After having successfully traversed through a downpour that Noah and his Arc would have potentially been stumped by and Poseidon would have undoubtedly been proud of I eventually made my way onto the hallowed grounds of Catton Park, a headbangers Utopia if you will, just in time to be launched head first into the Punky Groove laden Metal courtesy of the UK’s very own Fourway Kill.
This quartet weren’t taking any prisoners from the off, the vocals from Chris Neighbour were ferocious, injected with venom and spat out with an endearing hatred which only led to spur on the strings of Jay Walsh who manipulated his fretboard with a glorious dexterity and a continuous conjuring of brutal riffs. The set for these thrashers was short and sweet but it was 30 minutes that was crammed full of pure melody and smooth dominance which in turn helped continuously detonate the Sophie Stage, a perfect wake up call for those of us wo had joined the Bloodstock party fashionably late. After recently reuniting after a decade of hibernation, and sitting this new incarnation alongside their various other duties in Bull Riff Stampede and Xentrix to name but a few, I for one hope that this resurgence leads onto the Fourway Kill juggernaut building speed and momentum and staying on our tracks for many a year to come.
After having successfully dished out a load of red Gnome hats to the front couple of rows it was time for an element of fun to be dispersed throughout the Sophie tent, the Belgian Gnomes were in the house and they had brought their whimsical brand of Stoner infused Metal with them, and you just cant help but import a huge grin onto your face while simultaneously banging your head to the addictive melodies and catchy riffs which were unleashed from the speaker stacks. Another brief set was over far too quickly; the set had been a success and one which was overflowing with the beating of pinpoint accurate drums and animated smooth and dexterous fretwork, all constructed and launched with an obvious ease. Tracks like ‘The Ogre’ and ‘Golden Fool’ were lapped up by the tent which was now respectfully busy on this Thursday evening, the highlight of the set for me had to be the set closer ‘Ambrosius’, it just seemed to encapsulate everything Gnome stood for, punchy riffs, catchy hook lines and vocals which were all chilling in their own unique trademark style.
Next up, the sub headliner and it was time to become acquainted with some Norse mythology on a grand scale. All For Metal had landed on our shores and were here to rampage and aurally pillage us to our knees, this was how to deliver Heavy Metal on an epic scale. Schmidt and Calanna traded vocal duties as if in battle yet worked in complete harmony and unison to generate an oral onslaught which rattled anyone in the close vicinity to their cores. The twin delicate strings were manipulated with an elegance and decadence by way of Pabst and Zanichelli, each managing their respective wing with an endearing quality, Pabst injecting an addictive charm onto anyone whose gaze rested on her while Zanichelli delivered with a striking polish to her string duties. Toma stalked the stage with menace and hunger, manipulating his thicker strings with a mysterious air and quality, ‘Mountain Of Power’ saw Schmidt stride out and really belt out his obligations with might and ferocity whilst being twinned up with the elegant higher pitch of Calanna in perfect concord. ‘Year Of The Dragon’ seemed to flick a switch and saw every element of the metal warriors kick it up a level and really put all out which created a true spectacle for all of the senses. ‘Goddess Of War’ signed off the set and cemented the fact that this had been a true vison and celebration of all that is Metal, and one which commanded all endorphins in attendance to be released into their respective owners with power and gusto.
Now the next band need no introduction in the landscape of extreme music, possibly due to Nergal also commanding and fronting the mighty Behemoth, but tonight it’s not about the Black Metal overlords, tonight it is it is all about Me And That Man and their brand of dark Folk tinged Blues. As soon as we had been enveloped into the occult anthems we were in a trance like state, haunted by the glorious and decadent vocals of Nergal, the luxurious riffs and velvety drum beats all which intertwined with each other to deliver a sumptuous affair which seemed perfect on this warm summers evening. With the set bookended with an exquisite ‘Run With The Devil’ and an emotive ‘Paranoid’ the set was near perfection, it had it all, it had a head bobbing inducing ‘Burning Churches’, a funky ‘Losing My Blues’ and an absolutely imposing, haunting and chilling ‘My Church Is Black’. The vocals from Nergal throughout were masterful and caustic in the most beautiful of ways, the strings were catchy and passionate and the drums were lavish and sumptuous, all intertwining to build a full house of elements of perfection.
So with day one done it was a double edged sword, we were all left departing the field on a massive high with a soul full of success and euphoria from the days events but with an anticipation for the next 3 days of metal which we just needed to tick the clock through the next eleven hours or so in order to jump start the festival into full flight. Bloodstock, bring it on.
