RATE THE BANDS 2023

[Aaaarrrrgggghhhh]

You know what to do.

[kanet666]

Thursday
Visions of Atlantis 8/10 - Great fun and for me should have been top billing for the night
SKYND 6/10 - Cannot decide whether I like them or hate them, went somewhere in the middle

Friday
Wytch Hazel 7/10 - Enjoyed them a lot but lacked a little energy. Will check more of the out for sure.
Black Coast 7/10 - Caught the end of their set but they more than made up for the energy missed on the main stage
Hate 6/10 - Solid enough but basically just a budget Behemoth, who are far better
Gatecreeper 7/10 - Had no intention on watching them but due to the timing switch ended up enjoying them enough to stick around
Zetra 5/10 - Definitely my kind of music but just wasn't feeling it at the time. May be one of those bands that I put on when the mood strikes and the festival just wasn't the right time
Sacred Reich 8/10 - Enthusiasm goes a long way to an enjoyable performance and they had it in spades
Wild Heat 7/10 - Lots of energy, solid performance even if the music was quite generic. Wouldn't complain about seeing them on a festival bill but probably wouldn't seek them out. Great Crazy Train cover though
In Flames 8/10 - Enjoyed them a lot but felt they were one of the few main stage bands that suffered soundwise. The vocals needed turning up just a little bit.
Bossk 9/10 - Great band to just allow yourself to get absorbed by and enjoy the moment
Killswitch Engage 4/10 - The sound was perfect, but as a band they're just dull and uninspiring for me, though I was clearly in the minority. Lead singer's stage patter was cringey and awful too
Candlemass 9/10 - Fantastic end to the day, the vocals were slightly reduced from record presumably due to age but overall it was almost as good as I could expect it to be

Saturday
Royal Republic 10/10 - One of the performances of the weekend. Everything about them was right. The music was fun, they clearly wanted to be there and their enthusiasm was infectious. I hope to see them back in the future.
Employed to Serve 7/10 - A solid UK band who will likely return in the future. The heavens opening up as they came to stage probably didn't help them as they were a few points better when supporting Gojira earlier in the year
Abbath 6/10 - Suffered immensely with vocal sound levels. Part Abbath, part wind I imagine.
Triptykon 4/10 - Not sure why they were so high on the bill, it's not like they've never played Celtic Frost stuff before. Sonically they sounded great but with a charisma vacuum Tom G Warrior really doesn't have it as a frontman anymore and it left a number of my party bored and disappointed overall
Trollfest 9/10 - Perfect palate cleanser. Immense fun and allows me to describe my weekend to my coworkers as "I saw 7 flamingos play Britney Spears on a kazoo" without elaborating further
Meshuggah 10/10 - Immense from start to finish. The sound was perfect and the performance was imperious. Headliner of the weekend for me
Brothers of Metal 8/10 - Fun power metal but I wish the band wasn't dominated by its least talented member

Sunday
Uuhai 8/10 - I thought that they would be budget The Hu but was pleasantly surprised when it became clear they offer a lot more with regards to melodies and higher vocal ranges. Was different to the usual and was very welcome
All Hail the Yeti 6/10 - Were okay but probably not something I'll listen to again
Decapitated 8/10 - Solid performance from start to finish, huge stage presence
Ugly Kid Joe 9/10 - Despite knowing them relatively well I wasn't expected much but got a superb set with most of the songs I wanted, crowd participation and a great Ace of Spades cover. Another good palate cleanser and a great way to break up some heavier bands
Sepultura 8/10 - Always a solid performance but I do feel a bit sorry for Derrick that the crowd only really woke up for the four big hits at the end
KK's Priest 6/10 - Solid enough musically but clearly a band driven by K.K's ego considering the 500 K's adorning his stage wear and the constant videos of him in Judas Priest in the video behind. That said, appreciate them stepping in at the last moment
Zeal & Ardor 10/10 - I was a little concerned that the project wouldn't work well live, but in a lot of cases the harmonies in the vocals and the soul of the clean vocals carried even better. Phenomenal
Megadeth 8/10 - Dave can't hit the high (or even some of the mid) notes these days but somehow still manages to pull off the stage presence and performance to keep the audience captivated. You know what you're going to get with them and they still shred. A great ending to the festival for me.

[metaldinosaur]

Didn't do the Thursday, always started late and generally watched less bands than normal, but a good time was had, for sure.

Friday:-

Hate 6/10 - Yeah, it was solid. bet there better in a small venue, tbh.
Gatecreeper 6.5/10 - Gave a lot of energy. Perhaps I'm a bit to old school for them (or just too old) but I can see what people are into them, for sure.
Sacred Reich 7.5/10 - One of the bands I came for. Fine performance, but didn't go beyond that. However they have some cracking songs, and they rolled most of them out with a punch.
Fury 5/10 - as soon as I entered the tent the singer started to go on about sexism. How reductive. I guess, I cant get away from political internet bollocks even at a metal fest, urg. Music was ok, and they played ok.
Heaven Shall Burn 8/10 - Never heard them before. I assumed because of the logo/name/italic that they were a metalcore band. Sounded more like melododeth to me. Really committed, super well played. Loved it. And to be frank completely out played...
...In Flames 6/10 - They played fine. Its just a taste issue. I just wanted some more old songs. Christ, I've seen them like 7 times, and I've still yet to hear anything from Jester Race!
Gaerea - 6.5/10 - Good set. Yes, it feels like they have stolen Mgla's shtick, but I found the vocalists contortions more engaging than the Polish band live outings. Mgla are the better band on record though.
Killswitch Engage 5/10 - Didn't watch it all, to get to the front for Candlemas, but it was actually fun enough. I'm glad I watched most of it, but I know its not for me really.
Candlemass - 8.5/10 - The vocals were a bit low in the mix to start with but it was a very powerful performance. Only the second time I've seen them, didn't disappoint.

Saturday:-

Crowbar 6.5/10 - Another good performance. nothing more, nothing less.
Abbath 6.5/10 - I wanted more Immortal tracks (and the rest of the crowed seemed to agree) but I still enjoyed it.
Triptykon (Playing Celtic) 8/10 - Love Celtic Frost. But I have to say its not the same without Ain, that guy just has a presence that Tom lacks. Still, a committed band playing classic tunes.
Meshuggah 7.5/10 - Not really my band, but I must admit, it was well done. reminds me of Dream Theater, in terms of precision. The sound was perfect.
Brothers of Metal 9/10 - Maybe it the last band of the day viking/power/party fuelled context, bur that was loads of fun.

Sunday:-
Tribulation 4/10 - Bit flat. Ok on record and I've seen them be better, but for me they struggled to connect.
Decapitated 7/10 - Solid performance. But I've seen them better tbh, perhaps been such a heavy touring band takes its toll a bit.
Sepultura - 7/10 - Shockingly, it was the first time I've seen them! The hits hit big and the the rest of the set was enjoyable too. nice.
KK's Priest 9.5/10 So, the last minuet replacement was the band of the weekend. The over the top intro, trying to sell the (half unknown) band felt very forced, but when that was out of the way, they crushed it. K.K's was resplendent, the other members were 100% committed (the bassist's joy was palpable) and Ripper stole the show. Honestly, I can't believe I'm saying this... but he sang the Priest songs how I always imagined them to be. I even got a bit emotional at the end.
Megadeth 9/10 - There first Bloodstock performance will always be my favourite, but this one came close. Brilliant finish.

Oh, and Biohazard we're good too - 7.5/10 (through a beer soaked mind).

[Skippy]

Thursday
Frozen Soul - 4/10 - No reflection on them - not my thing at all but friends wanted to watch them. Wandered off after a few songs.
Visions of Atlantis - 8/10 - Far more like it, very enjoyable good singalong band to properly start the festival
Skynd - 9/10 - seemed an odd choice for Bloodstock, but I've been obsessed with these for a while and I thoroughly enjoyed them

Friday
Witchsorrow - 6/10 - solid and unspectacular as ever.
Wytch Hazel - 6/10 - really enjoyed their Christian shtick at first, but the novelty wore off quickly and the singer's voice seemed to strain after a few songs.
Hate - 5/10 - sub par Behemoth, not something I'm particularly fond of. Decent for a few songs.
The Enigma Division - 6/10 - very enjoyable musically, but the singer seemed very nervous and lacked stage presence
Sacred Reich - 4/10 - very much not a thrash fan, and might not have given them long enough.
Zetra - 8/10 - was going to give them a miss, but ended up wandering in and thoroughly enjoyed them. Big fan of shoegaze and they were right up my alley.
Square Wild - 6/10 - solid, but I wasn't feeling it for whatever reason.
Heaven Shall Burn - 6/10 - good at what they do, but what they do bored me after a while. Every song sounded the same to me.
In Flames - 7/10 - sound was a bit muddy, but they were enjoyable with what they did.
Bossk - 8/10 - always great.
Killswitch Engage - 8/10 - I've never been a fan, but they put on a good show. Missed a good chunk of their set, but was probably for the best as I'd have been bored not knowing the songs, and I enjoyed what I did see.
Candlemass - 7/10 - actually quite disappointed as I've been wanting to see them for a while, but they had the air of drunken pub band who didn't want to be there. Still, good music.

Saturday
Urne - 6/10 - not really my thing but decent band to start the day.
The Grey - 7/10 - way more my thing, a big shock for me.
Royal Republic - 7/10 - didn't give them a proper chance, which is a shame as they looked very enjoyable.
Tribe of Ghost - 8/10 - a band who deserve the success they are getting, they have a different sound and do it well.
Casket Feeder - 2/10 - very not my thing - stayed in the tent due to the rain and friends wanting to see them, but very quickly left.
Abbath - 6/10 - Ack.
Gutalax - 5/10 - I understand they are grindcore and a joke band anyway, but did they just play one song over and over again?
Trollfest - 7/10 - good fun band, but the vocals could have done with being turned up.
Drownd - 9/10 - Find of the weekend for me, apparently I was in the mood for something gothy. Very fun band
Meshuggah - 3/10 - I should like them by all rights. I just don't.
Brothers of Metal - 8/10 - great, enjoyable band with some catchy tunes. Great way to end a night.

Sunday
Phoenix Lake - 7/10 - wanted to watch Ofnus but couldn't make it that far. Good fun band.
Dead Label - 4/10 - again, not my cup of tea and didn't seem to do anything special to make themselves stand out.
Uuhai - 9/10 - wasn't expecting much more than a Hu knockoff, and maybe they were but they were very enjoyable and a highlight of the weekend.
Cobra the Impaler - 8/10 - wasn't expecting much, wasn't a huge fan listening to them before but they were incredibly energetic.
Decapitated - 4/10 - probably unfair me rating bands like this, but I watched them. Not for me.
Invisions - 4/10 - I'm not a huge fan of metalcore, but I listened to a song before the festival and enjoyed them. Unfortunately, did nothing for me live. Heard the song I liked then left.
Sepultura - 6/10 - never been big on them as a band, perhaps its Roots overshadowing everything else they do while not being a very good song. They gave a pretty good show for what it was.
Embodiment - 7/10 - again, not really my thing but I was in a spot and they hit it pretty well.
KK's Priest - 8/10 - this is gonna be controversial - better than actual Judas Priest.
Zeal and Ardor - 10/10 - sound was a bit muddy but they are and will forever be band of any festival they ever play.