Given the indignity of a
ridiculously early start time you could perhaps forgive Corrosion Of Conformity
for being a little bit cheesed off and going through the motions a bit. Not a
bit of it! Instead, the now three-piece deliver a set of rare intensity and
riffing. Without former member Pepper
Keenan, COC don’t play anything from their mid-period, instead opting for a
large number of new songs from their new album – “Psychic Vampire” sounding
particularly special - and a smattering of songs from their first couple of
records. They delivered a quite outstanding 40 minutes.
Not being death metal
aficionados RTM takes its leave during Nile, ancient Egyptian themed brutality,
opting instead for the New Blood Tent. Hakin’s frontman Brian sports a Fred
Durst style red cap but there the similarities end. The Welsh band are billed
as being, like Nile, from the death end of things, but to RTM it sounds like
they have as much to do with Conan-esque doom as anything else.
Dreamcatcher are a much
different proposition. The six piece fuse prog and melodic metal and come up
with something not to dissimilar from the likes of Neonfly. They only manage a
short set, but it is a thrilling one, closer “Take Hold” and “Never Look Back”
particularly enthralling.
Its tough to do thrash
metal well these days, even tougher when ridiculous scheduling sees the end of
a young thrash bands set clash with the start of Evile’s on the main stage, but
Reign Of Fury take it in their strides “we’ll race through it” jokes front man
Bison Steed. They have no need, because, although they don’t, as yet have a new
take on things, they are a band to look out for. “Envy The Dead” has a
confidence and the twin guitar work on “Born To Die” was stunning.
Which brings us to the
aforementioned Evile. Now relatively experienced campaigners, the Huddersfield
band have overcome adversity to be a tremendous propostion. No British group
has come up with thrash songs as good as “Cult” and “The Thrasher” in years,
and they even find time to give “Centurion” its live debut during in a set that
not even the rain can spoil.
Not content with two thrash
bands in a row, it’s off to the Sophie Tent for the hat-trick and Slovenia’s
Nocteferia emerge as the day’s surprise packets. “Slave To None,” “Democracy”
and “Murder” are all, quite frankly, brilliant and the band can look back on
their first trip to the UK with immense pride.
Over on the main stage, we
catch the end of Anvil, and as always the suspicion with the Canadian triers is
that they have never quite made it not through any bad luck, but actually
because they aren’t all that good. “Metal on Metal” sounds excellent, of
course, but you have to wade through a lot of mediocre stuff to get there.
Of all the bands that you
would expect to make the sun come out, Paradise Lost are fairly low down on
that list. But nonetheless, that’s the rather incongruous sight that greets
them. Frontman Nick Holmes is a little disgruntled at this and dispatches a
roadie to get sunglasses. Holmes is also barefoot, although this, he informs us
is because the stage is slippy and not because he “wants to look like that c**t
from the Black Crowes.” PL then set about showing just why they are the best
band of their type out there. Just like their headline tour in April PL play a
lot of the stunning “Tragic Idol” opus, which they mix with oldies like
“Forever Failure” and “As I Die” before they finish up with a magnificent “Say
Just Words” which induces much fist-in-the-air action.
French metal is often
neglected, but Headcharger are looking to follow Gojira into our thoughts.
Their sound is more Pantera based groove metal than their compatriots and in
truth there is nothing especially memorable to their set in the Sophie Tent,
although “The End Starts Here” – title track to their new album – is a
diversion and they have a decent stab at “Communication Breakdown.”
Dimmu Borgir in the light
is an odd thing! On their tour last year they were bathed in dark light
throughout, now clad in leather and corpse paint they look entirely different.
Thankfully they sound just as good though, and put on a sublime performance.
“Ritualist” remains perhaps black metal’s most accessible moment, and “Mourning
Palace” is grandiosely brilliant, over the course of an hour they show exactly
why they are modern black metals finest band. Although the ever modest frontman
Shagrath sees it differently, “I suppose you are all ready for Alice Cooper
now,” he says.
And so it is 50 minutes
later that the original shock-rocker brings his circus to Derbyshire. He does
so with a show that is an exact replica of that which he played last October,
which while nowhere near as good as the previous Theatre of Death trek in 09 is
still a superb gig. The first part sees Alice racing through some classics and
“I’m Eighteen,” “No More Mr Nice Guy” and “Hey Stoopid” are exactly that,
before things lose a touch of momentum with a succession of solos and newbie
“Ill Bite Your Face Off.” He’s soon back playing “Poison” and “Cold Ethyl” as
well as creating monsters and getting killed. Of course it ends with “Schools
Out” and a giant party, which really is all you need from Mr. Furnier.
This was three days to celebrate the
magnificence and diversity of Heavy Metal, and as events go it was perhaps the
best of the 2012, and with Anthrax already slated for 2013, who knows, next
year may be better still.
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