BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012

DATE:

VENUE:

Friday 10th August - Sunday 12th August 2012

Catton Hall in Derbyshire, UK

Chthonic at Bloodstock Open Air, 11th 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)

SPLINTERED SOUL

From what seemed to be originally advertised as a slot fairly high up in the Sophie tent on Sunday, Splintered Soul open up Bloodstock's second stage on the festival's second day at 11am. Adopting the tag of "Epic Cinematic Metal", which they seem to claim is something unique (despite Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire's creation of, and affinity with, said subgenre many years ago and other emerging bands such as Pathfinder), what Splintered Soul actually offer is a series of compositions in the symphonic prog/power mould. It's certainly not unique as it's a musical path many others have followed previously within the metal genre, but this bunch of Kent-based musicians do it ever so well. Incredibly well, in fact. Performing on a stage adorned with vertical banners that are actually "coming soon" adverts for their forthcoming album, I can't help but think it would've looked more effective if said banners displayed just their band logo. After all, the music they perform with tight precision and engaging enthusiasm is surely advert enough for what they do and an onstage verbal announcement about their new album during the set would have sufficed. Minor banner quibbles aside, Splintered Soul look and sound great. Playing to a click with orchestrations on backing tracks, at least they've included live violinist Sally Jo in their ranks to embellish the standard metal instruments. And where it seems to have become a standard amongst a plethora of female singers in metal bands where they position a portable fan on stage to blow their hair around for added spectacle, it's a little surprising to see guitarist Chris Frost with a vanity fan instead of vocalist Erica Mengod. Then again, maybe the guy's prone to feeling the heat so it's there for cooling purposes rather than a reason of vanity. Overall, a mightily fine start to the day and the enthusiastic crowd reaction Splintered Soul receive at such an early hour is testament to their professionally slick, energetic performance. (MH)

Click on thumbnails for larger images:

SATURDAY 11th AUGUST - PART 1

I AM I

Second act on the Ronnie James Dio stage, after Benediction, is I Am I, a new heavy/power metal outfit fronted by ex-Dragonforce vocalist ZP Theart. Under a year in existence that's seen them plagued by several lineup changes already, and with their debut album yet to be released the band should actually be humbled and feel thoroughly lucky to earn a main stage slot at Bloodstock. I'm guessing interest in I Am I engendered by Theart's previous band has something to do with their billing and while their melodic metal tunes are competently performed, albeit thoroughly clichéd, and Theart delivers his expectedly warbly, high-pitched vocals more or less in tune, the man's stage persona is both pretentious and arrogant. Humbled he is not. Incessantly addressing the sparse audience as "motherfuckers" and, in fact, seemingly unable to utter a single sentence between songs without a "fuck" or "fucking" (including "fucking" embellishments to track titles) as well as making 'wanker' gestures to people far off in the festival field who've chosen not to watch his band, it's all very cringe-worthy stuff. Oh, and his pseudo-American accent sounds simply ridiculous. You've got to feel a little sorry for his band mates (and maybe embarrassment is the reason so many of them have walked in recent weeks). Musically, I Am I are okay for what they do but the efficacy of their performance is undermined and sunk single-handedly by Theart's arrogance. (MH)

CHTHONIC

Having seen Chthonic a couple of years ago supporting Arch Enemy, I was intrigued to see how they would fare on the main stage at Bloodstock, as they were plagued by a dreadful sound mix during my previous experience. Today, there are no such issues, and a large crowd had gathering to see the Taiwanese metallers with, undoubtedly, some intrigued to see bassist Doris onstage, who’s gained quite a lot of ‘attention’ back in the VIP area already. Whilst there is a clear melodic black metal edge to their music, they prefer to classify their style as ‘oriental metal’ which is a fair description, especially as their lyrical themes are based around Taiwanese mythology and history, and vocalist Freddy also plays the bowed hena for various songs. With intriguing keyboard melodies, Doris’ clean-sung backing vocals, and ex-My Dying Bride drummer, Dan, standing in on percussion, the band receive a warm reception from the crowd, with a random crowd chant of “Taiwan Taiwan” following Freddy’s onstage political rant about Taiwan not being allowed a self-named team in the Olympics due to Chinese government restrictions. Intriguing, but not entirely captivating. (HS)

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)

DRIPBACK

Only a couple of bands have performed at Bloodstock in two consecutive years during the festival's twelve year indoor/outdoor history so it's something of a surprise to see relative newcomers Dripback back on the Sophie stage in 2012. Although performing in a similar time slot to that of last year, it seems their popularity has increased significantly during the past twelve months as the tent is populated with far more sweaty bodies than in 2011. No doubt raising their profile with prestigious support slots on Lock Up and Biohazard tours since their last Bloodstock appearance, word about these purveyors of grimy, no-nonsense death, hardcore, grind etc is spreading further afield than the band probably anticipated following what started out as just a few jams amongst a bunch of mates. Hard-hitting tracks are fired out in quick succession as PA speakers rattle with the intensity of Dripback's tight, succinct compositions and the audience gathered in the tent embrace their grimy discharge with an enthusiastic pit and general mass movement, including a constant stream of crowd surfers during certain tracks. Frontman Wez4 jumps into the photopit for the band's final track; I'm guessing to feel more connected with the band's raucous audience and as they play the closing bars of music, their trademark "fucking Dripback" outro plays on loop as they exit the stage. A mightily fine return to Catton Hall for a band on the up. (MH)

Click on thumbnails for larger images:

CROWBAR

Bringing a hefty slab of sludge metal to the main stage today are New Orleans’ Crowbar. Massively down-tuned and with a seriously heavy and but slightly muddy sound (though it suits the style), with mainman Kirk Windstein looking and sounding as menacing as ever, he proclaims to the largish, but slightly muted crowd, “we’re not gonna tell rock stories”. Ploughing on through their no-nonsense, rock story free set with limited between-track banter, including the title track from their latest album ‘Sever the Wicked Hand’, ‘High Rate Extinction’ and faster, groovier crowd pleaser ‘All I Had (I Gave)’, which gains the biggest reaction of their set, they conclude matters after much chanting of “Crowbar, Crowbar” with ‘The Cemetery Angels’, also from their last album before heading offstage to a wall of feedback. (HS)