So after the "help I’m melting" desert-fest of last year, there is a distinct feeling of business as usual about this year’s Bloodstock. Whilst arid festivals are probably an unavoidable truth, this year mother nature very much behaved herself and provided what can only be described as almost perfect festival conditions. Even the drizzle on Sunday morning that seemed intent on embedding itself in actually dissipates before it manages to dampen any spirits. 

Bloodstock 2023 is a success because it sticks to a very successful formula. There is something for everybody music wise and even with the very late departure of Helloween there is enough power metal on display to keep even the most ardent "it's not like it used to be" keyboard warrior happy. The place is the busiest ROCKFLESH has ever seen it, but still the infrastructure copes well and food and beer queues never reach anywhere near a Download or Slamdunk level.

Most importantly, even with the seeming influx of new blood into the festival, that communal and "small village" vibe is retained. The smiles, waves and hugs are out in full force with newcomers assimilated successfully into our Bloodstock ways. Bloodstock has managed to evolve and grow without actually losing its inherent DNA. They know what works and therefore the layout is the same, there's just more people using it.

The Violent Inzident have the honour of opening the whole shebang and it is very obvious from the get-go that we are watching Evil Scarecrow the nu-metal years. What they share in DNA with the mighty Scarecrow is the fact that this is positive parody. Any level of mocking is done so with a huge amount of love and admiration. They lean into the ludicrous nature of the subject matter, revelling in the sublime. Nu-metal is a relatively untapped area for me due to my age (I was going through a brief but torrid affair with drum n’ bass and Rave when nu-metal happened) so if I'm honest the vast majority of the cultural touchstones and references go way over my head. But it doesn't stop the entire set being enjoyable and engaging, especially because we are watching six Seasoned musicians have the time of their life riffing off the music that they love the most.

Parody and comedy has their place but sometimes we want good old-fashioned raw aggression. Frozen Soul take classic grindcore and drag it screaming screaming and growling into the 21st century when not doing a video interview with ROCKFLESH (HERE). They are natural successors to Boltthrower and Benediction. Their take on old skool death metal is equally reverential and revisionary. Their approach is refreshingly no-frills and there is something utterly inspiring about watching five musicians play the music they love. The Sophie stage could have had four people and a dog called Trevor in it and Frozen Soul would still have been having a ball. 

When it comes to differing opinions King 810 are the most Marmity of Marmite bands. There are some who are proactively staying out of the arena until they have disappeared out of view, but there are others who will label this as a show of the year if not the century. Whatever your personal preference or side of the fence is, what is undeniable is the fact they have brought one hell of a stage set with them. Their’s is the most elaborate on-stage paraphernalia that has ever been used on the Sophie stage. There is barbed wire, banners and more levels than a game of Donkey Kong. Their disciples down the front love every minute of it and it proves that no matter what people think about them they are not going away.

Visions of Atlantis resemble Alestorm without the potty-mouthed penis-obsessed humour. Their current nautical escapade involves pirates and the overall impression is Nightwish hoisting the joy Roger. For those bemoaning the lack of bombastic metal at Bloodstock this is not just the tonic but a flagon of Gin as well. They are astonishingly good, owning the stage with theatrical panache and extroverted extravagance. Yes there is a level of ludicrousness but isn't that true of all entertainment? The central point is Visions of Atlantis make an hour of anybody's time fly by with a hey-nonny-no and a raised fist.

SKYND is an interesting and shall we say rather maverick choice of a headline act. After the bombastic nature of Visions of Atlantis, SKYND‘s downbeat delivery feels strangely unworldly and rather discombobulating. You get the feeling that her reason edetra is to make her audience dis-comfortable and watching some of the open-mouthed responses to her act I get the distinct impression that she is succeeding. But the point of good art is to remove you from the comfort zones and to challenge your perceptions. SKYND is not an easy watch but she is a captivating one that seizes your imagination and drags it into corners where polite company dare not tread.

For a small waiflike creature, she exudes torrents of charisma. Her voice switches from ethereal to bloodcurdling screeches on the turn of a dial and it is that constant fluctuation style that is so absorbing and hypnotic. The visuals and performance blended together to create a haunting audio-visual spectacle that feels like much more than simply watching a live band. A brave choice to close off “party” Thursday but one in that end that works well and sets us up for three further days of metal mischief.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
SKYND, Visions Of Atlantis, King 810, Frozen Soul, The Violent Inzident