BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012

DATE:

VENUE:

Friday 10th August - Sunday 12th August 2012

Catton Hall in Derbyshire, UK

Behemoth at Bloodstock Open Air, 10th August 2012

Photograph copyright © 2012 Graham Hilling - www.metal-discovery.com

Reviews by Mark Holmes & Hannah Sylvester; Photography by Mark Holmes & Graham Hilling

(Freedom Call; The Commander-In-Chief; Grand Magus)

(Moonsorrow; Andraste; Sepultura; Dio Disciples)

(Watain; Alcest; Behemoth)

(Splintered Soul; I Am I; Dripback; Chthonic; Crowbar)

(Rising Dream; Mayhem; Bull-Riff Stampede; Winterfylleth)

(Tempus Fusion; Witchsorrow; Sight of Emptiness; Testament; Machine Head)

(Kobra and the Lotus; Corrosion of Conformity; Flayed Disciple)

(Nile; The Black Dahlia Murder; Anvil; Shattered Skies)

(Paradise Lost; Dimmu Borgir; Alice Cooper)

WATAIN

Watain's original billing of third from top on the main stage seemed to be a little too high up considering legendary acts such as Sepultura were scheduled to play before them. Therefore, it was with the utmost of surprise that the band's pretentious refusal to play before sundown was appeased and they were allowed to switch stage times with the far more amenable and unegotistical Dio Disciples. What's entirely inexplicable, though, is they still manage to arrive on stage half an hour later than they should have...I guess that damn sun was still there much to their dismay. Do this bunch of Swedes have vampiric tendencies or something? I guess not as when they eventually appear (or, I'm guessing, forced to eventually commence their set by the stage manager) the sun still shines in the sky albeit dusk gradually creeps in as they perform. Visually, Watain's stage set, which follows the archaic black metal ethos of "burning things", looks fairly impressive although their general quasi-evil aesthetic is somewhat lame. Musically, they're okay at what they do, albeit thoroughly clichéd but their black metal discharge becomes more and more tedious during their hour long set. Had they not been averse to a little sun and played a shorter set earlier in the day then maybe my tolerance for their feigned histrionics would have been greater but, alas, they come across as a band way too high up on the main stage billing and do little during their set to convince me otherwise. (MH)

FRIDAY 10th AUGUST - PART 3

ALCEST

There’s always a danger with some festival line-ups that one of your favourite bands will play the first day, and your festival experience will peak on too early. This certainly proves the case for me with Alcest. Effectively headlining the Sophie stage (prior to the ‘comedy’ of Welshmen stapling bits of themselves to things), Alcest have a full attentive crowd of people in the tent from the start. Sure, there’s a lot of muttering about the Alcest/Watain time-clash, but those with appreciation for unhyped, beautifully constructed music have come here. Starting their set with ‘Autre Temps’ from their latest album ‘Les Voyages De L’Ame’, Alcest have the crowd utterly transfixed with their ethereal sonic beauty. With lushly sung vocals shared between both Neige and live member Zero, with Zero taking many of the higher range vocals, the transposition of tracks from all three albums from studio to stage is flawlessly executed, and an experience to behold, especially for those of us that have never witnessed them live before. The subtle segues from serenely layered melodic beauty to sheer sonic double picked and blast-beat wall of intense sound works to maximum effect. Another facet of their live performance which perhaps isn’t immediately apparent on CD is Winterhalter’s subtly technical drumming style, which adds further to their effect live. The gathered crowd is a mix of people listening with eyes closed, some swaying gently, a lulling sea of smiles and the occasional slither of smoke from people appreciating the music with the addition of smokeable ‘matter’! It’s also a pleasure to witness a band getting utterly lost in their own music – akin to the bands of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s shoegaze scene, such as Slowdive, who Neige is seemingly a fan of going by his choice of on-stage attire. With the adoring crowd erupting into deafening cheers and rapturous applause after each song, the ever humble and quietly-spoken frontman gives simple thanks and the occasional thumbs up. The set sails through seamlessly with cherry pickings of songs from their three album releases, perfectly mixed and climaxing with ‘Summer’s Glory’, the concluding track from ‘Les Voyages De L’Ame’. And I, like many others, float out of the tent with a massive beam across my face, knowing full well that Alcest are surely going to be the highpoint of the whole weekend. (HS)

BEHEMOTH

Due to Watain's general pretension and bad attitude (and aversion to sunlight), everything's running late on the main stage so it's no doubt disappointing to both Behemoth and their fans that they only have an hour long set rather than the planned 90 minutes (I'm guessing the 10:45pm curfew is one the festival organisers have to strictly respect as part of their licence). Originally due to play Bloodstock two years ago (seventh up on the main stage from memory) before they were forced to pull out after frontman Nergal's widely publicised illness, it's heartwarming and inspirational to see the man back to full health and doing what he loves once again but headline billing? An odd choice, at least in my opinion, to close the first day of the festival, particularly considering black metal hegemonists Dimmu Borgir have only been afforded "special guest" status on Sunday. Still, they seem to be a popular choice judging by the mammoth crowd gathered to witness their set and they fill their hour on stage with a slickly choreographed show chock-full of impressive pyros and flawlessly performed tracks with an amazingly clear and resonant sound through the PA. Commencing attack with 'Ov Fire and the Void', a track from their last full-length album, 2009's 'Evangelion', the title track from 2004's 'Demigod' follows and, as their career-spanning set unfolds, a good representation of material from their back catalogue is aired tonight. It's a mightily enjoyable hour and, contrary to my previous observation, these Poles prove themselves worthy of headline status. Behemoth are impressive in every respect, visually and sonically. It's just an overwhelming pity that Watain's egos and eccentricity led to a truncated set for this closing band. Oh well, I'm sure they'll be invited back to play the fest in future years whereas Watain...well, if stories of their hotel antics in the early hours of the morning are to be believed then I doubt they'll make it over to Catton Hall again. (MH)

Reviews by Mark Holmes & Hannah Sylvester; Photography by Mark Holmes & Graham Hilling

(Freedom Call; The Commander-In-Chief; Grand Magus)

(Moonsorrow; Andraste; Sepultura; Dio Disciples)

(Watain; Alcest; Behemoth)

(Splintered Soul; I Am I; Dripback; Chthonic; Crowbar)

(Rising Dream; Mayhem; Bull-Riff Stampede; Winterfylleth)

(Tempus Fusion; Witchsorrow; Sight of Emptiness; Testament; Machine Head)

(Kobra and the Lotus; Corrosion of Conformity; Flayed Disciple)

(Nile; The Black Dahlia Murder; Anvil; Shattered Skies)

(Paradise Lost; Dimmu Borgir; Alice Cooper)