Bloodstock 2006 - Saturday
30 September 2006
Derby Assembly Rooms
The first two slots in the Darwin Suite on the Saturday went to raffle winners. A band called Bloody Embrace had won one of these but is seemed in the meantime they had split and reformed as The Boy Will Drown. The fact that there had been a lot of people whinging about their inclusion actually swayed my interest to wander in and check them out. Whilst certainly not being a typical Bloodstock band, there was no denying these young lads could play. If you`re into the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Red Chord and The Architects I`d certainly recommend checking them out.
The Boy Will Drown set list included:
Burning Verity / A Funeral For All Your Loved Ones
It`s ages since I last saw Illuminatus and there have been a number of changes in the meantime with Dave Crosby no longer supplying keyboards and with Mark Freestone also leaving. In fact this was to be Mark`s very last appearance, though Julio Taylor did sarcastically promise that they would be back with a better bass player! The band also presented a bunch of new material, which whilst retaining the band`s trademark atmospherics, was a damn sight heavier, with Felix frequently beating seven shades out of his kit - "Not good for my hangover!", noted my friend Nadia! Interestingly to my mind the keyboards weren`t missed with Jon Martin compensating with further guitar embellishment. A mid-set medley of Sabbath riffs got heads banging but it was the familiar strains of Wargasm that got the biggest cheer. Julio got so carried away by this one that he went arse over tit in a fittingly chaotic climax to an excellent set. Can`t wait for the album.
Illuminatus set list:
Captive State / Fear - Control / Wrath / Black / Dampf (Black Sabbath medley) / Wait / Wargasm - Comfortably Numb - Wargasm
A lot of the Darwin Suite bands often lack image and stage presence, but not Mael Mordha. Marching on covered in war paint, looking like the Irish cousins of Turisas, the band line up for battle with vocalist Rob appearing last brandishing some kind of hunting horn which he proceeding to sound. The obvious reference point seemed to be Primordial with the occasional tin whistle from Rob adding an extra Gaelic feel. The stirring battle metal was lapped up by a very large gathering and it`s no surprise after to discover that they won the best Saturday band in the Darwin by a country mile.
By comparison Sworn Amongst really did look like a band that should have been in the Darwin Suite. Actually they originally were, but valiantly agreed to switch slots with Tourettes Syndrome at the last minute who had been delayed. With a healthy contingent of family and friends cheering them on, this will be a day to remember for the band as I suspect it will be as big as it gets for them. The band had banners stating "Play faster, play harder, play heavier" but to be honest they did none of these.
Sworn Amongst set list included:
Consumed / Walk
Finns Omnium Gatherum are a very difficult band to label, refreshingly carving their own niche. Sometimes sounding like a typical Scandinavian melodic death metal band, but there`s often as many twists and turns as Opeth but in shorter songs. The six piece flood the mainstage with movement. Keyboard player Jukka Perälä ran round when not playing his keys during The Nolan`s Fati, but drummer Jarmo Pikka went one better, heading out in front of his kit whilst still playing during Deathwhite. A good portion of new songs punctuate the band`s set, with their unfamiliarity requiring contemplation, but they certainly bode well for the Years In Waste follow up.
Omnium Gatherum set list included:
The Fall Went Right Through Here / The Undertaker / It Shines / The Nolan`s Fati / A Part Of God / Deathwhite / Spiritual
There seemed to be a thread of bands sounding like other bands this year and in Machine Men`s case it was Bruce Dickinson`s last few albums. Accepting this fact, Machine Men even included a cover of Dickinson`s Freak on their latest album and Aces High on their debut EP. There`s little to separate the vocals of Dickinson and Toni Parvianinen but Machine Men`s frontman resembles a smaller Vilo from fellow Finnish goth rockers HIM. I still find it difficult to pin point, but after a few songs I simply lost interest, finding the band OK but nothing special and finding it difficult to find something to kill off my Apathy.
Machine Men set list included:
Betrayed By Angels / Apathy
Tourettes Syndrome finally made an appearance in the Darwin Suite and seemed to have captured the curiosity of many. Certainly an odd bunch with the unearthly vocals of heavily dreadlocked Michele Madden and the bug-eyed intensity of guitarist Ash Manning. When Manning asks for more guitar in the monitor, Madden orders Phil Anselmo on toast for Christmas. Somewhat nu-metal with the quirky edge of Mudvayne, whilst not my cup of tea, Tourettes Syndrome presented something a bit different and presented it well.
Tourettes Syndrome set list:
Good Morning / Circus / Don`t Blame Me / Whitman / Diatribe / Seasoned / NOLA / Small Enemy / Fracture / Long Line
I`d expected Brainstorm to take the honours this year and that`s exactly what they did, pushing the reaction up a considerably amount. Backed by a huge Liquid Monster backdrop the German`s hit us hard and heavy but with massive melodic chorus` you can`t help singing along to. Torsten Ihlenfeld & Milan Loncaric`s constantly switched sides as their guitars crunched away, with Andy B Franck constantly in the crowd`s face. It`s difficult to pick a highlight as the whole set was so good. Prior to Highs Without Lows, Franck simply shouted "Bloodstock?" which was met be a massive cheer, then "Last song!" which was met with a massive boo. The cheers rang on after the band departed enough to afford the band an encore of Doorway To Survive. Bloodstock greeted Brainstorm with open arms and surely they`ll be invited back.
Brainstorm set list:
World`s Are Coming Through / Blind Suffering / Shiva`s Tears / Painside / Hollow Hideaway / Inside The Monster / All Those Words / Highs Without Lows / Doorway To Survive
With a warmed up crowd it was just left to pray that Onslaught would get a decent sound and remarkably they did as Let There Be Death roared out of the speakers. Since their comeback gig in Bristol, covered by Rockers Digest, the band have now played many more shows and the difference was marked. Guitarist Alan Jordan and Nige Rockett, complete with green mowhawk, are no longer fixed either side of the stage and there`s an added urgency to the performance. As noted in Bristol, Sy Keeler is a much improved singer with some real bite in his delivery and if he was to forget any words he need only look at James Hinder who mouths along to the songs throughout the set. The three news songs all sound promising and with Andy Sneap twiddling the knobs I can`t wait to hear them recorded. If there was one regret it would be the omission of Shellshock, with the In Search Of Sanity album completely ignored, which may have been familiar to many in this festival crowd.
Onslaught set list:
Let There Be Death / Angels Of Death / Destroyer Of Worlds / Metal Forces / Burn / Demoniac / Killing Peace / Onslaught (Power From Hell)
Things were really on a roll now and, probably the most controversial addition of the weekend, the Deathstars were up next. Sounding like The Sisters Of Mercy covering Rammstein, given I like both those bands, the set kicked off in fine fashion. Fashion being something utmost in the Deathstars minds, looking like the bastard brothers of Marilyn Manson. The infectious stomp of Blitzkrieg bounced along with blinding strobes, but during Tongues I was reminded I`d said since I had the opportunity to catch the Deathstars again in London soon, I`d go see Vanden Plas. So rather annoyingly I had to leave what was looking very promising. I`ve since heard reports of a small section of idiots giving the band over the top abuse including hurling bags of shit at the band, which is completely out of order.
Deathstars set list included:
Blitzkrieg / Tongues / Semi-Automatic / Cyanide/ New Dead Nation /
Arriving at the Darwin Suite we were confronted by a queue and assumed it was so busy inside they must be doing one in one out. Actually what had happened is that everyone had been turfed out of the room whilst final soundchecks were done, leaving us waiting for some considerable time which was quite annoying as I could have been watching the Deathstars. Vanden Plas needed to be impressive to change my mood and whilst they were incredibly slick they were frankly a little bit boring. Of course they are a highly skilled progressive metal band and the playing was as precise as a Swiss engineered watch, but it didn`t seem to contain much in the way of passion and at times conveyed an element of smugness of "look how good we are", which isn`t uncommon in this genre. Obviously this is my personal opinion and there were plenty of die-hards clutching cds, pushing forward and staring intently who seemed to be completely absorbed in things. Myself, I was left quite cold and moved on.
Vanden Plas set list:
I Can See / Far Of Grace / Silently / Iodic Rain / Fire Roses Dance / Christ O / Healing Tree / Cold Wind / Postcard To God / Rainmaker
Finally then to My Dying Bride to close the weekend. Admittedly the band can fill as bigger venues as some of the other bands that have headlined Bloodstock in the past, however they do follow a different path to what would be considered a typical Bloodstock headliner with, on the whole, a different fanbase. Perhaps this was the reason for the lower attendance and it was the smallest crowd I have seen for a headline show here. Personally, I`m quite fond of My Dying Bride and whilst there may be complaints that they were not "happy" enough for the final act, I found their set highly uplifting in a different way. Shrouded in dry ice, with atmospheric lighting, Like Gods Of The Sun was majestic. High point of the set was of course the mournful Cry Of Mankind with Andy Craighan and Hamish Glencross tugging at your heartstrings with the aching guitar lines. Aaron Stainthorpe clung to his mic stand like his life depended upon it putting everything into his pained vocal. After this things became quite blurry as further ale was consumed and My Dying Bride`s sombre metal washed over me like a welcome wave.
My Dying Bride set list included:
The Whore, The Cook, The Mother / Like Gods Of The Sun / My Hope The Destroyer / The Blue Lotus / Deeper Down / For You / Cry Of Mankind / I Cannot Be Loved / Catherine Blake / She Is The Dark / The Dreadful Hours / The Forever People
LINKS:
Bloodstock
My Dying Bride
Deathstars
Onslaught
Brainstorm
Machine Men
Omnium Gatherum
Tourettes Syndrome
Illuminatus
Vanden Plas
Sworn Amongst
Mael Mordha
The Boy Will Drown |
