Bloodstock Open Air 2024 (Day Three) : Amon Amarth, Carcass and More Take Over Catton Hall [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.

A late start meant only arriving on site as Raised By Owls were ploughing through their entertaining set. However, later in the day, judging by the queue of fans waiting to meet the band (and Sam’s Mum), they clearly went down a storm. Much like Cultura Tres, a tribal-inspired metal band who featured Sepultura bassist Paulo Jnr. However, due to prior Sepultura duties, the bassist is replaced by Dave Ellefson formerly of Bloodstock headliners Megadeth. “We love you Dave,” a voice shouts out from the crowd with many fans clearly happy with Cultura Tres choice of replacement.

Over on the Sophie Lancaster Stage, UK deathcore troop Osiah sledgehammered through their set. Still promoting their Unique Leader Records 2023 album Kairos, their energy-sapping savagery was pummelled home with devastating precision. Back on the Main Stage, traditional heavy metallers Beast In Black were a hit with the crowd. Full of heavy metal anthems, their set was packed with the kind of synchronised moves that would have won gold in the Olympics while the smiles on their faces showed they were enjoying it just as much as the crowd. A quick trip to the New Blood Stage saw one of our finds of the weekend. Akkadian are one of those bands you just hope get the break they need to shift up the bill because this is a band who deserve a bigger crowd. A cocktail of crushing metal, electronics and atmospherics, this was a time where you walked in with no expectations then left having found your new favourite band.

Back over on the Sophie Stage, hardcore crew Grove St. were upto all sorts of mischief as a constant flow of crowdsurfers in inflatable boats had pit security working over time. Heading back to the main stage and Greek metallers Septic Flesh were in full flow. Thundering through their atmospheric death metal, the Greeks may have arrived at Catton Hall as the temperature started to raise but this sunburnt crowd lapped up their death metal onslaught. Now for one of the draws of the weekend The Night Flight Orchestra, a band whose return to Bloodstock Open Air has been a long time coming. Pop, power metal, heavy metal and a conga around the main arena, their set was all about fun which even the most hardened metal fan couldn’t have helped but join in with.

One of the more intriguing bands of the day was Barcelona-based band Ankor who delivered a sizzling set of alternative metal bangers. Fronted by the captivating Jessica Williams, Williams was flanked by a band who are utterly mesmerizing to watch. The next couple of acts on the Sophie Stage saw US thrash veterans Sadus slam through a set of pit-mauling thrashers while British favourites Xentrix drew a massive crowd eager to slam it up in the pit to their raging neck-snappers. Between the two thrash outfits over on the Main Stage, Celtic Punk and Bloodstock Open Air curveball, Flogging Molly brought a Flogging Molly party to Bloodstock with a set that was absolute perfection. Tossing out a can of Guiness into the crowd, vocalist Dave King shouted “there is plenty more where that came from…” to a parched but grateful Bloodstock crowd.

And so we head to the final laps of what has been an immense Bloodstock Open Air weekend. First up Moldovian metallers Infected Rain brought their ferocious, dramatic alt-metal to the Sophie Lancaster Stage with tattooed, dreadlock-whipping vocalist Lena Scissorhands stalking the stage while her band smash through their set. Special Guests on the Main Stage were none other than Liverpudlian grindcore favourites Carcass. A band who this festival has seen blossom through their phases, the Scouse outfit are now a devastating, clinically precise gore/death metal machine and deliver the kind of blood-spattered set a Bloodstock Open Air audience demands.

Closing the Main Stage for 2024 were none other than Swedish viking metal titans Amon Amarth who were simply unstoppable. Putting on a true heavy metal masterclass, they crammed as much into their ninety minutes on stage as they could. From searing pyrotechnics and viking warriors to audience rowing, the Swedish band left nothing in the rehearsal room for this one. Fists pumped, heads banged and everyone bellowed these anthems until they were hoarse. Flames lit up the stage were frontman Johan Hegg, dwarfed by their now familiar viking horns/statues stage set, could do nothing but stand and smile at the reaction to what will go down in history as one of the best headline sets Bloodstock Open Air has experienced.

So it was left to Norwegian black metal legends Satyricon to wrap up the weekend as Sophie Lancaster stage headliners. Now, if like us, you were intrigued to see how Anthrax bassist Frank Bello would fit into the band, this was the place to be. Incredibly, this unusual combination worked as, despite Bello clearly wanting to go batshit mental on stage, you soon forget about his day job instead sitting back to bathe in the cold-hearted savagery dished out by Satyr and the rest of the band. An hour later and metal-weary Bloodstockers passed through the exits with the iconic Motorhead Bomber lighting rig hanging above them at the end of what has been another unforgettable weekend.

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 three here:

Bloodstock Open Air (Day Three) @ Catton Hall (Derbyshire, UK) on August 11th, 2024

165 photos