time as well as playing highly melodic numbers such as 'One Night In Toyko' and closed their sizzling and fun set with 'End Of The World'.

Amon Amarth - Photo Credit - Abbi Draper-Scott

Unfortunately, I had to leave early and missed the closing-day headliners, Viking metal legends Amon Amarth. Still, luckily, having seen them a few times now, I know they would have closed the festival in a fiery, unforgettable, victorious manner. Bloodstock 2024 was a blast, brimming with every kind of metal you could ever want and more. I managed to see so many amazing bands. Thanks to such a brilliant, strong line-up, you could rock up to any of the stages and guarantee you were going to see only the best metal acts going from heavy hitters to rising newcomers, something the festival continues to thrive and pride itself on, supporting the smaller acts and paving the way for them to soar. It would take a lot of work to top this year's event. Still, they are already looking set to do this following the colossal 2025 announcement of all headliners and more, which has led to early bird tickets being sold out already in an unprecedented amount of time, clearly demonstrating that Bloodstock truly knows what the fans want and delivering big time with plenty more to come.

Check out the line-up so far for Bloodstock 2025!

Get full festival information over at bloodstock.uk.com.

This live review of Bloodstock was first published on Dark Art Conspiracy - https://darkartconspiracy.com/2024/08/19/live-review-bloodstock-festival-catton-park-uk-8th-august-11th-august-2024/ by me (Carina Lawrence)