Bloodstock 2018: The Saturday

  Saturday at Bloodstock was going to be an open day for me pretty much as the only band on my 'must see' list was the evening's headliners, Gojira. While I was finishing my early morning tasks at a leisurely pace, a gentleman passed by and suggested that I check out Power Trip. His sales pitch was that if I liked Suicidal Tendencies, I would love this band. That was enough to sell me so I headed over to the arena.

Listening to American thrash/punk crossover band Power Trip, I could see what the gentleman meant by the comparison to Suicidal Tendencies. They even dedicated a song to Cannibal Corpse and even though they said some might thought it too early in the morning, orchestrated a wall of death. While I have to say they're not quite like the band they have been compared to, Power Trip were a good band to have a great mosh to and quite an appropriate way to start the Saturday.

[caption id="attachment_4769" align="aligncenter" width="263"] Power Trip- a great start to any day.[/caption]

At this point of the weekend, I had seen several bands whom I had never heard of who had impressed the hell out of me and I was in the mind to award several bands the honour of "Band Whom I'd Never Heard of Who Impressed Me the Most." That all went out the window when the next band after Power Trip ascended the Dio Stage. That band was German prog-metallers Orden Ogan. If you like Hammerfall, then you should like this band. They really impressed me a lot. One thing I noticed when they were on stage was the absence of a bass player. Lead singer Sebastian Levermann explained this was because he had broken his thumb and was unable to play guitar. Thus normal bassist Neils Loffler took up the rhythm guitar. Saying that, he did play a couple of solos along with lead guitarist Tobias Kersting who could really jam. Left to just sing, Levermann was good at engaging the crowd and at one point when he would sing, "All we are," the audience would yell back, "Cold, fucking dead!" When they left, Orden Ogan were secure in the title of band who I'd never heard of who impressed me the most.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPm46Qgyn24

[caption id="attachment_4770" align="aligncenter" width="268"] Orden Ogan come on stage. Too bad those horns got in my way.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4771" align="aligncenter" width="274"] Levermann and Kersting leading from the front.[/caption]

Being wowed by Orden Ogan made me hungry so I headed back to the tent for some lunch. Returning afterwards, I happened to catch the last five minutes of Vola on the Sophie Lancaster Stage. They were a four piece band which included a keyboard. The best way to describe them is to say they're industrial metal but they sounded all right to me and I might listen to them more.

[caption id="attachment_4772" align="aligncenter" width="243"] Vola on the Sophie Stage[/caption]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJSt7ISU1-w
Heading back to the Ronnie James Dio Stage, I had no idea what to expect from the next band to take the stage, Combichrist. What I heard and saw took me completely by surprise. I thought that with a name like Combichrist, they would be a thrash or death metal band, especially with all the band's faces painted white. Instead, their brand of industrial metal would be something that metalheads to dance to at parties. The audience jumped up and down in time with many of the songs, though I had to take it a bit easy with my weak knee. Still, the antics of the band were very entertaining. At one point, lead singer Andy LaPlegua had the audience say "Fuck off!" to each member of the band, which was followed by a song called "Fuck That Shit." After a few more songs and "Fucks" from LePlegua, the band ended on a great high by bringing out three young ladies twirling flaming batons to the song, "I Don't Give a Fuck About You." Great way to end the show and I was very impressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMg-HuAjJuo

[caption id="attachment_4773" align="aligncenter" width="290"] Combichrist with no bass and two drummers[/caption][caption id="attachment_4774" align="aligncenter" width="296"] A good shot of them[/caption][caption id="attachment_4775" align="aligncenter" width="289"] In this shot, the drummer was bouncing his sticks off his drum.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4776" align="aligncenter" width="290"] The baton twirlers come out.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4777" align="aligncenter" width="280"] The band plays "Fuck That Shit."[/caption][caption id="attachment_4778" align="aligncenter" width="280"] The twirlers in their full glory[/caption]

After being totally amused by Combichrist, I headed over to the New Blood Stage where I caught the last few minutes of a band called Aeonia. The featured two female lead singers who both possessed operatic style voices. I was sorry I couldn't have seen more of them.

[caption id="attachment_4779" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Aeonia on the New Blood Stage.[/caption]

Heading back to the Dio Stage, I was in for another surprise. On the recommendation of Teal, I decided to check out Alestorm. I had a feeling that this was going to be different when I saw the huge rubber duck at the back of the stage. This would be my first introduction to the genre known as pirate metal. The songs all sounded like heavy metal sea ditties and I liked it. I found the songs, "Drink," "Captain Morgan's Revenge" and "Shipwrecked" among others all to be very amusing. Instead of a mosh pit, lead singer, Christopher Bowes organized a rowing pit where everyone sat on the ground rowing in unison to the song, great fun. Bowes also stated that instead of a wall of death, everyone meet in the middle, take off their clothes and have a big orgy. We all saw the humour in that. Alestorm's set ended with him leading the crowd in singing:

Fuck you, you're a fucking wanker

We're gonna punch you right in the balls.

Fuck you with a fucking anchor

You're all cunts so fuck you all." 

A great time was had by all during the forty-five minutes Alestorm was on stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th4Czv1j3F8

[caption id="attachment_4781" align="aligncenter" width="255"] The big rubber duck awaits Alestorm[/caption][caption id="attachment_4782" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Alestorm on stage with a lot of flying inflatable objects.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4784" align="aligncenter" width="261"] An even bigger rowing pit[/caption][caption id="attachment_4785" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Alestorm leave with an explosion of confetti[/caption]

With nearly two hours to go before Gojira, we decided to head back to the tent. The heavens had opened up so we stayed in the tent eating and drinking. That might have been a mistake because we all nodded off. I woke up at one point, heard the rain pelting down and thought, "I'm not going out in this." Maybe I should have because when I awoke after nodding off again, I discovered it had stopped raining but Gojira had been on stage for 20 minutes! Immediately waking Teal and Joe, we raced like mad back to the arena and to the Dio Stage.

If any band in the history of Bloodstock had paid their dues and earned the right to headline, it was definitely Gojira. I had seen them play second from the top spot in 2010 and just below it in 2016 and both times they were better than the band who went on after them. This time, they were simply better than ever! Being the headliner, they had a really cool light show, just as good as Judas Priest's light show the night before. I definitely remember them playing "Stranded" and Joe Duplantier was very good at engaging the crowd. Plus there was a cool drum solo from Mario. Overall, Gojira put on a great display of heavy metal and proved they can headline along with the best of them.

[caption id="attachment_4786" align="aligncenter" width="265"] Managed to get a good shot of Gojira here.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4787" align="aligncenter" width="282"] Another attempt at photographing them.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4788" align="aligncenter" width="271"] Different lights made this shot possible[/caption][caption id="attachment_4789" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Bright lights[/caption][caption id="attachment_4790" align="aligncenter" width="262"] More bright lights[/caption]

Having had that nap, I wasn't tired so I headed to the Sophie Lancaster Stage to check out that headliner, Orphaned Land. This turned out to be another great decision because Orphaned Land where nothing short of absolutely brilliant! They blend folk and death metal together to make one great but unique sound. Coming from Israel, they also blend Middle Eastern and Western influences and again, it sounds just great. I loved the use of the Bouzouki in place of guitar solos in some of the songs. Plus they do go ultra heavy at times. Before, they got on stage, the announcer told the crowd to listen to the message of this band. Lead singer, Kobi Farhi, explained how fucked up things in the Middle East are with everyone trying to kill each other be it Jews, Arabs or homosexuals. However, he stated that everybody hates heavy metal because it's considered Satanic. This got me thinking but I won't talk about that now, I just want to say how great a band Orphaned Land are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hurWzo01FpM

[caption id="attachment_4791" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Orphaned Land come out under the lights.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4792" align="aligncenter" width="245"] A great shot of them.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4793" align="aligncenter" width="238"] A great show![/caption]

Still not tired, I went to the metal disco at the Sophie tent after the show. They played a good variety of songs which included some 1970s rock and even a Michael Jackson and a Coolio song. Eventually, I went back to the tent and had one last beer before bedtime. Sometime later, Teal came in and woke me up, I had fallen asleep in the chair with the beer in my hand. At least I didn't spill any. Still it was a great second day.

Next post: Sunday

Bloodstock 2016: The Saturday

Saturday morning and I wake up having gone to bed about 12:30 thus missing another night of bin jousting and general mayhem. It was on this morning I discovered the advantage of going to a festival for the full three days as opposed to only going for one day. When you only go for the one day, you feel pressured into seeing as much as you can as you want to get your money's worth for the day. Therefore, you go from stage to stage absorbing all the acts as possible. When you go for three days, there's not so much pressure to do so and that allows you to relax. So, I was up in the morning with my new Twisted Sister t-shirt on and taking my time over eating as the first act I really wanted to see wasn't on stage until the early afternoon.

My new t-shirt

And the back

While I didn't rush to get into the arena, when I finished the necessities, I didn't really want to sit around doing nothing. So, I made my way to the arena to see what was what. Upon entry, my attention was turned to the Sophie Lancaster Stage where a band called The Raven Age was on. After a re-jog of my memory, I remember liking their brand of melodic metal. I only caught the last couple of songs from their set, but I liked what I heard and saw. Like Friday, I found another good way to start the day.

The Raven Age

Leaving the Sophie Lancaster Stage following the departure of The Raven Age, I followed my ears to the main Ronnie James Dio Stage. There, I was treated to the thrash of Vallenfyre. I liked the anger and hunger these five guys showed while on stage. Although this wasn't the band I was planning to see, I was glad that I caught some of their show.

Vallenfyre accosting the stage

With some time to kill, I thought I'd saunter back over the to Sophie Lancaster Stage. Upon it was a band called This is Turin. Another five piece thrash band and even more angry than the band I had just finished seeing. However, while I enjoyed what This is Turin had to offer on the day, they did not make me want to stay and miss any of the band I wanted to see on this Saturday. So, I had to say goodbye to them and head back to the main stage.

This is Turin

I had high expectation of Ackercoke after reading about them on Heavy Metal Overload. The sample track I heard from the post filled me with even more expectation. When they first hit the stage, I wasn't sure about them. However, it didn't take long before any potential feelings of disappointment rapidly vanished. Their ability to combine fantasy with power metal bordering on thrash soon captivated me and those who went to see them. Being the first band of the day who I saw in their entirety, the forty minutes they were on stage flew by, thanks to some great metal. Therefore, it's left to me to say a big thank you to HMO for bringing Ackercoke to my attention.

Ackercoke on the offensive

More Ackercoke

At past Bloodstocks, when I ventured past the Jagermeister Stage, I would hear cover bands playing so I wouldn't pay much attention to them. However, following the exit of Ackercoke, for some reason, I went over to the stage and what I heard was no cover band. Playing was a West Yorkshire band known as Pulverise. Now rap metal was something I could always take or leave but Pulverise has made me think again about the genre. This rap metal sounded very good and most of it was down to the small but very attractive blonde lead singer. This little dynamite had a voice that would put many male metal rappers to shame. Rarely have I heard such power in a voice and I have to say, I was very impressed.

This was the best shot I could get of Pulverise

Another reason why I hung around the Jagermeister Stage was that it was close to the main stage and I definitely wanted to see the band following Ackerocke. I had heard many things about Greek death metallers Rotting Christ and definitely wanted to check them out. It was the best decision I would make this day. The have honed their death/grind skills into a near art form and it definitely showed on the stage. Apart from the music, they also had a cool stage show, the best I had seen up to this point on the Saturday. Loved the pentogram displays.

Rotting Christ

More death!

For some reason, all the death metal from Rotting Christ made me hungry. So, I decided to take a dinner break and be back for the main events of the night. After a gourmet dinner consisting of tinned spaghetti bolognese with a tin of meatballs, I returned to the arena for the main events. Upon arrival, I managed to catch the last twenty minutes or so of Paradise Lost. Their version of doom metal was a great prelude of things to come for the rest of the evening.

Paradise Lost

With the possible exception of Twisted Sister, Gojira might have been the band most of those in attendance at the festival were there to see. Fortunately, I managed to get close to the front before the tidal wave of people converged. Gojira came out to the delight of the thousands there to welcome them and they were determined that those who made the effort to see them were going away disappointed. Gojira hammered out their metal, both old and new, to the hungry masses who responded with a large mosh pit and crowd surfing. That's where I made a personal sacrifice in getting close to them. During the carnage, my glasses were knocked off my face. I looked on the ground for them but some kind young lady picked them up. However, she thought they belonged to a crowd surfer who had just gone by so she threw them over into the security area. I had to wait until Gojira finished playing before I could get them back. Oh the sacrifices one has to make. It didn't matter that I had to see them for the remainder of their time on stage with my limited vision. I could see them fine and best of all, I could hear them clearly and that's what I wanted. When they finished to thunderous applause, I concluded they were even better than when I had seen them in 2010. When I got my specs back, the frames were pretty mangled but I managed to fix them so I could wear them.

Gojira are welcomed by their fans

Jean Michel Baladie showing off. He did a crowd surf later on in the set.

Joe Duplantier hammering out a solo

The sun has set enough for some cool lighting.

When Gojira left the stage, I was in a bit of befuddle as to what next. Originally, I wasn't even going to check out Mastodon because I would rather have seen Acid Reign headline at the Sophie Lancaster tent. Earlier that day, I learned that Acid Reign weren't going up until after Mastodon finished so I was content on seeing both. In the mean time, I did return to the Sophie Lancaster Stage anyway and caught the black metal of Swedish band, Shining. I found them very interesting to say the least. Like so many great European lead singers, Ghoul, does sing in very good English.

The Shining on stage

After the Shining, I was totally pumped on seeing Mastodon, as was the rest of my group, although I didn't follow them to the front. Mastodon came out on stage with a pretty cool light show, unfortunately, their music did nothing for me. After twenty-five minutes of trying to get into them but being unable, I went back to the Sophie Lancaster Stage so I could get a good place for Acid Reign. In doing so, I got a bit of a treat as did all the men who were there. The Four Deejays of the Apocalypse were spinning some cool metal tunes with two very attractive young ladies dancing on the stage. It was certainly better than Mastodon. I would learn later that Teal, my stepson, was quite disappointed with Mastodon too.

Cool light show but nothing else

More like it!

I don't think anyone knew what to expect when Acid Reign came out on stage late on Saturday night. When they did, they bashed those in attendance with a unique brand of speed metal. The only original member of the band on stage that night was lead singer Howard H Smith and he was every bit the show man. Darting around on stage, climbing up on amp stacks, he was full of energy more accustomed to a much younger man. All the while, his new band kept up with him very nicely. They even premiered their new single, "Plan of the Damned," which reminds me, I need to carry out Smith's request and get it. Of course, they played some of their material from the late 1980s too. During the set, Howard thanked Mastodon for being their support act. All I could think was, "He's got that right." Acid Reign closed the Saturday night out tremendously.

Acid Reign come out under the lights

Orange jacket with matching shorts, an interesting choice of wardrobe for Howard H Smith

Howard addresses the crowd from the amp stack

Cranking out a guitar solo

Howard changes his clothes for the finale

The night didn't end with Acid Reign. The Four Deejays returned to play more metal only this time, there were ladies dancing with flaming batons. Cool, but I couldn't get a decent picture of it. Still, it was a cool way to end the night.

Best I could do with the fire dancers

Next post: Sunday

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