The legendary Bloodstock Festival has once again provided an unforgettable weekend for metalheads, packed with Sun, Satan and some of the most epic moments that will be remembered for years to come.

by Felix Bartlett | Aug 14, 2024

---

Yes, it’s bittersweet that festival season is winding down, but if you were among the fortunate ones to experience Bloodstock 2024 at Catton Park this weekend, you already know just how spectacular this years rendition was! This year’s edition pushed boundaries, with Brighton’s metalcore titans, Architects, headlining Saturday night, Opeth closing the Friday night with a setlist crafted by the fans, and Amon Amarth sending fans off into the sunset with their iconic Viking rowing.

But beyond these legendary performances, we’re here to shake off those post-festival blues by reliving some of the most epic moments from this year’s Bloodstock. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

Grove Street

Kicking things right off we have to start with the absolute mayhem unleashed by Grove Street. Not even a Sunday hangover could keep us from diving into the pit for this one—or, in some cases, over it, as fans and guest vocalist Connor Spittle from Lesser discovered when an inflatable dinghy was thrown into the mix.

The chaos was perfectly matched by the Southampton hardcore crews on-stage energy, rivaling the wildest shows from thrash legends like Municipal Waste. With more hardcore acts taking up slots on the Bloodstock 2025 lineup Gove Street have shown with their Sophie Lancaster set that soon enough they’re going to need a bigger boat to take on the main stage.

FrogLord

Take one part Sleep Token and one part frog worshiper. Blend that together and you’ve got yourself some saucy sludge metal that’s sure to draw in a crowd. Addressing the packed out Hopical Storm New Blood Stage with “Do y’all motherfuckers like frogs!?” to a crowd full of appropriately attired fans set the tone for what was a silly but epic end to the final day of the festival. Regardless of this being the hottest day of the festival the Bristol’s Forglord delivered an impressive set filled with doom riffs and stoned psych winning over those not already converted to the Forglord cult.

LEMMY tribute & exhibition

At some point, we have to ask ourselves how many things can and have been done with Lemmy’s ashes? Seemingly having popped up in various locations across the years at places like Hellfest and Wacken Open Air Festival with some of his ashes even ending up at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood. Now we can add Bloodstock to the above list who paid tribute to the legend this weekend by unveiling a bust of Lemmy containing some of his ashes. The memorial at Bloodstock also featured a number of Lemmy’s personal items like his hat, coat, and boots, as well as Milky Way bars from the band’s last tour in 2015.

If that wasn’t enough the bust was presented to the Bloodstock crowd on Friday evening on the Ronnie James Dio Stage by none other than Motorhead’s Phil Campbell.

Check it out below:

Absolence

A big part of the Bloodstock experience is discovering incredible self-signed and unsigned talent brought to the festival via the Metal 2 the Masses competition. The winners of this year’s edition, Merseyside’s metalcore band Absolence, proved just how vital this platform is. Their blistering riffs and powerful vocals on the New Blood stage on Friday evening set the bar high for the following two days, delivering a performance that rivaled some of the festival’s biggest acts—complete with a crowd to match. If you missed them, make sure to follow their socials and catch them next time. This is a band you definitely don’t want to sleep on.

Architects debut headline

Opeth and Amon Amarth both delivered outstanding sets, making them weekend highlights in their own right. However, Architects brought something different. While Opeth and Amon Amarth are seasoned Bloodstock veterans for Architects however, this was uncharted territory. Bloodstock, known for favouring heavier acts, was a new stage for the Brighton metalcore crew, and this marked their first-ever headline slot at the festival.

The set went off with a bang, and a sold-out Saturday proved that Architects were more than worthy of the headline spot. While some fans might have hoped for a few heavier throwback tracks, anthemic songs like ‘Animals‘ and ‘Deep Fake‘ made for an epic performance—one of the band’s best to date. Whether you loved it or not, it’s hard to deny that the future of Bloodstock could see more headliners like Architects sooner rather than later.

Mimi Barks

The likes of Doom Trap might feel out of place at a festival notorious for its black, death and thrash metal, but Mimi Barks certainly didn’t. With a MacBook instead of guitars, you might have wondered what kind of set was in store. The answer? A sinister and intense assault on the senses that few would have expected from the German doom trap icon. New tracks like ‘MONTANA’ and ‘House Full Of Fakes’ from her upcoming album THIS IS DOOM TRAP pulled you in with its dark and heavy beats, providing a unique and unforgettable experience. With Bloodstock 2024 embracing new and previously unexplored genres, Mimi’s set proved that this gamble was well worth the reward.

Hatebreed

Whoever said walls of death aren’t fun has clearly never been to a Hatebreed concert. After facing backlash when the band made their Bloodstock debut way back in 2014, naysayers were quickly silenced with what was hailed as one of the best sets of the weekend. Fast forward 10 years, and the Bridgeport metalcore crew felt right at home on the Ronnie James Dio Stage, basking in the afternoon sun as they celebrated their 30th anniversary. The fiery set was a non-stop barrage of bangers, with tracks like ‘To The Threshold,’ ‘Perseverance,’ and ‘I Will Be Heard’ sending the crowd into mosh mayhem, complete with the band’s signature Ball Of Death.

Straight for the sun

Hot off the release of their first single in two years, the Birmingham-based alternative metallers faced a challenging 10:30 a.m. slot on Sunday morning on the New Blood Stage. Although the crowd wasn’t as large as for some of the earlier sets that weekend, Straight For The Sun didn’t let that stop them. They delivered a spectacular performance, one that stood out from anything else we’d seen over the weekend. With heavy, mournful riffs and an energetic stage presence, their influences from System of a Down and Rise Against were clear. Their new track ‘Pulling Teeth’ proved to be an instant hit, winning over new fans—including myself. With a tour coming up later this year, this is a band you’ll want to keep on your radar.

Malevolence

Go big or go home! Where do we even begin with this? Malevolence went above and beyond during their Saturday slot, shattering expectations and setting a weekend record with 901 bodies (plus a wheelie bin) flying over the barricade. In 23 years, the festival has never seen a mosh pit as massive as theirs. Could Malevolence be the next big name to headline? It’s looking likely. Tracks like ‘Malicious Intent,’ ‘Karma,’ and ‘Keep Your Distance’ drove the crowd into an undeniable frenzy, cementing their place as a standout act of the weekend.

Green lung

“Are you on shrooms? If you are they should be kicking in right now“. Yes, this is a Green Lung concert and if you haven’t heard of them or experienced them live then get stuck in right now. If you asked someone who they were to see on Friday chances are you’d get ‘Green Lung’ as the answer. This was one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend and after the stoner doom London metal outfit took to the stage we finally understood why. Every note, every word is performed with passion and precision. The band find a way to bring you into the Green Lung cult with the crowd left hanging on every word to this ritualistic experience. The buzz about Green Lung has been present for a while now and for many this weekends solidified that marking the band down as one of the best acts of the weekend.

Bloodstock 2025 Lineup Announcement

Bloodstock has always been known for treating its fans to an early surprise and this year was no different. The staff behind the scenes have been working tirelessly to top the bill each year and Bloodstock 2025 does that and more! Friday night rolled around and at 8pm fans were greeted to one hell of an announcement! Cheers and roars of applause could be heard across the site as next year’s lineup was introduced one by one.

Topping the bill at Catton Park next August will be legendary metal heavyweights Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira.

Headlining the Sophie Lancaster Stage next year will be Me And That Man, Kataklysm, Static-X and Obituary.

And there’s even more, with Emperor, Lacuna Coil, Orange Goblin, Creeper, Kublai Khan TX, The Black Dahlia Murder, Lord Of The Lost, August Burns Red, All For Metal, Breed 77, 3 Inches Of Blood and Feuerschwanz.

What was a legendary year is soon to be followed by one of Bloodstock’s best lineups to date and we can’t wait to be back in the field bringing you coverage once again!

Bloodstock 2025 takes place at Catton Park in Derbyshire on August 7 – 10. Tickets are available here