Ask anyone to name their all time favourite Irish metal bands and Primordial will likely sit near the top, if not at the very summit of the list. Formed three decades ago but with roots that date back further to when they were known as Forsaken, the Dublin based act have only ever made the barest minimum of changes to their line-up over the years, their most recent move seeing them return to operating with four members after nearly twenty years as a five-piece.
It’s been over a decade since guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with Midlands Metal pioneers Judas Priest, the highly publicised fallout causing seemingly irreparable damage between the two parties. However, every cloud has its silver lining and one positive thing to have come from this less than amicable parting of the ways is the emergence of KK’s Priest.
On the face of it, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is the perfect motto for death metal icons Cannibal Corpse. After thirty-five years of blood splattered riffs and gore drenched lyrics, you know exactly what to expect and disappointment is a rarity. However, despite the technicality so clearly on display, the band’s musical proficiency is often overlooked by those who choose to concentrate on the cartoonishly grotesque lyrics and occasionally controversial album art.
Formed in 2010, Athens-based thrashers Bio-Cancer are yet another Greek band intent on turning the home of the Gods into the biggest mosh pit Mount Olympus has ever seen. With two albums under their belts, the five-piece struggled with the pandemic lockdowns a few years ago but are finally ready to rain down lightning from above with their latest album Revengeance (Hammerheart Records).
Two band names, three studio albums, one EP, a live album, and a change of vocalists. A lot has happened in the last few years for Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons. From beginning life as a side project for the former Motörhead guitarist, performing covers under the somewhat less than attention-grabbing moniker of Phil Campbell’s All Starr Band, the band announced a much-needed name change the following year and the improvement was both noticeable and immediate.
Like many other bands, Los Angeles-based Art of Shock were hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic back in 2020. Having just released their second full-length, Dark Angeles, the band was forced to cancel pretty much everything including all touring plans but instead of letting frustration get the better of them, they set to work writing material for what would become Shine Black Light (Century Media Records).
SATURDAY
With the weather nothing like the crispy oven-cooked hellfire of last year’s Summerpocalypse, Bloodstock is a much happier place this year, and not even the first downpour of the weekend can dampen the spirits. Especially as today is Corpse-paint Day where everyone is invited to daub themselves in black and white make-up and become angry badgers for the next few hours.
A lot has changed in the twenty years since my first Bloodstock. What began as a relatively small indoor gathering in the middle of Derby city centre now welcomes around fifteen thousand metal fans from around the world annually. From two days, two halls, a signing room, and a “Metal Market” to four days, four stages, a signing tent, art gallery, gaming zone, and curiosities such as Viking battles and even early morning Heavy Metal Aerobics sessions, the changes to Bloodstock have been gradual but necessary.
Following on from the acoustic Live in Leeds show and 2020’s Galactic Quarantine performances, the third of Devin Townsend‘s Devolution series, Devolution #3 – Empath Live In America (InsideOut Music) was recorded on the Canadian’s ill-fated tour of the US which had to be cut short due to the Covid pandemic.
Being based in the US, you’d probably expect a relatively new band like Astralborne, formed in 2018, to adopt more popular current musical traits in order to attract attention. However, instead of going for standard metalcore vocal trappings or deathcore breakdowns in drop Z, the enterprising Ohioans keep clean singing and Djent at the door, owing far more to the likes of European melodeath acts such as Arch Enemy, (early) In Flames and Amon Amarth.