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Bloodstock Festival 2010 - Day 2 (Saturday) @ Catton Hall, Derbyshire |
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Bloodstock Festival
Day 2 - Saturday
14.08.2010
@
Catton Hall, Derbyshire
United Kingdom
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Today shows it’s true metal roots - prog, power and classic rock are all on display and this morning’s wake up call comes in the form of Swedish prog/power metallers Andromeda. Undeterred by the breakfast slot they give the crowd something to get up for with tracks like the synth driven rock-out ‘Periscope’ and the more adventurous virtuosity of ‘Inner Circle’. Definitely one of the proggiest offerings of the weekend.
British orthodox thrash-metallers Evile draw a large, excitable crowd to the main stage with their Metallica-worshipping riff-driven set. It’s nothing new, but it’s a time-tested style that they enjoy doing and the young crowd evidently still enjoy listening to. On the New Blood stage Lithurgy are covering far less trodden ground with a grabbing mix of light and dark, groovy riffs in odd times. A mix of post metal and alternative rock played with heaps of emotion. Keep it up boys, you’ve got something going there!
Playing catchy hard rock anthems like ’Superstars’ and ’King of Fools’, Edguy are an eminently headbangable bunch, focussing on the hard rock groove that causes en masse nodding and singing along with vocalist Tobias Sammet, Germany’s answer to Bruce Dickinson. Edguy are perfectly suited to the Bloodstock festival atmosphere and they have the energy of headliners, even at lunchtime.
Amorphis’ evolved brand of melodic metal is another ideal selection for the main stage. Building simple and effective songs on a foundation of big heavy rhythm sections and addictive lead guitars, their music is nicely finished with thick clean vocals and well written piano/keyboard lines. Amorphis seem to have found themselves a successful niche with their current lineup.
It is an amusing yet painful first 15 minutes of The Devin Townsend Project’s scheduled set. Introduced as ‘the legend’ by Bloodstock’s hoarse announcer, the Canadian visionary is reduced to stalking a stage full of screaming sound engineers and panicking crew members. ‘Everybody is freaking out up here!’ he exclaims, apologising for the delay which is due to technical problems and absent gear. All is forgiven when they finally launch into two rip-roaring tracks from 2010 album Addicted. Despite the band’s click track being audible, despite the four piece playing along to a backing track for all the keyboards and layered vocals, these songs fucking ROCK. Riffs fatter than Dino Cazares, drums tighter than Spinal Tap’s trousers, and the finest voice in heavy metal now that we’ve lost Ronnie James Dio.
With the duo of Gene Hoglan and Byron Stroud providing the rhythm section, founding Fear Factory members Burton C Bell and Dino Cazares have a powerful arsenal behind them. The corpulent riffster Cazares takes full advantage, blasting away with his rapid-fire right hand. The barking chorus of ‘Edgecrusher’ is spot on, but Bell’s clean vocals are vague and slightly out of tune. For fans this is a nostalgic set of pounding industrial metal and it is undeniably powerful, the only let down being the tired vocals.
Another set of fantastic musicians with not-so compelling vocals is the ever popular Children of Bodom, who bring Saturday to a close with accomplished musicianship and a great sound. A mix of melodic death and power metal, the formula is repetitive and the vocals are boring, but the audience lap up the Petruccian lead guitar work and heavy grooves. Shallow but entertaining.
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Reviewed by Mike Gilpin
Photography by Gobinder Jhitta
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Festival Reviews 
