14. Septicflesh - Ronnie James Dio Stage - Sunday, August 11th 2024

There is death metal, there is technical ornate death metal and then there is Septicflesh. I talk a lot about stripped-down minimalistic death metal and the joy that is hurtling noise with all the trappings removed. Well Septicflesh are the complete opposite of that. This is highly elaborate death metal with every bell, whistle and accessory that they can find, added on. It is a gloriously over-the-top exercise in escapism. It is symphonic in both its scale and also its prevalent use of orchestral samples.

For over 34 years these Greek visionaries have built a sound that continually challenges the usual ways of producing death metal. We get keyboard flourishes, clean vocals and production values that even Stock, Aitken and Waterman would think are a bit over-polished. What it results in is a glorious cacophony of heavenly sound, with the corrosive edges beautifully offset by the melodic flourishes. At Bloodstock they will take no prisoners and be a no compromise feast for your ears. So if you are after death metal that is as flamboyant as it is fast then you can't go wrong with Septicflesh.