Bloodstock Open Air 2024 (Day Two) : A Stamina-Testing Day with Architects, Deicide and More [Photos]

It only feels like yesterday that we were stood in the hallowed fields of Catton Hall as Bloodstock Open Air 2023 delivered a weekend of quality heavy music but, here we are again in August 2024, as this year’s event promised to deliver one of the most diverse line-ups yet.

With something for everyone, from the groove-soaked rock of Clutch to the brutal death metal of Deicide with a bit of progressive metal, thrash and Celtic folk/punk in between, this year’s line-up was stacked up with must-see bands.

Our day two kicks off with the dramatic sounds of Ukranian metallers Ignea. With the national flag flying from her microphone stand, whether you’re packed on the barrier or slowly getting into the swing of the day, it’s hard to ignore vocalist Helle Bohdanova who switches effortlessly from melodic singing to gut-wrenching roars. Straight after the opening act, it was a quick dash to the Sophie Lancaster Stage for unpeople. Offering something quirkier and slightly more musically diverse than many of the other bands on the Bloodstock Open Air bill, there was more than a nod of appreciation around the early morning punters and deservedly so.

Following their performance on the Sophie Lancaster stage, Finnish symphonic deathcore outfit Enemies Everywhere quickly made it onto the list of ones to investigate further. More than a passing nod to Lorna Shore, the Finns used symphonics to create a huge, epic sound while their frontman possessed the gutturals and stage presence of Will Ramos, impressive stuff. Cranking up the energy levels, Brazilian thrashers Crypta are next on the Ronnie James Dio stage. An unrelenting assault of raging thrash, vocalist and bassist Fernanda Lira gurns and grimaces her way through a set of pit-ready death/thrash anthems. Smashed out with full-throttle ferocity, Crpyta left the stage having ensured anyone within a two mile radius was now wide awake.

Hailing from New York, Ludovico Technique brought a dash of goth magic to the Sophie. With a commanding stage presence and his masked band, the eerie, somewhat romantic traditional goth offered something of a diversion from the heaviness of elsewhere this weekend as the vocalist showed that goth in 2024 is in quite a healthy state. Bloodstock Open Air went old school next on the RJD stage as Bay Area thrash veterans Forbidden. Featuring Chris Kontos, formerly of next year’s headliners Machine Head, the Bay Area band offered no respite in the savage opening quarter of the bill. A blistering display of prime Bay Area thrash metal, Saturday was proving to be a test of stamina for the Bloodstock crowd with those in the pit demonstrating they were up to the task.

There was a time when artists like Mimi Barks wouldn’t have got near a festival like Bloodstock Open Air. However, such is the shift in dynamics of the extreme music scene that the industrial like grind and Barks’ almost psychotic on stage presence goes down a storm in this busy tent. The hugely popular Canadian power metal troop Unleash The Archers were next up on the main stage drawing a huge crowd to the main arena. Again perfectly suited to the traditional metal element of the Bloodstock crowd, the Canadian outfit justified their main stage mid-afternoon Saturday slot, with a powerhouse performance led by an attention-grabbing performance from vocalist Brittney Slayes.

Now, if we’re talking about testing the stamina of the crowd, the final bands on the main stage certainly did that. First up Florida death metal legends Deicide made their long-awaited appearance at Catton Hall. While there was uncertainty about whether the band had actually started or were still soundchecking, Glen Benton and the current incarnation of the band slammed through their set with hellish fury. Mixing up old classics with more modern cuts, Deicide pummelled the audience to near submission. Catching classic rock band Asomvel seemed like a wise move after the onslaught of Deicide although if you were expected a let-up in the pace, you were left disappointed. The hard rocking quartet hit the stage like a bullet train whipping the crowd into a fist-pumping, headbanging frenzy with their AC/DC meets Airbourne riff-drenched rock.

The unrelenting assault continued on the mainstage with the return of Tennessee deathcore mob Whitechapel. Packing their guttural savagery with neck-snapping grooves, the pinpoint accuracy with which the deathcore band smash through their set shows a band who are at the top of their game while the range of vocalist Phil Bozeman showed why the frontman is always hovering around the upper reaches of any “Top Extreme Metal Vocalists” lists. As if to push things even further, Las Vegas industrial metallers Combichrist were in equally punishing form. Battering through their Ministry meets Slipknot grind, the Las Vegas band put in a session that was even more mesmerizing than their last main stage visit to Bloodstock.

One of the most anticipated sets of the weekend surely went to Saturday special guests Malevolence who had flown over 3,000 miles just for this show. The Sheffield lads repaid Bloodstock by delivering one of the most spectacular sets in Bloodstock history. Whipping the crowd into an absolute frenzy from the off, the entire floor soon turned into a swirling circle pit as bodies were spat over the barrier in record-breaking numbers. One of the hottest bands in UK metal right now, the Sheffield maulers have earned their rights to own this stage and, as the last notes rang out around a decimated main arena, Malevolence left having conquered the hallowed turf of Catton Hall claiming it as their own. Sadly, and through no fault of their own, for Reading progressive metallers Sylosis, Bloodstock 2024, was not one of their finest hours. Barely a couple of songs in and technical issues brought the set crashing to a halt. Nearly fifteen minutes later the band were struggling to restore any semblance of a set so this seemed like a good point at which to take a much needed respite before the final push.

And so to Saturday main stage headliners Architects. How they would follow the mayhem that preceded them we were about to find out. By the end of their set that question was answered in one word. Stunning. Confetti cannons explode as the Brighton outfit drill into their set with a performance that befits the importance of the Saturday night slot. Taking time out to thank the crowd for their support, frontman Sam Carter leads Architects through a slick, polished set wrapping up with hit single “Animals”. A magnificent end to the day from a band who put anyone in their place who had doubted their rights to this headline slot.

Bloodstock Open Air returns in 2025 when it will be headlined by Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira. For more ticket details head over to the Official Bloodstock Website.

Check out our extensive gallery from day two here:

Bloodstock Open Air (Day Two) @ Catton Hall (Derbyshire, UK) on August 10th, 2024

150 photos