Bloody Great!
Old school glory at intimate festival
Ever wonder what happened to the real Donington? Then look no further than Bloodstock. Derby’s annual metal shindig is a refuge for those turned off by all things ‘nu’, serving up two days of gloriously old-fashioned headbanging fun.
Its no secret that a lot of people though Blaze Bayley (KKKK) was more than a tad shit at the helm of Iron Maiden, but theres no denying that on his own the man is an absolute star on the Friday night. Playing a selection of Maiden and Wolfsbane cuts alongside his own wares, it’s a welcome surprise that serves as the perfect warm up for Sheffield metal warriors Saxon (KKKK) and there massive eagle stage prop. Younger readers may best know them for ‘Wheels of Steel’ and ‘Denim and Leather’, but these are mere dots in a two-hour set chock full of metal stompers of equal worth.
Saturdays festivities are kicked off by the disgustingly monickered sludgemeisters Bumsnogger (KKKK), before Dragonforce (KKKK) get heads banging with a set of blistering power metal. Boasting some of the fastest guitar solos of the weekend (and there was some stiff competition), we’re treated to a set culled from their ‘Valley of the Damned’ album as several hundred mad for it punters ‘bang there way to wiplash.
Late in the afternoon Masterplan (KKKK) and Edguy (KKKKK) (filling in for the absent Hammerfall), provide the ultimate soundtrack to your next run in with those pesky Vikings, before Paradise Lost (KKKKK) come onstage to prove that they are not such a spent force as had been recently reported. Tearing through the likes of ‘Hallowed Land’ from there classic ‘Draconian Times’ album, it’s a welcome return to form for one of the UK’s most underatted bands.
It’s taken six years and four albums for them to make it over to UK soil, but Nightwish (KKKKK) have been well worth the wait. While absolutly ginormous in there native Finland, there operatic ‘Lloyd-Webbercore’ has remained something of a cult over here, which is a f**king shame, because tonight they’re absolutly flawless in there art. Somehow managing to make the stage seem 10 times as large, they honestly can do no wrong. ‘Bless the Child’ and ‘Wishmaster’ are more like film scores than mere songs, while there cover of ‘Walking through the Air’ (yes, the song off children’s animation ‘The Snowman’
is a work of metal genius. Finishing with a mass singalong of ‘Over the hills and far Away’, Nightwish leave Derby reeling from a set that was easily one of the bestgigs of the year. Lets just pray they don’t take so long to come back.
Nick Ruskell
Old school glory at intimate festival
Ever wonder what happened to the real Donington? Then look no further than Bloodstock. Derby’s annual metal shindig is a refuge for those turned off by all things ‘nu’, serving up two days of gloriously old-fashioned headbanging fun.
Its no secret that a lot of people though Blaze Bayley (KKKK) was more than a tad shit at the helm of Iron Maiden, but theres no denying that on his own the man is an absolute star on the Friday night. Playing a selection of Maiden and Wolfsbane cuts alongside his own wares, it’s a welcome surprise that serves as the perfect warm up for Sheffield metal warriors Saxon (KKKK) and there massive eagle stage prop. Younger readers may best know them for ‘Wheels of Steel’ and ‘Denim and Leather’, but these are mere dots in a two-hour set chock full of metal stompers of equal worth.
Saturdays festivities are kicked off by the disgustingly monickered sludgemeisters Bumsnogger (KKKK), before Dragonforce (KKKK) get heads banging with a set of blistering power metal. Boasting some of the fastest guitar solos of the weekend (and there was some stiff competition), we’re treated to a set culled from their ‘Valley of the Damned’ album as several hundred mad for it punters ‘bang there way to wiplash.
Late in the afternoon Masterplan (KKKK) and Edguy (KKKKK) (filling in for the absent Hammerfall), provide the ultimate soundtrack to your next run in with those pesky Vikings, before Paradise Lost (KKKKK) come onstage to prove that they are not such a spent force as had been recently reported. Tearing through the likes of ‘Hallowed Land’ from there classic ‘Draconian Times’ album, it’s a welcome return to form for one of the UK’s most underatted bands.
It’s taken six years and four albums for them to make it over to UK soil, but Nightwish (KKKKK) have been well worth the wait. While absolutly ginormous in there native Finland, there operatic ‘Lloyd-Webbercore’ has remained something of a cult over here, which is a f**king shame, because tonight they’re absolutly flawless in there art. Somehow managing to make the stage seem 10 times as large, they honestly can do no wrong. ‘Bless the Child’ and ‘Wishmaster’ are more like film scores than mere songs, while there cover of ‘Walking through the Air’ (yes, the song off children’s animation ‘The Snowman’
is a work of metal genius. Finishing with a mass singalong of ‘Over the hills and far Away’, Nightwish leave Derby reeling from a set that was easily one of the bestgigs of the year. Lets just pray they don’t take so long to come back.Nick Ruskell
