Bloodstock Festival 2019: Part 1 (7th-8th August)

WORDS: Ross Donald

So before I start talking about the bands I was able to experience at this festival, I just want to talk about the festival itself. This was my first experience at Bloodstock, and I have to say that after 3 years in a row of the Download festival, this was a breath of fresh air. While Download is always near and dear to my heart for some major life experiences, Bloodstock is the ultimate way to experience a proper metal festival. Everyone was so friendly and I never had any issues with any of the other campers as everyone was just up for having a laugh and a good time. Everything was just so close as well. We were in the Ironwood campsite that was a bit further away from the central but we were never more than a brisk ten minute walk away from the action. There was never a dull moment to be had and the weekend blew by. I’d encourage any metal fan up for a weekend of camping to give it a go. You won’t regret and I promise you’ll make some awesome memories along the way. Anyway... onto the music.

_____________________

The first band I was able to check out was Footprints in the Custard on the Thursday night in the Sophie tent, and this was a band I was looking forward to after checking out their latest album. Anyone that enjoys a good bit of comedy in their metal should check them out as they come across as a much heavier Steel Panther and have some hilariously offensive tracks. You know you’re starting your festival right when the first band you see enters to the Thomas the Tank Engine theme tune. The band came out with matching green and purple outfits (because why not?), and got off to a raucous start with ‘Party Metal’ to get those circle pits going. They then hit us with a few of their new cuts including ‘Space Force’ which is hilariously based on Donald Trump’s idea to govern outer space. We also had ‘Ride, My Little Pony, Ride!’ complete with a hobby horse. I think this is the point where the bassist stripped down to a mankini as well. Good times. ‘Don’t be a Cunt’ is an absolute anthem and once the crowds learn the words, it’ll be unstoppable in a live setting. You could tell the band were just having such a good time and it translated well to the crowd to the point where I’m sure they made a few new fans that night. Good start for proceedings, for sure.

_____________________

The next band I had a chance to see were the mighty Rotting Christ who were headlining the Sophie tent later that night. And from what I could see, they very easily filled out the entire tent. Sadly I didn’t get to experience the full set as we arrived a bit late (and I was also a bit drunk) so I only witnessed a few songs. From what I did hear though, the band were on top form as usual. I did get to see them at Lords of the Land in Glasgow earlier in the year if you want to check out a longer (and definitely more sober) review of them here. Catching the end of this set wasn’t a total loss, but these guys are definitely worth checking out for any black metal fans out there who haven't already.

_____________________

As we move onto Friday afternoon; the first 'proper' day of music, the first band I made sure to check out was Death Angel on the main stage. I’ve really been starting to get into these guys, as they are one of the better thrash metal bands I’ve come across. Their 1987 debut The Ultra Violence is quickly becoming a favourite of mine and their new album Humanicide which was released this year has been a real highlight. The band wasted no time ripping right into their set with ‘Thrown To The Wolves’ and ‘Voracious Souls’, proving why thrash metal really can’t be beaten for a live metal experience. I only wish they had an extra twenty minutes so we had time for more songs. Even with only six tracks played, they managed to cover a good portion of their discography with the combined ‘The Ultra Violence/The Pack’ proving to be a real standout moment with the guitar solos and soaring vocals hitting their peak here. Ending their set with the massive title track from their latest album was a stroke of genius and made it seemingly impossible for anyone to follow them. Maybe the big four of thrash should think about adding a fifth member?

_____________________

Metal Church were the poor band that had to follow on from this awesome band. I thought that they may crumble under the pressure, but credit to them for putting on yet another adrenaline fuelled performance. Vocalist Mike Howe was definitely energised by something considering he was just jumping around the stage the whole time and never seemed to tire out. It seemed like it took a few songs in to really get the crowd going, but once they hit their 1984 thrash classic ‘Beyond the Black’, we were all pretty much hooked onto the rest of the performance. It helped that this was followed by newer track ‘By the Numbers’, a track with a killer riff that really got the adrenaline going and and a very catchy chorus that had me singing along even without knowing the song. This song on its own made me want to check out the album straight away. Metal Church along with Death Angel prove that the older guys can still go and can be just as energetic as the younger bands on offer. Give them a try if you haven’t before. Their self-titled effort is a good place to start.

_____________________

After a bit of a lengthy break, I headed back to the main stage in anticipation of the mighty Powerwolf’s performance. This is my second time getting to see them after checking them out at the SWG3 in Glasgow back in January (the review for that gig is over here if you want to check it out). I’ve become a bit of a fan since then, and can confirm that this was a performance for both diehard fans and for newbies alike. I can imagine there will be a few who may end up checking them out after seeing this set. Even with only ten songs to play during their hour onstage, they still managed to cram in all the heavy hitters. ‘Demons are a Girl’s Best Friend’ got the biggest reaction of them all, as you would expect considering how perfect that chorus is for a massive singalong. ‘Resurrection By Erection’ got a laugh from the crowd as always, and ‘We Drink Your Blood’ made for a fitting end to the set. This was chosen instead of the usual set closer ‘Werewolves of Armenia’ but they still managed to fit this song in earlier on in the set. Even between songs, the band got the crowd involved and singing along to upcoming songs, which ended up being a good laugh. It's safe to say that Power Metal is going strong in 2019 and Powerwolf are a good example for why this is.

_____________________

Leading perfectly into the Friday night headliners then and to keep the power metal madness going, it was time for Sabaton to take centre stage. And take the stage they certainly did, with their use of a tank, which was placed under the drum kit and the rest of the stage was adorned like a trench from the World War One. 

Then the band immediately blasted on with mega hit ‘Ghost Division’ to fire the crowd up, and I can see why it’s been their opening track for many years now considering how bouncy and powerful it is. Of course, the band were also promoting their latest album ‘The Great War’ so the four songs chosen from this album really had the chance to shine (you should check out the album if you haven't because it rules. If you need anymore convincing however, my review for it is over here). Thankfully, Sabaton also picked the best tracks on the album here, with the title track, ‘82nd All the Way’, ‘Fields of Verdun’ and the epic ‘The Red Baron’ bringing the necessary firepower to the field. I did say in my review of their album that I would go crazy if 'The Red Baron' was played and I can confirm that I did just that. That song is just too damn catchy. 

Of course the band still had their biggest hits to play, with songs like ‘Bismarck’, ‘Shiroyama’, Primo Victoria’ and the massive ‘Carolus Rex’ receiving the biggest crowd reactions. There were even some laughs to be had as the crowd kept singing the intro to ‘Swedish Pagans’ while the band tried to hint that it wouldn’t be played until the encore. While this didn’t end up being my favourite performance of the weekend, it was perhaps the most memorable overall as these songs stayed in my head for the rest of the weekend. Even now, one will come along and lodge itself in my brain for the day. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the band before, but can now happily say that I’m on board whatever they’re doing next. If buying an overpriced £30 t-shirt of the band doesn’t show my appreciation of the set they played here, I don’t know what will.

This was an awesome start to the festival as I was already having a blast by this point with every act I'd seen over the course of the Thursday and Friday. And this was only set to continue throughout the weekend with one of my most anticipated bands coming up the very next day...

_____________________

Thanks to Ross for writing this first part of the Bloodstock 2019 review and thanks to you for checking this out as well!

Be sure to keep an eye out here over the coming days for the coverage of Saturday and Sunday's festival. Until then, you can give RWEI a like/follow on the socials if you want to support us. Submissions and contributions are very much welcome. Cheers!