Castle Donington may have the history, Knebworth may have the profile but the title of the UK’s premier metal festival now resides in Catton Hall. Bloodstock’s monicker, “for fans by fans”, is no empty marketing boast but an honest statement realised, which sets it apart from the majority of its larger more corporate competitors. Well run, abounding in friendliness and good vibes and with a stellar line-up to boot there are fewer better ways to spend three days in the rolling English countryside.

Friday
Proceedings on the Main Stage are kicked off in energetic form with a high-octane performance from Rob Zombie-tempered The Defiled. Their set ends with a new twist on the usual plec-and-drumstick-tossing finale as a trashed keyboard is sent audience-bound.
Swedish new wave of true metallers Wolf follow. Their set is bedeviled by technical problems (something that was to effect a lot of bands throughout the weekend) but their Judas/Maiden-riffing powered them through. Anders Modd wins the award for smiliest bassist in metal.
Bay Area thrash doesn’t get any better than Forbidden. Technical mastery sent in prog directions with monster riffage. New material from current release Omega Wave sits seamlessly and comfortably alongside older classics, ‘Twisted Into Form’ and ‘Chalice of Blood’.
From the mosh pit to the pit of despair. Triptykon push open the coffin lid to let out the fetid air of rotting flesh and decay. They exude a dark brooding menace and hypnotic presence that is astonishing. Highlights are many. Frost classics ‘Procreation Of The Wicked’ and ‘Circle Of The Tyrants’ slowed down and reworked being standout. An awesome display.
Cerebral Bore attract a large crowd for their Florida-meets-old-school, meets-Dr Alban- (I kid you not!)death metal pile driver. Vocalist Som Pluijmers is a fey female John Tardy, all cargo shorts and hellish growls.
Scientific investigation and medical precision in determining the cause of death are Coroner’s musical modus operandi. Technicality pushed to the limit and scalpel sharp sounds delivered in an exacting manner. Good to have them back.
Teutontic thrashers Kreator deliver a consummate lesson in violence. These days Mille’s vocals may be a few gargles short of a full acid bath but that does nothing to detract from the visceral aggression and intensity of their performance. Flags of hate hoisted aloft all round.
Some bands are made for a big stage. And some, like headliners WASP, are born for it. This is a ‘how to’ seminar from Blackie Lawless and co. How to use a stage. How to work an audience. How to balls out rock. Showmanship in extremis with a fan dragged from the audience to supply vocals for ‘I Wanna Be Somebody’. They leave Bloodstock burning!

Saturday
It’s cloudy overhead but Gravedigger disperse the gloom. Pounding power metal at a galloping pace leads the clans marching into war. ‘Heavy Metal Breakdown’ is all raised studded fist and anthemic chest-pounding. Nice way to wake up.
Far removed from the precise engineering of German power metal comes the raw filth of Dripback. Their thrash/death/punk/grind mix lays waste to the Sophie Lancaster stage. A frantic fury that leaves flayed bodies in their wake.
Finnish folk metallers Finntroll draw a large crowd. Their black/folk/humpaa melange is at times awkward and uneven and not everyone’s cup of tea and pretty disengaging to these ears.
Not so emperor Ihsahn. Weaving a tapestry of esoteric and spellbinding soundscapes from places unknown he emits an imperious aura form the stage that is captivating and confounding. ‘Frozen Lakes on Mars’ should become the official spectral anthem of the red planet.
Wintersun follow and pale in comparison. Earnest and energetic they may be but their syth heavy power folk driven black tinged metal becomes a little one note, predictable and disengaging.
The goth Fleetwood Mac-meets-Meatloaf production of Phantom of the Opera that is Therion would make your eyes water. Subtle and understated it ain’t. Four singers compete over limp tunes that serve as nothing more than an inconsequential backing track. Last one at the bar is an Andrew Lloyd Webber!
The perfect antidote lies in the death punk kicking dished out by The Rotted. Their ‘Fear And Loathing In Old London Town’ a perfect soundtrack to looted sports stores and burning warehouses.
Heads down and denim out, we’re all heading down to the Ruskin Arms. NWOBHM survivors Angel Witch deliver a no nonsense set of head bangers oozing stale beer and sweaty pubs. New song ‘Guillotine’ is inserted in the midst of must play classics such as ‘White Witch’ and ‘Atlantis’.
Under a full moon Immortal hit the stage. Pyro. Check. Explosions. Check. Crab walk. Check. You want the best, er, you got the best….Abbath and co manage to blast through a career-encompassing set despite a somewhat muffled sound and some technical gremlins. Tongue in cheek, Abbath hams it up a bit but there is no denying the serious might of the thunderous ‘Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)’ or the elegiac ‘Beyond The North Waves’.

Sunday
The Sabbath is greeted by a visit to the church of Hell. A theatrical and orchestrated performance that combines Edmund Blackadder with Cradle-Of-Filth-musical-hall histrionics. Metal Marmite. Don’t believe the hype.
The black plague cometh with 1349. They provide an uninspired workmanlike performance with micrphone problems dogging the vocals throughout.
This year’s ‘Perseverance In The Face Of Adversity’ award goes to Primordial. Two songs into their set singer Alan Averill Nemhteanga blows his voice. Unable to talk never mind sing and in obvious pain and discomfort the band continue to play without their leader as an understanding crowd wills them on and provides the vocals for ‘Empire Falls’ and ‘Coffin Ships’. A performance that threatened to flounder ended up being something special and heartfelt. Redemption at the hands of puritans.
Locals Naplam Death put the sense into no nonsense brain blasting intensity. They turn up, plug in and napalm. Still after all these years a band of integrity and extremity. Nuff said.
They may not have invented it but Exodus can lay claim to being master craftsmen in the art of creating the finest circle pits in music. Dust clouds are kicked up as huge swathes of the crowd ‘Toxic Waltz’ to their hearts content. Hasn’t been a larger audience parting since Moses played the Red Sea.
At The Gates buzzsaw their way through a tight, focused set packed with gems. Focusing mostly on tracks from the classic Slaughter Of The Soul they are clearly enjoying themselves and receive a rapturous response.
Are you morbid? Not anymore if Illud Divinum Insanus is anything to go by. ‘Immortal Rites’, ‘Fall From Grace’ and ‘Chapel of Ghouls’ still retain their potency but Morbid Angel seem hellbent on testing the loyalty, patience and resilience of their audience. A somewhat distracted performance was met with a tepid and tetchy audience response. Goodwill was being lost and fought to be regained throughout.
In a weekend of mostly great perfomances Motorhead bring the weekend’s proceedings to anti-climatic finale. A formulaic, rather abrupt and sadly predictable set allied to an unfocused and rather tired performance (too much time spent popping off stage) was something of a downer as the band plod through without much enthusiasm.
All said, you know where you need to be next August. Start crossing off the days on your calendar now!