Download Festival 2007 - Sunday
10 June 2007
Donington Park
Donington seemed busier on the final day and there was a big crowd out for Chimaira. New album Resurrection has seen the American's raise the bar and the aggressive, yet catchy, title track is well received. Power Trip sees a cloud of dust rising from frenzied pits. Perhaps due to the central barrier Mark Hunter doesn't call upon the usual 'wall of death' but there's enough bodies flying around to Pure Hatred to ensure Chimaira had delivered plentiful violence.
Chimaira set list:
Nothing Remains / Resurrection / Power Trip / Needle / Severed / The Dehumanizing Process / Pure Hatred
Papa Roach were something of a surprise. The massive success of their debut album has been a bit of a millstone, with a backlash which ensures there's plenty here ready to put them down. However, with catchy well crafted songs such as Getting Away With Murder they quickly win over the crowd. Jacoby Shaddix works hard and the band pack a lot into their 35 minutes. By the time they play 'that song', Last Resort, the crowd are singing along fondly not mockingly.
Papa Roach set list:
To Be Loved / Getting Away With Murder / Alive (N` Out Of Control) / Dead Cell / Broken Home / Between Angels & Insects / Scars / Last Resort
I've got another opportunity to test my theory at Wembley Stadium, but I just don't think Mastodon's sound works outdoors. Similar to their performance at Reading last year, whilst I enjoy watching the band, it`s frustrating that the detail in their wall of noise is buffeted and blown around. I stick around for the first few songs before giving up and heading over to the second stage in time for Orange Goblin.
Mastodon set list:
Iron Tusk / March of the Fire Ants / Circle of Cysquatch / Aqua Dementia / The Wolf is Loose / Crystal Skull / Megalodon / Colony of Birchmen / Blood and Thunder
Orange f**king Goblin baby! Its 10 years since the band's debut came out, but new album Healing Through Fire seems to be receiving some much deserved media interest. Opener, They Come Back (Harvest of Skulls), contains a catchy chorus refrain, whilst Quincy The Pigboy is familiar to many. Voices are raised to Some You Win, Some You Lose marshalled by our choir master Ben Ward. The band pick up the pace with Your World Will Hate This but the infectious bounce of Blue Snow is too much to resist and I head down to the front to join in the fun which finishes with a raucous Scorpionica.
Orange Goblin set list:
They Come Back (Harvest Of Skulls) / Quincy The Pigboy / Some You Win, Some You Lose / The Ballad Of Solomon Eagle / Your World Will Hate This / Blue Snow / Scorpionica
I saw far too little of Paradise Lost to pass judgement, save to say that latest single, an opener of the set, The Enemy has been stuck in my head since.
Paradise Lost set list:
The Enemy / Grey / Ashes & Debris / Pity The Sadness / The Last Time / One Second / Say Just Words
Likewise I only caught a few songs of Stone Sour. 30-30/150 is an excellently crafted stab of melodic heaviness and there was certainly more of a band sense than when I saw them tour their debut album. It`s therefore somewhat annoying that the crowd insist on chanting 'Corey' when there are four other members pulling their weight. Taylor has been working with Anthrax of late and considering today's performance, he certainly has the range for the Bush era but whether he has time in his busy schedule is another matter. Meanwhile I had no more time myself as I had grindcore legends to see.
Stone Sour set list:
30/30-150 / Come What(ever) May / Made of Scars / Your God / Reborn / Inhale / Through Glass / Monolith / Blotter / Hell & Consequences / Get Inside
Following a chant of the band's name, Barney Greenway announced, 'For the benefit of those who don't know, we are Napalm Death from Birmingham'. Suffer The Children then flattened all in its path. The containment of the tent captured the wall of noise amplifying its power as Silence Is Deafening flew past. Greenway was all for getting to the point, informing 'God does not exist. Unsubstantiated f**king nonsense', before hitting us with Fatalist. Marking the 20 years since Napalm Death's debut, Greenway pointed out that the band had in fact been about 27 years 'and are still making more noise than anyone else ...lovely!'. Lovely indeed.
Napalm Death set list:
Weltschmerz (intro) / Sink Fast, Let Go / Unchallenged Hate / Suffer The Children / Silence Is Deafening / Fatalist / When All Is Said & Done / Scum / Life? / The Kill / Deceiver / Dead / Nazi Punks F**k Off
Time kept ticking by and there's still no sign of Within Temptation. When the band do eventually appear, the packed tent are disappointed to hear that due to a technical problem, we are only getting four songs. Sharon den Adel's warmth is such that it`s impossible to feel upset for long. Her infectious smile and passionate vocals ensuring the band rescue the situation. The fact that the second half of the set is Mother Earth and Ice Queen doesn't hurt either.
Within Temptation set list:
? / Stand My Ground / Mother Earth / Ice Queen
Whilst the darkness afforded by the tent works in Dimmu Borgir's favour, their current stature and anticipation of a long overdue visit to the U.K. meant they really deserved a mainstage slot. A number of black metal fans, who were either unaware or hadn't heeded the warning bells of fans being locked out of some of the preceding larger bands sets, were left on the wings of the tent peering in with glum faces.
Back on stage, an extended intro sees the band lined up with horns held aloft and devilish grins. Then Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse springs to life, with no vocals! Obviously hearing himself through the monitors, Shagrath continues regardless and when eventually the microphones volume is raised, so is a huge cheer. Shagrath may be the main vocalist, but its bassist Simon Hestaes who is possessed with the largest lungs, crooning across the middle of The Serpentine Offering with bass held aloft. All too soon Dimmu Borgir are onto the Enthrone Darkness Triumphant classics and you know the end is nigh. The Mourning Palace closes a powerful set which more than wetted the appetite for the since announced U.K. tour with Amon Amarth.
Dimmu Borgir set list:
Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse / Vredesbyrd / The Serpentine Offering / The Insight & The Catharsis / Spellbound (By The Devil) / The Mourning Palace
The less said about Evanescence the better. My desire for sweet and sour chicken meant being confronted by Amy Lee's incessant screeching whilst queuing. Before seeking the refuge of the Tuborg stage.
Evanescence set list:
Weight Of The World / Sweet Sacrifice / Going Under / The Only One / Cloud Nine / Lithium / Whisper / Haunted / Tourniquet / Call Me When You're Sober / Imaginary / Bring Me To Life / All That I'm Living For / Lacrymosa / Your Star
I'd wanted to check out Cult Of Luna, however, by the time I'd reached the Tuborg stage they were playing their last song. Satisfied faces are seen leaving the tent, but in retrospect I should have stuck around for Dream Theater.
Cult Of Luna set list included:
Finland / Thirtyfour / Dark City, Dead Man
Fastway were at the tale end of their career when my metal adventure began and I never remember All Fired Up sounding so slow as its was at Download. Now fronted by former Little Angel Toby Jepson, neither Fastway the band, nor leader 'Fast' Eddie Clarke could be described as, erm, fast. Jepson's voice was on fine form but the bluesy rock seemed pedestrian when compared to The Answer's powerful set. I'll take a second opinion when Fastway support Tesla later this month, which is a slot they'll need to be All Fired Up for!
Fastway set list included:
Misunderstood / All Fired Up / Another Day
So its fittingly left to Iron Maiden to bring the curtain down on Download 2007. Unsurprisingly drawing the biggest crowd of the weekend, most are in the know that the set is about to start as UFO's Doctor Doctor sounds around Donington.
We'd been told that this would not be a repeat of the band's last tour when the whole of A Matter Of Life and Death was aired, but Maiden do open with its first three tracks. Apparently somebody near the front was trying to recreate Sharon Osbourne's egg throwing incident during Different World. Somewhat fool hardy when surrounded by tens of thousands of Maiden fans you would think, and Bruce Dickinson gives us an open invitation to deal with them if found, before the fitting These Colours Don't Run.
Maiden's onstage energy never seems to diminish with Dickinson leaping around the gantries, Steve Harris tearing back and forth across the stage and Janick Gers tossing his guitar around. Dickinson dons his old red British tunic and waves the Union Jack as usual as The Trooper gallops by.
Celebrating 25 years since the release of The Number Of The Beast, Children Of The Damned is resurrected, with Adrian Smith brandishing a twin neck guitar. When the album's title track appears, Dickinson narrates the songs intro with a chorus from the fans. A devil makes an appearance to Nicko McBrain's right as swirling dry ice a red lights flood the stage.
Iron Maiden seem to have the ability to bring out the child in me and I can't help but sing myself hoarse throughout their set. The scream in Run To The Hills ensures I, and certainly many around me, are somewhat croaky the next morning.
Curtailing the encore break, Dickinson observes its somewhat pointless as we know they're coming back. He informs that aside from the forthcoming Clive Burr fundraiser, a well deserved break awaits Iron Maiden, though we can expect to see the band 'somewhere in a field in England with a pyramid'. Based on the band's Download show, the resurrection of the Live After Death show is one not to miss.
Iron Maiden set list:
Different World / These Colours Don't Run / Brighter Than A Thousand Suns / Wrathchild / The Trooper / Children Of The Damned / The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg / For The Greater Good Of God / Number Of The Beast / Fear Of The Dark / Run To The Hills / Iron Maiden / Two Minutes To Midnight / The Evil That Men Do / Hallowed Be Thy Name
LINKS:
Download Festival
Iron Maiden
Fastway
Cult Of Luna
Evanescence
Dimmu Borgir
Within Temptation
Napalm Death
Stone Sour
Paradise Lost
Orange Goblin
Mastodon
Papa Roach
Chimaira |
