Home Gigs Gig Review : Bloodstock Festival 2025 Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire Day Two 

Gig Review : Bloodstock Festival 2025 Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire Day Two 

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Review by Sheri Bicheno for MPM

The sun is blazing and its Bloodstock Friday!

Buzzing and with the fields crammed full already, I made my way to the Arena early to go and catch seasoned Norwich thrash/alt outfit Shrapnel wake up Bloodstock on the main stage.

The swirling euphoric intro rings out as the guys enter the stage one by one until James Chopping increases the frequency of double pedals and Daniel Moran jumps out of nowhere and kickstarts the headbanging and heavy tones of In Gravity. 

A huge rush of crisp energy engulfs the stage amidst churning riffs and striking double pedal beats. 

James’ vocals are clean but powerful, reaching anthemic heights and soaring roars in places that gather with the intense moods of this track.

“Who’s got the bevvies going already?” Daniel addresses the crowd and is met with cheers of early morning partakers.

Launching into the chugging intensity of Amber Screams, the guitar work between Nathan Sadd and Chris Martin shows how these guys craft well together to take the track seamlessly between chunky riffs and groove touched rhythm sections. Daniels’ vocals show us another range of beautiful high notes and intense screams which make the space for James’ killer kitwork to pace through the tempo.

“Let’s get moving!” a pit immediately forms and opens up for sledgehammering newer track Kingmaker.

The pure speed of this offering takes form around the drums and gravelling riffs that collide with eachother to bring forth a total frenzy whilst stunning mood shifting track Judgement is an ode to addressing mental health.

Touching upon a more metalcore sound here, this one invokes them right in the feels moments. Subtle melodics entwined with groove fuelled tones are captivating and grow through the tracks’ progression.

Staying at the Dio Stage, one of my new favourite discoveries were up and by the Gods, I was mesmerised. Any that have read my scribbles before knows that I am totally in love with doom and melodics amongst death elements… and Danish Death Doom Konvent gave me that fix.

Hypnotic and as heavy as slabs of granite, In The Soot served up a dark, unsettling depth of melancholy and desolate moods. 

Rikki List’s vocals are powered by deep, guttural roars emanating from a crypt-like atmosphere, creating a deep, haunting effect. Her trembling vocals are complemented by the atmospherics of Amira Hernan’s sludging riffs and Julie Simonsen’s raw and unapologeticly sinister kitwork, which contributes to Konvent’s death doom sound, adding a blackened edge around sections.

Grains picked up the pace a little with higher end riff frequencies snaking their way around the stage. Around me is a sea of headbanging bodies throwing themselves around to this stunning track. The melodics here are beautifully dark which is a recurring musical motif, offering a sense of grandeur to Konvent’s sombre atmospherics. 

The immense doom riffs are imbued with a significant amount of distortion, creating a raw and abrasive atmosphere, yet they do not overshadow the melodic landscapes. Bassist Heidi Withington Brink contributes depth to the track, refining that sludging backbone.

Continuing on with more offerings from 2022 album Call Down The Sun, Sand Is King is delivered in hard hitting bulldozing drums that lead the swinging, slower heavy hitting tempos with more higher end shrieks from List.

Within the oppressive atmosphere, subtle melodic elements introduce brief moments of levity amidst the prevailing darkness with The Eye which is taken from debut album Puritan Masochism.

Though the tempo still injects gritty frequencies, the moods shift to an upper beat of skittish drum techniques and melodic guitar rhythmic patterns colliding, creating a hypnotic output.

Fatamorgana brings forth a rainfall of monolithic riffs with punishingly heavy soundscapes of crushing melodics amongst mesmerising rhythm sections whilst Puritan Masochism absolutely embodied all of the heavier elements of Konvent with some groove edged moments in the delivery of the dynamics of blackened elements within their sound.

One of my favourites of this weekend. Stunning.

Next up on the Ronnie James Dio stage, Switzerland’s answer to Deathcore Paleface Swiss were set for their first ever UK festival at Bloodstock. 

Exploding onto the stage, bone crushing riffs bomb the entire space while speed bullet drum blast beats from Cassi Toma lift the whole vibe through Hatred.

A visceral conjuring of chugging strings wielded by Yannick Lehmann mould together with hammering bassnotes of Tommy Lee to bring a spiteful assault to the forefront, invoking the crowd to go absolutely feral.

Zelli’s vocals are vicious with the odd maddening giggle thrown in – swaying from roaring despair to manic chattering, the absolute weight of his voice along the lethality of moods behind this intro track makes for one of the most intense visionaries so far of Friday.

…and with hope you’ll be dawned battered into the crowd like a giant mallet. Crowd surfers making their way down to the barriers, this track gives me a look into the different elements that Paleface Swiss emit. Early Slipknot vibes combined with Deathcore comes out of this with the hefty drums and change in vocal range going through rap metal meets nu metal meets deathcore growls.

And… I love a band that can blend. 

The Gallow remits this with some clean vocals in sections and sees the energy of the stage give off monstrous vibes into the crowd as the guitars take tempo changes from sickening breakdowns to stunning anthemic solos.

River of Sorrows shows the tone change to somber and beautifully dark, trading the hardened viciousness into core melting symphonics.

Touching upon mental health and feeling lost in the weight of betrayal, this was a track that grasped me and rooted me to the ground.

Zelli’s vocals took on the most beautiful and haunting tones amongst the melodic guitars and shining rhythmic drums, turning this into a heartbreaking connection.

I cried, not gonna lie.

Keeping to main stage, Italian metal legends Lacuna Coil marked their third appearance at Bloodstock since 2007. 

Following the recent release of their stunning new album Sleepless Empire, i know that we are in for a hell of a ride…

The crowd scaled the whole arena and although a little late, thundering synths rung out to open up the introduction of the set.

Tech drowned drum beats sending anticipation through the stage from Richard Meiz introduced the kick off and we’re spiralled into a vortex of heavy rainfall riffs and atmospheric sections for Layers of Time.

Tight groove sections tied to their signature gothic anthemic notes, the ground is positively trembling whilst Andrea Ferro’s roaring vocals conjure the moods across the field.

Cristina Scabbia has always had a vocal range that reaches unparalleled beauty and here she uses her Octaves to carve out a dark and beautiful effect to entwine with Andrea’s snarling gutturals. 

Keeping within the realms of 2019’s Black Anima, next track Reckless plays with hypnotic tempos of Daniele Salomone’s intricate guitar sections snaking between melodic and gritty frequencies next to Marco Coti Zelati wielding the chugging backbone of bass.

A contrast comes in with Hosting The Shadow and Kill The Light where from the first drum blast of Hosting The Shadow, an explosion of white and red confetti erupts from the stage. There’s less groovy tech and more melodic sections to encompass a more gothic feel with less aggression and more emotional inputs.

Cristina and Andrea use clean vocals in Kill The Light to float the moods between soaring epic riffs and catchy drum blasts to explore the atmospherics.

“Are you guys doing ok out there?” Cristina smiles at the crowd and is met with an almighty roar.

Heaven’s A Lie XX is a new edition of the original and it packs epic energy with soaring harmonies and light and dark tones with a heavier edge.

Cristina’s voice is angelic while Andrea lays down his new guttural twists to the song instead of the original clean vocals. Along with the heavier drums and newly created beautiful guitar solo for this anniversary edition, this makes the re-imagined version a modern and heavier offering.

“Raise your hand if you’ve ever been betrayed” Cristina addresses the crowd and dedicates next song I Wish You Were Dead to those of us with our hands in the air.

Taken from the new album, this one talks to us of wishing those who have caused damage and heartbreaking from betrayal to be cast from our minds in order to heal.

An anthemic tone to this track in its live setting with Andrea setting off tshirt cannons into the crowd, the beats are catchy and fold in with synthy keys to give a powerful epic feel.

With a heartfelt dedication to Ozzy Osbourne, explaining Ozzfest 2004 as a defining time in Lacuna Coil’s career, their version of Enjoy The Silence was played in his honour before launching into the rush of harmonious energy for Our Truth.

Finishing off on Oxygen and Never Dawn, both stunning tracks taken from Sleepless Empire – the set is finished on some of the most stunning atmospherics and thundering riffs encompassing heavier tech double pedals and melodic bassnotes. 

A set delivered with cathartic energy and striking moods, lets hope another decade doesnt pass before Lacuna Coil return to Bloodstock!

Keeping to main stage to catch the main support – Norwegian black metal legends Emperor, we are first given a glimpse into who will be joining the line up for 2026 Bloodstock!

Heavysaurus

Black spiders

The hell

Imperial age

The scratch 

Vended

Life of agony

Death angel

Northlane 

Municipal waste 

Of mice abd nen

Biohazard 

Orbit Culture 

200 stab wounds

Shining

Nevermore 

Sepultura 

Bleed From Within 

Cryptosy 

Wednesday 13

Leprous 

Carpenter brut 

Lamb Of God

Slaughter to Prevail 

Judas Priest

Have all been confirmed for Bloodstock’s 25th anniversary!

Masses gathered to the main stage with a beautifully dark artistic backdrop and haunting guitar melodies ringing out to introduce the main support of the evening.

Opening with soaring blast beats kicked off for debut album’s Into The Infinity Of Thoughts, with that addictive wave of riffs going along with Trym’s intricate drumming. 

The composition included all the necessary elements: tremolo-picked melodies of Samoth and Ihsahn duo powering on guitars, frenetic blast-beats, Ihsahn’s other worldly vocals – although these elements have been employed by others, Emperor maintain their originality throughout their performance and keep things rooted firmly to their origin of atmospheric sonic creation.

Launching into the haunting tones of Into A Wordless Chamber the vortex continues but with twists of tempos shifted by Trym that heighten the symphonics of the track into melodic terrors.

“Thank you ever so much! Still doing ok?” Ihsahn addresses the crowd and is met with a cheer. 

Thus Spake The Night Spirit adorned in green and white smokey lights rung out anthemic beats to introduce a crushing rainfall of riffs colliding into tempo changing blast beats and whirling guitar solos.

Grandeur symphonies splatter through this delivery, the song’s lyrics appear to be an invocation of power and the night. The institution of religion, which is often at odds with black metal, is addressed through veiled phrases. 

Thus Spake The Nightspirit has become a staple for Emperor. It has been featured in numerous live performances since its release and ranks as one of the band’s top most-performed song.

“Thus Spake The Nightspirit” represents a significant artistic movement, surpassing many of the conventions prevalent in mid-1990s black metal. The song continues to be a crucial element of Emperor’s concise yet highly influential discography and here in it’s live setting it is easy to get lost in it.

Ensorcelled by Khaos is one of my favourites of the set with it’s huge melodics grafting through the gritting signature black metal frequencies of guitars and neckbreaking speeds of drums. Atmospherics are a huge notability in this particular track because through each tempo change, it remains. Weather haunting and melodic or frenzied and intense, the soundscapes come through and keep this a beautifully dark offering from Emperor. 

Back now over to the New Blood Stage and I can’t reiterate enough that the closing of the New Blood Stage for Friday went to a band that have grafted hard amongst some killer competition and came out deserving that slot. 

Brighton M2TM winners and innovators of Nu Metalcore meets Djent – Devilhusk – these guys have been a playing band for a short while and are making a complete disturbance in the underground music scene already. 

Latest released single Irukandji in it’s live setting is a gnashing, mind bending monster with teeth that takes chunks out of your grey matter. 

With distorted visionaries painted with the chunkiest frequencies of James ‘Kino’ Boon’s facemelting guitar grooves and Josh Hutchings’ trembling bass notes, combined with Kieron Durrant’s masterful vortex of kitwork, these guys craft and bend shapes into sound, providing a sonic experience that blends the grittiest of slams and sharpest djent in with Joe Lyndon’s scorching vocals.

Vitriol is a CHONKY offering that incorporates live drum and bass into some spiteful djent grooves.

Here, Joe’s vocal range dwarfs the whole of the New Blood tent with gnarly growls lacing through rap style sections and earth shaking gutturals whilst Sycophant has Josh lending roaring backing vocals alongside a neckbreaking speed conjured by Kieron’s precision of the filthiest groove sections.

Looking around me, the crowd has packed out the New Blood and there are bodies flying around creating a feral pit behind me and the crowd surfers make their way down to the barriers. It is CARNAGE.

No Rest For The Wicked is a killer example of Kino’s intricate guitar work. 

From the outset, the techniques Kino invokes introduce a pitched distortion to draw in some nu metal vibes yet he subtly mixes layers of djent grooves into the strings with shredding sections at the speed of light. 

Paired with Josh’s complex techniques providing the backbone to both chugging and enhanced groove rhythm on bass, these guys work the strings of the band solidly together, complimenting the structure and melody to time with Kieron’s ever changing tightness of tempos and double pedals. 

This song has a seriously heavy breakdown nearing the end and the crowd gets absolutely absorbed by it.

“Thank you Bloodstock and thank you Brighton for bringing us here!” Joe addresses the masses before launching into Ignorance // Bliss – an intense offering of drum and bass meets hardcore with some seriously chunky paces that pull the ground from beneath you.

“Are you… f*cking… ready?”

LAAAAWD we about to see something feral here…

With debut single I See God up next featuring a guest appearance from Dead Flesh (see Day 1 review) vocalist Rich Stevenson, the vibe for this track got an added bonus of death metal vocals as Joe and Rich bounced off each other’s space and delivered some of the biggest energy of the New Blood stage on Friday.

Blending in distorted, feral and haunting atmospherics, coupled with the most stunning breakdowns, this version of I See God was like watching a storm on stage. Bloody beautiful yet relentlessly lethal!

What. A. Set.

These guys have more things coming soon and they’re gonna break barriers doing it.

After a stunning set from Trivium (covered by our Gary Spiller) I headed over to the Sophie Lancaster stage to check out the after party with Canadian Death Metal legends Kataklysm.

Back in the UK after more or less a decade, the Sophie stage was rammed full and they proved exactly why they are so loved over here.

With red lighting adorning the stage, the carnage already started with crowd surfers heading to the front.

Bringer of Vengeance is a groove laden brutal output with subtle tech beats that underline the ferocity of pace.

Underneath The Scars presents a compelling composition, characterized by robust bass riffs and an energetic tempo. This track’s frenetic pace, coupled with substantial breakdowns and intense double-kick drumming towards its conclusion, establishes a powerful impact and sees the pit kick up dust!

The fusion of hardcore and death metal by Combustion creates a relentless and captivating groove evoking a chilling sensation before transitioning into a powerful, percussive assault that would undoubtedly impress even Fear Factory, a significant influence. 

With Narcissist being one of the fan favourites, commences with a throaty, guttural vocalization reminiscent of traditional throat singing before launching into a brutal tirade of gnarly roars. This introduction builds anticipation for a magnificent composition that feels absorbing. 

A headbanging riff fuelled number, this tops off my Friday of Bloodstock and I head back to camp grinning.

Photography by Pete Key for MPM

Photography by Kelly Spiller for Kataklysm for MPM

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