19. Amon Amarth - Ronnie James Dio Stage - Sunday, August 11th 2024 - 21.10 - 22.40

Let’s kick out one of the big guns to keep you all interested. Amon Amarth have assumed Iron Maiden’s mantle of predictability entertaining. On the Sunday night we know what we will be getting. There will be fire, there will props, there will be an elaborate stage set and there will be more whoo-hoos than you can shake a stick at. In terms of being kept interested for ninety minutes we are in safe hands. Amon Amarth are not about experimentation or pushing barriers. They understand that metal is a spectacle and their job is to give us something to gawp at.

They have become absolute masters at big budget live spectaculars. Even when they are not the main draw (such as Downloads 2013 and 2019 they put on such an elaborate and confident show that it still feels like they are headlining. The secret to their success is cultivating a back catalogue of big, catchy, blockbusting anthems that you can sing along with, even if you have never heard them in your life before. On Sunday everyone will be raising their horns or proclaiming the twilight of the thunder god even if they have never listened to an Amon Amarth album in their lives. They will create a communal moment of shared joy that transcends genres or personnel tastes. And come prepared to Nordic row, after all we at Bloodstock invented the bloody thing. And if you don’t know what I am talking about, just you wait……