There is always a contingent of the Bloodstock community that bemoans the drift away from power and symphonic metal. The musical demographic has shifted on its axis over the years but the booking of Vision of Atlantis proves there is still room for a bit of bombastic pomp and circumstance.
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Let's go with a biggie, because you really can't call yourself a metal fan if you’re not planning on catching Megadeth. There isn’t even going to be anybody else on at the same time, so you have no excuse.
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Decapitated are essentially Bloodstock’s house band. Omnipresent (I gave up trying to count how many times they have appeared) they are the last word in muscular, well-oiled death metal.
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All hail the Godfather of true Nordic Black Metal. Abbath is a larger-than-life cartoon character brought to life. The architect of widescreen symphonic black metal, his persona burns off the stage.
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Gaerea are a ferocious incendiary device of a live act. They don’t play their instruments, they attack them like they are possessed by ancient demons. Clad in matching threads and shrouds they look as intimidating as they sound.
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We all like a bop but let’s be honest, as wonderful as metal is (in all its various forms and flavours) it isn’t particularly designed for shimmying around the dancefloor. Well, Stoke-upon-Trent’s finest Black Coast want to change that.
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Welcome to the point where future, past and present collide. Zetra feel like nostalgia for a time to come. A Time Capsule from a dim dark future where synthesizers and samplers have become sentient and black metal is now the dominant religion.
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In most rock 'n' roll bands the drummer is as far from the focal point as you can get. They are all about chiselled cheek-boned front men or dynamic athletic guitar heroes. The drummer in the main is relegated to the back with the soulless job of keeping time and perhaps smashing out a drum solo now and again when the rest of the band need a wee.
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Candlemass are the godfathers of Doom Metal. Yes you can trace its linage all the way back to that riff at the start of Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath but it was Candlemass (alongside Pentagram, St Vitus and Trouble) that actually forged it into a ground shaking movement.
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While 2021 was pretty shit wasn't it? Not as bad as 2020, but still pretty miserable as years go. It however had one shining chink of light and that was the release of “Conquering” by Employed to Serve. Our album of the year here at ROCKFLESH, it was a bold and brazen treaty on modern metal.
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This year we got ourselves out of ROCKFLESH Towers and down to a number of the Metal 2 The Masses events across the North West. To say we have been blown away by the level of talent on show would be an understatement.
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There will be some tremendous vocals on display over the weekend but believe me, for power, reach and just general elegance none will match the set of pipes possessed by Gemma Lawler. Her day job is vocal coach but when she is not screaming " diaphragm, diaphragm” she is chief wailer with Birmingham prog metalers Dakesis.
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When Black Peaks imploded in 2021 there was a collective cry of "Bugger!”. They were responsible some of the most inventive, progressive and downright forward-thinking metal that had been produced in an awful long time, think Mastodon but with a PhD in advanced physics.
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You know that memo that says all metal bands wear black and gotta create music that fits that blackness, well Square Wild didn't get it (they will probably shopping in Affleck's Palace for psychedelic shirts). Winners of the Mancunian Metal 2 the Masses, theirs is a technicolour and transcendental take on prog rock.
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Folk metal divides into two very distinct camps. Those who take it very seriously and those who don't. Norwegian buffoons Trollfest fall very much into the latter category. The fact that their latest album is entitled “Dance like a Pink Flamingo” should give the game away. For a band that didn't play shows for the first four years of their tenure, they have become a remarkably entertaining and chaotically wonderful like proposition.
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We all like a bit of Goth metal! Every now and again over the decades it's become an essential component of our multifaceted world. But I promise you, you will not find Goth metal as heartbreakingly tender and mesmerising as the variant produced by Tribulation. This is Goth metal for the lost, lonely and forlorn and it talks to the insecurity that you will find at the heart of all of us.
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Bloodstock 2023 is almost within touching distance. We can almost hear the sound of illegal bins being crashed together. We can almost taste the ridiculously expensive burgers. We can almost feel that tingly excitement in the air. It's Christmas for metalheads and it's almost here. But first we have the annual excitement of deciding who we should invest our time going to see. Well, we at ROCKFLESH are here to help. It's time for our annual countdown of 30 bands you must see.
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This year's Bloodstock Festival is serving up a wide variety of death metal. By wandering around the plane of Catton Hall you will be able to see it in its many different guises. There is melodic, technical, core and symphonic a plenty. However, if all these bells and whistles iterations are a little too much for you and you hanker after some communal garden old school death metal then Frozen Soul is the one for you.
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Are you bored with modern metal? Does everything sound to you the same? Do you hunger after something with more complexity and emotional depth? Well my friend the answer is simple, the answer is Bossk. This is prog metal for a dystopian world. It takes what is usually euphoric and optimistic artform and dials up the fear, loathing and pessimism. But don't be expecting dark, dank introspection. This is widescreen Odyssey of biblical proportions. An immersive journey into the dark confines of the soul.
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It’s the final morning of the festival but we’re still ready for even more tech-metal. We’ve plenty of press logistics to work through this morning, but we make sure we don’t miss one of the bands we’ve been most eagerly awaiting, Karmanjakah. Having chatted and watched this young Swedish band at Sweden Rock (here) earlier this year, we knew what a special and perfect-for-Tech-Fest set they would produce.
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