Powerwolf's 'The Sacrament of Sin' - Album Review

Regular readers of this blog will probably have gathered by now that I am quite a big fan of power metal. After classic rock and traditional heavy metal, power metal was probably the next rock 'sub-genre' that I got into while my music taste was being developed. Power metal played a big part in shaping my love of melodic rock and metal and, while I do not listen to the genre's biggest bands as much I used to, it is still something that I like a lot. Knowing this, it might surprise some to learn that one of the genre's biggest hitters, Germany's Powerwolf, have never been one of my favourite power metal acts. I have never really been more than a casual fan of the band, although seeing the band live last year when they toured Europe with Epica certainly increased my opinion of them. I own a few of their albums, and enjoy them all to some extent, but their live show took the band's material to another level. Since then, I have been listening to the band more often and this time actually made the effort to pick up their latest album, The Sacrament of Sin, on release day. Powerwolf were formed back in 2003, and have kept up a pretty regular release schedule ever since. The Sacrament of Sin is the band's seventh album, and those familiar with the band's previous works will instantly recognise the style. It is the band's first album since 2015's Blessed & Possessed, breaking the band's usual 2 year album cycle by putting an extra year between the two releases. This is the longest wait that Powerwolf fans have had to between albums since the band began, but I am sure that few will be disappointed with the results. This is the first Powerwolf album that I have listened to with the thought of reviewing it in mind, so it has been on fairly regular rotation in my house over the past month. I was familiar with the band's sound and, while this new album does little to shake things up, certainly delivers another album packed full of catchy power metal anthems with the band's trademark faux-Catholic imagery. Powerwolf's music is full of twisted religious imagery, changed up for a slightly comic effect, mixed with werewolf legends. This might be oversimplifying things slightly, but that description accurately sums up the band's style. The synths that usually fill power metal albums are replaced with organ sounds throughout, which helps to emphasise that religious feel, while frontman Attila Dorn's lyrics poke fun at the church and tell ludicrous tales at the same time, in a way that befits the epic backing. I think the word that sums up Powerwolf the best is 'fun', but they are not overly self-aware in the way that Alestorm have become. They seem to set out to create the most epic, yet accessible, music that they can and The Sacrament of Sin does that in spades. I defy anyone to listen to this album and keep a straight face throughout - it is probably impossible!

The album opens with tolling church bells and some dramatic strings, before the band kick in with the main riff to Fire & Forgive, with Dorn's rich, booming vocals really setting the tone. The song is pretty upbeat in that classic power metal mould with drummer Roel van Helden's fast double bass drumming keeping things moving. The short pre-chorus sections provide a slight change of pace, with Falk Maria Schlegel's organ providing a demonic backing to the Latin lyrics, before the band once again explodes in for the anthemic chorus. These 'fists in the air' type choruses are Powerwolf's speciality, and this is an instantly catchy one despite the obvious familiarity with the band's previous work. Demons are a Girl's Best Friend is more of a mid-paced offering, with Schlegel's organ providing the main hooks during the intro while the two Greywolf 'brothers' provide a crunchy backing with their guitars. This song was chosen as one of the album's singles, and I can see why because it really pushes the melodies to the fore. The verses are stripped back in that way that so many 1980s hard rock singles were, which allows Dorn's vocals to really dominate, before the big organ playing from the intro forms the basis of the chorus and the band lay down some huge wordless vocal melodies which are sure to really take hold live. Killers with the Cross is a similar, and opens with some spooky spoken word vocals that sound like they could have been taken from old an old 1950s horror film. This sets the tone nicely, and the song certainly fits with this horror theme nicely with the organ constantly filling the gaps between the other instruments and the guitars adding snaking riffs when they get going. Again the verses here are fairly stripped back, but the chorus here is heavier than the previous song thanks to some tougher riffing. The guitars in Powerwolf often form more of a backing for the vocals and keyboards, but they seem a little more prominent here and there is even a lengthy solo that impresses. Incense & Iron introduces a slightly folky feel to the album, with the guitars and keyboards duelling a catchy melody, which later forms the basis of the chorus. Folk metal is not something that I usually associate with Powerwolf, but this slightly deviation into that territory suits the band - and there is still enough of the band's typical sound to make it obviously Powerwolf. The chorus is a really catchy one, and one I imagine will really impress live with a crowd getting behind it. This is a song that is less spooky and Hammer horror than the rest of the band's catalogue, but still has that classic Powerwolf feel.

Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone is a ballad, and is based around some piano melodies from Schlegel. The band have done a few ballads in their career, but it is not something they are particularly known for. This one is decent enough, but I do not think it is something that they really excel at. The piano playing is strong enough, and Dorn has a voice that can be adapted for ballads, but I just feel that Powerwolf are a band better suited to the more anthemic and uptempo material. The change of pace is appreciated however, and it is still a perfectly listenable tune. Stossgebet, looking at the lyrics, is sung in a mix of Latin and German. The mix of languages is interesting, and the song - to me - has bit of a Sabaton feel to it. The chorus certainly sounds similar to something the Swedish band might have come up with (although with lyrics about war of course!). The powerful melodies ensure that the different languages do not hamper my enjoyment of the song. Powerwolf are not a band with world-beating lyrics in any case, so I am probably not missing out too much from not being able to understand them! This is certainly a powerful number, that is one of the most bombastic on the album. Nightside of Siberia is more of a guitar-led piece, with memorable riffing during the intro and verses that are bulked out with plenty of guitar rhythms rather than letting the keyboards do all the work. In fact, the keyboards are mixed well into the background here, giving the song a much meatier and heavier feel than anything else on the album. Dorn's vocals have a slight rougher edge too, which helps to emphasise this. While I do not feel that this song is as catchy as many of the others on the album, the overall bulk of the song helps it to stand out. It is good to see the Greywolf brothers cutting loose a little more here too. The album's title track is up next and opens with some spooky riffing before exploding into some traditional power metal twin lead guitar riffing. After quite a few mid-paced songs, it is great to hear another fast one - with the energy never really letting up throughout the piece. The chorus is classic old-school Powerwolf, with plenty of fast drumming and Dorn's fast-paced but clear vocals. It is one of those songs that is over so quickly because of the relentless pace, but it leaves its mark on the album, and adds an injection of pace into the album's second half.

Venom of Venus returns to the more mid-paced feel that dominates the album and once again features lots of prominent keyboard work from Schlegel. For whatever reason though, this song just does not hit home in the way that many of the others do. The chorus is still pretty memorable, but the song just feels a lot more laboured than many of the others. A couple of short twin lead guitar solos are the song's highlights however, and it really makes me wish that Powerwolf included more of this sort of thing in their music. Great guitar solos are always enjoyable, and in my opinion it is not something that the band do enough. Nighttime Rebel is much better however, with the keyboards providing dramatic melodies, and the guitars constantly adding heaviness. Sometimes a lot of Powerwolf's music is metal by default and not all that heavy, but this one has some serious weight behind it, as well as a stadium-filling chorus. The whole band work together to pull of the anthemic chorus, before a lengthy guitar solo section fills the song with lots of melodic shredding. This is one of my favourite pieces on the album, as it contains all of the things that make Powerwolf fun in my opinion. The album's final number Fist by Fist (Sacralize or Strike) mixes mid-paced verses with fast choruses. It maintains the heaviness of the previous track, with less atmospherics and more in-your-face guitars. The organ is still there, but it is mixed more into the background to allow for the tough rhythms to really drive the piece. The chorus is another winner and ensures that the album goes out on a high. It is the sort of melody that is likely to continue to be in your head after the album finishes, which is always a good sign! Overall, The Sacrament of Sin is another enjoyable power metal album from Powerwolf that sticks closely to the band's winning formula. While it would be nice to see the band taking a few more risks here and there, the memorable nature of most of the album will no doubt ensure its success.

The album was released on 20th July 2018 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Demons are the Girl's Best Friend.

Bloodstock Open Air 2018

2018 shall ever be known as the 'Year of the Festival' for me, as I attended three within the space of a couple of months! The final of the three was the biggest, and saw me once again making the trip from Devon to Catton Hall in Derbyshire for the UK's premier metal weekend - Bloodstock Open Air. While I am no BOA veteran when compared to others who have been going since the weekend's 2001 genesis, this iteration of the festival was my third. I went for the first time back in 2015 because my then-usual festival, the Cambridge Rock Festival, had a year off, and then returned again in 2016 and did CRF and BOA back-to-back - something I vowed to never do again! I decided not to go to last year's BOA because, on the whole, the line-up was not to my taste. I had enjoyed both 2015 and 2016 however, so was always up to returning to the festival in the future if the line-up was right. The bands playing a festival is always the main factor which I consider when deciding whether or not to buy a ticket. Some people like to go regardless as they enjoy the festival experience as a whole but, for me, it is the bands that can really make or break the weekend. This year however, BOA's line-up seemingly continued to improve with each announcement. While there was still a fair bit of the generic death/extreme metal acts that have really started to clog up the BOA line-ups in recent years, there was also a strong contingent of more melodic bands, which was enough to persuade me to purchase a ticket. It was the announcement of Judas Priest as one of the three headliners that really made me want to return to Catton Hall once again. Their presence, as well as that of Nightwish, Kamelot, Orphaned Land, Orden Ogan, and Amaranthe - among others - made the weekend ticket worthy of the it's price, and the festival became something of a big fixture in my year's calendar. My appetite for festivals in general however was severally dented by my recent experience at Steelhouse Festival - which took place a mere two weeks before BOA. The almost-constant rain really limited any true enjoyment of parts of that weekend, and actually forced me to leave early. With the weather forecast for the BOA weekend not looking too great, it was certainly with trepidation that I boarded a train at Plymouth station on the Thursday morning and headed up to Lichfield ready to catch the shuttle bus to the festival site.

Thankfully, it would seem that the weather forecasts I had seen had somewhat overestimated the amount of rain that the area surrounding the festival site would see. When the shuttle bus dropped me off at the site, it looked as if the ground had not seen much rain for quite a while. I joined the long queue to get in, something which seemed to be a real bone of contention for last year's festival goers. I have no memories of any lengthy queues when I arrived at the festival on the Thursday in 2016, but this year it took me around 90 minutes to get into the campsite from joining the back of the queue. It seems that with the festival's recent increase in capacity, the organisers have not seen fit to actually increase the entrance area or work on making the process any more efficient. Standing in the queue for that long was all rather tiresome, but my experience does not seem to have been as bad as some that I read about last year, so maybe some improvements have been made. Once I finally made it into the festival site, I headed straight for Asgard, the campsite I camped in last time. BOA goers tend to camp in similar places each year, so I chose to do the same. Asgard had largely been a quiet and chilled out place in 2016, and for the most part that was also the case this year. I chose a spot towards the back of the campsite and near the lane so I could easily find my tent in the dark. Setting up camp did not take long, as my little tent it very easy to erect, so it was not long before I was heading into the arena for the first time to get a feel for what was on offer. The music had not started yet, so I wandered around to see what food choices were on offer. I opted for a pizza, as I needed something filling as I had not eaten at all that day (I forgot to bring the lunch I had made!). There were a lot of food choices as usual, but the prices were all rather high. Festival food is always fairly expensive, but this year many of the stalls really crept over the acceptable level for me. I appreciate that the traders often have to pay quite hefty fees for their pitches, but by reducing their prices a little I am sure that they would actually shift more food. The price increase was the same for the large CD/LP dealer that is always on site, although a still managed to find a few things to purchase, including a couple of nice AOR LPs that I doubt many who attend BOA would be interested in! By this point the music on the Sophie Lancaster Stage (hereafter called the Second Stage) had started, but openers Hundred Year Old Man were playing some fairly generic death metal to I made no effort to go and see them. I took my LPs and CDs back to the tent, and headed back to the arena for the first band of the weekend that I had planned to check out. On the Thursday night, music only happens on the Second Stage, so there was little to choose from but a few bands sounded promising...

Fire Red Empress:
The first band I made the effort to check out were the five-piece rock band Fire Red Empress, fronted by the charismatic Jennifer Diehl. She certainly made for an engaging presence on stage, but sadly the band really lacked the songs to back this up. As is often the case at festivals the sound mix did little to help Fire Red Empress shine, but I did not get the impression that this hid the band's hooks or melodies in any way. Diehl bounded around the stage with ease, but nothing that she sang stuck. There was not a chorus in the band's set that even remotely caught hold, and crowd (which was not exactly small) rarely seemed to get going. A Beastie Boys cover did get some heads moving, especially down at the front, but the original material really left a lot to be desired. I am happy to say however that the vast majority of the bands I saw at BOA after Fire Red Empress were much better, so it was definitely a case of onwards and upwards as the band left the stage to muted applause at the end of their set.

Skiltron:
Following Fire Red Empress on the Second Stage were Argentinian folk metellers Skiltron, who instantly upped the energy in the tent and delivered around 40 minutes of their bagpipe-drenched music to a receptive crowd. Hailing from Argentina, and currently fronted by a Geordie, it may surprise listeners that tales of Scottish folklore and rebellion fill the band's albums. Skiltron pull it off however, with plenty of folky melodies from both Emilio Souto (guitar/vocals) and Pereg Ar Bagol (bagpipes) helping to bring the stories to life with some authenticity. Bands like this are often fairly one-dimensional, and Skiltron certainly do only one thing, but they do that one thing very well and I enjoyed their entire set despite their songs getting rather samey after a while. Battle hymns like Lion Rampant and Bagpipes of War are real folk metal anthems, and are certainly far more interesting than many other bigger folk metal acts. Unsurprisingly the crowd were much more receptive to Skiltron's set, and the band received a strong reception throughout, helped by frontman Martin McManus' interaction and enthusiasm. The band's set ended on a high with a self-titled song, and Skiltron left the stage having made their mark. They are certainly a band I will make more effort to listen to in future.

I had little interest in the remaining bands of the day, so wandered over the smaller New Blood Stage to see what was going on in there. I found that films were being shown in there, so settled down to watch the first episode of the mockumentary Bad News Tour, featuring the fictional heavy metal band Bad News, which was part of the TV series The Comic Strip Presents... in the 1980s featuring actors like Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, and Rik Mayall. I, surprisingly, had not seen it before and found it to be pretty funny which helped me to wind down after a long day of travelling. I had contemplated watching the Russian folk metal act Arkona who were headlining over in the other tent, but I decided instead to get an early night as I was pretty tired by this point. Sleep, as was often the case over the weekend, did not come that easily as it was rather cold over the Thursday night. I must have caught patches of sleep however, as I woke up fairly refreshed on Friday morning ready for a fairly full on day of music. After slowly getting ready I headed back into the arena for the first band of the day, which were opening the New Blood Stage - a smaller stage which BOA uses to showcase new talent, most of which are not signed to record labels. Many of the bands playing the New Blood Stage won regional competitions to appear at the festival, and it was great to see bands from all over the UK appearing throughout the weekend. First up was...

Turbyne:
The Scottish progressive metal six-piece were the first band of the day, and I have to say that I was totally blown away by their half an hour on stage. I am rarely blown away by an unknown band, but Turnbye's melodic, and mature sound was just the thing I needed to kick start the festival proper. Featuring the dual vocal attack of Keith Fleming (vocals) and Gary Gillespie (vocals/keyboards), the band mixed crushing harsh vocals with soaring cleans to suit the band's varied and dynamic music. Calum Walker (guitar/vocals) was one of the most impressive guitarists of the weekend, laying down plenty of technical riffs as well as soaring solos that really helped to lift the spirits of those gathered in the tent so early. While the band's songs were long and quite complex, they still featured plenty of melodies to latch onto. Gillespie's clean vocals in particular were easy to become engrossed in, but that is taking nothing away from Fleming's screams which really kicked the band into overdrive when he opened his mouth. When the band's half an hour set came to a close at 11am I was in shock at how much the band had impressed me. I have seen so many bands over the past ten or so years, so it is quite rare for me to be quite so bowled over by an act I previously knew nothing about. Turbyne are a band I will follow closely from now on, and I have already ordered a copy of their debut album Origins & Endings which I am sure I will love!

Following Turbyne's excellent set, I had no interest in the generic bellowing of Feed the Rhino who were the weekend's first band on the Ronnie James Dio Stage (hereafter called the Main Stage), so I purchased a delicious paella and ate it while sitting out of the way of the action. After I had eaten, Feed the Rhino had finished the stage crew were setting up the Main Stage's next offering...

Onslaught:
While I am no more than a casual fan of thrash, seeing thrash live is often worthwhile. It tends to be more of an American thing, but there are a few British bands who have been flying the thrash flag over here for quite some time, and one such example is Onslaught. While never really making it big, the band are cult heroes over here, and drew a big crowd despite the fact the weather gradually turned fairly nasty as they played. Throughout their set, the early morning hot sun was replaced by some quite potent rain, which saw me head back to my tent for my coat towards the end of the band's set, causing me to miss the last couple of numbers. What I saw from the band impressed however, with everything stemming from sole-founding member Nige Rockett's (guitar/vocals) chunky riffs. New guitarist Wayne Dorman (formerly of the British power metal act Dakesis) added plenty of fluid solos throughout and often really lit the proceedings up as the rain started lashing down. Long-time frontman Sy Keeler has a great voice for thrash, and snarled his way through the material with that slightly punky feel that often gives thrash its edge. The band debuted a new song too, which will be a part of their first new album for a few years when it arrives, and on the strength of this performance I will probably seek to check it out when it is released.

By the time I got back to my tent, the rain was pretty heavy so I decided to stay in the safety of the tent to remain dry for a while. I had planned to head back an watch hard rockers Fahran on the Second Stage, but the heaviness of the rain had made me loose all enthusiasm for that so I took a little break and waited for it to ease. It did not take too long to for the rain to stop, so when it eased I headed back into the arena (now with my coat!) ready to catch the fourth act of the day on the Main Stage...

Wednesday 13:
The horror punk of Joseph Poole (aka Wednesday 13) might not be the usual sort of thing that Bloodstock books, and a few eyebrows were raised at his inclusion on the bill, but the veteran performer set about showing why he deserved to be at BOA 2018 from the off with his The Shining-inspired opening and a set that was filled with constant theatrics and gimmicks. While not as in-depth as performers like Alice Cooper or Marilyn Manson, Wednesday 13 still puts on a show. His music is pretty basic, but the horror-themes lyrics and crunchy gothic riffs are the perfect backing for his antics - complete with many costume changes and props. I knew little of his material, but he and his band kept me entertained for the duration of their set. There were fire-breathers which sometimes joined him on stage to add an extra visual element, and I think it is fair to say that he managed to win a fair chunk of the crowd around to his side by the time he ended the set with the evergreen I Love to Say Fuck - a song even I knew! I am sure a lot of the metal purists that attend BOA did not enjoy his set, but I think Wednesday 13 was a fun addition to the festival, and added a little flair to the day. He was certainly preferable than yet another generic death metal act at any rate!

Bloodbath:
Talking of death metal, the next band on the Main Stage were Bloodbath - a death metal supergroup made up of famous names from the genre. I am not a big fan of death metal, but thought I would give Bloodbath a go - and they passed the time while never really getting under my skin. The band is currently fronted by Paradise Lost frontman Nick Holmes, who's trademark dry Northern humour was on full display throughout the set. His introductions to the songs were some of the best parts of the set, but the band's music was still impressive despite not really being my thing. Anders Nyström (guitar/vocals) proved himself an excellent guitarist throughout, with some excellent doomy riffs; while long-time Opeth drummer Martin Axenrot really laid into his kit. Despite somewhat enjoying the band's set, I did find my mind wandering as time went on. I find death metal to be quite samey, and Bloodbath certainly did little to change my mind. However, it was great to see some of the legends of the genre playing to a good-sized crowd - and it is good to step out of your comfort zone from time to time.

As Bloodbath finished, it was announced that Suicidal Tendencies, who were due to follow them on the Main Stage, were running late so had swapped places with the band Lovebites on the Second Stage. Lovebites had been one of the bands I had earmarked to check out, so stuck around to see their set...

Lovebites:
The Japanese five-piece are currently making quite a name for themselves in the metal scene, despite only releasing one album, and their hard-hitting power metal sound appealed to me. While their live sound mix was sadly not the best, I still enjoyed their set which was packed with fast, anthemic power metal from five Japanese women who were all true masters of their craft. A lot of metal from Japan is very image-conscious and manufactured (e.g. Babymetal), but Lovebites are the real deal and they really impressed me from the off. The band's two guitarists, Midori and Miyako, are a formidable duo, and really set the Main Stage on fire with their solo trade-offs in each song. Both are masters of melodic shredding, and the two players really impressed. Frontwoman Asami's voice is not quite to my taste, but she still can really deliver and went about delivering the band's anthemic choruses with ease. Comparisons can be made between Lovebites and bands like DragonForce, although Lovebites feel overall heavier due to the lack of overt synths. Like DragonForce however, the vast majority of Lovebites' songs are fast and relentless, which ensured that their set whizzed by and was over before I knew it. I would not have minded if they had played for longer, but it seemed that the last minute change of slots cost them a bit of time as they probably had to really rush to assemble their gear. I will certainly be keeping an eye on them in the future however, and will endeavour to check out their debut album soon.

Kamelot:
Up next on the Main Stage was Kamelot, one of my most-anticipated bands of the weekend. For a couple of years Kamelot were one of my very favourite bands and, while I may not listen to them now as often as I did between around 2010 and 2012, they are still a band that I love. With many power/symphonic metal acts at Bloodstock relegated to early slots, it was great to see Kamelot third from the top of the bill and with an hour to play with. After Lovebites finished I made my way down as close to the front as possible, and had a good vantage point for Kamelot's set, and what a set it was! The band came on stage to a orchestral backing, and immediately went into Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire), the lead single from their latest album The Shadow Theory. Frontman Tommy Karevik took to the stage took to the stage in a somewhat industrial get-up, complete with a hood, and sung the moody verses with his usual expressive croon. He exploded into the powerful chorus too and, despite a slightly muddy sound mix during the first couple of numbers, it was clear that Kamelot meant business. Being a festival set, the band played a good mix of material from their back catalogue, including plenty of old favourites which were gratefully received by the large crowd. Rule the World and the soaring When the Light Are Down saw plenty around me singing along, while newer numbers like Insomnia - with Oliver Palotai's (keyboards) keyboard solo really impressing - showing that the current incarnation of the band can still churn out anthemic pieces. Only two numbers from the new album were included, with Amnesiac being the second. Current touring vocalist Lauren Hart, from Once Human, added some lovely harmonies during the choruses - after already displaying her ferocious growls during the opening number. The middle portion of the set saw the band pull out some of their faster songs, with the perennial favourite Center of the Universe really getting the crowd going. Palotai's keyboard melodies really drive the song, but founding member Thomas Youngblood (guitar/vocals) kept things going with his tough rhythms before launching into a guitar solo to take the song to the next level. A short drum solo from current touring drummer Alex Landenburg followed, before this led into the percussive March of Mephisto - another setlist staple - that was a chance for the crowd to pump their fists to the rhythm. The song has always been a powerful live number, and it was great to see a band like Kamelot getting a strong reaction from a Bloodstock crowd that is often fairly ambivalent to anything remotely considered power metal. There was still time for a couple more, and a short keyboard solo led into Forever, which was another moment for the crowd to shine with a sing-a-long section led by Karevik. The song was a triumph, and it was left to the heavier newer number Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy) to close things out with Karevik and Hart trading vocals. Kamelot took their bows to a huge cheer, and they seemed genuinely surprised by the strong reaction. They certainly put on the performance of the day for me, and I am already looking forward to seeing them again in October when they bring their European tour to London! The setlist was:

Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)
Rule the World
Insomnia
The Great Pandemonium
When the Lights Are Down
Amnesiac
Veil of Elysium
Center of the Universe
Drum solo
March of Mephisto
Keyboard solo
Forever
Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)

I decided to stick around after Kamelot's set to check out the legendary black metal act Emperor, who were Friday's special guests on the Main Stage. I moved further back to where the sound desk was, and watched the band's first couple of numbers but they did very little for me. Black metal very often leaves me cold, and I wanted to like Emperor but found the very muddy sound a hindrance, as well as the lack of any real melody in their music. I decided to have some dinner and then head back to the tent for an hour or so to rest up a little, and headed back to the arena for the day's headliners...

Judas Priest:
Bloodstock goers have been asking for Judas Priest to be booked as headliners for years now, and this year the festival managed to make it happen and so the Metal Gods descended onto Catton Hall to a heroes welcome and possibly the biggest crowd I have ever seen at the festival. The band are currently promoting their latest album Firepower, so featured a few of their new numbers in the set as well as classics from throughout their career. The band's setlist was a great mix of well-known fan favourites as well as songs that had not been played for quite a few years before this tour. While this may have left some of the more casual fans scratching their heads at times, for those of us who were well-versed in the band's catalogue it was a real treat. Firepower got things off to a great start, with frontman Rob Halford displaying is still-impressive vocal range during the thrashy choruses, and Ritchie Faulkner (guitar/vocals) attacking the guitar solo with glee. With Glenn Tipton's recent retirement from live performances due to his Parkinson's Disease, Faulkner now handles the vast majority of the guitar solos, although touring sideman Andy Sneap (guitar/vocals) also had a few chances to show off. Early highlights for me were the fast 1970s metal of Sinner and the creepy The Ripper with some excellent Halford vocals. While still possessing a great voice, Halford himself looked a little off the pace at times. Sometimes singing the first couple of the lines from the side of the stage while changing his outfits which was a little strange. He is not quite the frontman that he was, but he still can deliver the goods (pun intended). Long-time fans enjoyed hearings songs like Saints in Hell and Tyrant live again, while setlist staples like Turbo Lover really got everyone singing. Towards the end of the set however it was the time for the real classics to shine. Judas Priest are one of the ultimate metal bands of all time, so hearing some of their classics played live at the best metal festival in the country was a real treat. Freewheel Burning was a powerful number, and a short call-and-response vocal section from Halford heralded the introduction of You've Got Another Thing Comin'. A Judas Priest show would not be complete without Halford's bike, and he rode out on it once again before the band launched into Hell Bent for Leather which was greeted with a huge cheer. Scott Travis (drums/vocals) then powered through the iconic drum intro to Painkiller which brought the main set to a close with it's thrashy feel. The band briefly left the stage, and returned with Tipton in tow to huge cheers. Tipton has been joining the band occasionally when he feels well enough to do so, and played the four-song encore with the band which featured three classics from 1980's British Steel as well as another new one. Breaking the Law was sung with glee by all in attendance, before the future classic No Surrender was also well received. It was left to Living After Midnight to bring the set to a close, and I am sure that those in the crowd would agree that the decision to keep asking for Judas Priest to headline had paid off! The setlist was:

Firepower
Grinder
Sinner
The Ripper
Lightning Strike
Bloodstone
Saints in Hell
Turbo Lover
Prelude
Tyrant
Night Comes Down
Freewheel Burning
Guardians
Rising From Ruins
You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Hell Bent for Leather
Painkiller
-
Metal Gods [w/ Glenn Tipton]
Breaking the Law [w/ Glenn Tipton]
No Surrender [w/ Glenn Tipton]
Living After Midnight [w/ Glenn Tipton]

I had thought about checking out Doro's headline set on the Second Stage after Judas Priest had finished, but she was already in full swing by the time I was passing the tent and thought it was probably best that I got some sleep instead. I will be seeing her in November with Saxon, so the draw to see her this time was just not as great as it could have been. I headed back to my tent after a busy day, and luckily found sleep much easier to come by. I slept well enough to have a bit of a lie in in the morning too, which was nice. Saturday started off lovely and sunny, but by the evening the weather had turned quite nasty. This, couple with the fact that the line-up was not as suited to my tastes as the other days, meant that Saturday was the weakest of the three full days for me. There was, however, still plenty to see so I headed into the arena in time to catch the first band on the Main Stage...

Nailed to Obscurity:
Opening proceedings were the German doom metal act Nailed to Obscurity, who played around half an hour of their slow, ponderous music was fairly well received by a small but appreciative crowd. I am not the biggest fan of doom, but I do enjoy bands like Paradise Lost and there was certainly a hint of Halifax's finest in Nailed to Obscurity's sound, despite a much larger death metal influence. The vocals were largely harsh, but occasional frontman Raimund Ennenga sung clean - which certainly left a lot to be desired. His harsh vocals were powerful however, and fit the slow-moving riffs nicely. Being the first band on their set was short, which ensured that they did not outstay their welcome. Despite the fairly small crowd too, a side-effect of being on so early, the band seemed to be enjoying themselves and those who were present certainly seemed to appreciate the band's efforts. Doom bands will never really be my thing, but I did not dislike Nailed to Obscurity, and they passed half an hour or so quite nicely.

There was time for a bit of lunch (paella again) after Nailed to Obscurity's set finished, and by this point the arena was filling up nicely. There reason was the next band on the Main Stage, who have really been gaining traction of late...

Power Trip:
The Texan five-piece thrash newcomers really are the darlings of the metal world at the moment, and there was certainly a lot of hype surrounding their appearance at the festival. It was probably this hype that ensured that so many people made the effort to check them out, and I doubt many were disappointed. As I said earlier, I am not the biggest fan of thrash but there are some bands that really catch my attention, and Power Trip are one of them. I had been enjoying their second album Nightmare Logic in the run up to the festival, and was looking forward to see if they could deliver live. The answer is that they could, and they proceeded to put on one of the highest energy sets of the weekend and helped to cement their reputation as the next big thing in thrash in the process. A couple of older numbers Divine Apprehension and Suffer No Fool got the set underway, with Blake Ibanez's (guitar/vocals) razor sharp riffs really propelling the band forward. It was drummer Chris Ulsh that really stood out for me however, as he played on one of the smallest kits of the weekend and managed to get through a whole set of break-neck thrash metal without using a double bass pedal! He has a very punky style of drumming, as indeed Power Trip in general clearly has a punk side to them, and it was great to see some good, old-fashioned drumming that did not rely on endless double bass drum rolls. Most of the set came from the latest album, but it was Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe) that probably brought the biggest cheer. The gang vocals in the chorus were perfect for a large festival crowd to latch onto, and frontman Riley Gale even went crowd surfing during the song which brought a huge cheer. The more deliberate Crucifixation and the lightning fast Firing Squad were also popular choices, and when the set came to an end with Manifest Decimation it felt as if Power Trip were doing their lap of honour. I think it is fair to say that Power Trip received one of the biggest reactions (outside of the headliners) from the crowd all weekend, and I am sure the organisers will try and book them again in the future - possibly with a longer set! The setlist was:

Divine Apprehension
Suffer No Fool
Soul Sacrifice
Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)
Crucifixation
Nightmare Logic
Firing Squad
Manifest Decimation

Orden Ogan:
The German progressive/power metal four-piece Orden Ogan were up next, and they were one of the bands I had been looking forward to checking out. While they are not one of my favourites of the genre, I own a couple of their albums and have been a casual fan for a while. Sadly, for whatever reason, the band's set just did not really excite me and I was left a little cold by their performance. I feel that the main issue was the fact that, for some reason, they were just so much quieter than everyone else on the Main Stage. The bands either side of them were nice and loud, but Orden Ogan's melodic sound just seemed to lack any real power. This may have been the fact that the band relies on tapes for a lot of their symphonics etc., or maybe it was the lack of bass due to the fact that frontman Seeb Levermann had hurt his hand so bassist Niels Löffler was playing his guitar parts instead. Either way, the band really lacked teeth - which was a shame as I had heard many good things about their live performances previously. I do not think that the issues were really the fault of the band, who seemed to be having fun on stage and elicited a strong reaction from sections of the crowd, but they definitely hampered my enjoyment of their set. Things did seem to improve somewhat towards the end of their set, and the last couple of numbers sounded better. A fairly large sing-a-long was conducted by Levermann during the final number, which raised the energy levels somewhat, but as the band walked off stage afterwards I could not help but feel their set was a missed opportunity. It is always a shame when bands disappoint, and it is worse when the issues are down to something largely outside of the band's control like a really muddy sound mix that really hampered the band's lush and technical music from really showing itself.

Septicflesh:
Things then took a heavier turn on the Main Stage with the Greek symphonic death metal legends Septicflesh taking to the stage to showcase their heavy and dramatic material. The sound issues that hampered Orden Ogan were gone, and Septicflesh sounded nice and loud, with their symphonic backing sitting nicely alongside the band's more traditional instruments. As I have said a few times already, death metal is not something that I usually enjoy a great deal, but Septicflesh are more interesting to me than your average death metal act due to their symphonic backing. The gothic strings really work well with the band's heavy riffs, and Seth Siro Anton's (vocals/bass guitar) primal roars sounded great. I am not that familiar with the band's music, but they kept me interested throughout their 45 minutes on stage, which is quite a rare feat for an extreme metal act. The only thing that was slightly disappointing was the fact that the occasional clean vocals, which are performed in the studio by Sotiris Vayenas (guitar), were part of the backing tracks rather than performed. I can understand why all the symphonic trappings cannot really be recreated live, but lead vocal sections are really something that should not be piped in. That niggle aside, I enjoyed Septicflesh's set, and it is always nice to to impressed by something that it outside of your usual realm of interest.

Venom Inc.:
Venom Inc. were the fifth band in a row which I saw on the Main Stage, and brought an end to a pretty impressive run of performances on the Saturday afternoon. Venom Inc. Venom Inc. were formed in 2014 by two founding members of the NWOBHM band Venom - Jeffrey 'Mantas' Dunn (guitar/vocals) and Anthony 'Abaddon' Bray (drums) - as well as another former member of the band Tony 'Demolition Man' Dolan (vocals/bass guitar). BOA booked the 'real' version of a Venom a couple of years ago, so I was interested to see how this incarnation of the band compared. I remember the 'real' Venom not sounding the best at BOA 2016, but Venom Inc. were a different story and put on a high-energy set filled with classics from the Venom catalogue, as well as cuts from their first album Avé. Dolan's voice is not as harsh as Venom frontman Cronos', so his more traditional take on the vocals made Venom Inc. sound more like a proper heavy metal act rather than a thrash/pseudo-extreme metal band that the original Venom were back in the early 1980s. While the live sound mix was not the best, the band's energy and power still came across well, and they made a lot of noise for a three piece. I am not that well versed in Venom's catalogue, but I really enjoyed Venom Inc.'s set. It was great to hear some back-to-basics metal after a run of more involved bands, and the fact that Mantas suffered a heart attack earlier in the year and still managed to get up on stage and perform with the energy that he did is a real testament to his spirit, and the spirit of metal in general. The crowd seemed to enjoy them too, with a large sing-a-long erupting during Black Metal. Their set was over very quickly, which is always a sign of having had a good time, and I have made a mental note to expand my knowledge of Venom's catalogue in the future.

My legs were feeling it after spending a few hours in more or less the same place, so I headed back to the tent for a bit of a rest as I had an hour or so before the next band I wanted to check out. I find that taking little breaks at festivals is important, as otherwise your legs and feet just start to really hurt! I appreciated the lie down, and headed back into the arena and over to the New Blood Stage to catch the next band I thought sounded interesting...

Aonia:
Aonia are a seven-piece symphonic metal act from Sheffield, and I had seen a lot of people wearing their t-shirts throughout the weekend. I am quite a fan of symphonic metal, so was looking forward to checking them out, but I have to say I was not as impressed by the band as I hoped I would be. The band certainly were not bad, but their songs were mostly in that mid-paced, plodding symphonic metal territory that lacks the dynamism and power of the genre's best examples. The live sound mix was not that great either sadly, which often meant that the vocals were buried beneath a wall of guitar and drums. Aonia have two frontwomen, who both have excellent voices, but they were extremely similar. I like bands with multiple singers, especially when those singers each bring something different to the table, but Aonia's two singers pretty much sounded the same. When they sung together however it created a very powerful sound, but the constant operatics became a bit much after a while. I like the pseudo-classical vocal style that many of the early symphonic metal bands used (although many have largely abandoned it now), but it does begin to grate after a while when it is used exclusively. I would have liked to have seen some more 'traditional' vocals used in places, so that the operatic vocals would have had more of an impact when they were used. That being said, I did not dislike Aonia's set, and they managed to pull quite a crowd which was great to see.

I hot-footed it over to the Second Stage after Aonia finished, ready to catch Voyager's set. Luckily for me there were no major clashes at BOA 2018, with the exception of Voyager clashing with Alestorm. It took me a while to decide who to watch, but I opted for the techy prog metal of Voyager over Alestorm, simply as I had seen Alestorm before a couple of times and Voyager do not make it over to the UK that often...

Voyager:
The Australian five-piece definitely suffered from being put on at the same time as Alestorm, who almost certainly pulled a massive crowd, but those of us who opted for Voyager instead were treated to an excellent show by one of the most original bands on display at the festival. Voyager's particular brand of progressive metal is unlike anything else, with hints of traditional metal, modern djent, fulfilling pop, and even electronica. The band's two guitarists drive the songs with their angular riffing, but frontman Daniel Estrin's (vocals/keyboards) synth patterns often added playful melodies atop the low-end assault. Djent music on the whole does little for me, but the way Voyager mix the mechanical sound with more melodic elements make it extremely interesting. Estrin is definitely the band's secret weapon however, with a unique soaring voice that is instantly him the moment he opens his mouth. Occasional passages of harsh vocals add colour here and there, but he largely sings clean which often provides a nice contrast with the heavy riffs. He often sung in harmony with Alex Canion (bass guitar/vocals) too, which added some real meat to many of the songs' melodies. I am only casually familiar with the band's work, but the song Misery is Only Company really stood out early on, with the aforementioned harmonies really playing a big part. Another highlight was when one of the songs descended into a full-on techno assault, with synths flying everywhere - something that prompted many in the tent to break into a dance. This was certainly something that is not seen too often at BOA, and I am sure those who made the effort to check out Voyager's set appreciated the diversity on offer. I will have to get myself some more of the band's albums in future, and I will be keeping an eye out for any future UK tours.

During Voyager's set the rain had started to come down quite heavily again so, as I had little interest in any of the bands on for the next hour or so, I decided to head back to the tent. The death metal legends Cannibal Corpse really did not appeal, so went to seek shelter instead. The weekend was starting to catch up with me and I actually ended up having a nap. This was not planned, but it was obviously needed and I woke up just before 9pm feeling fresher. The Main Stage headliners Gojira were about to start their set, so I sorted myself out and headed back to the arena - the entrance of which was now pretty muddy! By the time I had gotten ready and walked in, I had missed the band's first few numbers, but settled myself near the back of the large crowd to catch Saturday's headliners...

Gojira:
The French four-piece metal band were a band I first saw back in 2007 when they supported Trivium, and I have had a bit of an on-and-off relationship with them since. On the whole, Gojira's music does not really do a whole lot for me, but I find the band to be extremely interesting none-the-less. I think it is fair to say that Gojira are a unique band, with a sound quite unlike anyone else's, so I appreciate the band's efforts and respect their status even though I would not call myself a true fan. I saw a couple of numbers of theirs at BOA 2016, where they were the Saturday's special guests, before wondering off and I also saw them later that year supporting Alter Bridge where they impressed. Of the four times I have now seen Gojira live, this was by far the best occasion and the band put on a show worthy of their headline slot with a fantastic light show and visual spectacle to go with their visceral and heavy music. There was talk of Gojira being a small headliner by the festival's standards, but the size of the crowd showed that this certainly was not the case. I am casually familiar with the band's catalogue, so recognised some of the songs played. L'Enfant Sauvage was a personal highlight for me, with Joe Duplantier (vocals/guitar) and Christian Andreu (guitar) teaming up to nail the complex tapping riff. Gojira have a really unique approach to melody, with off-kilter guitar leads often sitting atop really bass-heavy rhythms, all driven by Mario Duplantier's precise drumming. I always love watching him play, as he has such a heavy, yet mechanical style that really suits the band's music. His drum solo was fun to watch, which led into The Shooting Star with it's big, discordant riff. The main set came to an end with a powerful version of The Gift of Guilt which brought a huge reaction from the crowd, who called the band back for an encore. Fireworks heralded the end of the band's set, and I think it is fair to say that Gojira had totally triumphed. While I doubt I will ever become a true fan of the band, this was a masterful performance from a band that seem finally ready to really launch themselves into the big time.

I stayed near the back as I wanted to make sure I could make it over to the Second Stage in time for that stage's Saturday night headliner. Luckily Gojira finished a little early so I had plenty of time to walk over to the tent and make my way down towards the the front for my most-anticipated act of the day...

Orphaned Land:
The Israeli five-piece Orphaned Land are a band that I have really grown to love over the past year or so. I first saw the band supporting Blind Guardian back in 2015, and since then my opinion of them has slowly risen. Their latest album Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs is one of my favourite albums of the year so far, so seeing a good-length set from the band was something I was really looking forward to. While I sure many were still on a high from Gojira's set to check out what Orphaned Land had to offer, there was still a pretty large crowd crammed into the tent by the time the band started their set and those who stuck it out until the end witnessed 75 minutes of masterful progressive metal with a strong Middle Eastern flavour. The band took to the stage in darkness, and proceeded to play The Cave, the lengthy opening number from the new album. The sound of strings filled the tent, while the band's two guitarists drove the song with their interlocking, snaking riffs. Frontman Kobi Farhi is a real presence, and pretty much had the whole crowd following his lead from the off. He had the crowd clapping the strange rhythm to All Is One early on, and unleashed his powerful growls during the mid-paced atmospheric metal piece The Kiss of Babylon (The Sins). Farhi's vocal talents are something special, with his rich lower clean vocals really hitting the spot throughout. His Middle Eastern accent gives his voice a unique sound, and he often sounds as if he is calling his fans to prayer with his music. The more straight ahead power metal of the new single Like Orpheus showcased this, and the chorus was picked up by those of us in the crowd who were familiar with it, while the heavier We Do Not Resist was a chance to headbang. There were lots of highlights in the band's set, but to me it was mostly the newer songs that stood out. Let the Truce Be Known, from the band's 2013 effort All Is One, is a peace song for the ages and the message seemed to resonate with those present strongly. This was followed up with the double billing of In Propaganda and All Knowing Eye - the second of which had some gorgeous flowing guitar solos for both Chen Balbus and Idan Amsalem to impress the crowd with. The main set came to an end with In Thy Never Ending Way, a song which featured one more soaring Middle Eastern melody for Fahri to encourage the crowd to sing. The crowd obliged, and coaxed the band out for a couple more. The furious Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War allowed the crowd to once more let themselves go with an all-out metal assault, before the band's more atmospheric closing piece Norra el Norra (Entering the Ark) (with the Ornaments of Gold outro) brought Saturday's music to a close with a triumphant rally of strings. Orphaned Land definitely put on the set of the day for me, and it was great to finally see a full length set from this challenging and original band. The setlist was:

The Cave
All Is One
Ocean Land (The Revelation)
The Kiss of Babylon (The Sins)
Like Orpheus
We Do Not Resist
Sapari
Let the Truce Be Known
In Propaganda
All Knowing Eye
In Thy Never Ending Way
-
Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War
Norra el Norra (Entering the Ark)/Ornaments of Gold

The rain had been falling fairly persistently during Orphaned Land's set. so when they left the stage just before midnight I trudged back through the muddy pathways to my tent and hunkered down for the night. My little tent, which is quite old now and was only cheap, has definitely seen better days and there are parts which now let water in. Thankfully this was only a small amount, but it was enough to cause concern, so toilet roll was laid down to soak up any excess water! The rain continued all through the night, but luckily when I woke up in the morning everything inside was still mostly dry. Sleep had not come too easily, as someone camped near me decided to start shouting at around 3am and did not let up for an hour or so. Even so, I still woke up on Sunday morning feeling fairly fresh and was ready for one more day of music. It was still raining lightly as I was getting ready, and I headed into the main arena to catch the first band on the Main Stage...

Monument:
It had taken me a little longer to get ready than I had realised, so by the time I reached the Main Stage they had already started playing. Despite the rain however, there was still a decent-sized crowd gathered who were enjoying the band's traditional heavy metal sound. Monument contain three ex-members of the excellent, but hilariously unstable White Wizzard, so those familiar with that American band's sound will understand exactly what Monument are about. This was Iron Maiden worship of the highest order, but done really well with a singer (Peter Ellis) who could hit some impressive high notes. Most of the band's songs were based around fast-paced twin-guitar melodies, which helped to shake some of those early morning cobwebs off of those who were still feeling the effects of the lack of sleep. Despite being pretty unoriginal, Monument were an easy band to enjoy. Their melodic approach to songwriting made their material easy on the ear, and a high-energy stage presence certainly helped them stand out early on on a day that was packed full of highlights.

Evergrey:
Up next on the Main Stage were the Swedish dark prog metal masters Evergrey, a band that certainly deserved a higher slot. They made their 40 minutes count however, and were blessed with the rain easing off somewhat and a good-sized crowd venturing out to catch their show. I have been a fan of Evergrey for years, but I still feel like their is a lot for me to discover in their music. I had seen them once previously, which was a support slot with Delain a couple of years ago, and their set at BOA was very similar to the one they played then. Tom S. Englund (vocals/guitar) and co. kicked off their seven song set with the heavy Passing Through, from their latest album The Storm Within, which is based around a deep guitar riff and a big atmosphere from Rikard Zander's synths. The band's newer material dominated the set, with the brooding Black Undertow being a highlight. What makes Evergrey truly stand out from the crowd is Englund's vocals, which are more haunting and emotionally-charged than many others in the progressive metal world. He does not reach for high notes and showcase his power, but instead lets the lyrics really dictate his delivery, which gives the band's songs real staying power. He is the band's only founding member left, but Evergrey is still a real team effort with long-time guitarist Henrik Danhage really pulling his weight too with some excellent solos throughout. It was the last two songs in their set that impressed the most however, with the piano-driven A Touch of Blessing turning the clock back to the band's successful mid-period, while Jonas Ekdahl's marching drum intro heralded the closing number King of Errors which is one of my favourite Evergrey songs. The chorus is so memorable, and Danhage's excellent guitar solo ensured that the band finished on a high. This was one of the performances of the day, and it was a shame that Evergrey did not have more time to play with, as a band of their stature really deserved more of an outing. The setlist was:

Passing Through
The Fire
Leave it Behind Us
My Allied Ocean
Black Undertow
A Touch of Blessing
King of Errors

Amaranthe:
Following Evergrey were fellow Swedes Amaranthe, and their set turned out to be the most chaotic of the weekend. The band were plagued with technical issues, so much so that they started around 20 minutes late and only had time for six songs. The band seemed to be delayed in starting in the first place, but then the intro tape started playing and the band started to make their way onto the stage before the drummer made some kind of signal and everything stopped. I assume there were issues with the click tracks, or his ability to hear them, but the musicians were left on stage in front of an expectant crowd with no way of being able to play. To fill the void, bassist Johan Andreassen took to the stage with a microphone and attempted a bit of a stand up routine to keep the crowd entertained. In fairness, he did fairly well given the circumstances but his jokes wore thin after a while - especially when he resorted to (probably) mildly offensive impressions of the Scottish and the Irish which I am sure did not go down well with certain portions of the crowd. Frontwoman Elize Ryd then took to the stage to apologise for the delay and announced that they would be starting soon, and a few minutes later Amaranthe took to the stage again - and this time managed to play a few songs! Despite this however, the sound mix was awful. The person on the desk clearly had no idea how to manage the band's three lead vocalists, and their technique seemed to be muting microphones at different times and guess when each vocalist was going to sing. This meant that the vocals kept dropping in and out, giving the set a very disjointed and amateurish feel. That being said, the band soldiered on through and managed to put on something of a show for the good-sized crowd. Maximize opened the show, but it was not until the tougher Dynamite that things seemed to fall into place somewhat. The last couple of numbers were the best, and suffered from fewer sound issues, which allowed the band some room to breathe. New clean male singer Nils Molin proved himself to be a good fit, and reworked his parts on Hunger and The Nexus to suit his voice. Ryd is still the star of the show however, and displayed some impressive vocals and good humour despite all of the technical issues. I doubt that the band endeared themselves much to the on stage crew however, as I saw the stage manager give Olof Mörck (guitar) the signal that they had to finish, which he promptly ignored and headed straight into The Nexus! After all the issues they faced I think they deserved that last song, and I would like to see Amaranthe back at the festival in the future to make up for the missed opportunities faced here! This was a set that definitely did not reach it's full potential, but not really down to any fault from the band. The setlist was:

Maximize
On the Rocks
Dynamite
Call Out My Name
Hunger
The Nexus

Something I have not mentioned so far is that Bloodstock always runs a signing tent, with some of the bands agreeing to meet fans and sign autographs for a limited period of time each day. Evergrey's signing session followed Amaranthe's set, so I joined the small queue to meet the band. I had brought my CD copy of The Storm Within to be signed, and the band were all very gracious and seemed to enjoy meeting all the fans who had enjoyed their set. It is always good to see bands that seem genuinely grateful for the support, and I was happy to meet a band who I have liked for quite a while. I took my CD back to the tent following the signing session, and made my way back into the arena in time for...

Fozzy:
The American five-piece hard rock band Fozzy have been around for nearly 20 years now, and were formed by professional wrestler Chris Jericho (vocals) as an additional creative outlet. Despite Jericho's fame from him lengthy WWE career, it is fair to say that Fozzy have long established themselves as a successful entity in their own right, and have quite a large fan base all over the world. The band's fairly generic radio rock was definitely a bit of a strange fit for a metal festival like BOA, and there were a few eyebrows raised when they were announced. Despite a potentially hostile crowd, Jericho and co. hit the stage like they meant business, and steamed through around 45 minutes of their riff-heavy alternative rock which seemed to go down well with portions of the crowd. Jericho himself was a very captivating presence on stage, and really worked for the crowd's reactions. He did not let up throughout the band's set, even taking himself into the crowd for one of the songs and partying with the fans down at the front. Despite his strong presence, I could not help feeling that, for part of the band's set at least, Jericho was miming. Regardless of whether or not he was, as the rest of the band seemed to be picking up a lot of the vocal slack, there was something about the way Jericho's voice sounded pre-recorded. I have since seen lots of people online who were wondering the same thing, so I am glad it was not just me who was having these thoughts! If he was miming, then that is inexcusable for a live performer. It is a shame because he is genuinely a captivating presence on stage, but his performance was cheapened by the thought that he could be miming. Fozzy's music is very bland for my taste anyway, so if he was miming it would not really upset me, but that is the sort of thing that should not be happening at BOA - or anywhere for that matter!

I headed back to the tent for a short break after Fozzy's set, and prepared myself for the last run of bands. I headed back to the arena for an anticipated set on the Main Stage...

Mr. Big:
Like Fozzy, Mr. Big's announcement raised a few eyebrows from the 'tru metulz' crowd who would love to see the festival packed with wall-to-wall extreme metal - but for those of us who love more melodic music Mr. Big's inclusion in the line-up was a treat. While they are more of a melodic 1980s hard rock band that a real metal act, they are an extremely influential band and are made up of some of the most respected musicians in the business. I had not had the opportunity to see the band live before so this set, despite only being 45 minutes, was a real treat. Knowing the BOA crowd might not be the sort of people that they usually play to, the band decided to only play songs from their first three albums - which are all packed with sleazy, hard rock grooves that really seemed to win most of the large crowd over. Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song) started things off in style, with Paul Gilbert (guitar/vocals) launching into the bluesy riff and frontman Eric Martin strutting his quirky moves all over the front of the stage. Gilbert and Billy Sheehan (bass guitar/harmonica/vocals) are known for both two total masters of their craft, and showcased this early on by bringing out electric drills with guitar pics on to play the song's fast-paced solo with. They have been pulling this stunt for years, but it still impresses and from this point on they had everyone's attention. Alive and Kickin' was an early highlight for me, with Martin belting out the anthemic chorus and drummer Matt Starr locking in fantastically well with Sheehan for the song's trademark groove. More jaws dropped during Gilbert's tapped intro riff to Green-Tinted Sixties Mind, and the heavy blues of Price You Gotta Pay certainly saw plenty of heads nodding. I had wondered whether the band would drop the ballads at a metal festival, but acoustic guitars were soon strapped on for their cover of Cat Stevens' Wild World, which prompted a bit of a sing-a-long with the crowd, before the rest of the jaws hit the floor during Gilbert and Sheehan's trade-off intro to Addicted to that Rush, one of the band's oldest songs. Both are masters of tapping and shredding, and the two traded licks and riffs at lightning speed, before joining together to play the song's opening. It was probably the song of the set, as was filled with constant instrumental pyrotechnics from them both. Martin got to shine on his acoustic ballad To Be With You, the band's biggest hit, which also prompted lots of the crowd to sing along. It was probably the most chilled out song played on the Main Stage all weekend, and it was great to see lots of metal fans singing along to a gentle acoustic ballad. There was still time for one more however, and the heavy, fast-paced Colorado Bulldog was the fitting end to a masterful set. If it was not for a certain headliner who I will get to, Mr. Big would have been the band of the day. They seem to be entering into a big of a hiatus now, after fulfilling all of their previously-booked shows following the death of drummer Pat Torpey, so I am glad that I got a chance to see them before they go back into hiding. The setlist was:

Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)
Rock & Roll Over
Alive and Kickin'
Green-Tinted Sixties Mind
Guitar solo
Price You Gotta Pay
Wild World [Cat Stevens cover]
Addicted to that Rush
To Be With You
Colorado Bulldog

I had another little break after Mr. Big's excellent set and came back into the arena in time to catch the start of Act of Defiance's set on the Second Stage. I had planned to watch the band's whole set, but after catching a couple of songs I decided that their extremely generic and tuneless modern metal was just not for me, so I headed over to the Main Stage in time to catch the entirety of the evening's special guest...

At the Gates:
The penultimate band of my weekend was At the Gates, the legendary Swedish melodic death metal band who helped to pioneer what became known as the 'Gothenburg Sound' back in the early 1990s. Mixing traditional death metal with more melodic elements became the band's trademark, and their classic 1995 release Slaughter of the Soul is one of the best examples of the genre. I made quite an effort to get back into At the Gates a few years ago, and even went up to Birmingham to see them in 2014, but since then my interest in the band has waned. There is no doubt that the band is great at what they do, but it does all begin to sound the same after a while. The majority of the band's hour long set came from material from their most recent two albums, and I was able to recognise a few of the tracks from 2014's At War With Reality. The rest of the set came from Slaughter of the Soul, with lots of true Gothenburg classics making an appearance. I would imagine long-time fans would not have been happy at the lack of any early material in the set, but this was probably the best set for a festival crowd. Frontman Tomas Lindberg still has his distinctive screaming voice intact, and drummer Adrian Erlandsson put in a masterful performance behind the kit. Highlights of the set for me were the songs from Slaughter of the Soul, including the title track which came early on in the evening and anthems like Nausea and Suicide Nation. New guitarist Jonas Stålhammar handled the leads well, and overall the band turned in a high-energy performance. At the Gates will never be a true favourite of mine, but they are a band of real stature and they well deserved their special guest slot - and seemed to relish the opportunity to play to a large, appreciative crowd in the UK.

Nightwish:
After a fairly lengthy 45 minute change over, it was time for the Main Stage headliners, the Finnish symphonic metal act Nightwish. Nightwish have always been one of my favourite bands, so they were probably my most-anticipated act of the weekend. The band are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary, and are doing this by pulling a lot of rarely-played songs out of the vaults and wowing crowds with career-spanning setlists that showcase just why they are so well respected. The set started with a bang, with End of all Hope proving to be a powerful opening number. Frontwoman Floor Jansen has the operatic voice for the old songs, and she belted out the staccato choruses with real power while the band powered behind her. While the sound mix was a little off for the first couple of numbers, which meant some of the early orchestral arrangements were lost, this was still a powerful opening - full of pyro and true vocal talent. Fan favouite Wish I Had an Angel got everyone singing early on, before the die-hard fans screamed with delight as the band launched into 10th Man Down from an old EP. Marco Hietala (vocals/bass guitar) sung the parts originally sung by session man Tapio Wilska, with his trademark howls giving the song a different feel due to the lack of the deep gothic tones of the original. Some of the songs were rearranged slightly, with Troy Donockley (guitar/uilleann pipes/whistles/vocals) taking to the stage during the fourth song Come Cover Me, which now has a gorgeous woodwind intro that mimics Jansen's chorus vocal line. Donockley's role in the band seems to be expanding all the time, and he added some extra weight to the power metal workout Gethsemane, with his heavy riffing allowing Emppu Vuorinen (guitar) to tackle the neo-classical leads and duel with band-leader Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards) in a flashy solo section. Some newer numbers, such as the folky Élan and the stadium pop metal of Amaranth were included, but it was the rarely-played classics that unsurprisingly got the biggest reactions.

One of the highlights of the set for me was the heavy, gothic Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean which again featured lots of excellent vocals from Hietala in place of Wilska. Hietala has such an instantly-recognisable voice, and it was strange hearing him something that was originally sung a lot lower. I really liked his interpretations of the parts however, and it was great to hear these songs live - songs which Nightwish have not performed live for many years. The hit single Nemo unsurprisingly received a big cheer, with the crowd singing the chorus back at the band and, as with the previous tour, Donockley shining at the end with a beautiful e-bow solo. Donockley's addition to the band has really allowed Nightwish to widen their musical palette, and it is these little flourishes that show exactly what he brings. The tough metal of Slaying the Dreamer provided a chance to headbang, before the band used two of their epics to close out the festival. The lengthy The Greatest Show on Earth was first and, although somewhat abridged compared to the full version that was played on the last tour, still really hit home. Donockley's folky pipe melodies, Holopainen's orchestrations, and Jansen's full-bodied vocals really make the song come to life, with the images filling the big screens providing a visual feast. Parts II and III of the piece were played, before everything went black and the instantly-recognisable intro to Ghost Love Score started and the crowd showed their appreciation. I had thought on the last tour that this song was sounding a little tired from over-exposure, but it really hit the spot this time and allowed Jansen to show off her operatic vocal side one last time, while the full extent of the band's power and diversity poured out of the BOA PA system. It was a real triumph and the crowds reaction told you all you needed to know. Parts IV and V of The Greatest Show on Earth were used as a sort of extended outro tape while the band were taking their bows, which gave the set gentle and calming end, while Richard Dawkins' narration washed over the crowd. This was easily my favourite set of the weekend, and was probably the second best Nightwish show I have seen. I was not planning on going to see the band on their short UK tour in December as I was seeing them at BOA, but this set was so powerful that I have already bought a ticket to their Birmingham show so it will not be long before I get the chance to see them again! The setlist was:

End of all Hope
Wish I Had an Angel
10th Man Down
Come Cover Me
Gethsemane
Élan
Sacrament of Wilderness
Amaranth
I Want My Tears Back
Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean
Nemo
Slaying the Dreamer
The Greatest Show on Earth - Parts II & III
Ghost Love Score
The Greatest Show on Earth - Parts IV & V

As I walked back to my tent for the final sleep, I reflected on what had been a great festival. The weather did dampen spirits at times, but on the whole BOA was an excellent experience. It was probably the busiest I had been out of all of the BOA iterations that I have now experienced, and I managed to catch a good range of different bands - most of whom impressed at least somewhat. There have been no announcements for next year's festival, but if the line-up is strong I shall once again consider returning. BOA is certainly the best metal festival in the UK, and it is great to see it still continuing to grow. I feel they may struggle to top the pull that Judas Priest inevitably had on 2018's festival, but I am sure the organisers are already working hard on putting together a quality bill for next year.

Gioeli/Castronovo's 'Set the World on Fire' - Album Review

The Italian melodic rock label Frontiers Records really seem to have the monopoly on new AOR and melodic rock releases. Barely a Friday goes by without at least one new Frontiers album being released into the world, and many of them end up in my collection. They are a big champion of new melodic rock bands from all over the world, and many of the young bands who are writing music akin to the AOR giants of the 1980s end up on their roster. Many older, more experienced bands have also found a home at Frontiers, with bands like Whitesnake, Def Leppard, and Foreigner all working with the label at some point in their careers. Frontiers' third arm however is possibly their most prolific outlet, and that is their own manufactured bands and collaborations. The label's founder Serafino Perugino seems to have a knack of persuading various big names in the rock/metal/AOR worlds to work together on (usually) studio-only projects, often using songs from one of the label's in-house writers. While some of these collaboration/projects are enjoyable, the original Allen/Lande albums spring to mind as being pretty fun listens, the vast majority of them are very samey - to the point of sounding like they could have all been recorded in one session with the different singers coming in one after the other to record their parts! For this reason, I mostly avoid these creations from Frontiers, but occasionally one comes along that piques my interest. The latest release to do so was Set the World on Fire, a collaboration between singers Johnny Gioeli (Hardline; Crush 40; Axel Rudi Pell) and Deen Castronovo (Cacophony; Bad English; Hardline; Ozzy Osbourne; Steve Vai; GZR; Journey; Revolution Saints; The Dead Daisies). The two had previous worked together as members of the AOR band Hardline, but had not worked on an album together since the band's much-loved debut album Double Eclipse from 1992. Gioeli has kept Hardline going with various other members throughout the years, but is possibly best known now for singing for the German Ritchie Blackmore-loving guitarist Axel Rudi Pell for the past 20 years. His gritty, but melodic, voice has earned him many admirers over the years, and allows him to mix in well with Castronovo's smoother, more typically AOR, voice throughout this album. Castronovo is more well-known as a drummer, and in fact also drums on this album, but in the past few years has emerged as a competent vocalist in his own right with his own band Revolution Saints. Spearheading this collaboration, as is the case with many of these Frontiers efforts, is producer, songwriter, and keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio (Edge of Forever; Hardline; Eden's Curse; Voodoo Circle; Silent Force). He has written the vast majority of the songs found on Set the World on Fire, and the album features the usual sanitised, keyboard-heavy production that the majority of the albums he works on ends up with.

The album gets underway with a couple of really strong tracks, the first of which is the title track. A soaring guitar lead courtesy of session player Mario Percudani sits atop a driving rhythm section, allowing Castronovo to set the tempo with some pacy drumming. The keyboards take on more of a prominent role during the verses, which alternate between delicate piano-driven sections and tougher rock. Gioeli and Castronovo often trade vocal lines, but during certain parts they sing in harmony. The song's chorus is the best example of this, and the two singers' voices mix well together to sing the chorus melodies with genuine power. The song is certainly no world-beater, but it packs a punch and carries enough melodies to make it memorable. Lead single Through follows and opens with a piano motif that is soon joined by some delicate guitar leads. This simple backing really brings the best out of Castronovo's smooth voice who, out of the two, is probably better suited to singing pure AOR. His parts of the verses are excellent, and really showcases his talents. Gioeli is more suited to singing heavier material, but he still does a good job - before the two again team up for probably the album's best chorus. A simple, but effective, solo from Percudani adds a little touch of class to an already strong song, which all adds up to a strong opening pair. Who I Am is up next is not quite up to the same standard as the previous two, but is still enjoyable. The song slows things down a little, and really showcases some excellent vocals from Castronovo who owns the chorus. His years singing backing vocals (as well as the occasional lead) for Journey have clearly paid off, and his smooth melodies really shine over the song's keyboard-drenched chug. It is a short song, but one that still manages to impress. Fall Like an Angel is tougher, with a meaty guitar rhythm accentuated by Del Vecchio's twinkling keyboard riff. This contrast between the heavier riff and the sparkling keyboards works well, but the song seems to build towards a chorus which is ultimately unsatisfying. Much of the song is strong, particularly the dramatic pre-chorus melodies, but the chorus itself is a bit of a meaningless chug that fails to excite. AOR songs are often based around killer choruses, and the lack of one here really hinders the song from reaching that next level.

Most of the songs on this album are sung as a duet, but It's all About You is sung by Gioeli alone. It is a powerful ballad that builds up around some piano lines which allows Gioeli to showcase that he can sing the gentler stuff as well. He excels at heavier music, but he can do ballads justice too. I like how the song opens up during the choruses, which sees the acoustic guitars of the verses turn to electrics to kick things up a notch. The melodies are fairly standard and unoriginal, but Gioeli sings them with passion so it is hard to not be drawn in. A couple of covers are included here, the first of which being Need You Now originally by the country music group Lady Antebellum. Gioeli sings the song in a duet with Giorgia Colleluori (Eternal Idol), and their voices mix together well. The song is another slower effort, with Castronovo's lumbering drums and Percudani's slow chug keeping things in the slow lane, but this allows the vocals to stand out nicely. The chorus is a strong one, and features the two singers delivering a fairly emotional performance. Lady Antebellum seems like an odd band for a singer like Gioeli to cover, but the song works well in this AOR format. After two songs without hearing a Castronovo vocal, he takes Ride of Your Life for himself and sings the song in his Journey-inspired way. The song is written by former Survivor mastermind Jim Peterik so it is, unsurprisingly, full of massive hooks. Dramatic piano chords dominate the verses, before the chorus explodes in a flurry of catchy vocal melodies that ensure it is one of the best parts of the album. Peterik's songwriting style is very recognisable, and it does really sound like a long lost Survivor song that has finally been unearthed after many years hidden from the public. Mother returns to the established duet formula of the album's earlier songs, and features a beautifully smooth chorus that Castronovo sings with passion, while his drumming provides a natural swing and groove which helps it sound slightly different from the norm. The verses are a little more overtly rock, with Gioeli's expressive vocals working well with Percudani's needling riffs - all while Del Vecchio's piano rolls away beneath them. It is a slightly strange sounding song, but it works well with the two singers helping to accentuate the different vibes created by different parts. Walk With Me is another Castronovo solo effort, and it is another aching ballad that borrows heavily from the Journey canon. It is another enjoyable song, but one that lacks that special something to really elevate it to being great. The chorus is pretty memorable, but I just feel that the song on the whole is a little flat. I often find it hard to put my finger on what makes a song feel this way, but this is certainly one that lacks a little flair.

Run for Your Life is a bit more upbeat, and was written by Del Vecchio, Nigel Bailey (Three Lions; Dirty White Boyz) and Steve Overland (Wildlife; FM). The main riff is very keyboard driven, with big synth stabs cutting through the mix to rise above the tougher guitar rhythms. Gioeli shines here, as the slightly more energetic feel of the song is better suited to his gritter voice. The two singers once again sing well together in the chorus, which is a strong one packed full of good melodies - including a memorable wordless section at the end which sticks in the brain. Remember Me is similar, and once again sees Del Vecchio collaborating with Bailey. The big synths of the previous song remain, although are toned down a little with the exception of a big riff during the intro. This song is not as memorable as the previous one however, with the subtle melodies not really embedding themselves in the subconscious. The chorus is a smooth one, and does not really hold its own when compared to some of the big riffs found here. A bigger vocal sound may have helped, but the harmonies are very subtle which means that the chorus fails to meet its full potential. Let Me Out is the album's closing number, and the final of the two covers. This time pop duo The Veronicas are the donor group, which is another unexpected artist for someone like Gioeli to sing. The song is stripped right back to its acoustic roots however, and basically sees Gioeli singing with a simple acoustic guitar and string backing. It works quite well, and Gioeli turns in a good version of the song, but I cannot help feeling that it would have been better putting this song somewhere else in the running order and closed the album with one of the more rocking songs. It seems a strange song to end the album with, which means that the energy from the previous two pieces really peters out. Overall, Set the World on Fire is an enjoyable album which has more than enough strong songs to satisfy any casual AOR fan. It is one of the better Frontiers project albums that I have heard for a while, and showcases two vocal talents doing what they do best.

The album was released on 13th July 2018 via Frontiers Records. Below is the duo's promotional video for Through.

Steelhouse Festival 2018 (Friday and Saturday)

With the Cambridge Rock Festival's line-up not really appealing for a second year in a row, I was on the lookout for a new festival to try. The Cambridge Rock Festival had been my go-to festival since 2008, but the quality of the bands being booked had been falling for a while. They reached an all-time low this year with only around 5 bands over the weekend that actually appealed so I decided to give the now well-established Steelhouse Festival in South Wales a go. I had followed the festival's progress from afar over the past few years, but the line-up for this year was so strong that it became hard to ignore. Scheduled to headline the two main days were rock legend Glenn Hughes and Black Star Riders, with ample support coming from the likes of The Wildhearts, Myles Kennedy, and the Dan Reed Network. The line-up was so good that, for the first time, the festival actually sold out. This is a huge achievement for a festival that is only a few years old, and the organisers will hopefully be able to build on this success going forward. The fact that the festival only has one stage too, The Trooper Stage, means that there are no clashes between bands and festival goers can watch every minute of every set if they so wish. The other advantage that Steelhouse has over the Cambridge Rock Festival is the fact that it is probably about half of the distance away from my home in Devon. With the festival starting at around dinner time on the Friday, I left Plymouth on Friday morning and got to the site at around 4:30pm after finding heavy traffic on both the M5 and the M4. The festival site itself is at the top of a mountain on the site of a working farm, which has a winding track up to it from the main road. The volume of traffic trying to negotiate this track made the ascent to the festival site a slow one, so with all the traffic-related headaches I arrived at the festival around 2 hours behind schedule. There was just enough time to get the tent up and the car emptied before it was time to head into the main arena to sample the evening's live music.

Before I start this review proper, I feel like I should address one thing that will probably go on to define Steelhouse 2018: the weather. Considering how good the weather has been in the UK so far this summer, the weather in South Wales over the Steelhouse weekend was awful. Friday was not too bad, with just a few heavy showers throughout the day, but Saturday was extremely unpleasant with only occasional breaks in the rain. This, coupled with high winds and occasional thunder storms, made enjoying the music very difficult at times. The location of the site meant there was very little natural shelter from any extreme weather, and the lack of any real man-made shelter was also a problem. I did my best to brave the weather throughout the weekend, but occasionally things became too much and I had to retreat to the tent. Sadly however, the weather really took its toll on the tent, and by Sunday morning it was almost flooded. This, coupled with the fact that the forecast for Sunday was for worse weather than what I had experienced on the Saturday, persuaded me to leave the festival early on the Sunday morning. There is a line between being able to tolerate something and it becoming too much to handle, and by Sunday morning this line had been crossed. I was certainly not the only person leaving early, as there seemed to be a constant stream of people taking their belongings back to the car park. It is really unfortunate that the weather pushed so many of us to leave the festival early, but the good news is that the festival still managed to continue on the Sunday, albeit with a reduced line-up as a couple of the bands had to pull out. I was gutted to miss a whole day of the festival, but at the time cutting my losses and leaving really felt like the only sensible option.

With that out of the way, the positives of the festival should be focused on. Apart from a couple of showers while I was getting the tent up, Friday evening was largely dry and the music went on unhindered. Being the earliest part of the festival, there was only a modest amount of people gathered in the arena by the time the first band of the weekend took to the stage...

Fragile Things:
The Milton Keynes four-piece Fragile Things were the first band of the weekend, and got Steelhouse off to a powerful start with a half an hour of their modern take on hard rock. The band hit the stage with the title track of their second EP Echo Chambers, and the riffy hard rock of the piece set the tone for the rest of the set. Despite suffering a slightly muddy sound mix for the first couple of numbers, Mark Hanlon's guitar really powering through the speakers and certainly impressed those who had made the effort to get into the area early. Five of the six songs played were taken from the band's first two EPs, with one new song Bastard Child following the opening number. Frontman, and former Heaven's Basement singer, Richie Hevanz is a strange presence on stage, he is not your typical prowling frontman, but managed to elicit a strong reaction from the crowd that had gathered down at the front, and showed off his emotive vocal range on the slightly slower song Disappear. After that short lull, the set ended on a powerful high with two heavier tracks: The Big Reveal and Broken Sun. The latter was a real highlight and opened with a powerful bass riff from Steve Lathwell, before evolving into a real stadium rocker complete with a powerful anthemic chorus. I had seen the band perform in Plymouth last year around the time their first EP came out, but they have come on a long way since then and seem to be gathering momentum with every show. I hope the band will return to Plymouth again soon, and Fragile Things really got Steelhouse 2018 off to a great start. The setlist was:

Echo Chambers
Bastard Child
Pick Your Poison
Disappear
The Big Reveal
Broken Sun

Departed:
Up next were Departed, a band from Devon who I had seen locally a few times before. Over the past year I had seen the band mature from humble beginnings to a well-oiled machine, and this set was easily the best performance I had seen from the band yet. Superstitious opened the set as always, and frontman Mark Pascall immediately slipped into his cool, laid back style to croon out the soaring chorus with Ben Brookland's (guitar/vocals) big riffs backing him. The band's set consisted of the majority of their debut self-titled EP, along with three newer songs that have been a part of recent setlists. The heavier Steal Your Crown was an early highlight, with new drummer Matt Chalk's punchy style really made the song hit harder. No disrespect is meant to the band's former drummer Connor Spring, but I feel Chalk's slightly heavier drumming style really suits the band's sound and the Departed seem to have a bit more of a spring in their step with Chalk behind the kit. The stadium-worthy Are You Ready? was another highlight, but the two newer songs that ended the set equally impressed and show the direction that the band intend to take going forward. Soul Shaker has a bit of a country/blues groove, but played through Marshall Amps turned up to 11, and Come On feels like the band's next single with a chorus that will not leave your head in a hurry. By this point a larger crowd had assembled and, judging by the reactions from those gathered, the band made a few new fans with this confident and powerful showing. The setlist was:

Superstitious
All the Way
All I Want
Steal Your Crown
Pretty Little Thing
Are You Ready?
Soul Shaker
Come On

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons:
After two young up-and-coming bands impressed with their newly-released material, it was then down to one of the genre's elder statesmen to add some experience and power to the opening night of Steelhouse 2018. Phil Campbell (guitar/vocals) was a member of Motörhead from 1984 until the band's demise in 2015, and was behind many of the band's great albums, as well as countless live shows. Since Motörhead finished a few years ago, Campbell has been touring under his own name with his new band The Bastard Sons which is made up of his three songs and frontman Neil Starr. The band have released an album, as well as an EP, of original material and their hour-long set featured a good amount of their own material as well as some choice cuts from the Motörhead catalogue. Original numbers Big Mouth and Welcome to Hell kicked the set off, but it was the Motörhead songs that really seemed to get the crowd going. The boogie blues of Going to Brazil and Born to Raise Hell certainly got heads nodding and fists pumping, but the original track Get On Your Knees did result into a pretty spirited crowd participation about half way through the set. Campbell and co. benefited from having the largest crowd of the day up until that point, but it did seem to take a while for many in the crowd to really get into what was being played. That being said, the band's original material impressed me on the whole, and I will have to pick up a copy of their debut album The Age of Absurdity soon. The slightly doomy Dark Days was another highlight, that slowed things down somewhat and allowed Campbell, along with his son Todd Campbell (guitar/vocals), to churn out a muscular metal riff that allowed to the band to settle into a tight, heavy groove. The last few numbers really saw the crowd wake up however, with a spirited cover of Hawkwind's Silver Machine prompting a bit of a sing-a-long, before Tyla Campbell (bass guitar/vocals) launched into the iconic bass intro for Ace of Spades and the energy levels rose dramatically. It was probably the best-received song of the day, and the band capitalised on this energy by finishing their set with the excellent original number High Rule. At a festival which specialises more in classic rock than metal, this was probably the heaviest set of the weekend and certainly blew away any early cobwebs that might have still been lurking around the site. The setlist was:

Big Mouth
Welcome to Hell
Rock Out [Motörhead cover]
Going to Brazil [Motörhead cover]
Freak Show
Born to Raise Hell [Motörhead cover]
Get On Your Knees
R.A.M.O.N.E.S. [Motörhead cover]
Ringleader
Dark Days
Silver Machine [Hawkwind cover]
Ace of Spades [Motörhead cover]
High Rule

Stone Broken:
Friday night's headliner was the Walsall-based four-piece Stone Broken, a young band who have come on in leaps and bounds since I first saw them just over two years ago supporting The Treatment in Birmingham. While the band's sound will always have too much of a 1990s post-grunge influence for me to truly become a member of the Broken Army, there is no denying that the band put on a headline-worthy performance to a large, appreciative crowd. Frontman Rich Moss has a strong voice that suits the tough radio rock that defines the band's sound, while Chris Davis (guitar) added some sparkling lead guitar throughout - including some excellent solos. With just two albums to their name, the band's hour long set probably contained most of their discography, which already has a sound they can call their own. I have not really followed the band's progress since the show in Birmingham two years ago, but even I knew that Stone Broken's star has been on a steady rise since. The band completed a successful headlining UK tour earlier this year, and are heading off on their first trip to the USA later on in the year. It is great that a British rock band is finding such success early on in their career, and this show at Steelhouse might have been their biggest gig to date. Headlining a festival like Steelhouse is an achievement for any band, and Stone Broken certainly did not look out of place or seem over-awed by the occasion. The good-sized crowd seemed to contain lots of the band's fans, so unsurprisingly they went down really well! I enjoyed the band's set, even with the addition of a rather unnecessary drum solo and the fact that their music is not wholly my thing, and wish them well on their trip over to America.

Stone Broken's set brought Friday's entertainment to a close, so I trooped back to my tent for a rather patchy night's sleep. The heavy wind and rain that filled most of the night kept me awake for long periods of time, but I still started Saturday feeling fairly refreshed. A cup of tea and a hastily prepared bacon sandwich marked the first meal of the day, but this was all done sheltering in the front portion of the tent as the rain was still coming down fairly heavily. Luckily, by the time the first band was due to come on stage, the rain head eased off quite a bit so I headed down into the arena to catch the first band of the day...

The Bad Flowers:
Opening Saturday's proceedings was the bluesy rock three-piece The Bad Flowers, who instantly got down to business by treating the growing crowd to half an hour or so of their fuzzy, riffy material. Considering that the band is only a three-piece, they made a sound that felt like it should come from a much larger band. I feel that this is partly down to the excellent bass playing of Dale Tonks, who's fluid and intricate playing was so much more than the lumbering basslines that often fill songs of this nature. This, coupled with Tom Leighton's (vocals/guitar) soulful vocals, ensured the band's material sounded rich and interesting, which kept the songs from become stale - something which I often find is the case with other, more generic blues rock acts. Karl Selickis (drums) helped to enhance the band's visual element too, putting on a real show behind his drum kit. He was one of the most flamboyant drummers of the weekend, constantly twirling his sticks while never missing a beat. Opening bands at festivals can sometimes get a bit of a raw deal as it can often take crowds a while to gather and truly get going, but The Bad Flowers benefited from a strong turnout and probably made a few new fans with their confident showing. I will certainly be following the band's progress in future.

Aaron Buchanan and the Cult Classics:
Up next was former Heaven's Basement frontman (the second of the weekend!) Aaron Buchanan and his bad The Cult Classics, who were my first truly 'anticipated' set of the day. I had seen the band put on a storming half an hour showing at the Stone Free Festival in London the month previously, and was looking forward to seeing what the band could do with a bigger stage and more time. Sadly, the band suffered some of the worst of the weekends weather which, although not deterring them in the slightest, certainly affected their crowd size. The band hit the stage with Left Me for Dead, and the rain was really coming down. Buchanan did not seem put off by this, and occasionally took to the small catwalk at the front of the stage to get as wet as those who had braved the weather to see his set. As with Stone Free, the set was a mixture of original material and some older Heaven's Basement songs, with Fire, Fire getting the crowd going early on with it's punky, anthemic chorus and stuttering riff which Tom McCarthy (guitar/vocals) peeled off with ease. A highlight of the set was a spirited version of Heaven's Basement's Welcome Home, before the number of the set came along in the form of Fire in the Fields of Mayhem. This is a non-album track/B-Side from The Man With the Stars on His Knees sessions. I have to say that I think Buchanan dropped the ball a little by not including the song on the album, as it is a real winner! It reminded me a little more of his work with Heaven's Basement than much of his debut solo album, which is possibly why it was not included, but it certainly caught my attention on the day. By this point however the weather was getting worse. Buchanan was so wet that he abandoned his trademark white shirt and braces for I Am Electric, and the band then moved into the slower, grunge-inspired Mind of a Mute which turned out to the be the last song of the set. There was more planned, but there was lightning in the air by this point and the crew took the decision to pull the plug on the live music for the time being. Despite being cut short, Buchanan and his band still put on a great show in very difficult conditions, and probably impressed those who had braved the storm to see them. The setlist was:

Left Me for Dead
Fire, Fire [Heaven's Basement material]
The Devil That Needs You
Welcome Home [Heaven's Basement material]
Fire in the Fields of Mayhem
I Am Electric [Heaven's Basement material]
Mind of a Mute

By this point it was hailing, and it seemed like retreating to the tent was the only option for a change of clothes. Despite wet weather gear and a newly-purchased poncho, I was wet through and needed some time out of the downpour. Despite a completely new set of clothes, I did not feel like venturing out of the tent again immediately. The weather did clear up somewhat, but I decided to take the opportunity to get some rest in anticipation of a long afternoon/evening. As a result I missed Myke Gray (the former guitarist from Jagged Edge, Skin, and the Red White and Blues) and his new band's set. I heard it all from the tent, and enjoyed it from afar while getting some rest. By the time Gray had finished his set, the sun was out (to an extent) so I headed back into the arena to catch the next band...

King King:
On a bill that was dominated by riffy hard rock bands, Scotland's King King stood out with their laid back, organ-drenched take on blues rock that certainly passed an hour in a pleasant fashion. I had seen the band supporting Thunder in London a couple of years ago, but since then King King have risen in stature and seem to be making a bit of a name for themselves currently. The band had been due to play the festival last year but had a pull out at the last minute due to health reasons, so this set felt like it was much overdue. The band's leader Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitar) has a voice very similar to the great Paul Rodgers, and croons his way through the band's material with a rich delivery. The band's material is rarely out and out rock, but featured lots of excellent guitar soloing from Nimmo as well as some fabulous Hammond organ work from Jonny Dyke (keyboards/vocals). The keyboards often dominated the sound, which gave King King's music a shimmering, organic quality. I was largely unfamiliar with the band's work prior to the show, but the song A Long History of Love really stood out. It was stretched out to probably around the 10 minute mark which allowed plenty of time for soloing from both Nimmo and Dyke. While the band's melodic blues will never truly be my thing, I enjoyed King King's set as it proved something different from the default sound that dominated the rest of the festival.

Dan Reed Network:
Another of my most-anticipated sets of the weekend followed, with the funk rock five-piece the Dan Reed Network hitting the stage to put on one of the most high-energy performances of the weekend. I had last seen the band in December supporting Extreme, and since then my opinion on frontman Dan Reed and his excellent band had only improved. The band had an hour on stage, and made it count with songs from all four of their albums making up their set. A duo from 1989's Slam got the set underway, with the cinematic beats of Cruise Together and the tougher riffs of Under my Skin getting the set off a great start. Thankfully the weather was kinder to the Dan Reed Network, with light rain dusting the first few numbers, before the sun came out and everyone's spirits were raised. While Reed is often the star of the show, covering every inch of the stage and often breaking out into erratic dance routines, the rest of the band all have their chances to shine. Melvin Brannon II (bass guitar/vocals) launched into a funky solo during Baby Now I, and Brion James (guitar/vocals) showed why he was one of the best guitarists on show all day on numerous occasions with some excellent melodic shredding. There were lots of highlights in the band's set, but one of the best was a stunning rendition of the poppy Rainbow Child, which seemed appropriate considering that rainbows had been seen all around the site all weekend due to the rain! This was followed by the soaring ballad Champion, the only newer number played, which shows that the band are still capable of writing excellent songs. They have a new album Origins due out later in the year and I am looking forward to hearing what the band have come up with for their latest project. By this point the set was edging its way to a close, but there was still time for a few more numbers. The brighter weather had encouraged a few more people out of the tents, and a large crowd had gathered to groove with the Dan Reed Network. They were rewarded with some upbeat rockers to finish off, including Tiger in a Dress and the band's early single Ritual. Get to You brought the set to a close, and the crowd made their appreciation known. While the Dan Reed Network's fusion of different sounds might not be everyone's cup of tea at a more straight ahead rock festival, they seemed to go down well with large sections of the crowd and their set was one of my two favourite performances of the weekend. I have tickets to see the band in Bristol later in the year, something which I am already looking forward to. The setlist was:

Cruise Together
Under My Skin
Baby Now I
Forgot to Make Her Mine
Rainbow Child
Champion
Make It Easy
Tiger in a Dress
Ritual
Get to You

It was time for food after the Dan Reed Network finished, so I headed for the pizza stall to get something to eat. While I was waiting for my food however, the rain really struck again and it did not let up for at least an hour. It was the last really nasty shower of the day, but it was also some of the day's heaviest. Luckily I managed to find a bit of shelter to the side of the sound desk tent, which is a position I remained in for the entirety of the day's penultimate act...

Myles Kennedy:
Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy has been filling arenas around the world for a few years now, but this year has seen him step out from behind the shadow of his day job and launch a proper solo career. His debut solo album, Year of the Tiger, was released earlier this year and showed a different side to Kennedy's songwriting with a more down-beat, singer-songwriter style that relied more on the lyrical power of the songs than soaring melodies or catchy riffs. Most of Kennedy's shows this year have been solo acoustic efforts, but for a few of his summer shows he has been joined by Tim Tournier (bass guitar) and Zia Uddin (drums) - both of whom played on Year of the Tiger. These additional musicians allowed Kennedy to play some of the more complex pieces from his album, including the personal favourite The Great Beyond, but there were some songs that he still played alone. Much of his solo album was featured during his around 75 minute set, but other songs from his career were also played - albeit in vastly different arrangements. Alter Bridge's heavy Addicted to Pain worked surprisingly well as a solo acoustic number, while an unexpected cover of Iron Maiden's The Trooper also worked well in this most-basic of arrangements. While this stripped-down vibe worked really well for Kennedy and allowed his voice to really shine, it also proved to be the set's drawback. Kennedy's set was sandwiched between two extremely powerful, high energy sets - which made his more serious, organic show seem to fall short in comparison. The crowd reaction during his show was more muted too, despite the large numbers that braved the weather to watch him. There were moments when everyone seemed to wake up, such as during Alter Bridge's Watch Over You, but a lot of the time they were more polite than appreciative. I feel that this sort of set would have been better suited to a seated theatre than outside during a rainy rock festival, but there was still plenty to enjoy - including the delightful Songbird and the more uptempo closing number Year of the Tiger. The setlist was:

Devil on the Wall
The Great Beyond
Ghost of Shangri La
Haunted by Design
Standing in the Sun [Slash material]
Addicted to Pain [Alter Bridge material]
Turning Stones
Nothing But a Name
The Trooper [Iron Maiden cover]
Blind Faith
Songbird
Watch Over You [Alter Bridge material]
Travelling Riverside Blues [Robert Johnson cover]
World on Fire [Slash material]
Year of the Tiger

Glenn Hughes:
The rain had eased off during Myles Kennedy's set, and luckily remained largely dry for the rest of the evening. This mean that Saturday's headliner, and my final set of the weekend, was watched mostly in the dry! Glenn Hughes (vocals/bass guitar) performing a set of classic Deep Purple songs was something that I had always wanted to see, and this headline performance at Steelhouse 2018 was probably the closest I will ever get to seeing these songs played as they would have been by Deep Purple in the mid-1970s. This is because Hughes and his band played extended versions of the songs, much in the vein of how Deep Purple used to perform them. The 1970s excess felt as close to the fabled California Jam show as it is probably possible to feel in 2018, and Hughes' set was a real treat to a long-time Deep Purple fan such as myself. Stormbringer got the set off to a powerful start, before the Hammond-drenched Might Just Take Your Life added some real class to the evening. Hughes was backed throughout by an excellent band consisting of Soren Andersen (guitar/vocals), Jay Boe (keyboards/vocals), and Markus Kullmann (drums) - all of whom helped the 'Voice of Rock' bring a very key part of his history to life. The smooth funk of You Keep On Moving was one of the highlights of the night, before an extended version of You Fool No One brought the spirit of Mk. III Deep Purple truly to life with extended solos for the entire band that often entered the progressive, psychedelic realms that Deep Purple often veered into live. While there is little need for this type of excessive soloing in the modern rock world, this little throwback to another world was most welcome at Steelhouse 2018, and the large crowd seemed to lap up every minute of it.

The blues of Mistreated was also extended to include an excellent solo from Andersen. While few out there are as good as Ritchie Blackmore, Andersen more than did the material justice and his solo was in keeping with the overall feel of the piece. Hughes is not really a blues singer, but sung the song well in his higher, more soulful style. Hughes' voice has barely aged at all, and he can still hit some ludicrously high notes - something he did often throughout. While David Coverdale originally sung much of the material that Hughes played at Steelhouse 2018, he sung them with real passion seemed to raise the energy levels in the crowd. A couple of Mk. II songs were also featured in the set, which initially seemed strange as Hughes had nothing to do with the creation of these pieces, but they were often a big part of both Mk. III and Mk. IV shows that including them was the right decision. Smoke on the Water, with the Georgia on my Mind ending, was brought the main set to a close, before Hughes brought out Kennedy to the stage once more for a rousing rendition of Highway Star. The two traded off the vocals throughout, before Kennedy and Andersen played the iconic guitar solo in tandem, which gave the piece a fuller feel. There was time for one more and it was left to Burn to bring Saturday's entertainment to a close. It is one of my favourite Deep Purple songs, and I have now seen it performed by three separate former members of the band. Hughes' version was excellent, and brought the evening to a powerful close, which the large crowd acknowledged loudly. The setlist was (N.B. all of the songs below, unless otherwise stated, are Deep Purple songs):

Stormbringer
Might Just Take Your Life
Sail Away
You Keep On Moving
You Fool No One
Mistreated
Smoke on the Water/Georgia on my Mind  [Hoagy Carmichael and his Orchestra cover]
-
Highway Star [w/ Myles Kennedy]
Burn

I headed back to the tent after Hughes' set feeling like the day had turned out alright, despite some awful weather. Sadly however, throughout the night the rain continued to fall heavily and the wind reached some extremely high speeds. Luckily the tent survived the night, but by the morning was partially flooded and nearly everything I owned was soaking wet. The weather forecasts on my phone and on the radio were predicting awful weather for the vast majority of the day, and a quick trip to the portaloos got me wetter than anything the previous day had thrown at me. It was this that made me decide to leave the festival early, and I was certainly not the only person to do so. I felt bad leaving the festival early, but I still maintain it was the right thing to do. Steelhouse 2018 carried on, but in a much reduced format with the music starting two hours later than planned and with two fewer bands as The Quireboys and The Dead Daises both pulled out. The Quireboys were stuck in Croatia, amid a myriad of cancelled flights and broken promises so their cancellation could not be helped, but The Dead Daisies' excuse seemed feeble and really brought them a lot of (deserved) ire online. They had already been playing shows in the UK the two days prior to the Sunday of Steelhouse, so I am not really sure how they could justify not turning up. The weather did brighten up too around the early evening, but by this point the site and everyone in attendance must have been totally sodden!

However, despite the awful weather and the fact I had to leave early, I still had a great time at Steelhouse 2018. I saw the vast majority of the bands that I really wanted to see, and those that I chose to miss (or would have missed anyway in the case of The Quireboys) are all bands I have seen before and will have opportunities to see again. It seemed to be a really well-run festival for the most part, with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere despite the heavy rain. Steelhouse will certainly be a consideration for me in future, although having gone back to read reviews of the previous years' festivals it seems that bad weather (although probably not as bad as this year) is a bit of a fixture, which will definitely have to be a factor when considering whether or not to attend a Steelhouse Festival in the future!