Festival Report - Bloodstock 2012

Bloodstock 2012, it was one of those summer metal festivals that was brimming brightly with a juicy line-up, covering an extensive array of various metal genres: Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Classic Rock / Metal, you name it, it's likely it was there, was meaning the genre represented.

Thursday

Four bands were on the day of official opening and the four that were scheduled to play were Marionette, Viking Skull, Bloodshot Dawn and Saturnian. Sadly Maronette were delayed until Friday due to broken down vehicles in Denmark, so the lovely people at Bloodstock had no problems in allocating the Swedish band a slot on the Jagermeister Stage. So it was time to go to sleep.

As soon as the sun set over Bloodstock, Thursday was over and Friday was calling.

Friday

Given the benefit of the doubt, Marionette are to be reviewed first because of the reality situation they were placed in. Courageously the band took their skills with them and performed to perfection, regardless of all the troubles they had faced, it had seemed as if the band stuck the middle finger up and gave them a boost to up their game. Much to the fan's delight, the band then were able to meet their fans and natter to them, that was of course if they could stand up after the insane performance they delivered, Linus the keyboardist evidently showing he was good at balance as he stood on the lower part of his keyboard, whilst the rest of the band members, specifically the guitarists Mikael, Aron and Anton did the splits timed to the ballistic Melodic Death Metal they up-heaved from the baked grounds of the Bloodstock grounds [8].

< Linus was surprised to see his house in Sweden all the way from England

In fact below is an interview conducted with some of the band-members.

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Now if i play that note, aha I can hear something >

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Later on the first act on the Ronnie James Dio stage was about to tee off the main stage festivities, Reading's Malefice charged the crowd down like a load of bulls doped on testosterone and on a stampede, mauling everything in the band's path. Besides the bass-drops being heard on the other side of the field, the band used everything in their arsenal to give a lifetime performance a chance to expose itself to the mob that moshed away like daisies on miracle grow, coincidentally as the songs powered out, the numbers grew, was this a metal music mating call, or simply the time for Malefice to shut up shop and give the crowd one last face-melter? [8.5] Later on GMA caught up with Malefice and had a few words:

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Later on GMA managed to get some time with Fallen Fate:

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< When the dreads come out you know the musician means business.

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Fans around the stage where Sepultura were playing did acknowledge they miss the old Sepultura, the one that put Brazil on the Metal music map, on the other hand other fans prefer the latter line-up. What ever side of the fence fans were on, it did not deter from the fact that Sepultura could have played a little better than many would have expected them to, sure the timing and atmosphere was on fire but the drumming at times seemed a little slack, as if the batteries ran out of the Duracell bunny drummer. Regardless the riffs that escaped the sound system and ended up flooding the masses in front of the stage prompted a massive mosh-pit and sensational crowd-surfing, even some of the girls got into it; but there was a little fight that broke out as rumor has it one girl was inappropriately groped, Sepultura's answer to that was playing their iconic number 'Roots Bloody Roots', such a classic tribal metal track. [7]

GMA managed to get an interview with bassist Paulo, how interesting this one was.

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In addition to that GMA also spoke to Winterfylleth

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Eastern Front looking very dapper >

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Later on Ipswich's very own Black Metal enthusiasts Eastern Front stormed the SOPHIE LANCASTER stage with full might and military panache, mixing a darkened bleak atmosphere via the usage of search lights, sign posts and barbed wire, mixed with the band's army like stage uniform and the insane music accompanying them. War torn Black Metal besieged the stage of which was dedicated to the late goth girl of the same name who was murdered a few years back, how fitting it was then for Eastern Front to pay their respects to the girl's family. More so was it spectacular that the band kept going and going, which is nothing that could be said for the Nazi German army on the steps of Stalingrad. Full on and brutalizing every living thing within a 80 meter radius, Eastern Front proved that Ipswich does not belong to Cradle of Filth and that there is a new and powerful band on the block. [9]

Later on GMA got close and personal with the men in black (this is a video interview so sound came out a little naff, turn up to hear properly).

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< And today's weather forecast consists of brutal drums, meteoric riffs and fiery vocals

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No sooner had the new blood stage, Sophie Lancaster stage and Jagermeister stage shut down for the evening, Behemoth emerged from the darkness on the Ronnie James Dio stage, immersed in their evangelical propaganda with religious icons, symbols and pyrotechnics lighting up the stage whilst keeping the band warm and toasty. For all what Nergal had been through the past year, in specific his battle against Leukemia, the musical metal troupe from Poland took their merit and Blackened Death persona to new extremes and left the attending crowd trembling; as if the gargoyles poised on a cathedral screeched and breathed fire, setting alight various mosh-pits and the sought after, hallowed wall of death. Tonight, Behemoth had proven their worth as Polish metal gods and are sure to dominate the scene for many years to come. [10]

Saturday

Freddy Lim brought a taste of Taiwan with him in the form of the er-hu >

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One of the other global bands that made their welcomed return to the UK was Taiwan's Oriental Symphonic Black Metal army ChthoniC, armed with their recognizable Chinese violin, the er-hu and perhaps one of the cutest Asian bassists around - Doris Yeh, the crowd exploded into sensational chaotic over-drive and various fans even took moshing to the newer levels, some putting karate moves in with the bog standard mosh-pit cropping up here and there. As ChthoniC coursed through the set-list, the overall atmosphere was one of national transition, in that the oriental influences dragged up by this band offered fans a unique perspective on Asian culture and thus some fans even dubbing ChthoniC as delivering 'calming, chilling music', rather than brutal and slaughtering. The truth is that ChthoniC are one of a kind and trendsetters in their own rights. [9]

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< One of Essex's strongest ever metal bands Merciless Fail (now known as Forged In Black)

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Returning back to the new blood stage, one of the finest metal bands that Essex has seen in years slayed the attending fans like no tomorrow, weaving together a solid backdrop of Heavy Metal with the fast, pacey Thrash Metal, Merciless Fail had justly proven why they were worthy of a slot on the new blood stage. Performing classics such as 'Master In Me' and 'Reins of Sorrow', this is the new breed of bands of tomorrow performing in modern times. Besides the fact that the bassist Kieron Rochester is in fact the drummer's (Kevin Rochester) son, this is a tight metal unit that never fail to impress whenever they clamber on any stage or in any venue, simply put true Essex Heavy Thrash Metal. We may yet see them at Bloodstock once again, that time round they will be known as Forged In Black, named after their debut album. [8]

GMA pulled them over using the reins of sorrow to get a few words.

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It was evident that Luke trapped his thumb in the bass guitar >

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Wretched Soul may as well be the best band of the festival for having long hair, watching it whirl around was enough to make anyone feel dizzy, instead however what occurred when these Kent chaps took to the new blood stage was simply sensational, a mini-wall of death (given due the stage is enclosed). As the band battled the songs out of the speakers in mind-blowing fashion, it was unmistakably noticeable that the crowd had grown and grown with each passing song and as the set neared towards its end there was a sheer pause for sorrow, it would seem that this band really got into the pulses of everyone's heartbeats and that their playing had come to an end on a sad note [8].

They had enough energy left though to say a few things:

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< Sight of Emptiness showed off their synchronized headbanging skills

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Coming back to play once again at Bloodstock, Costa Rica's finest metal export Sight of Emptiness opened up their set-list with perhaps the most brutal and fastest song they have, which accompanies a rather melodic technical solo, that song is 'Predictable Tragedy'. The band first played here a few years ago and won through a competition, the band justified their second appearance with a very convincing performance with one fan exclaiming "This is the best unsigned band I've seen here so far"! That coupled with the massive crowd inside the tent housing the Sophie Lancaster stage, gave sufficient evidence for them to be acknowledged as one of the greatest performers on the lower end of the stages. [9]

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Machine Head kept the front row warm >

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Time flies by when everyone is having so much fun, soon it was time to head back to the main stage for Saturdays main band, Machine Head. Producing a performance that was scintillating every step of the way, it made the average Saturday night feel like as if it was a New Years party, everybody who was around had a can or two of beer in their hand and as Machine Head reeled through their back catalogue of classics, the party grew harder and heavier. For some this was the best band of the day, for others the festival. It was a tough call to make but given their performance, Behemoth were still in the lead as the festival's best band. But credit given to Machine Head who could not have given a better show than they had done. [9]

Sunday

< Cyprus' Blynd were very focused on their playing style

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Coming all the way from Cyprus, Blynd performed a rather sensational set, but what made it one of the best of the day was the fact that the vocalist / bassist Andreas was playing with his arm strapped up, obviously some sort of injury, but that's metal and that is why Blynd are GMA's best unsigned band from the whole festival. Playing like that for a good solid half an hour was epic to watch, in fact the crowd were so astonished by their playing, they were gratefully accepting free demo's being handed out by the band's manager. Slashing through the hot morning out on the fields of Bloodstock in Catton Hall, Derbyshire, Blynd made light work of taking a slot to play in to making it their performance of a lifetime. [8.5]

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Kobra thought she spot fellow Canadian Devin Townsend in the crowd >

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One of Heavy Metal's freshest modern bands later on that day appeared on the Ronnie James Dio stage, hailing from Canada, Kobra & The Lotus delivered a ballsy performance of pure Heavy  Metal, right from the first note the crowd went crazy whilst Kobra, the vocalist, delivered her signature high pitch screaming and it oddly enough had a little bit of a punk rock slanting sound to the notes. As the set went on and on, more and more people cracked open some beers and toasted to the modern female variant of Iron Maiden, it was evident that they meant business as the sheer force of musical creativity that exploded from the speakers was immense enough to vibrate the security bars at the front of the crowd. Kobra & The Lotus had the crowd convinced that they are on the path to become one of Canada's greatest modern metal bands and as the last song rang out across the field, the crowd amassed one more time to mosh like hell, as if the apocalypse was coming tomorrow. [10]

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< Nile had the crowd doing the pharaoh walk in sync.

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Bloodstock 2012 could not be complete without American Death Metal maestros Nile, fueling the relentless crowd with their brandish style of extreme music and unique lyrics circulating the Egyptology theme, Nile were accruing more and more people as they played throughout their set and as passers by glanced at the stage, they were stopping to watch as if Nile had one huge magnet poised on stage and was attracting them in, or it could be from the sheer magnitude of force coming from the double bass drums. Whatever it was Nile cemented themselves well as a more-than-welcomed performing band and left the attending crowd gasping (literally) for more. However 2013 beckons and Nile's Egyptian cousins Scarab will take the Egyptology reins [9]

Later on GMA translated English questions into hieroglyphics:

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Sahil was sporting his new hairstyle >

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After an unsuccessful attempt to come to play Sonisphere a few years ago because of visa complications, India's Demonic Resurrection made their voice and music heard when they kicked off later on the Sophie Lancaster stage. The Candlelight Records band made no compromise as they delivered the almighty onslaught in a variety of ways, through the use of killer riffs, a historical journey back in time to songs such as 'Apocalyptic Dawn', (of which is featured on the Global Metal documentary soundtrack) and back to the band's latest songs. All of which centered around the bands innate perfection of blasting out Melodic Black / Death Metal via the elaborated keyboard sounds that delivered an eerie feeling under the tent roof. The band from Mumbai done themselves proud and like Sight of Emptiness, may have well won themselves a new crowd of fans. [9]

Later that day GMA pulled over Sahil and spoke about Bollywood:

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< Alice Cooper, king of rock closed the festival down

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The festival was over, but not before Alice Cooper gave his breathtaking performance, playing old classics such as 'Schools out' and the infamous 'Poison', Alice and his shock rock musicians who supported him (including Orianthi), gave a five star performance and finished the four day festival, from which has been a sensational event organized by sensational people. As Alice drew the darkness of the night closer and closer into the main stage, the feeling of wanting more was already on everyone's faces, they knew the festival was ticking away and as soon as the fireworks began sparkling and shooting up into the cold night sky, Bloodstock had witnessed one of rock's greatest musicians tear down the Derbyshire countryside in style, and not by means of playing golf it must be noted. However as the lost song began to sound out of the speakers, the feeling in the crowd was one of sadness and anticipation, sadness in the knowledge that Bloodstock Open Air 2012 had come to a close, anticipation in that Bloodstock Open Air 2013 was only a year away, let the countdown begin. [10]

During the four day festival, GMA also had a number of other interviews being done, below you will find them in alphabetical order: Anaal Nathrakh, Cosmic Vortex, Derision, Ensiferum, Gone Til Winter, Korpiklaani, Krepuskul, Watain and a special interview done with one of the fans, Mr. Gabriel Teykal who came all the way from Brazil to watch the festival and also watch the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany.

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