As Download leans further and further into stadium rock, having booked the likes of Fall Out Boy and Green Day in recent years, Bloodstock is becoming the UK’s go-to festival for true heavy metal madness. Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira headline this edition of the 20,000-capacity gathering, making for one of the most stacked lineups in recent memory.
On Friday, Emperor prove why they’re still black metal’s measuring stick, despite having released no new music since 2001. Such tracks as I Am the Black Wizards are masterpieces of infernal majesty, keyboards blaring while singer/guitarist Ihsahn shrieks and makes his instrument wail. No other band combine adrenaline, anguish and ambition this excellently. Charging back after a Bullet for My Valentine co-headline tour ended in ugly fashion, Trivium bring every bell and whistle they can. The Floridians cover Black Sabbath and Metallica, then inflate a gigantic mascot, comparable to Iron Maiden’s Eddie, to hammer home the sense of occasion. Guest appearances from Machine Head, Sleep Token, Malevolence and Emperor members reaffirm these 90 minutes as a proud celebration of all things metal.
