Bloodstock Pageant – Sunday
Catton Park, Walton On Trent
tenth August 2025
It’s early August and meaning Bloodstock time. In his third and closing report from Catton Park, Simon Reed returns to the East Midlands competition that embraces solely the purest and really heaviest of metals (the motion from Friday is right here and from Saturday, right here).
It’s Sunday! We’re within the dwelling stretch. I’ve made it by way of 33 band performances, clouds of mud from circle pits forming on scorched earth and two baked potatoes with tuna and coleslaw. I do know what I like and I’m not too proud to repeat it. The forecast at this time is superb. Wall to wall sunshine in excessive twenties diploma centigrade. Let’s slap on extra solar cream and go.
At shortly after 12, FRAYLE open up my day on the Sophie Lancaster stage. The band put on canine collars, which is a pleasant contact for a Sunday morning though in case your native vicar additionally wore the full-face leather-based masks, you’d run a mile. They’re a doom band so tempos are sluggish. We’re nonetheless not that far faraway from Saturday night time and it’s a little bit early for any mayhem so in that sense the band have landed the proper spot. Other than some gentle stage head bobbing, the viewers stay basically immobile. They’re a mirror to the band.
Pennsylvania progressive dying steel band Rivers of Nehil are my first appointment on the Ronnie James Dio stage. Throughout opening track The Sub-Orbital Blues there are falsetto backing vocals beneath deep growls and slap bass while drums are battered so exhausting they’re in peril of collapse. If that wasn’t unusual sufficient, half means by way of, Patrick Corona (not listed as a member of the band) seems from again stage, performs a saxophone solo, after which disappears once more. As George W. Bush as soon as famously stated following Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential inauguration handle: “That was some bizarre shit”.
Again within the Sophie tent, WALL, an instrumental guitar/drums two-piece that includes an identical twins Ryan and Elliot Cole, spend 40 minutes taking part in homage to the guitar riff. They’re basically a mute model of Royal Blood with an additional squirt of Black Sabbath within the combine. The band have been launched as ‘the proper hangover remedy’, although I can consider loads of issues I’d relatively have strapped to my head than a pair of Marshall 4×12 cupboards if I have been getting over a heavy one. As I’m not, I discover them to be bloody glorious. “All hail the fucking riff” shouts somebody within the viewers between songs. Amen to that.
Appropriately sufficient beneath a flawless blue sky and a broiling solar, metalcore band August Burns Purple are subsequent up on the Dio stage. It rained on Thursday however since then we’ve had near cloudless skies and sufficient photo voltaic power beaming into Bloodstock to run a small city. After two and a half days, there’s sufficient medium uncommon bare flesh on show to verify that August most definitely does burn purple. To maintain us on our toes, there are time signature adjustments galore and entrance man Jake Luhrs stays extremely enigmatic all through.
Again within the Sophie tent, Dogma have drawn an enormous crowd; not solely behind the barrier however in entrance of it as effectively. Nearly each photographer right here is jammed into the pit. I’ve not photographed them earlier than but it surely quickly turns into clear why so many lenses are pointed their means.
With corpse paint, manic blue contacts and goulish nun costumes, the all-female five-piece from Salt Lake Metropolis are pure theatre within the custom of KISS and Alice Cooper and are a photographer’s delight. There’s extra gurning on supply than a Les Dawson tribute act and the gyrations are of such magnitude that in the event that they’d been on-line, any beneath 18s would have wanted a VPN. I can’t let you know the very first thing in regards to the music. I didn’t hearken to any of it.
In distinction, Z Machine who I catch beneath the EMP tarp on my means again to the principle stage are all in regards to the music. Described within the Bloodstock App as: ‘…bringing collectively the improvisation of jazz and the advanced orchestrated passages of progressive rock to create a combination that’s been likened to King Crimson and Mahavisnhu Orchestra’ it feels like they received misplaced en path to the native prog jazz/rock fusion competition and ended up right here by mistake. That is the proper stage for them although they usually have stuffed it facet to facet and entrance to again. As you’ll count on, the musicianship is off the charts and the Swansea five-piece are tremendously good enjoyable with it. Sadly, I needed to depart, however earlier than they completed they unleashed presumably the world’s first jazz-rock wall of dying on an unsuspecting viewers. Kudos.
I depart to see Feuerschwanz on the principle stage. They’re a German steel band with a Nordic mythology bent and a reputation which is an incredible rating in Scrabble. Sadly, once I see it written down, I can’t get the Mitchell and Webb Numberwang sketch out of my head and this makes it troublesome to take them significantly. To be sincere, I don’t assume they’re supposed to be taken completely significantly so this doesn’t actually matter.
Again within the Sophie tent are Lowen with their Center Japanese themed progressive doom steel they usually definitely do intend so that you can take them significantly. Nina Saeidi fronts the band and has a mesmeric voice. She places it to good impact while additionally waving a relatively hectic knife within the air round her head. Nowadays, for those who declare to signify something Center Japanese within the UK you’re in grave hazard of Yvette Cooper prescribing it as a terrorist organisation. Nina had higher watch out with that blade.
The Black Dahlia Homicide have taken over on the Dio stage, which marks fairly the departure from jolly songs about pirate ships, mermaids and fireplace respiration dragons. “What number of of you will have seen us at Bloodstock earlier than?”, asks frontman Brian Eschbach. There’s a number of arms within the air and howls of joyous recognition. “That was 13 years in the past you previous shits”. If anybody was craving the actually heavy stuff throughout Numberwang’s set they’re amply catered for by The Black Dahlia Homicide, who’re as nasty as nearly anybody right here.
Late afternoon, I lastly break my ongoing ricochet between the Dio and Sophie phases with a visit to the New Blood and discover KOBA, who received the East Anglia closing of Metallic 2 The Plenty. They’re launched as being for individuals who want a chill and a remainder of the vocal chords they usually ship on this promise with their heavy ambient instrumental prog. It sounds ethereal and really keys heavy regardless of there being drums, bass and a couple of guitars on stage.
Different artists right here have clearly been utilizing triggered keyboard accompaniments although I think the soundscape I’m having fun with now has rather more to do with the three pedal boards throughout the entrance of the New Blood stage. They’ve received extra controls on them than the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.
I depart KOBA and luxuriate in one other comparatively straightforward journey by way of the no chair zone to search out Orme on the EMP stage. They’re launched as Bloodstock’s first ever drone steel band. I freely admit I’m not precisely purple scorching on all these genres. My untuned ears wrestle to tell apart between a few of them and drone steel is a wholly new one on me.
While I’m within the technique of evaluating what a drone steel efficiency could be like, frontman Tom Clements kindly leans ahead and helps me out. “We don’t transfer a lot”, he warns with a smile. He’s not kidding; Tom’s left foot on his wah-wah pedal being essentially the most animated he will get while I’m in attendance. Clements and the remainder of Orme could be largely static, however my God, they make a racket within the course of. Primarily based on my restricted pattern dimension, I conclude drone steel is usually immobile, however fucking loud.
SIGLOS are subsequent for me on the Sophie stage. They’re a product of heralded steel guitarist Sin Quirin, a six-string powerhouse within the second incarnation of commercial metallists Ministry from 2012. There’s corpse paint, growling, immense ranges of distortion, incense being wafted round with a stick of feathers and an enormous inflatable T-Rex costume on the entrance row. In different phrases, all the things you possibly can presumably need from an excessive steel efficiency.
For the subsequent hour I keep away from the Dio stage. It’s because the band Lord Of The Misplaced are on it and when doing prep for this yr’s Bloodstock I watched a YouTube video proclaiming them to be by far the worst band right here. If I’m sincere I don’t know a lot about them past their achievement of coming final within the 2023 Eurovision Music Contest. To be truthful, they stored the UK off that spot for a change (we got here final however one) so maybe I ought to have judged them for myself and proven extra help. If it seems they’re really shit scorching I can solely apologise.
As an alternative, I discover Communicate in Whispers on the New Blood stage, who received the Cypriot closing of Metallic 2 The Plenty – a form of Eurovision solely for headbangers. It’s one other 1st UK competition look. Subsequent, I skip throughout the Dio enviornment and see a number of songs from Swedish metalcore band Thrown within the Sophie Lancaster tent. I learn from their bio that they’ve lyrics ‘full of anger and self-hatred’. I can’t hear any of the phrases however I can consider it. The music is completely brutal; as aggressive as something I’ve seen all weekend.
To be sincere, after experiencing Thrown it’s a pleasure to get out from beneath canvas and again into the sunshine. Possibly I ought to have seen Lord Of The Misplaced in any case. As an alternative, I see Mastodon, the next band on the Dio stage and I’m glad I do as a result of it’s nice stuff; filled with power and good vibes. Frontman Troy Sanders explains why he likes to play within the UK; we’ve got one of the best festivals, we’ve got one of the best audiences, and all their favorite bands are from right here. It’s fairly humbling.
Mastodon maintained the identical line up for 1 / 4 of a century till guitarist Brent Hinds left the band earlier this yr. He’s changed for the present touring dates by Canadian guitar maestro Nick Johnson. In the meantime, drummer Brann Dailor is a revelation, taking part in amazingly advanced components on what seems a tiny equipment. He additionally delivers some glorious vocals. It’s one other prime efficiency of my weekend.
We’re into the night now and the solar is beginning to relent. I’ve received three bands left on my schedule. The primary of those is BAD EARTH, the headline act on the New Blood stage. They’re an influence trio from Wrexham and like all of the bands on this stage they’ve introduced vital dwelling help with them. I form of assumed the band was named in reference to the determined state of the world’s local weather and ecology. It seems they’re so named as a result of throughout a rehearsal a dodgy cable was producing a problematic loud earth hum; a deeply annoying downside, if one in all much less world significance.
There’s one band left for me on the Sophie stage and it’s 3 Inches Of Blood, a very good previous correct heavy steel band from British Columbia. I arrive to see a sequence of Marshall amp heads on 4×12 cupboards on stage. Old style. A few of the amps and cabs have battle injury and are lacking components of the complete Marshall emblem on them. Correct old fashioned. The band come out to If You Need Blood by AC/DC. Severely correct old fashioned. 3 Inches Of Blood are glorious and loud. Very, very loud. I imply, I’m sporting skilled ear plugs and I’m getting my mind pulverised. I can’t think about how excessive it have to be for the primary few rows.
I depart the tent and try to get my head collectively for the photographers briefing forward of the Dio headline set by Gojira. It’s difficult. As an alternative of the same old ‘first three and out’ we usually get, it’s going to be songs two, three and 4. We will’t be there prepared for track one, so must run in and get set and when set there are motion restrictions due to the quantity of pyro and explosive compressed fuel. It’s going to be robust, however you’ll be able to solely do what you are able to do. Then we’ve got a bunch image and I’m reminded as I all the time am at this competition of the camaraderie between the photographers and of the superb remedy of us all by the publicity workforce who run the press tent. It makes it a real pleasure to be right here and one of many causes I like to come back again.
So, we form of ‘watch’ the primary track by Gojira from the rear entrance to the picture pit together with the stage. You may’t really see any of the stage; you simply get the reflection of the colors of the lights within the viewers and really feel the warmth off the (many) pyrotechnic occasions, but when something, it stokes the joy and anticipation much more. On the finish of track one, we race in and quarter-hour of mayhem ensues.
It’s an appropriate finale to what has been an distinctive weekend. With Trivium and Machine Head within the financial institution, Gojira have lots to stay as much as, however they do it – after which some. The depth of the music and of Joe Duplantier’s vocals is one thing to behold; as is the lightshow, which we lastly get to see in all its glory. A seemingly 3D model’s head impressed by the album paintings from L’Enfant Sauvage spins over the stage. I’ve no concept how they do it.
Gojira proved that they had a head for heights once they performed Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!), their tackle the standard French revolutionary anthem Ça Ira, beneath leaden skies on the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Video games in Paris. It was a efficiency seen by effectively over a billion folks and opened the band as much as a complete new viewers. We hear it once more tonight and though we’ve got to do with out the mezzo-soprano of opera singer Marina Viotti, it’s an epic second. “Beheading kings was by no means fairly contagious sufficient to catch on in England”, says Joe Duplantier with a smile. “I’m not advocating violence, however typically you’ve received to spill a little bit blood.”
It’s insane within the crowd. Hopefully no blood is getting spilled although there’s a continuous swirl of mud kicked up from a mosh that doesn’t know the way to give up. It means anybody greater than half means again is watching the present by way of a cloud of filth. There’s a blow-up doll held aloft within the spin cycle that inexplicably has the phrases ‘seize it’s dick and twist it’ appended to it. There’s none so unusual as steel folks. Extra conventionally for a band who play a track entitled Flying Whales, a group of inflatable Orcas spend the night time being chucked about.
The encore is mesmeric. L’Enfant Sauvage is equally hypnotic and brutal. Black Sabbath’s Below The Solar/Each Day Comes And Goes is the final in a protracted line of tributes performed to Ozzy Osborne this weekend. The Reward Of Guilt is extra low key although it does give the gang time to digest what they’ve simply skilled and ponder whether or not they’ve received sufficient reserves of power for an appointment with Obituary on the Sophie Lancaster stage.
I do know that I haven’t. For me, an early Monday begin is preceded by a really lengthy drive and that drive actually wants to start out instantly. I’m positive they’d have been a spectacle however lacking the ultimate act is only a single obligatory evil in a competition that’s already filled with obligatory evil. Bloodstock 2025 has been one other improbable weekend. I’ve already received the batteries on recharge for extra of the identical subsequent yr.
Headliners for Bloodstock 2026 have already been introduced and they’re Lamb Of God, Slaughter To Prevail and Judas Priest. Tickets are already flying out of the door and you may get them right here, although early birds, campervan slots and all VIP choices have already offered out.
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Phrases and all images by Simon Reed. Simon’s web site Musical Photos is right here and you’ll go to his writer profile for Louder Than Battle right here. He posts on X as @musicalpix and is on Instagram at musicalpictures.co.uk
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