FRIDAY – 02.09.05

STORMWARRIOR

My Bloodstock experience kicks off with STORMWARRIOR due to arriving slightly late, and regrettably it’s rather annoying that I actually rush myself to see them. Clad from head to toe in denim and patches, they lay down a brand of generic power metal that is only rivalled in the cliché stakes by the clothes they wear on stage. This sort of paint-by-numbers approach - that everyone seems to accept as “great” within the power metal genre – soon sends me to sleep, and it doesn’t really get interesting until the arrival of Kai Hansen for a brief spate of HELLOWEEN covers. As nice as this is, I spend the most part of the set wishing I was watching GAMMA RAY instead. [6]

CONQUEST OF STEEL

In stark contrast (despite the same clothes) COS are a rip roaring refreshment with tongue firmly in cheek. The lads gurn their way through a fine set of hearty metal anthems - that can best be described as some sort of Battle-Metal JUDAS PRIEST.

Their energy and fun factor alone is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face, but they are also capable of bringing the metal (quite literally, swords on stage) that will make your neck hurt like hell the next morning.

Great tracks like “Wenches Can Be Warriors (Sluts of War)” and “Bitch of Steel” get the crowd leaping – almost as much as the band themselves. The climax of the set sees the crowd splattered with fake blood (ie. Slush Puppy) and I’m left wanting more. (And wondering whether the red stains will come out of my Wacken T-Shirt). A rockin’ beast indeed. [8]

HAMMERFALL

While I try and keep an open mind for HAMMERFALL’s set, I consider them to be the most formulaic and unoriginal of most of the power/heavy metal bands around today. I’ve never been able to stomach their brand of verse-chorus cheese overload - and their set tonight does nothing to prove to me otherwise. In fact, it is quite plain to me that their style and sound is about as fresh as a 6-year-old packet of Edam.

What tonight’s set DOES show me is that as a band, and with obvious experience – they have become a totally professional live act - knowing how to put on a full-force, arena worthy rock show. Perhaps at some point things are a little TOO practised (ie. Podiums for synchronised Status-Quo style guitar waggling and headbanging) but that is just a minor aside. The band leap around, get the atmosphere to fever pitch, and the crowd lap it up. I cannot fault their showmanship in the slightest – it’s a shame the music to accompany it is the worst kind of cheese imaginable. And for the most part they only seem capable of singing about hammers. Still, top marks for the “It’s Hammer Time” joke – intentional or not! [7]

SATURDAY – 03.09.05

SEASON’S END

Having been quite impressed with SEASON’S END during their Darwin Suite performance at last year’s Bloodstock Festival, and having since gotten hold of most of their music, I was looking forward to seeing Britain’s Gothic Metal hopefuls tear it up on the main stage. I was not disappointed.

The set kicks of with a wall of guitars and keyboards – not to mention pyro effects that blast flame and smoke from behind the stage. The sound is almost perfect, Becki’s vocals are spot on (if a tad quiet in the mix) and the guitars are sublimely heavy. The build up of song “Touch” is truly excellent, not to mention the crowd-pleasing “Ghost in My Emotion” which is a sure fire headbanger.

Playing to their biggest crowd yet, the band seem right at home. Indeed it even goes to their heads so much they throw in a drum solo and a bass solo towards the end (the latter is probably un-advisable, but fun none-the-less). We are also treated to new material, which as it goes sounds just as good as anything I’ve heard from them so far.

SEASON’S END are a band that seem go from strength to strength, and today’s set of bombastic, symphonic anthems will have surely gained them new fans. [8.5]

SUIDAKRA

These guys seriously rocked at WACKEN earlier last month, but were marred by some ear piercing sound issues on the small Armageddon stage. No such problems here today. Wedged firmly on the barrier, I can hear every note, every chord and every thundering drum beat.

The band have a ferociously energetic stage presence - tearing into their heady blend of Folk and Melodic Death Metal with set opener “Pendragon’s Fall” and continuing at 110% throughout. Their music blends hyper-fast folk melodies with crushing death-metal riff work, and it’s not long before the hair is flying - and the fists are punching the air - down at the stage front. The awesome “Darkane Times” sits comfortably alongside more recent riff based material such as “Reap The Storm” and the band seem confident and tight.

Tonight is also Matthias’ very last appearance as Guitarist/Vocalist with SUIDAKRA, so armed with a David Beckham football shirt, he takes to his final appearance like it’s time to party hard – and does so in style. Strutting across the stage and throwing shapes, all the while making the intricate guitar work seem a piece of cake. (He even jumps into the photo-pit for a bit of solo action during “Dead Man’s Reel” – the band’s uplifting take on the Scottish “Loch Lomond” folk song). Arkadius and the rest of the band are equally as energetic and seem genuinely pleased to be making their debut in the UK, and whilst the crowd gathered at the front of the main stage is relatively small, everyone does their best to make it memorable for the band. Come back soon boys! [8]

BOB CATLEY

Waiting for AFTER FOREVER I have the misfortune of being subjected to what seems like a lifetime of BOB CATLEY. Quite frankly, I do not CARE if this guy used to be the lead singer with Magnum – this tawdry set of leather trouser-inspired acoustic clap-along nonsense is an absolute travesty to anyone with ears. Or even just one ear. The testament to the quality of this acoustic set - is that one of the people I am watching it with falls asleep - for quite some considerable amount of time!

The whole thing is not helped by the fact the guy can’t hold a note to save his life, and quite obviously should have given up singing long ago when his voice went (wherever it went, it didn’t make it to Derby). The songs are dreadfully clichéd to the point where you pre-empt the points where he is going to ask you to “put your hands in the air”. He even needs to have a sit down once in a while to catch his breath! “Dad rock” with acoustic guitars at it’s very, very worst - and certainly music without any dignity. (And this is coming from someone who doesn’t mind a bit of THUNDER now and again). Taxi for Catley please. [3]

AFTER FOREVER

Not being a fan of the music of AFTER FOREVER, I am pleasantly surprised by their live performance. Much like EPICA, this is a band that excels 100-fold in the live environment. Their guitars are given an added dimension of oomph from that of studio recordings, and Floor Jansen excels as a powerful and charismatic front woman (despite her rather odd glove selection for the evening).

The reception is immense for their UK debut, and it’s obvious the band didn’t quite expect this reaction either. They show confidence and flair whilst playing a good mix of new and old material – even including their cover of Iron Maiden’s “Evil That Men Do”. The crowd lap it up, and I am convinced a re-listen of their catalogue may be in order. Not bad going for a band that, before today, I really couldn’t stand at all! [8.5]

AMON AMARTH

There is something about AMON AMARTH that instills in the most docile of people the urge to windmill their hair like a hurricane – perhaps this is because the actual urge is to raid villages, drink mead and forcibly have your way with busty wenches – but seeing as that will get you arrested these days headbanging like a loon is the next best thing.

The giant form of Johan Hegg, drinking horn in hand, all belly and beard – strides on stage and the band blast into “Ancient Sign of Coming Storm” – Viking hair soon flailing in unison – and that’s pretty much how it carries on for the full 55 minute set.

The power of their Viking themed death metal is immense, from great new material from “Fate of Norns” to the fantastic “Thousand Years of Oppression” and “Vs The World”. Johan’s vocals are suitably guttural – and the raw energy of the guitars and the primal drums are enough to get everyone in the mood to go to war. (I for one am all set to take to some villagers with my battleaxe). When the band leave the stage it’s somewhat akin to having gone ten rounds with Thor himself. My neck certainly seems to think so. Incredible stuff. [9]

WITHIN TEMPTATION

After being mighty impressed with WT at their UK debut last year (Kings Cross Scala), and having told everyone and their dog that, even if you don’t like WT, you will be impressed with them live - it’s somewhat a disappointment (and not to mention embarrassing for me) to see them amble through their set in such an average fashion – especially when having the responsibility of headlining a festival like Bloodstock.

Firstly, the set is badly thought out – from the beginning the band play 7 songs in a row from their new release “The Silent Force” instead of mixing things up a little. Whilst this method worked for their shorter set at Wacken it does not work here – instead proving rather tiresome by the time they actually move onto different material with their cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”. Luckily we are treated soon after to delights such as the doomy “Enter”, the cracking “Mother Earth” and the belting “Other half (of Me)”.

Despite any highlights, the band seem visibly less interested than on previous occasions, and Sharon’s vocals seem to be weaker than usual – meaning she either avoids, or misses a lot of the high notes. Whilst it is by no means a bad performance, it is sadly nothing spectacular, and the band’s usual spark is somewhat lacking. It’s a shame then that WT lack the punch to make the end of Bloodstock go with a bang –instead I find myself contemplating how silly it is that most of the male members of the band seem to be turning into Michael Stipe of REM. [7]

To see our Official Photos of the BLOODSTOCK INDOOR 05 Festival please visit our full Photography section HERE.

Overall Score:   7.5 /10

FRIDAY

Thankful for the pass-out system with the wristbands, I spent most of the evening browsing the metal market, socialising and transporting newly acquired promos/cds back to the car. However, I did settle down upstairs in time for Storm Warrior’s set.

Storm Warrior

Having never been properly introduced to metal through the years, more just picking crazy bits up over the past few, I am not familiar with Storm Warrior’s history or discography, but – going on their high billing – I expected to see something quite impressive. Thankfully I was genuinely entertained by the band. Their appearance gave the impression of a long established traditional metal band, and this certainly showed in the band’s expertise and performance.

Things really got kicked up a notch however when Kai Hansen [ex-Helloween, currently of Gamma Ray] took over the lead vocals duties – instantly the respectable metal band I had just witnessed were transformed into a respectable power metal band, with Kai providing much of the power through his voice.

As the band’s set concluded with some Helloween songs, I was left making frantic mental notes to brush up on my European metal history and listen to some more Helloween – all thanks to Storm Warrior’s solid performance, sprinkled liberally with some Kai Hansen. [7.5]

HammerFall

Certainly the band I was looking forward to hearing, HammerFall strode onto the stage to the opening strains of ‘Secrets’ – the opening track on their latest album [Chapter V: Unbent Unbowed, Unbroken].

With blistering pace the band stormed through a combination of new tracks and old favourites, pausing to interact well with the crowd. Fortunately, whilst HammerFall are oft commented to be cheesy generic metal merchants, their prowess as a band shines through any glaring typical power metal moments – in fact the band seemed to revel in the fact that they are solid heavy metallers, determined to be the best at their genre. For me, what made them stand out as a band – apart from their professional musicianship – was the band’s attitude and interaction. This was amply showed mid-‘Glory to the Brave’ (thankfully a more beautiful live version than the admittedly poor reduction on their live album), when Oscar Dronjak had a mock argument with guitarist Stephen Elmgren about his guitar solos. Encouraging the audience to participate to pantomime-style proportions, I came to realise that HammerFall take their music seriously, but acknowledge that you can’t be epic all of the time, and that discretion is the better part of valour.

Thanks also to their tuneful melodies, the audience were involved with HammerFall’s set all the way through, and we were also memorably entertained when Anders Johansson’s drum solo turned into Iron Maiden’s ‘Run To The Hills’, complete with ‘do do doo’s.

In fact, were HammerFall around 20 years ago they would undoubtedly be regarded as one of the great bands of the European metal scene. Nowadays it is hard to give them that honour, yet you can clearly hear that – like Iron Maiden – despite having a discography with not as much vision as some of today’s more creative metal bands – HammerFall still manage to create a show out of their music live – and they certainly performed well at Bloodstock ’05. I would hope a UK return at Bloodstock Open Air is on the cards. [9]

SATURDAY

Rise To Addiction

Although I only ended up watching this band as they happened to be the first act on the main stage, I was certainly glad to have caught them.

With bags of personality [stage-kicks included!], Rise To Addiction played a set full of bouncing rock rhythms with a catchy metal underpinning, and worked the audience well in the interim.

I think the majority of those watching were also new to this band, but by the end of their set most – if not all – of Bloodstock’s main hall were happy to be enjoying this by-product of the ‘Blaze’ enterprise that failed to wow Bloodstock two years ago. [7.5]

Season’s End

Having been thoroughly impressed with Season’s End live in York a few months ago, I felt it would be unfair to expect them to top that experience, rather to hope they adapt well to their big stage debut at Bloodstock.

Almost unsurprisingly, they took the stage like true professionals – even managing an almost chilling atmospheric opening with just the angelic Becki Clarke and keyboard impresario Dave Smith lighting up the stage from the smoky darkness that preluded Season’s End’s set.

Complete with pyrotechnics, the set comprised largely of material from their debut album ‘The Failing Light’ [which it is imperative you purchase as soon as it is released], and was warmly received by the Bloodstock crowd. I initially felt a little disappointed that ‘Ghost In My Emotion’ appeared mid-set, rather than as a resounding finale, but I later acknowledged that its placement avoided it becoming the one song Season’s End are initially monikered with. Instead, Season’s End chose to demonstrate their musical prowess by introducing a new track ‘Into The Flames’ as their finale.

Clearly enjoying themselves throughout, the band played professionally and rewarded the enthusiastic crowd with a solid set that highlighted the excellent potential of their debut release, but also hinted at the much greater potential that the band has as a whole: I would hope it won’t be long before Europe begin to sit up and take notice that there is life in the British metal scene.

Although I personally prefer the more intimate yet powerfully dramatic I show I witnessed earlier in the year, I cannot fault Season’s End ability to bring their music to the bigger stage at Bloodstock – I hope that their performance is echoed throughout the world for many years to come. [8.5]

After Forever

Like Season’s End, I happily witnessed After Forever earlier this year at Earthshaker Fest 2005. And – like Season’s End at Bloodstock – I was gleefully happy to see that their performance transferred well to the main stage at Bloodstock 2005.

Drawing on material largely from Invisible Circles and Decipher, the set was certainly impressive. Thanks to my experience at Earthshaker, I was no longer worried about the representation of After Forever’s magnificent studio albums in the live arena, and so I allowed myself to thoroughly enjoy the set. For the small but appreciative After Forever faithful the entire set was a joy – mixing the core of the set with a few tracks from Prison of Desire and Exordium, as well as debuting two tracks from their new album ‘Remagine’ – in the guise of the extremely promising tracks ‘Come’ and ‘Being Everyone’.

For those not initially taken by the unique style of After Forever, they were almost certainly won over by their masterful cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Evil That Men Do’. The fact that this was so well received in Maiden’s home country is a clear sign that After Forever have done well.

This was After Forever’s UK debut and it certainly made an impression. Many consider them to be the best performance of Bloodstock 2005 – in my opinion only the mighty HammerFall are equal to this accolade – which After Forever most certainly deserve. [9]

Within Temptation

From the outset, the headline act of Bloodstock Saturday 2005 felt more like the Sharon den Adel Band rather than the glorious Within Temptation that their earlier albums promise. This was initially the case due to the high inclusion of tracks from their ‘newly’ released ‘The Silent Force’ at the front end of the set and – despite the extremely glamorous surroundings for the band, not many of them seemed to be really enjoying themselves, bar Ms. Adel.

As song after song from ‘The Silent Force’ [enjoyable in parts, but not at all in large chunks] reached my ears, I began to worry about where Within Temptation had gone. Although I have never seen them live before, I certainly believe the whole band’s talents to be represented on their albums. This is why I refer to their opening half hour or so as the Sharon den Adel Band, as the other band members seemed to be just going through the motions of ‘The Silent Force’ material, rather than joining in with the energetic display from their first lady.

However – all was not lost – when ‘Enter’ echoed through the Assembly Rooms; the band seemed a whole lot more interested in what they were playing, and Within Temptation began to come alive. From there on, the set took a more all-encompassing feel – with plenty of songs from ‘Enter’ and ‘Mother Earth’. My undoubted highlight was ‘Deceiver of Fools’ – thankfully well reproduced live, which managed to push memories of the first part of the set far from my mind.

The amount of material from ‘The Silent Force’ was perhaps understandable – in order to promote its recent UK release – however I feel it could’ve been more evenly distributed throughout the set. However, I was impressed throughout the set by Sharon den Adel’s ability to front the band so strongly – commanding the audience’s attention all the way through (not least thanks to her attire!). Whilst After Forever seemed like a bunch of friends out playing their instruments for the enjoyment of themselves and the audience, it was Adel’s determination to transport the audience to the world of Within Temptation that eventually made the evening quite magical.

I am not desperate to see Within Temptation again soon. I don’t completely connect with the music they play, as I only really appreciate their first two albums as solid examples of female-fronted metal. However I am glad to have seen them live – a worthy experience if not necessary to be repeated. [8]